Aimed at clinicians, the 20 chapters presented here by Courtois (a psychologist in private practice in Washington, DC) and Ford (psychiatry, U. of Connecticut School of Medicine) lay out a framework and describe various evidence-based approaches for the conceptualization, assessment, and psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacological treatment of complex traumatic stress disorders, which are defined as involving traumatic stressors that are repetitive or prolonged; involve direct harm and/or neglect and abandonment by caregivers or ostensibly responsible adults; occur at developmentally vulnerable times in the victim's life, such as early childhood; and have great potential to compromise severely a child's development. Each chapter discusses clinical challenges that arise in treatment and provides an associated clinical framework or specific assessment or treatment model for addressing identified challenges. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)