The latest research shows that our ability to be aware of our bodies impacts how we process sensations and memories, and heal from traumatic events. But therapists can’t guide clients to calm
Read MoreExpressive arts not only cultivate the healing powers of imagination, they also mobilize the social engagement system through play, improvisation, musicality, movement, and creativity. When integrated into therapy, they can revitalize and energize clients,
Read MoreThe long-term impact of trauma and stress are more than just mental health issues: they’re at the root of almost 80 percent of chronic illnesses in our modern culture. But ancient spiritual
Read MoreWhen working with trauma cases do you see clients go into flight, fight, or freeze? Do they yell at you, insult you, or leave
Read MoreIt’s important to honor all of your client’s inner parts in therapy. But accessing them to fully engage in healing work isn’t always easy. In this workshop, we’ll consider
Read MoreParts 1 & 2
By separating mind from body and the individual from the social environment, we limit our ability to address the roots of many of the
Read MoreParts 1 & 2
Research from brain science and positive psychology shows that activating positive emotional states is the fastest route to instilling hope, stimulating creativity, spurring motivation, and empowering our clients.
Read MorePart 1 (with Bessel van der Kolk) & Part 2 (with Janina Fisher)
Our field has made great advances in understanding the impact of trauma on developing brains and
Read MoreParts 1 & 2
Compassion fatigue and vicarious traumatization are more than occupational hazards for those in the helping professions. Feeling too much of our clients’ emotions
Read MoreParts 1 & 2
For millennia, cultures around the world have embraced mind-altering substances to catalyze healing. Although our field has generally resisted the use of such substances, the FDA has recently granted
Read MoreParts 1 & 2
At its most basic level, human communication is one nervous system responding to another, searching for signals that it’s safe to connect and flooding us
Read MoreNothing defeats a therapist more than a client who’s numb or disconnected. When you ask why they’ve come for help, they may say, “I’m depressed” or “I’ve lost all hope,” but they
Read MoreMost of us have been taught that forgiveness is good for us and that good people forgive, even in the face of deep, interpersonal wounds. But hurt parties—whether injured by
Read MoreAlthough trauma often has the greatest impact our most intimate relationships, research shows that finding comfort in loved ones has the potential to undo much of the damage trauma creates in
Read MoreAfrican Americans regularly receive societal messages about their lack of value, powerlessness, and inability to ensure their personal safety. Perpetuated through media stories as well as common, everyday interactions, these microtraumas cause
Read MoreFocusing on the symptoms of PTSD is not enough when working with veterans. We need to help them understand the larger society that wishes to forget the horrors of war and
Read MoreMost therapists understand that the extreme behaviors of people with a borderline personality disorder diagnosis are often strategies for survival, self-management, and attachment. But their intense abandonment fears, inappropriate anger, and extreme reactions
Read MoreParts 1 & 2
While EMDR is best known for the treatment of PTSD, it’s evolved into a comprehensive, attachment-based approach that addresses a broad range of clinical conditions. In this workshop, you’ll learn
Read MoreParts 1 & 2
Despite the progressive political attitude prevalent in our field, clinicians of color often still face certain challenges around issues of race in our work with clients, and they struggle to find
Read MoreParts 1 & 2
This workshop teaches participants how to quickly get to the heart of the matter in a couple’s relationship and with each individual partner. We start by articulating
Read MorePARTS 1 & 2
Trauma affects not just children, but often entire families, who can remain stuck for years. While the literature on systemic trauma treatment is scarce, bringing family and
Read MoreParts 1 & 2
While we all know that success in therapy depends on the therapist–client relationship, building that positive rapport hinges on behaviors many therapists aren’t even aware of.
Read MoreParts 1 & 2
It may seem too good to be true, but brain science has given us an empirically proven path to transformational change through the process of memory reconsolidation. This is
Read MoreParts 1 & 2
The #MeToo movement has given countless survivors of sexual abuse and misconduct the validation they needed to seek treatment. But it’s also brought attention to the
Read MoreParts 1 & 2
Our field has come a long way in addressing the challenges of complex development trauma. Unfortunately, no matter how much progress clients make
Read MoreIf you work with African Americans, Native Americans, holocaust survivors and their descendants, intergenerational poverty, or refugees, then whether you realize it or not, your work is being influenced by the legacies
Read MoreThe dominant paradigm for schizophrenia is that it’s a chronic brain disease with genetic origins, the signs of which are hearing voices and having hallucinations or delusional thought processes. Based on this
Read MoreHelping clients develop strategies for coping with both everyday disappointments and extraordinary disaster is at the heart of the therapeutic process, regardless of your clinical approach. In this workshop,
Read MoreTherapists often get shaken and lose confidence in their approach when a client’s trauma response edges into seemingly uncontrollable extremes of rage, panic, or suicidal desperation. This workshop provides an essential road
Read MoreMany ancient cultures plumbed the stories of their warriors for wisdom in the face of unbearable pain and hardship. Today’s combat veterans continue to traverse harrowing landscapes of the heart and
Read MoreChronically suicidal clients present a special kind of stress for therapists: there’s not only the emotional stress of working with their pain, but the additional burden of risk, responsibility, and anxiety. When should we
Read MoreWhat’s going on when your best efforts to establish a secure therapeutic alliance with a personality-disordered client aren’t working? Before you proclaim a “bad fit” and refer them out, consider changing your approach.
Read MoreThe #MeToo movement has shone a light on the pervasive damage done by sexual harassment and assault. But the scope of behaviors that fall within this category is wide and
Read MoreRegardless of your specific methodology for treating trauma, there’s a core set of fundamental skills that determine a therapist’s effectiveness in this challenging arena of practice. This workshop will explore these underlying clinical skills in
Read MoreClients with sexual abuse histories often come to therapy with questions about their sexual expression and the obstacles they encounter in intimate relationships. They may find themselves engaging in trauma reenactment rather than
Read MoreWorking with traumatized adolescents requires that the therapist be a master of self-discipline, acutely aware of their own triggers and able to respond to extreme reactions at a moment’s notice. From angry arousal to
Read MoreWorking with trauma and attachment wounds requires a strong therapeutic presence. When clients see and feel only darkness, it’s up to us to lead boldly, attune closely, and fiercely champion their capacity to
Read More
