Full Course Description

Healing Unspoken Wounds: Paired Attachment Therapy for Parents and Children

When children carry histories of trauma and parents bring their own unhealed attachment wounds, cycles of misattunement and disconnection can quietly shape family life.

Whether in adoptive families or biological ones, these patterns often repeat across generations – leaving both parents and children struggling to feel safe and connected. This session introduces Paired Attachment Therapy, an approach that helps repair these hidden wounds by addressing the needs of both parent and child, creating space for new patterns of trust, attunement, and healing.

Key takeaways:

How unspoken attachment wounds emerge in parent-child dynamics
The unique challenges of adoptive families and parallels in all family systems
Paired Attachment Therapy to restore safety, attunement, and trust
Strategies for breaking generational cycles and fostering secure connection

Program Information

Objectives

Describe how unresolved caregiver attachment trauma and children’s trauma histories interact to shape misattunement and safety/threat appraisal in daily routines.
Differentiate trauma-related behaviors from intentional defiance by using attachment-informed assessment (caregiver reflective capacity, child regulation cues) to guide case formulation.
Apply at least two dyadic strategies from Paired Attachment Therapy to strengthen attunement and reduce intergenerational cycles of disconnection.

Target Audience

Describe how unresolved caregiver attachment trauma and children’s trauma histories interact to shape misattunement and safety/threat appraisal in daily routines.
Differentiate trauma-related behaviors from intentional defiance by using attachment-informed assessment (caregiver reflective capacity, child regulation cues) to guide case formulation.
Apply at least two dyadic strategies from Paired Attachment Therapy to strengthen attunement and reduce intergenerational cycles of disconnection.

Copyright : 04/23/2026

Echoes of Abuse: EMDR & Integrated Interventions for Internalized Perpetrator Dynamics in Children and Teens

For many children who’ve endured abuse, the perpetrator’s voice doesn’t disappear – it becomes part of their inner world. This training will help you identify when that dynamic is at play and where to start intervention.

You’ll learn to:

Recognize behaviors that signal internalized perpetrator dynamics
Assess dissociation and defensive adaptations in children and teens
Apply polyvagal, EMDR, play, and expressive arts interventions in treatment
Support safe, healing relationships with non-offending caregivers

Program Information

Objectives

Identify behavioral and relational signs of internalized perpetrator dynamics in children and adolescents.
Differentiate self-directed punitive patterns from willful defiance through attachment- and regulation-based assessment cues.
Implement at least two evidence-aligned interventions to weaken internal perpetrator influence and restore relational safety.

Outline

Signs & Assessments

Internalized perpetrator voice cues (self-criticism, harsh inner commands)
Dissociative defenses, split parts, self-punishment adaptations
Attachment rupture and caregiver relational role in echo dynamics

Intervention Frameworks

Polyvagal-informed regulation scaffolds for inner threat systems
EMDR protocols adapted for internalized voice work
Play/expressive arts meeting internal parts safely

Dyadic Repair & Relational Safety

Safety scaffolds with non-offending caregivers
Micro-repair rituals, reparenting gestures, attuned mirroring

Challenges, Risks & Clinical Judgment

Resistance, retraumatization, boundary enmeshment risks
Cultural, developmental, and family system constraints
Flexibility and incremental pacing, ongoing supervision
Limitations of the research and potential risks

Target Audience

Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
Marriage & Family Therapists
Psychologists
Social Workers
Addiction Professionals
Case Managers

Copyright : 04/23/2026

Healing the Traumatized Nervous System: Somatic and Sensorimotor Techniques to Restore Safety and Regulation in Kids

Trauma reshapes the developing nervous system, leaving kids struggling to feel safe, brave, and connected. This session gives you practical tools to restore regulation and resilience—using polyvagal and somatic strategies that can be applied in therapy, schools, families, and community settings.

You'll learn how to:

Spot the behavioral and physiological signs of dysregulation across settings
Use somatic and sensory-based tools—grounding, breathwork, movement—for immediate intervention
Adapt polyvagal and sensorimotor psychotherapy techniques for children
Engage caregivers, teachers, and community partners to build trauma-informed networks of support

Program Information

Objectives

Identify behavioral and physiological markers of dysregulation in clinical, educational, and community contexts.
Integrate trauma-focused modalities, including polyvagal, expressive arts therapy, EMDR adaptations for kids, and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy into treatment plans.
Develop collaborative systems by engaging caregivers, teachers, and community partners in sustained healing plans.

Outline

Childhood Trauma and the Developing Nervous System

Behavioral and physiological dysregulation cues across home, school, therapy
Context mismatch: environment triggers vs safe cues

Somatic & Regulation Tools

Grounding anchors, slow paced breath sequences
Gentle movement rhythms, titrated sensory input
Limitations of the research and potential risks

Trauma-Focused Modalities

Polyvagal framing, EMDR child adaptations, expressive arts supports
Sensorimotor strategies keyed to nervous system tiers

Relational & Systemic Support

Caregiver/teacher co-regulation scaffolds
Network safety cues, trauma-informed system alignment

Target Audience

Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
Marriage & Family Therapists
Psychologists
Social Workers
Addiction Professionals
Case Managers

Copyright : 04/23/2026

Rewriting the Story: Unlocking Post-Traumatic Growth in Kids and Teens

Trauma doesn’t just leave wounds – it reshapes the way children see themselves, others, and their future. True recovery means helping kids move toward growth – strength, meaning, resilience, and deeper connection – so they can thrive beyond the trauma.

This session offers practical tools to help you and your clients “rewrite the story” of trauma. You’ll learn how to assess progress toward growth, integrate interventions that foster resilience and positive transformation, and create a roadmap for recovery that includes more than just symptom relief.

You’ll learn how to:

Identify trauma’s impact on development and the signs of resilience in children
Use strategies that shift treatment goals from symptom reduction to growth outcomes
Apply trauma-informed approaches that foster post-traumatic growth in children and families

Program Information

Objectives

Differentiate between recovery, resilience, and post-traumatic growth in children to establish treatment goals beyond symptom reduction.
Identify at least three developmental markers or relational indicators that signal progress toward post-traumatic growth.
Apply assessment and intervention strategies that foster positive identity formation, adaptive coping, and strengthened caregiver-child connections.

Outline

Trauma Growth vs. Growth

Recovery as return to baseline
Resilience as protective factor
Growth as transformation beyond trauma

Pathways to Post-Traumatic Growth

Positive identity formation and meaning-making
Relationship repair and strengthened connections
Adaptive coping strategies for stress and adversity

Clinical Strategies for Growth

Assessment tools for tracking progress toward growth
Interventions that cultivate hope, agency, and resilience
Integration of trauma-informed practices across settings

Challenges & Considerations

Limitations of PTG as a long-term process
Developmental and cultural influences on outcomes
Risks of premature focus on growth before stabilization

Target Audience

Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
Marriage & Family Therapists
Psychologists
Social Workers
Addiction Professionals
Case Managers

Copyright : 04/23/2026

Telling Kids the Truth About Trauma

Parents and caregivers often avoid difficult truths, believing they’re protecting their child – yet this avoidance leaves children confused, lonely, and disconnected from their own stories. This session will give you the tools to help families break through the silence, speak the unspeakable with sensitivity, and build narratives that restore safety and connection.

You’ll learn how to:

Support caregivers in moving past avoidance to create developmentally sensitive narratives that heal rather than harm
Transform posttraumatic play into pathways for truth-telling and coherence
Use attachment-grounded explanations to strengthen caregiver-child connection

Program Information

Objectives

Describe when and why trauma disclosure is developmentally appropriate, distinguishing between protective silence and harmful avoidance.
Evaluate caregiver readiness cues and resistance patterns to know when to support or delay narrative sharing.
Construct developmentally sensitive narrative scaffolds (questions, metaphors, pacing) that help children reclaim their story safely.

Outline

Introduction to Narrative Work within the TraumaPlay™ Framework
How do Children Tell their Truth?
Posttraumatic Play and Pathways of Pursuit
Two Transformative Questions
How do we work with Incongruency in Caregivers
Attachment grounded explanations for caregivers
Parents as Partners and Techniques for working with Caregiver Challenges
Guidelines for crafting developmentally sensitive narratives
Risks and limitations of research and techniques

Case examples will be woven throughout

Target Audience

Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
Marriage & Family Therapists
Psychologists
Social Workers
Addiction Professionals
Case Managers

Copyright : 04/24/2026

When Trauma Meets Prenatal Exposure

When children with FAS, NAS, ADHD, or ASD also face significant social adversity or trauma, the effects are magnified. This session offers a holistic, trauma-informed lens to understand these overlapping pathways while giving you practical tools to support resilience and healing.

You’ll learn:

How prenatal substance exposure and trauma compound developmental challenges
Symptoms of underlying neurodevelopmental and emotional needs
Strategies to connect behavior with its drivers – from sensory and executive challenges to overlooked health needs
Family partnerships to create safe, stable environments that foster recovery and growth

Program Information

Objectives

Explain how prenatal exposure and trauma interact to exacerbate developmental, regulatory, and emotional vulnerabilities in children.
Identify behavioral, sensory, and executive indicators that point to underlying neurodevelopmental or trauma-driven needs.
Select integrated interventions and caregiver collaboration strategies tailored for children with trauma and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Outline

The Intersection of Trauma and Prenatal Substance Exposure

How FAS, NAS, and social adversity compound negative effects
Why trauma magnifies regulation, attention, and social-emotional difficulties
Common misinterpretations: when symptoms are seen as willful misbehavior

Vulnerability and Risk Factors

High rates of ACEs: abuse, neglect, and relational disruptions
Cognitive and emotional challenges that increase vulnerability to trauma
Intergenerational trauma and its impact on child development

Clinical Implications and Intervention

Trauma-informed assessment: recognizing behavior as a symptom
Strategies for addressing co-occurring conditions (ASD, ADHD, anxiety, depression)
Practical interventions: SEEK, motivational interviewing, EMDR, somatic and creative therapies
Building safe, stable environments in collaboration with families and caregivers
Limitations of the research and potential risks

Pathways to Healing

Supporting attachment and self-regulation
Strengthening self-perception and resilience
Tailoring holistic interventions across multiple developmental pathways

Target Audience

Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
Marriage & Family Therapists
Psychologists
Social Workers
Addiction Professionals
Case Managers

Copyright : 04/24/2026

From Neuroception to Connection

Even the best therapeutic strategies can fall flat if children don’t feel safe in their closest relationships. True healing happens when parents step into their role as primary co-regulators – helping their children’s nervous systems shift from threat to safety. This session equips you to bring parents into the process with simple, evidence-informed tools that foster connection, resilience, and recovery.

You’ll learn how to:

Recognize cues of safety and threat that shape child-parent interactions
Teach parents practical co-regulation strategies – breathing, grounding, rhythm, and repair
Translate neuroscience into everyday language parents can understand and use
Partner with families without blame, building systems of safety across home, school, and community

Program Information

Objectives

Explain how the nervous system detects cues of safety and threat, and why this process underpins trauma recovery.
Equip parents to act as their child’s primary co-regulators and sources of safety.
Engage parents with approaches and strategies that emphasize their vital role in co-regulators, while avoiding blame or criticism.

Outline

Neuroception in Action

How the nervous system detects safety and threat
Children’s behaviors: Reflections of nervous system states

Building Safety as the Foundation

Cues of safety and threat in daily interactions
Regulation, routines, and environment: Help parents set the tone

Partnering with Parents

Co-regulation through breathing, grounding, rhythm, and repair
Empower caregivers without blame
Translating neuroscience into simple & usable tools for families

Repair and Resilience

Normalize disconnection
Repair steps to rebuild trust and connection

Risks and Considerations

Research limitations and potential risks
Neuroception and co-regulation frameworks with cultural sensitivity

Target Audience

Psychologists
Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
Marriage & Family Therapists
Occupational Therapists
Occupational Therapy Assistants
Social Workers
Speech-Language Pathologists
Teachers/School-Based Personnel
School Administrators
Addiction Professionals
Case Managers
Dieticians
Nurses
Nursing Home/Assisted Living Administrators
Physical Therapists
Physical Therapist Assistants

Copyright : 04/24/2026

Geysers and Guardrails for Kids and Teens: Trauma’s Pressure Points and Adult Roles in Responsiveness

For some children, trauma rewires the stress-response system so that safety cues backfire – turning calming strategies into triggers for panic, meltdowns, or aggression. When adults misinterpret these explosions as defiance, the cycle of trauma deepens. This session reframes “out of nowhere” behaviors through the lens of vagal reversal, showing clinicians how to advocate for kids in homes, schools, and communities with a systemic, compassionate approach.

Key takeaways:

Vagal tone reversal and its role in explosive trauma responses
Flooding, physiological arousal, and hidden signs of distress
Systemic roles of adults in recognizing pain versus defiance
Resilience research highlighting the power of one caring adult

Program Information

Objectives

Explain the concepts of vagal tone reversal and its impact on children’s explosive trauma responses.
Differentiate between behavioral expressions of distress and intentional defiance within trauma-affected populations.
Identify systemic strategies – across home, school, and community – that support resilience and emphasize the role of one caring adult.

Outline

Understanding Trauma’s Pressure Points

Vagal tone reversal and explosive responses
Flooding, arousal, and hidden signs of distress
Safety cues that backfire

Reframing Adult Roles

Pain versus defiance in children’s behavior
Misinterpretations that deepen trauma cycles
Systemic responsibility across home, school, and community

Pathways to Resilience

Research on the power of one caring adult
Shifting from “problem” to “individual”
Resilience as a systemic priority

Practical Tools and Considerations

Heart rate variability and monitoring insights
Frameworks for systemic collaboration
Risks and limitations of vagal and resilience research

Target Audience

Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
Marriage & Family Therapists
Psychologists
Social Workers
Addiction Professionals
Case Managers

Copyright : 04/24/2026

Reframing Dissociation in Kids: From Rare Symptom to Everyday Reality

Many clinicians think dissociation in children is rare and tied only to extreme trauma – but it’s actually common, adaptive, and shows up in everyday clinical work. Misunderstanding it can leave kids mislabeled, ashamed, and unsupported. This session gives practical, evidence-informed strategies to recognize, normalize, and address dissociation across all developmental stages.

Key takeaways:

See dissociation everywhere – from subtle attention shifts to full depersonalization – and finally make sense of it
Use the Window of Tolerance to explain dissociation clearly to clients, families, and schools
Concrete interventions tailored to each developmental stage that actually work in real-world settings
Reduce shame, build resilience, and create systems of support that stick

Program Information

Objectives

Differentiate dissociation as a spectrum of adaptive responses from common misdiagnoses such as ADHD or oppositional behavior in children and adolescents.
Apply the Window of Tolerance framework to conceptualize and explain dissociation across developmental stages to clients, families, and school personnel.
Demonstrate one evidence-informed intervention for each developmental stage (0-5, 6-10, 10-12, teens) to reduce shame and support regulation.

Outline

Reframing Dissociation

Dissociation as common and adaptive
Reducing stigma and shame for kids and families

Window of Tolerance

Hypo-hyperarousal spectrum as framework
Simple language for kids, families, schools

Research Insights & Gaps

Limited studies: adapted adult protocols
Modalities explored (DBT, EMDR, mindfulness)
Evidence gaps, risks, and limitations

Developmental Markers

Early childhood: regression, freeze, withdrawal
School age: daydreaming, inattentiveness, somatic complaints
Teens: risky behaviors, identity confusion, self-harm

Practical Tools & Systems Support

Skills tailored for each developmental stage
Family and school strategies to reduce mislabeling
Building systemic supports for regulation and safety

From Fear to Confidence

Therapists equipped with clarity
Families validated and supported

Target Audience

Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
Marriage & Family Therapists
Psychologists
Social Workers
Addiction Professionals
Case Managers

Bridging Despair and Safety

When a young person’s brain begins whispering “I can’t do this anymore,” what they’re really communicating is a profound neurobiological distress call — one that requires clinicians to translate pain into pathways for safety and connection.

Suicidality in children and adolescents is not simply a psychological crisis; it is a full-brain event shaped by trauma, attachment ruptures, and dysregulated coping mechanisms that hijack the nervous system. In this workshop, Dr. Kate Truitt brings a compassionate, neuroscience-informed lens to the most complex and heartbreaking moments of clinical practice — when a young person’s will to survive feels fragile.

Through the lens of the Brain Partnership framework, participants will learn how to identify and interrupt the neural loops of hopelessness and overwhelm that underlie suicidal thinking and behavior. Dr. Truitt will translate cutting-edge research on the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and neuroplasticity into accessible, actionable strategies for assessment, intervention, and stabilization. Participants will leave with a toolkit of immediately applicable techniques designed to help young clients find grounding, regulate distress, and reconnect to hope.

Clinicians will explore how trauma and attachment disruptions shape the brain’s survival systems, how maladaptive coping behaviors (including self-harm) emerge as attempts at emotional regulation, and how to create safety-based interventions that re-engage the thinking brain and restore a sense of connection and purpose.

Program Information

Objectives

Describe how traumatic stress impacts the developing brain and contributes to suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children and youth.
Apply trauma-informed, neuroscience-based strategies to help children and adolescents regulate distress, restore safety, and strengthen resilience.

Outline

I. The Suicidal Brain: Understanding the Neurobiology of Distress -- (CATP Area: Children’s Reactions to Traumatic Stress)

Examine how the developing brain encodes and responds to unbearable emotional pain.

Explore the interaction between the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and autonomic nervous system during suicidal crisis.

Identify how trauma and chronic stress reshape neural pathways toward hopelessness and impulsivity.

II. Attachment, Loss of Felt Safety, and Coping as Communication - (CATP Areas: Attachment Theory & Coping Strategies – Adaptive and Maladaptive)

Understand how attachment disruptions and relational ruptures amplify suicidal vulnerability.

Recognize self-harm, withdrawal, and aggression as the brain’s coping efforts to regain control or connection.

Translate maladaptive coping behaviors into meaningful neurobiological and emotional information.

Integrate relational and environmental supports that rebuild trust, predictability, and internal safety.

III. From Crisis to Connection: Resilience and Hope - (CATP Areas: Attachment Theory & Coping Strategies – Adaptive and Maladaptive)

Apply language and psychoeducation that normalize distress and reinforce neuroplasticity and growth.

Utilize regulation-focused interventions that restore balance between emotion and cognition.

Explore how relational safety, mindful presence, and compassionate communication strengthen resilience networks.

Emphasize the role of clinicians in modeling hope for clients and their care takers as a neurobiological state that can be learned and sustained.

Target Audience

Licensed Mental Health Counselors
Marriage & Family Therapists
Social Workers
Psychologists
School Counselors and Educators
Case Managers and Child Welfare Professionals
Nurses and Pediatric Behavioral Health Clinicians/Physicians

Adoption and Foster Care: Strategies to Enter the Child’s “Internal World” Building Connection and Engagement

For children adopted from birth or those who have experienced multiple foster care placements - their internal world is highly complex and ambiguous, from a child who remains with their family of origin. The foster and adoptive experience is considered adverse and traumatic.

By the time they are adults, they have endured separation from their birth family, adapted to a new family, grappled with fears and fantasies, questioned their identity, and need support navigating the lifelong search for self, “who am I and where do I belong?” If their “inner world” is left unacknowledged, this can cause lasting emotional, psychological, and behavioral issues.

View Jeanette Yoffe, child therapist who specializes in adoption and foster care derived from her own experience of being adopted and moving through the foster care system, as we delve into the “internal world” of adopted and foster care kids.

In this training you’ll familiarize yourself with new and imaginative ways for working with traumatized children and their families by utilizing Interventions to facilitate attachment, bonding and building strong families. Learn how to foster engagement and connection with the children you work with and gain unique strategies to help kids express anger, regulate affect, manage grief and loss...and assist kids in creating a new narrative to reorganize their internal world.

Program Information

Objectives

Develop knowledge of new tools and interventions to use specifically with children who have been adopted and/or in foster placement.
Assess the “internal world” of an adopted or foster child’s grief and loss.
Integrate 2 strategies to foster engagement, connection, and trust with resistant children.
Demonstrate 4 creative therapeutic interventions to use with children in order to help them express anger, regulate affect, and manage grief and loss.

Outline

The “Internal World” of an Adopted or Foster Child

Explore internal family systems
Create a cohesive narrative
Externalize internal thoughts and feelings

Play-Based Interventions for Children over 5

Express anger
Regulate affect
Manage grief and loss

Foster Engagement, Connection and Trust with Resistant Kids

Take the shame out of “talking” about their early life transitions
Boost creativity through non-verbal directives
Create an environment of “play without pressure

Structured Treatment Activities, Examples, Detailed Handout

Goals of treatment
Materials needed
"How to" approach for each methodology

Target Audience

Professionals working in the field of adoption and foster care or those wanting to learn more about this population and gain competency working with families connected by adoption and foster care