Trauma, Attachment, Affect Dysregulation and Shame: Treating the Seeds and The Cycle of Self-Destructive Behaviours

Clients with insecure or disorganized attachment, histories of trauma, abuse or neglect, or overwhelming developmental stressors often lack appropriate affect regulation.  As a result, they are vulnerable to using self-destructive strategies including acts of self-mutilation, substance abuse, and other addictions, and eating-disordered behaviours to cope and self-soothe.  Although these behaviours provide limited relief in the short term, they inevitably lead to guilt, shame and more traumatization, and increase the likelihood of chronic self-harm.

As we explore the relationship between trauma, affect dysregulation, and self-harm, you’ll learn how to implement treatment strategies that incorporate a specific “cycle of self-harm” (an alternative to standard safety contracts), reparative attachment work, and a variety of expressive modalities.  Clients will gain new, healthier coping strategies that ill replace their long-standing addictive and self-harming behaviours.  This strengths-based, de-pathologized approach increases internal and external safety, promotes grounding and containment, reduces flashbacks, and helps clients heal their pain narratives. Case examples, videos, and clients’ writings and artwork will be presented and you will have the opportunity to safely “try on” expressive modalities including drawing, writing, guided imagery, somatic resourcing, and breathwork.

Lisa Ferentz consistently receives high approval ratings on her workshops with us. Her warm and engaging presentation style and signature approach to working with trauma and self-harming behaviours make leading-edge neuroscience accessible, practical, and above all, effective.

Course Objectives:

At the conclusion of the workshop, attendees will be better able to

1. Describe how trauma, attachment, developmental stressors, affect dysregulation, shame and self-destructive acts relate to each other
2. Identify the challenges of building a therapeutic alliance in the context of adolescent development and the adolescent brain
3. Discuss how to work with self-destructive behaviours from a strengths-based approach
4. Identify a chronic cycle of self-harm and the ways in which dissociation and anxiety influence the process
5. Discuss how to use CARESS, an alternative to standard safety contracts
6. Discuss how to implement five creative strategies to help re-ground and re-establish a sense of safety in triggered trauma survivors
7. Discuss the recurring themes in the artwork of traumatized clients and work with art in session
8. Discuss the impact of counter-transference when working with self-destructive behaviours

• About the impact of counter-transference when working with self-destructive behaviours

Target Audience and Level of Training

This Beginner to Advance Level training is aimed at Counselors, Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, Psychologists, Psychotherapists, Psychiatrists, Occupational Therapists, Vocational Rehabilitation Therapists, Therapists, Addiction Counselors, Case Managers, and Nurses.

Continuing Education

This training offers 12 hours of direct contact (not counting breaks or lunch).

Webinar attendance by participants is automatically tracked, documented and archived for future reference.

For US participants

• Instructions on how obtaining your Certificate of Attendance will be distributed either upon completion of the Live Broadcast or after participants pass the Post-Webinar Quiz following the On Demand recorded version of the webinar.

For Canadian and international participants

For Canadian and international registrants, the number of CE credits allocated per hour of contact may vary according to guidelines set by individual regulatory bodies. Please check with your own regulatory body for how many CEs are allocated per hour of direct contact during trainings.

Upon completion of the webinar, to receive a certificate of participation, you may take a post-webinar quiz to verify webinar attendance.

This Certificate of Participation includes:

• Name of Participant
• Title of Training
• Name of Presenter plus their credentials
• Number of hours of training
• Date of training
• Confirmation that you have passed a quiz with at least 75% grade to verify your attendance

Please check carefully with your regulating body/organization that this certificate is sufficient proof for you to claim CEUs.

For more information about Continuing Education, please click here