ABSTRACT
The beginning stage of psychotherapy is one of stabilisation, containment, and strengthening the client’s resources to the extent possible. It is too early to look at trauma. Even though there may be identities wanting to talk about what happened to them, at this stage this can be dangerous. This is because it can be too much for the host to manage and can result in an increase in self-harming, suicide attempts, increased drinking, worsening of an eating disorder, or some other harmful behaviour. I explain this to all the identities through the host very early on in therapy.
