Jump to a section

1. How to find a therapist
2. What to bring to therapy
3. Red flags in therapy
4. Therapy models explained
5. The standard of care for DID
6. Trauma treatment centers & clinics

How to find a therapist

• Start with your insurance provider’s directory, if applicable.
• Look for trauma-informed, DID-aware, or dissociation-friendly clinicians.
• Try search terms like “DID,” “C-PTSD,” “parts work,” “inner child,” or “complex trauma.”
• Many therapists offer free consultations — ask about their experience with dissociation.
• Use therapist directories and filter by specialty, such as trauma or dissociation.

Helpful directories

• ISSTD — Find a Therapist (International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation)
• Psychology Today — Find a Therapist (filter by “Dissociative Disorders” or “Trauma and PTSD”)

Questions to ask a potential therapist

• Have you worked with clients with DID or OSDD?
• What approaches do you use for trauma or dissociation?
• How do you view healing or integration?
• How do you handle crises, or parts that don’t trust therapy?

What to bring to therapy

Feeling nervous? You’re not alone. Whether it’s your first time ever or you’re meeting a new therapist, having a few things ready can help you feel more grounded and supported.

Things to bring (if available)

• Insurance card (if using insurance)
• List of medications (including supplements)
• Any diagnoses or treatment history you’d like to share
• Emergency contacts (some therapists will ask for one)
• A short list of goals or concerns (can just be notes)

Helpful personal notes

• What brings you in now?
• Things you hope therapy can help with
• Topics that are off-limits (at least for now)
• Triggers, or things to avoid in how they talk to you
• If you have DID: how you want them to talk about parts (if at all)

Optional for comfort

• A fidget toy, small comfort item, or grounding tool
• A journal or notebook
• Water or tissues (some people like having their own)

Tips

• You don’t have to tell everything at once — go at your own pace.
• It’s okay to say, “I’m not ready to talk about that.”
• If you’re unsure whether they’re a good fit, ask about their experience with trauma or dissociation.

Red flags in therapy

Not every therapist is the right fit — and some may even cause harm, intentionally or not. These are warning signs that a therapist may not be safe, supportive, or trauma-informed.

Major red flags

• Never okay: any romantic or sexual contact, or requests to meet outside of therapy for personal reasons. This is a serious ethical violation and can be reported to your state’s licensing board.
• Dismisses or minimizes your trauma (“That doesn’t sound so bad.”)
• Pushes for details too quickly or without consent
• Blames you for your symptoms or past abuse
• Ignores boundaries, tries to be a “friend,” or overshares about themselves
• Invalidates your identity, parts, or diagnosis (e.g., “I don’t believe in DID”)
• Makes you feel afraid, ashamed, or confused on a regular basis
• Does not respect your pacing or triggers
• Has rigid rules with no flexibility (especially around missed appointments or payment)

Caution signs (may not be unsafe, but worth discussing)

• You leave sessions feeling worse, without clarity
• The therapist seems unfamiliar with trauma or dissociation
• They don’t collaborate — it feels one-sided
• They shame you for coping strategies instead of exploring them
• They change your diagnosis without explanation

What you can do

• Talk about it in session — good therapists welcome feedback.
• Bring a support person (if allowed).
• Write down your concerns after each session.
• Trust your gut — if you feel unsafe, you don’t need to stay.

Therapy models explained

A reference for the different approaches often used in healing from trauma, dissociation, and complex mental health issues. Whether you’re in therapy now, looking for a therapist, or just curious, this can help you understand the language and methods you might hear about.

Stabilization / Phase-Oriented Trauma Therapy

Emphasizes safety and skill-building before processing trauma memories. Widely considered best practice for DID and C-PTSD treatment.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

Used to treat PTSD and trauma memories. EMDR helps the brain reprocess disturbing memories using guided eye movements or other bilateral stimulation. It’s structured and often short-term. For dissociative folks, it may not be appropriate right away — stabilization comes first, and it should be adapted by a therapist trained in dissociation.

IFS (Internal Family Systems)

Sees the mind as made up of “parts,” and helps you build a relationship with each one — especially wounded or protective parts — from a calm, compassionate core Self. Widely used with DID and complex trauma.

Parts Work (general)

Not a formal model, but many therapists use “parts” language when working with people who experience inner selves, alters, or inner conflict. It overlaps with IFS and ego-state therapy.

DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)

Skills-based therapy focused on emotional regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness. Especially helpful for managing big emotions and learning grounding skills.

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy

Integrates talk therapy with awareness of the body. Especially useful when trauma is held in the body as tension, movement patterns, or shutdown responses. It helps regulate the nervous system and increase physical awareness.

Somatic Experiencing (SE)

Focuses on relieving the physical effects of trauma by working with the body’s stress response. Rather than talking in detail about the trauma, SE tracks body sensations to release stuck survival energy.

Attachment-Based Therapy

Focuses on building trust and safety in relationships, including the relationship with your therapist.

Psychodynamic / Talk Therapy

Explores how past experiences shape present thoughts and behaviors, focusing on relationships, patterns, and unconscious motivations. Less structured, and often used in long-term trauma work.

CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)

Focuses on how thoughts affect feelings and behaviors, and teaches how to identify distorted thinking patterns and replace them with healthier ones. Often structured and time-limited.

The standard of care for DID

The International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD) publishes professional guidelines for treating DID. Here are some of the key points, in plain language:

Treatment happens in phases

• Phase 1 — Safety and stabilization: building trust, learning about DID, managing symptoms, grounding skills, and improving communication between parts. Many people spend a long time here, and that’s okay.
• Phase 2 — Working through traumatic memories: carefully planned and paced, only when you’re stable enough. It’s normal to return to Phase 1 when needed.
• Phase 3 — Integration and moving forward: more internal cooperation, a steadier sense of self, and focusing on life in the present.

All parts matter

• Every part is seen as an adaptive way of coping. A good therapist won’t tell you to ignore or “get rid of” parts, and won’t play favorites.
• A therapist shouldn’t create or name parts for you, or push for fusion before you’re ready.
• The goal is integrated functioning. For some, that’s full fusion; for others, it’s a working cooperation between parts.

What treatment usually looks like

• Individual outpatient therapy is the main treatment, usually long-term (years, not months), often once or twice a week.
• Methods like EMDR should be adapted for DID and used only when you’re stable, by a therapist trained in dissociation.
• Structured, skills-focused groups can support individual therapy, but don’t replace it.
• A good therapist explains boundaries clearly from the start: session times, fees, confidentiality and its limits, contact between sessions, and what happens in a crisis.
• A good therapist stays respectful and neutral about memories, without pushing or telling you what happened.

Read the full professional guidelines on the ISSTD website.

Trauma treatment centers & clinics

Hospitals, clinics, and programs that offer trauma-informed care — including inpatient and outpatient treatment for PTSD, C-PTSD, and dissociative disorders.

United States

United Kingdom

Canada

Finding more programs

• Psychology Today — Treatment Centers (filter by “Dissociative Disorders” and your location)
• ISSTD — Find a Professional