McLean Hospital — Dissociative Disorders and Trauma Programs

About

McLean Hospital, a Harvard Medical School affiliate located in Belmont, Massachusetts, operates one of the most distinguished trauma treatment continuums in the United States. The Dissociative Disorders and Trauma Inpatient Program provides comprehensive care for adults living with the effects of childhood abuse, chronic relational trauma, and other painful traumatic experiences. The clinical model prioritizes symptom stabilization and safety rather than exploratory trauma processing during the inpatient phase, reflecting best practices in dissociation-informed care. Treatment is delivered by a multidisciplinary team of board-certified psychiatrists, psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, and group therapists. The program addresses intrusive thoughts and feelings related to traumatic events, emotional numbing, social isolation, memory difficulties, altered perceptions, and personality fragmentation. McLean's trauma continuum extends from inpatient through partial hospitalization and outpatient care, allowing patients to step down gradually as they build capacity for daily functioning. The hospital's research mission ensures that clinical protocols are continuously informed by the latest empirical findings in traumatic stress studies.

Depth Orientation

McLean's trauma continuum is one of the few academic psychiatric programs in the United States dedicated specifically to dissociative disorders and complex trauma. Treatment is grounded in a phase-oriented model emphasizing stabilization before trauma processing, reflecting the structural dissociation framework of Onno van der Hart and colleagues. The program integrates psychodynamic understanding of fragmented self-states with evidence-based interventions such as EMDR.

Treatment Modalities

Program Details

Best for

• Dissociative Identity Disorder
• Complex PTSD
• Trauma-related personality fragmentation
• Acute trauma destabilization

Notable Clinicians

• Sherry Winternitz, MD — Clinical Director, Dissociative Disorders and Trauma Programs
• Heidi Browne, MD — Associate Medical Director, board-certified in general adult psychiatry with expertise in OCD and trauma-spectrum disorders

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