Dissociation in Clinical Practice: Beyond Dissociative Identity Disorder

Webinar for Mental Health Clinicians:

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Webinar Summary

Dissociative disorders are among the most common yet most frequently overlooked and misunderstood presentations in clinical practice. When comorbid conditions become the primary focus of treatment, meaningful progress is often limited unless underlying dissociative processes are identified and addressed.

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

Describe core dissociative symptoms and experiences
Identify historical risk indicators for dissociative disorders
Identify patterns of dissociative symptoms associated with DSM-5-TR dissociative disorders based on MID-60 scores and response patterns
Interpret MID-60 results in the context of overlapping clinical features and common comorbid diagnoses, and non-dissociative experiences that may inflate screening scores
Apply MID-60 findings to support clinical formulation, differential interpretation, and decisions about further dissociation-focused assessment

Format: 1 hour 30 minute video recording and slides

Learning Objectives

In this webinar, Dr Mary-Anne Kate explores dissociation as a transdiagnostic phenomenon across adults and adolescents, with a focus on accurate identification, interpretation, and clinical decision-making. The presentation covers the prevalence, developmental pathways, and diagnostic features of dissociation.

Participants are introduced to the Multidimensional Inventory of Dissociation – 60 item version (MID-60) for adults and the adolescent version (MID-60-A), including guidance on how dissociative disorder-specific subscales, and response patterns inform interpretation beyond simple screening thresholds. The MID-60 is commonly recommended by EMDR trainers as part of pre-treatment assessment, as standard EMDR protocols may require modification when clinically significant dissociation is present.

Through a series of composite case examples, the webinar examines dissociative identity disorder, other specified dissociative disorder, dissociative amnesia, depersonalization/derealization disorder, and PTSD with the dissociative subtype.

The presentation will highlight the distinction and overlap between dissociative symptoms and other mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions and explore common reasons for false-positive and false-negative dissociation screening results.

This webinar provides clinicians with a structured framework for interpreting dissociative symptom profiles, recognising when dissociation may be under- or over-identified, and determining when further dissociation-focused assessment is warranted.

Dr Mary-Anne Kate

Dr Mary-Anne Kate is an award-winning researcher and lecturer specialising in trauma and dissociation, and the creator of the Multidimensional Inventory of Dissociation – 60 item version (MID-60), a widely used measure of dissociative symptoms and disorders in adults and adolescents.

Mary-Anne was a lecturer in psychology at Southern Cross University and previously taught on the Master of Mental Health program. She developed and led units on psychological assessment and psychopathology. Mary-Anne supervised a dozen Honours students on dissociation-related projects between 2023 and 2025.

Mary-Anne, a social scientist, examines the prevalence and aetiology of dissociation, lived-experience barriers to identification and protection, and intersections between dissociation, neurodiversity, and mental health conditions. She is lead author of the Dissociative and Somatic Disorders chapter in the Australasian Wiley textbooks Abnormal Psychology and Psychopathology.

Mary-Anne is the current Chair of the Scientific Committee of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD). Her work has been recognised with the ISSTD Morton Prince and David Caul Awards and the University of New England Chancellor’s Doctoral Research Medal. Before academia, she worked in strategic policy roles, including a diplomatic posting in Cairo and a consultancy with a European think tank advising the European Commission on migration and social inclusion.

Webinar for Mental Health Clinicians: