Full Course Description
Healing the Fragmented Selves
Childhood developmental trauma leaves people with a legacy of overwhelming emotions and a fragmented sense of self. Unaware that their intense reactions represent communications from fragmented parts, these clients often resort to addictive behavior, self-harm, and suicidality when feeling hurt, threatened, or rejected. In this session, you’ll learn about Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment, a new model for understanding traumatized clients as inherently fragmented and at war with themselves. When trauma symptoms are understood and treated as emotional memories held by split-off, disowned parts of ourselves, even the most self-destructive clients become manageable. Discover how to help clients:
- Make sense of their baffling and overwhelming inner experience
- Increase their curiosity and interest in the feelings they usually avoid
- Decode beliefs, emotions, and impulses in order to discover fragmentation
- Establish an internal environment of safety
Program Information
Objectives
- Differentiate 3 signs of trauma-related to fragmentation or splitting.
- Categorize the thoughts, feelings and impulses characteristic of each survival-oriented part, as described by Structural Dissociation Theory.
- Analyze the experience of being flooded by or blended with aspects of the self, commonly refered to as parts.
- Conduct 2 interventions for increasing client self-compassion.
Outline
- How traumatic experiences evoke self-alienation, self-rejection and self-fragmentation
- The structural dissociation model as an explanatory theory for trauma- related fragmentation of self
- How Structural Dissociation Theory differentiates between parts and distressing emotions
- How to help clients safetly connect with their dis-associated parts using the TIST theoretical model
- Learning how to unblend: how to be in relationship to the aspects of self commonly referred to as parts
- Developing respect and appreciation for the entire self and buiding empathy
- Limitations and potential risk factors associated with this approach
Target Audience
- Counselors
- Social Workers
- Psychologists
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Addiction Counselors
- Physicians
- Physician Assistants
- Nurses
- Nurse Practitioners
- Other Mental Health Professionals
Copyright :
03/18/2023
Releasing Personal and Intergenerational Trauma: IFS Therapy and Legacy Burdens
According to the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model, legacy burdens—the beliefs and emotions we absorb from our family, peers, and cultural regarding ourselves and the groups with whom we identify or consider “other”—are powerful organizers of our minds and behaviors. But how do you work with them in the therapy room? In this session, you’ll how the IFS model of therapy can help clients explore the sources of those burdens and the fears they often face in releasing them. This work is critically important to create more peace and less divisiveness in our fractured world. You’ll discover how to:
- Help clients release personal and intergenerational burdens related to traumatic experiences in their lives
- Ensure that clients’ parts feel safe and allowed to relax, so they can experience the qualities of confidence, openness, and compassion that IFS calls the Self
- Support Self-led activism and work with personal and legacy burdens that get triggered in the context of political conflict and unrest
- Help clients facilitate their healing of their own parts
This product is not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with the IFS Institute and does not qualify for IFS Institute credits or certification.
Program Information
Objectives
- Theorize on the basic principles of multiplicity of mind behind Internal Family Systems therapy as they apply to working with trauma.
- Theorize on the effects of intergenerational trauma, also known as “legacy burdens.”
- Categorize the 3 major roles that wounded, traumatized parts play in the intrapsychic experience of clients.
- Demonstrate parallels between external and internal attachment styles.
- Demonstrate how to utilize the model in recovering from intergenerational trauma.
- Utilize 2 methods to help clients stay in Self and grounded when working with traumatized clients.
- Contrast the way IFS works with other trauma to models that rely on psychoeducation and skill building to begin trauma work.
Outline
- Intergenerational trauma as “legacy burdens”
- The impacts of intergenerational trauma
- The three roles that traumatized parts play
- External vs Internal attachment styles
- Utilizing IFS in the treatment of intergenerational trauma
- Risks and limitations of the research
Target Audience
- Counselors
- Social Workers
- Psychologists
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Addiction Counselors
- Physicians
- Physician Assistants
- Nurses
- Nurse Practitioners
- Other Mental Health Professionals
Copyright :
03/17/2023
Embodied Healing for Developmental Trauma
It can be easy to focus on the words a client uses, but some of the most important information they reveal is through their physiology, posture, and movement. Our early life is encoded in the elusive dimension of implicit memory. Thus, a primary way to repair developmental trauma is to work directly with the nonconscious memory systems where patterns of relationship to self, other, and environment originate. You can do this by tapping into the “language” of the body. In this highly experiential workshop, hands-on exercises to engage developmental repair with clients suffering from attachment wounds, emotional abuse, and neglect will be explored. You’ll discover:
- Experiential and easy-to-use exercises to foster developmental repair with clients
- Embodied movement techniques to help clients initiate action, foster agency and follow-through, and expand their capacity to receive
- How to help clients more fully embody their emotions and learn to communicate authentically
Program Information
Objectives
- Describe the process of modifying the physiology underlying implicit memories from early life through the application of somatic interventions.
- Recognize the signs and symptoms of developmental trauma as they relate to survival and attachment theory.
- Demonstrate at least two somatic exercises to increase emotion regulation.
Outline
- What somatic psychotherapy offers the field of developmental trauma
- Defining implicit memory
- How to work with a client’s physiological, including limitations and potential risks
- How interoception and conscious awareness can be used to help clients access implicit memory
- Experiential exercises for using interoception to access implicit memory
- The signs and symptoms of developmental trauma
- Art and movement exercises for working with developmental trauma
- Defining embodied relational repair work
- Somatic exercises for increasing affect regulation
- Risks and limitations of the research
Target Audience
- Psychologist
- Physicians
- Nurses
- Counselors
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Addiction Counselors
- Social Workers
Copyright :
03/21/2024
Undoing Aloneness in Relational Trauma
The experience of aloneness, especially in the face of overwhelming emotions, is central to what makes an event traumatic. Undoing that aloneness is a key to rewiring neural pathways to enable the processing of trauma and relational wounds. Yet many traumatized clients distrust the very connections they need most to heal. Backed by empirical research, AEDP provides a creative, relational, affective/somatic, 4-state map of transformation and precise interventions that help make attachment safe and help heal attachment-based trauma. In this workshop, you’ll see actual videotaped sessions and experience:
- How to undo aloneness through here-and-now relational processing and use moment-to-moment tracking to assess the impact of interventions on clients
- How to harness the transformational power of affirmation and an affirmative therapeutic stance
- How to use AEDP's 4-state map of the transformational process to orient and inform clinical decision points
- How to help clients integrate emotional shifts from the session so they stick
Program Information
Objectives
- Utilize here-and-now relational processing to reduce a sense of aloneness in clients.
- Assess the impact of interventions on clients using moment-to-moment tracking.
- Describe an affirmative therapeutic stance, including how affirmations can be utilized to facilitate transformation.
- Utilize AEDP's 4 state map of the transformational process to orient and inform clinical decision points.
Outline
- Why trauma and attachment trauma lead to aloneness
- AEDP’s unique approach to undoing aloneness
- AEDP's attachment-based interventions for undoing aloneness
- Limitations of the research and potential risks
- Assessing clients using moment-to-moment tracking
- AEDP's 4-state model of the transformational process
- Using affirmation and an affirmative therapeutic stance to create transformational experiences
- AEDP's 4 state map of the transformational process and how to use it to inform clinical decision points
- How to use metatherapeutic processing to enhance the effectiveness of interventions
- Helping clients integrate emotional shifts from the session so they stick
- Clinical demonstrations
Target Audience
- Psychologists
- Physicians
- Nurses
- Counselors
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Addiction Counselors
- Social Workers
Copyright :
03/22/2024
Polyvagal-Informed EMDR
Polyvagal Theory and EMDR are two leading-edge therapy approaches with ample implications for healing. In this workshop, learn how these popular neuro-informed frameworks can be woven together to support clients through not only trauma and PTSD, but also in the treatment of addictions, anxiety, depression, grief, chronic pain, and adjustment disorders. We’ll dive into:
- How to apply the most important principles of Polyvagal Theory across a wide variety of practices and clinical presentations
- Why heart rate variability and vagal tone matter in your therapy room
- How to apply neural exercises to help clients regulate emotions
- How to use the core principles of EMDR therapy to treat trauma, depression, and anxiety
Program Information
Objectives
- ​​​Describe the key Polyvagal Theory principles and their relationship to psychotherapy.​​
- ​​​​Evaluate the role of heart rate variability and vagal tone on mental health and ​​well-being​​.​​​
- Examine the relationship between interoception and mental health symptoms.
- ​​​​Analyze the benefits of EMDR therapy for treating ​​​trauma.​​​​
Outline
- Foundations of Polyvagal Theory and the crucial role of the vagus nerve in psychotherapy
- What is the vagal break and how to teach your clients to use it
- Limitations of Polyvagal Theory in therapy
- Heart rate, vagal tone and more: What you need to know about their relationship to mental and physical health
- Clinical interventions for building vagal tone and heart rate variability
- Limitations of the research on vagal tone and heart rate variability
- The power of interoception: A vital skill for emotion regulation
- The Preparation Hierarchy of Polyvagal Informed EMDR
Target Audience
- Psychologists
- Physicians
- Nurses
- Counselors
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Addiction Counselors
- Social Workers
Copyright :
03/23/2024
The Craft of Treating Trauma: Applying Core Skills
How do we navigate the emotional landscape with a client when their present is more about the painful past or dreaded future? In this workshop, you will learn core skills to assist your clients in navigating the delicate balance of present, past and future. These valuable tools will strengthen your client’s sense of agency while they work to put past experiences in perspective, be more fully in the present, and instill hope for the future. In this session, you will discover how to:
- Help clients approach and observe their emotional responses without getting overwhelmed
- Identify and work with parts of self that get activated in the present
- Develop a future vision beyond symptom relief, with more adaptive ways of thinking, feeling, and responding
Program Information
Objectives
- Apply three strategies to facilitate dual attention in order to regulate the client’s affect.
- Practice at least one strategy to help the client identify and observe parts of self that get activated under certain circumstances in the present.
- Demonstrate how to guide clients in creating a vision for the future including at least one situation or a time where they will think, feel, and respond more adaptively to similar situations.
Outline
- How to facilitate emotion regulation using dual attention, non-verbal cues and reflection
- Strategies for working with parts of self to process present challenges
- Using the Observe Self to increase emotional awareness
- Skills to guide your clients beyond symptom relief, towards motivation, readiness for change and a sense of agency for managing future challenging situations
- Limitations of this strategy based on limited research
Target Audience
- Counselors
- Social Workers
- Psychologists
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Addiction Counselors
- Physicians
- Physician Assistants
- Nurses
- Nurse Practitioners
- Other Mental Health Professionals
Copyright :
03/18/2023
Untangling the Trauma Bond
At the core of many toxic relationships isn’t one “bad” partner and a “victim,” but often two people who each have emotional wounds that come together in a powerful force known as a “trauma bond.” This bond can paradoxically drive partners together into painful, repetitive, and dysfunctional behaviors as they try to heal past unmet needs. What can we, as therapists, do in these complex situations? And how can we determine if a trauma bond can be repaired in a relationship? In this practical, skills-based workshop designed for both individual and couples therapists, you’ll discover:
- The concept of trauma bonding and how to spot these common toxic relational patterns in your clients’ relationships
- Practical tools to help clients understand and overcome relational traumas
- Key insights into how to help your clients move towards post-traumatic growth
Program Information
Objectives
- Articulate the relationship between early attachment injuries from childhood and trauma bonded relationships in adulthood.
- Describe five attachment traumas and how each is uniquely linked to distinct trauma symptoms in adult relationships.
- Construct the five stages of the “toxic hook” pattern using a case example.
- Demonstrate 6 trauma-informed techniques for working with trauma bonds in therapy.
Outline
- Why early attachment traumas leave us vulnerable to trauma-bonding relationships in adulthood
- Types of attachment traumas and their potential impact on adult relationship dynamics
- Important terms to know when working with trauma bonds
- The five stages of the “toxic hook” pattern and tools to use each step of the way
- How to tell if your client is ready to change?
- Trauma-informed language you need to know (and use)
- Techniques for effectively untangling trauma bonds
- Trauma-informed strategies that open the door to Post-Traumatic Growth
- Limitations of the research and potential risks
Target Audience
- Psychologists
- Physicians
- Nurses
- Counselors
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Addiction Counselors
- Social Workers
Copyright :
03/23/2024
Healing Relational Trauma
Clients struggling with relational trauma, complex PTSD, or bereavement often just want the pain to stop, and expect their therapist to have a clear map to their healing. Although everyone’s pain and trauma are unique, there are ways you can help your clients accept and normalize the trauma experience and move toward healing the mind and body. In this highly experiential workshop, you’ll discover:
- Practices for embodying and moving through uncomfortable feelings and distressing emotions that can be done from a chair and easily translated into your practice
- Experiential ways of working with clients who shut down or dissociate in session
- Skills for accessing client’s inner emotional and physical resources for creating safety
- Practices for tapping into the ability to witness, disconfirm, and release parts of the past that are no longer helpful
Program Information
Objectives
- Describe the concept of Titration as it relates to using movement, breath and sound to create a safe environment for clients.
- Summarize the core principles of the IFS model of therapy.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the concept of Self Energy within the context of the IFS model.
- Evaluate the significance and purpose of gaining permission from protective parts within the therapeutic process.
Outline
- Understanding Titration when using movement, breath and sound to help clients feel safe while also ways to release challenging emotions
- Ways to self regulate when feeling activated and overwhelmed.
- Ways to deepen the breath and help clients move the body
- Ways to use sound to self- regulate
- Energizing techniques when clients are feeling dissociated
- Empowering techniques to safely discharge pain and trauma 
- Embodied techniques to witness trauma and grief
- Flowing Meditations that facilitate compassion
- Essentials of the IFS model of therapy.
- What is Self- Energy
- Strategies for gaining permission from protective parts to access hidden vulnerability
- Core components of healing
- Risks and Limitations of the Research
Target Audience
- Psychologists
- Physicians
- Nurses
- Counselors
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Addiction Counselors
- Social Workers
Copyright :
03/23/2024
Bringing Trauma Healing to the World
If it’s true that we can only lead our clients as far as we’ve gone ourselves, then trauma healing starts with us. While many of us therapists have committed to our own healing journeys, sometimes for decades, we can still struggle to find a way beyond our own trauma reactions. How do we go further in our own healing journey? In this address, we’ll look at the entire arc of healing from trauma, including how we move beyond simply managing symptoms and triggers to explore the true meaning of forgiveness, for both ourselves and perpetrators, and with it, what’s possible for us, our clients, and our world.
Program Information
Objectives
- Explore the various types of traumas. (Acute, chronic, relational, transgenerational, institutional, cultural and global).
- Synthesize current neuroscience knowledge with cutting edge models of treatment to determine the core elements required to heal trauma.
- Identify (bring awareness to) your overwhelming life experiences and gain clarity around your personal healing journey.
- Share a new model of healing trauma. The 4 R’s to Relational Healing: Response, Reassurance, Release and Rise above.
Outline
- Explore various types of traumas and traumatic stress.
- Synthesize current neuroscience knowledge with cutting edge models of treatment to determine the core elements required to heal trauma.
- Identify (bring awareness to) your overwhelming life experiences and gain clarity around your personal healing journey.
- Share a new model of healing trauma. The 4 R’s to Relational Healing: Response, Reassurance, Release and Rise above.
Target Audience
- Psychologists
- Physicians
- Nurses
- Counselors
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Addiction Counselors
- Social Workers
Copyright :
03/24/2024
The Adult Child of Addiction
When people think of trauma, they often think of acute, dramatic situations, such as a natural disaster. Yet for children raised with substance use disorders, the disaster is within their family system. In this workshop, you’ll explore the experiences of adult children of alcoholics and the implications for the clinical setting. You'll also understand how to work with the emotional dysregulation and traumatic responses that adverse child experiences, emotional abandonment, and blatant abuses can fuel throughout life. We’ll learn:
- How to recognize and assess adult children of addiction (ACA) or adult children of alcoholics (ACoA)
- How treatment of this type of trauma is different from that of single-incident traumatic stress
- How to help adult children of addiction and alcoholism recover from the reverberations of past trauma
Program Information
Objectives
- Describe the concept of adult child and its relevancy to frequently presented clinical issues.
- Identify how the trauma responses to flight, fight and freeze become acted out in the family impacted by substance use disorders.
- Delineate the impact of single-incident and chronic traumas in the addicted family.
- Describe techniques to facilitate healing for adult children of addiction.
Outline
- The history of the phrase ‘adult child’
- The key ways family dynamics impact child development
- The traumatic-stress response as fuel for depression, addictive disorders and other self-defeating behaviors
- Working with single-incident, chronic, and complex traumas in the addicted family
- The seven-step healing process for adult children of addiction
- Risks and limitations of the research
Target Audience
- Psychologists
- Physicians
- Nurses
- Counselors
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Addiction Counselors
- Social Workers
Copyright :
03/22/2024