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Training Series: Trauma-Informed Care with Experiential Psychotherapies

Every day we are learning more about the effects of trauma and how the trauma experience is stored in the brain and the body until it is identified, addressed and healed. Trauma-informed care is an approach to care that understands the prevalence and impact of trauma, recognizes the impact those effects have on behavior and responds in a manner that is supportive, encouraging and empowering.

This quarterly training series, starting January 2020, explores trauma–informed care, combining up-to-date trauma information with the safe application of experiential and creative arts therapies and activities, including psychodrama, sociometry, Family Constellations, art making and meditation.

The series will focus on best practices in trauma-informed care integrated with experiential psychotherapies, which are increasingly documented as therapies of choice for survivors of trauma. Brain researchers demonstrates that it is the repeated experience that activates growth and connection within the brain, so just as traumatic experiences change the brain, so can positive and integrated experiences contribute to healing change.

Instructor is Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP, who has long-standing expertise and experience in trauma assessment, treatment, experiential methods, and prevention and treatment of substance abuse disorders.

This program, sponsored by the Lancaster School of Psychodrama and Experiential Psychotherapies, is suitable for mental health professionals, educators, physicians, nurses, health care administrators, first responders, creative arts therapists, alternative practitioners, midwives, youth leaders, human resources specialists, addictions professionals and others.

Creating Safety and Connection: The Basics of Trauma-Informed Care

 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 31, 2020

When trauma happens, trust and connection are damaged. The survivor of trauma struggles to find places of protection and safety.

The inclination is to “think” through the trauma or to suppress it, but neither choice  will create the shift into healing that is so greatly needed.

In addition, the possibility of re-traumatization is real because the nature of trauma lends itself to reenacting the trauma long after the actual event has passed.

The lasting effects of trauma – insecure attachments, hyperarousal, persistent negative thoughts, avoidance and re-experiencing symptoms – demand that professionals respond with the best practices for trauma-informed care and support the repair of trust with self and others.

In this training workshop, instructed by Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP, and Sharon Czabafy, DSW, LCSW, CAADC, NCTTP, CET, MAC, we will employ a variety of experiential activities from the Therapeutic Spiral Model to demonstrate containment and safe relationship building.

You will learn:
  • How trauma-informed care is different than trauma treatment.
  • Types of safety that must be recognized and tended to within a care setting.
  • The connection between the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the trauma experience.
  • How attachment is disrupted with trauma and how it can be re-established thorough sociometry.
  • The differences and similarities between personal, cultural and social trauma.
  • Prescriptive roles that can be concretized to support healing and growth.
As always, there will be the option to address personal work in action and to bring  case consultations forward for commentary and supervision.

You may register for this series in several ways:
  • Register online for the complete four-session series with your credit card here.
  • Register online for the first session  on Jan. 31 here.  Early Bird discount is available.
  • Or send a check to Karen Carnabucci, 313 W. Liberty St., Suite 263, Lancaster, PA 17603.

Questions? Contact Karen here.

Creating Body Awareness:  The Body Remembers What the Mind Forgets

Online training 9:30 to 11:30  a.m.  on April 17, April 24 and May 1 (plus bonus mini-training following)

When we understand that trauma is stored in the body, we have a greater understanding of why traditional talk therapy has its limitations.

Dr. J.L. Moreno, the developer of psychodrama, famously said, “The body remembers what the mind forgets,” but it has taken decades to understand exactly how trauma lingers within the tissues of the body.

With the rediscovery of psychodrama and its related methods of sociometry, and other creative arts therapies, we now have many more tools to understand and assist with the arc of trauma recovery.

Because the brain is a living organ with a great capacity for change, we can reshape the brain with improvisational play, art making, and other experiential activities. In other words: when we have new and different experiences, the brain responds.

In this three-part online training workshop, instructed by Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP,  we focus on how the body responds to trauma and  experiential ways to work with the body that support physical, mental and emotional healing.

We will use elements of psychodrama -- including the well-known Therapeutic Spiral Model -- and  sociometry,  Family and Systemic Constellations, art making, experiential activities and group sharing during this interactive workshop.

April 17
The Body Responds to Collective Trauma


In this two-hour online training workshop, we focus on how the body responds to trauma and how attention to body awareness is important at times of high stress.
You will learn:
  • Building strengths from the perspective of the body.
  • How paying attention to body awareness supports physical, emotional and spiritual energetic healing.
  • How simple body movement can create easy changes within the experience of the body and impact on our emotions.
  • Use of imagery and art making to express and calm.
April 24
The Body Remembers What the Mind Forgets


In this two-our online training workshop, instructed by Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP, we focus the neurobiology of the brain and ways to work with the body that support mental, emotional and energetic healing.

You will learn:
  • The basics of the neurobiology of trauma, including how the body stores memories and the importance of the vagus nerve.
  • How to befriend the body, particularly through the psychodramatic technique of the Body Double.
  • How unresolved body pain can lead to substance abuse and addiction, as well as relapse.
  • Art making and experiential activities as a route to education and change.
May 1
Honoring the Body for Resilience in Times of Stress


In this two-hour online training workshop, instructed by Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP, we focus on how to maximize strengths and resilience of the body, even in times of stress and trauma.
You will learn:
  • Principles of self-care.
  • Integrating strengths with experiential activities.
  • Accessing the spiritual to support the physical.
  • Acknowledging the messages from the body.
Tuition

Tuition for this online training is $125 which includes all three workshops. You will receive a certificate for a total of six CE credits for social workers, marriage and family therapists, licensed counselors and psychologists, plus psychodrama and Act 48 hours; class handout; and a video recording of each program.

How to register

You may register for this series online with your credit card here.  A nominal surcharge will be added to the program fee.

Other information

Please note that this revised training is adapted from our originally scheduled in-person training at Liberty Place in Lancaster, Pa., on April 17. We have updated the material not only for online purposes but also to address the current collective trauma of the Coronavirus pandemic and how we are personally impacted as helping professionals and how we can effectively support our clients, patients, students and others we work with.

Online information

This online program will be offered through Zoom, a popular video conferencing platform, which you may access at www.zoom.us. After you register online, you will receive information by e-mail about the Meeting ID and password.

If you are not familiar with Zoom, we recommend that you download it on your desktop or laptop computer, tablet or smart phone and begin to explore its features so that you will be able to use the program easily and effectively starting April 17.

If you have a desktop computer, you will need a webcam and speakers to hear and see us and each other. Your laptop should already have built-in camera and speakers. We do not suggest using your smart phone since the picture will be small; however, if that is your own option it is workable.

How to prepare

When you are getting ready to prepare for the class days, we recommend that you have on hand:
  • At least one and up to three scarves or other similar materials
  • Art materials (whatever is easily available to you, such as paper, pens, markers, colored pencils, crayons, crayon pastels, etc.)
  • Notebook or paper and pen to take notes if you wish.
Time zone

Each of the classes will take place from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time. If you are interested in this program and will be calling from another time zone, please refer to this time zone converter here.

Bonus post training

Attendees may opt to participate in a bonus body “experience” from 11:30 a.m. to noon following the main presentation. Topics will include Mary Kalbach, certified EFT practitioner, April 17; Christie Kern, L.Ac., MSOM, RMT, on qigong and acupressure, on April 24; and Tori Akerley, certified yoga instructor, on May 1.

Questions

Questions, comments or needs? Contact Karen to discuss.

Creating the Bigger Picture:  Addressing and Healing Ancestral Trauma

Online training 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. (Eastern Time) on July 17, July 24 and July 31

Recent advances in epigenetics and quantum physics show that we inherit traumatic experiences from previous generations that linger within our bodies, minds and spirits.

We can easily begin to believe that the difficulties that we are experiencing – chronic anxiety, depression, addiction, health problems, bad fortune, chronic trauma and the like – are not only our fault but also our destiny.

Family Constellations, a new approach developed by Bert Hellinger, a family therapist from Germany, gives us a new perspective on how to address inherited trauma.  Breaking away from traditional therapeutic concepts, it identifies how trauma becomes lodged in the greater family system -- even generations ago -- and continues to impact the family and a person within the family.

In this training workshop, instructed by Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP,  we look at practical ways to identify ancestral trauma that has spilled on down the generations and how we can use our empathic perception to identify the felt sense of unconscious ancestral memory.

In this three-part online training workshop, instructed by Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP,  we look at practical ways to identify ancestral trauma that has spilled on down the generations as well as how we can use multiple tools to support the investigation and resolution of ancestral trauma.

Each two-hour class will explore a segment of ancestral trauma, also known as intergenerational or trans-generational trauma, and how helping professionals may create safety and appropriately address support resolution of such trauma.

We will use elements of psychodrama -- including the well-known Therapeutic Spiral Model -- and  sociometry,  Family and Systemic Constellations, art making, experiential activities and group sharing during this interactive workshop.

July 17
The Realities of Intergenerational Trauma


In this two-hour online training workshop, instructed by Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP, we focus on the realities of intergenerational trauma and how helping professionals may knowledgably address such concerns.

You will learn:
  • The reality of intergenerational trauma
  • Creating safety for investigation and resolution.
  • Family Constellations as a key means to address intergenerational trauma.
  • The Orders of Love as identified and explained by Bert Hellinger.
  • The development of empathic perception to identify the felt sense of unconscious ancestral memory.
July 24
Beyond Traditional Genogram: Researching Family History


In this two-hour online training workshop, instructed by Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP, we focus on how specific ways to collect and understand the kinds of intergenerational trauma that shows up in family systems.

You will learn:
  • How to discover ancestral trauma within the family lineage.
  • Application of the Orders of Love as developed by Bert Hellinger.
  • How to construct a genogram, social history or both based on the Family Constellations approach.
  • How to approach these issues with talk therapy and with experiential psychotherapies.

July 30
Resolving Collective and Cultural Trauma


In this two-hour online training workshop, instructed by Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP, we focus both on intergenerational trauma within our family systems as well as the larger collective as well as experiential methods that support identification and resolution.

You will learn:
  • How to access the “field” of ancestral consciousness.
  • Transforming the legacy of ancestral pain for the self and future generations.
  • Working with collective and cultural trauma.
  • Transforming hate and disgust with our ancestors who have been abusers in some way.
During this online workshop, we will make use of didactic lecture, experiential activities, live and chat box and small group discussion and imagery, among other modalities.


Tuition

Tuition is $125 for the three-part program if registered by July 14 ($150 after) and includes a total of six CE credits for social workers, marriage and family therapists, licensed counselors and psychologists, plus psychodrama and Act 48 hours.

​You will receive a variety of handouts that will be posted online for downloading before and after each class.

As always, there will be the limited option to address personal work in action and to bring case consultations forward for commentary and supervision.

How to register:

Register online for the series of three classes on July 17, July 24 and July 31 here.

Early Bird discount is available if registered by July 14.

Questions? Contact Karen here.

Creating Possibilities:
The Other Side of Trauma

9 a.m. to noon  (Eastern Time) Oct. 23 and Oct. 30

The current language-ing of trauma has moved from “victim” to “survivor.” which is a positive change.

This change brings forward the concept that surviving trauma is an important strength of self, a form of resiliency, and a key aspect of a person’s support system.

Now there is a new term: Post-Traumatic Growth.

Post-Traumatic Growth refers to phenomenon of positive transformation that is often experienced after a traumatic life event.

The role theory of psychodrama, along with the psychodramatic tools of doubling, role reversal, mirroring and surplus reality, assists in identifying and rehearsing roles that focus on autonomy, integration, and correction.

In this two-part online training workshop, instructed by Karen Carnabucci, LCSW, TEP, we focus on a way of living beyond “just getting by” and how we as professionals, we can guide our clients past trauma, support their process of trauma treatment, if needed and into the experience of living life fully.

You will learn:
  • The meaning of post-traumatic growth.
  • How resilience is connected and yet different from post-traumatic growth.
  • How to introduce the concepts of post-traumatic growth and reframe the perceptions of survivors of trauma into a new belief system.
  • The importance of pacing and timing.
  • Areas of life that are linked to post-traumatic growth.
  • Finding “meaning”  and strength in the traumatic experience  and moving forward.
  • Self-care as a necessity for both the helper and the helped.
As always, there will be the option to address personal work in action and to bring  case consultations forward for commentary and supervision.

How to register
  • Register online  for Oct. 23 and Oct. 30 here. Early Bird discount of $125 is available if registered by Oct. 20. 
  • Register with your credit card here.

Questions? Contact Karen here.

Located in beautiful Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

What People Say

  • “A wonderful mix of relaxed professionalism, humor and up-to-date information.”
  • "Thoughtful and wise consultation..."
  •  “…awakened my creative spirit and pushed me to stretch myself professionally and personally beyond what I could have done with any other type of training programs.”
"Karen inspired the rest of our team with her ready smile and easy-going presence."
  • “Thank you so much for all the training and support you've provided to me over the years. The community is so lucky to have your guidance and clinical wisdom."
  • "I love the experiential style of learning."
  • "Appreciative of the flexibility of your agenda."
  • "Can't wait to come back!"

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This website, including text, blog content, graphic designs, photographs, and other creative works found on this website, constitutes educational and journalistic expression not intended as specific or individualized advice in the field of continuing education. The content on this website is educational content in the field of continuing education and is not a substitute for legal, financial, or tax advice.
Testimonials or reviews on this website reflect individual experiences. Outcomes, results, and/or transformation are individualized and are not guaranteed. 

  • Hello
  • Training
    • Events
  • About
    • About Karen
    • Collaborators
  • Contact
  • Resources
    • Links
    • Books
    • Press & podcasts
    • Methods >
      • Psychodrama
      • Family Constellations
      • Sand tray
      • Tarot
  • Sand tray figures for sale
  • Blog