Mental Health Counselors Association of Palm Beach upcoming events

Innovative Horizons: Integrating Telehealth and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Mental Health Counseling (09/04/2026)

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 15:00:00 GMT

Innovative Horizons: Integrating Telehealth and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Mental Health Counseling

Aaron Norton, PhD, LMHC, LMFT, MCAP

3.0 Telehealth CEU Hours

Description: Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, counselors scrambled to embrace a technology that only 5 to 10% of them had previously dabbled in telehealth. Just as many of us felt like we had achieved at least an intermediate level of competency in telehealth, artificial intelligence (AI) emerged as yet another mysterious, exciting, and perhaps terrifying technology to have to contend with, creating a slew of relevant questions: Can AI help me write my progress notes and treatment plans? How do I handle the fact that my counseling students are using AI to write their papers for them? What’s up with the creation of AI bots that offer mental health advice to our clients? Is it true that some clients are recording their therapy sessions (without the therapist’s consent) and then selling those recordings to tech developers working on AI-powered therapy bots? Will AI make therapists obsolete? Is Cyberdyne finally coming to destroy us all? (Okay, that last one’s a little over the top…or is it?). This presentation was designed to offer an overview of how telehealth and AI can (and already have) revolutionized our field, as well as strategies for ethical and impactful use of both technologies.

Learning Objectives:

CEU Workshop Agenda

*Note this presentation will begin promptly at 11 am for this 3 CEU course

Dr. Aaron Norton is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with certifications in addictions, alcohol and drug counseling, rehabilitation counseling, clinical mental health counseling, trauma treatment, forensic mental health evaluation, forensic behavioral analysis, telehealth, and forensic psychometry. He serves as Assistant Professor of Counselor Education at the University of South Florida, Executive Director of the National Board of Forensic Evaluators, International Counseling Task Force Chair for the American Mental Health Counselors Association, and Chair of the Government Relations Committee for the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association. Dr. Norton has a particular interest in the use of technology in counseling and has written, taught, presented, and published research on virtual reality, telehealth, artificial intelligence, and computers in counseling. He co-authored a set of universal telehealth guidelines for a joint AMHCA-International Association of Counseling task force, served on the expert panel that created the standards and written exam for the Florida Certification Board’s Certified Telehealth Practitioner (CTP) credential, and co-wrote a revision to the AMHCA Code of Ethics clarifying ethical standards for the use of artificial intelligence in counseling. He has 20 years of experience as a psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, researcher, and professor.

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Music as Medicine: Practical, Trauma-Informed Tools for Mental Health, Recovery, and Community Wellness (10/09/2026)

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 15:00:00 GMT

Music as Medicine: Practical, Trauma-Informed Tools for Mental Health, Recovery, and Community Wellness

Joseph Gorordo, LCDC, CWC

2.0 General CEU Hours

Description: Mental health and substance use professionals are increasingly challenged by trauma complexity, emotional dysregulation, and workforce burnout. Music is a universally accessible, culturally responsive tool that can support regulation, connection, and meaning-making across clinical and community settings. This presentation explores how music can be ethically and effectively integrated into mental health and recovery work without requiring musical training. Grounded in trauma-informed care, neuroscience, and recovery-oriented principles, participants will learn practical music-based interventions they can immediately apply with individuals, groups, or within organizational wellness initiatives.

Learning Objectives:

Describe how music influences the nervous system and emotional regulation
Identify trauma-informed and ethical considerations when using music in care settings
Apply at least three music-based interventions appropriate for mental health or recovery services

CEU Workshop Agenda

*Please arrive by 11:00 AM for lunch and networking. The program will begin promptly at 11:15 AM

Joseph Gorordo is a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor with more than fifteen years of experience in substance use and behavioral health treatment. In long-term recovery since 2008, Joseph brings both clinical expertise and lived experience to his work. He currently serves as Senior Vice President of the Elsewhere Project, a mental health and crisis-response organization supporting individuals, families, and workplaces through behavioral health challenges and life transitions. Joseph is a former board member of Recovery People and served as President of the Texas Association of Addiction Professionals, where he helped advance workforce development and ethical standards across Texas. In 2019, he received the Terry D. Hale Professional of the Year Award for his contributions to the field. Joseph has developed and led residential treatment, intensive outpatient, and extended care programs. He co-hosts the Talksicology Podcast, a weekly live discussion focused on mental health, addiction, and recovery.

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The Micro-Moments of Disengagement: Conversation Analysis and Premature Termination in Counseling s (11/13/2026)

Fri, 13 Nov 2026 16:00:00 GMT

The Micro-Moments of Disengagement: Conversation Analysis and Premature Termination in Counseling

Erin Beattie, Ph.D., LMHC-QS

2.0 General CEU Hours

Description: Premature termination is one of the greatest barriers to effective counseling, with anywhere from 15–70% of clients leaving therapy prematurely. What happens in those first sessions, and the subtle choices a therapist makes, can mean the difference between dropout and deep engagement. This session explores therapist factors such as facilitative skills, question type, and emotional expression, and their impact on the working alliance and client retention. Drawing on original research using conversation analysis and affect coding, attendees will gain practical, evidence-based tools to strengthen relationships, boost engagement, and reduce early dropout across diverse settings.

Learning Objectives:

Describe at least three therapist factors (e.g., facilitative skills, question type, emotional expression) shown to impact premature termination and client retention.
Analyze early-session therapist–client interactions to identify communication patterns associated with reduced dropout rates.
Apply evidence-based strategies drawn from conversation analysis and affect coding to strengthen the working alliance and therapeutic relationship.

CEU Workshop Agenda

*Please arrive by 11:00 AM for lunch and networking. The program will begin promptly at 11:15 AM

Erin Beattie, PhD, LMHC, QS, is a licensed mental health counselor, clinical director, and counselor educator with experience working with adolescents, families, and complex trauma. She holds a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision and serves as adjunct faculty in graduate counseling programs. Her clinical and research interests center on the therapeutic relationship, therapist-client interaction, premature termination, and trauma-informed systems of care. Erin currently leads program development and clinical training initiatives within adolescent treatment settings and is passionate about bridging research, supervision, and real-world clinical practice.

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The Overlooked Transition: A Clinical Look at Menopause and Mental Health (12/11/2026)

Fri, 11 Dec 2026 16:00:00 GMT

The Overlooked Transition: A Clinical Look at Menopause and Mental Health

Karyn Rosenberg, LCSW, PMH-C

2.0 General CEU Hours

Description: Menopause and perimenopause are critical yet often underrecognized transitions in mental health care. Hormonal fluctuations during this stage can significantly impact mood, anxiety, sleep, emotional regulation, and cognition, frequently contributing to misdiagnosis or incomplete treatment. This clinical workshop will provide mental health professionals with a practical framework for understanding the mental health implications of the menopause transition. Participants will review common clinical presentations, assessment considerations, and differential diagnosis, along with evidence-based therapeutic interventions. The presentation will also explore identity shifts, loss, and meaning-making that may emerge during this life stage. Attendees will gain tools to incorporate menopause-informed perspectives into assessment, case conceptualization, and treatment planning to enhance clinical effectiveness and client outcomes

Learning Objectives:

Identify common mental health presentations associated with perimenopause and menopause (e.g., mood, anxiety, sleep, and cognitive symptoms.)
Differentiate menopausal-related emotional symptoms from mood and anxiety disorders through informed assessment and clinical questioning.
Apply evidence-based therapeutic interventions, including cognitive-behavioral and mind–body approaches, to support emotional regulation during the menopause transition.

CEU Workshop Agenda

Please arrive by 11:00 AM for lunch and networking. The program will begin promptly at 11:15 AM

Karyn Rosenberg, LCSW-QS, PMH-C, is a licensed psychotherapist with more than 27 years of clinical experience. Her areas of expertise include perimenopause and menopause, reproductive and perinatal mental health, trauma, grief, and the psychological dimensions of major life transitions. She is certified in perinatal mental health and has specialized training in clinical hypnotherapy, EMDR, and menopause-informed care. Karyn’s clinical and educational work explores the relationship between hormonal transitions and mental health, with particular attention to mood, anxiety, sleep, cognition, identity, and emotional well-being. She has presented at professional conferences and community programs and has served as a lecturer, podcast guest, crisis counselor, and critical incident stress debriefing provider. She is a contributing author to The ABA Guide to Assisted Reproduction: Techniques, Legal Issues and Pathways to Success; Understanding the Journey: A Lifespan Approach to Working with Grieving People; and The Trying Time: A Comprehensive Guide to Infertility, IVF and Family Building. Karyn maintains a private practice in Florida and North Carolina.

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Mislabeled: Preventing Diagnostic Errors in Youth with Complex Trauma Histories (01/15/2027)

Fri, 15 Jan 2027 16:00:00 GMT

Mislabeled: Preventing Diagnostic Errors in Youth with Complex Trauma Histories

Maegan Heller, LCSW, CCTP, CCATP

2.0 Medical Errors CEU Hours

Description: Diagnostic errors in behavioral health can lead to ineffective or harmful treatments. Youth within the child welfare and juvenile justice systems experience elevated rates of mental health diagnoses, yet complex trauma often manifests in symptoms that mimic severe pathologies. This 2-hour medical errors course frames misdiagnosis as a critical clinical error impacting patient safety. Attendees will review the root causes of diagnostic pitfalls across 7 common disorders assigned to system-involved youth (including ADHD, bipolar, and borderline personality disorder). Participants will learn to utilize Root-Cause Analysis (RCA) to identify systemic and cognitive biases, differentiate trauma responses from severe pathology, and implement error-prevention strategies to avoid mislabeling vulnerable youth. This workshop fulfills the Florida Chapter 491 Board requirement for 2 hours of Medical Errors continuing education.

Learning Objectives:

Define how diagnostic errors impact patient safety and apply Root-Cause Analysis (RCA) to identify cognitive pitfalls when evaluating system-involved youth.
Analyze the diagnostic overlaps between complex trauma reactions and 7 common pathologies to reduce the risk of clinical mislabeling.
Implement evidence-based error-prevention strategies and documentation protocols to safeguard youth from inappropriate or contraindicated pharmacological interventions.

CEU Workshop Agenda

*Please arrive by 11:00 AM for lunch and networking. The program will begin promptly at 11:15 AM

Maegan Heller serves as the Director of Victim Services with FLITE Center, overseeing a multidisciplinary team of advocates, clinicians, and mentors with lived experience who work with human trafficking survivors ages 10-24. She has spent more than a decade treating and advocating for children and adults with complex trauma histories. Maegan earned her master’s degree in clinical social work from the University of Central Florida in 2014 and is a licensed, EMDR-trained clinician with multiple certifications in the treatment of trauma, anxiety, and anger management. She maintains a small clinical caseload while overseeing FLITE Center's provision of anti-trafficking services in 8 Florida counties. She currently co-chairs the Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Advisory Committee for Orange County Public Schools, as well as the Victim Services Subcommittee of the Space Coast Human Trafficking Task Force. Maegan is also the creator and facilitator of the only educational workshop dedicated specifically to human trafficking awareness in two Central Florida jails, further demonstrating her commitment to prevention and education.

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Assessment and Treatment of Personality Disorders Through the Lens of DBT (02/12/2027)

Fri, 12 Feb 2027 16:00:00 GMT

Assessment and Treatment of Personality Disorders Through the Lens of DBT

Michelle Quilter, Psy.D., CASAC, DBT-LBC, CSOTP

2.0 General CEU Hours

Description: This presentation provides an integrated overview of psychological assessment, personality disorders, emotional dysregulation, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Participants will review the components of a full psychological battery versus a personality-focused battery, including commonly used measures such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI), as well as the process of test norming. An overview of personality disorder clusters will highlight emotional dysregulation as a core feature and will introduce Marsha Linehan’s Biosocial Theory as a framework for understanding its development. The foundations of DBT, including its roots in cognitive behavioral therapy and Zen principles, will be explored. The session concludes with a review of DBT’s structure, stages of treatment, commitment strategies, and four core skills modules (i.e., mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness) and how they directly address emotional vulnerability.

Learning Objectives:

Differentiate between a full battery and personality assessment and understand the importance and usefulness of psychological testing.
Be able to identify all personality disorders and the cluster that they belong to
Identify the foundational components of DBT.

CEU Workshop Agenda

*Please arrive by 11:00 AM for lunch and networking. The program will begin promptly at 11:15 AM

Dr. Michelle Quilter is a licensed clinical psychologist who is a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC), is Linehan Board Certified in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT-LBC), and is a Certified Sex Offender Treatment Provider (CSOTP). Dr. Quilter specializes in psychological testing and diagnostic assessment. She specializes in treating personality disorders and addictive disorders as well as severe and persistent mental health disorders. Dr. Quilter has worked in a vast array of treatment settings, including acute care facilities, correctional facilities, memory disorder clinics, emergency psychiatric hospitals, long-term psychiatric hospitals, and addiction treatment centers. She has worked in residential, inpatient, partial hospitalization, and outpatient levels of care, and she owns a private practice, Serendipity Psychological Assessment and Treatment, where she offers assessment, treatment, and comprehensive DBT. Dr. Quilter graduated from Florida Institute of Technology with a dual focus in forensic psychology and neuropsychology. She has been working in the field since 2004.

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So, Now What? Working With Late-Identified ADHD and Autism in Adults (03/12/2027)

Fri, 12 Mar 2027 16:00:00 GMT

So, Now What? Working With Late-Identified ADHD and Autism in Adults

Samantha Willi, LPPC-S and Halle Schelb, LPCC-S

2.0 General CEU Hours

Description: Late identification of ADHD and autism in adults often brings clarity and new clinical challenges. Participants will explore common post-identification themes, including burnout, identity shifts, grief, and treatment misalignment, and how these show up in adult clinical practice. The presentation emphasizes neurodiversity-affirming, practical strategies clinicians can use to adjust assessment, treatment planning, and therapeutic pacing to better support late-identified neurodivergent adults. Designed for mental health professionals working with adults, this session moves beyond awareness. It provides concrete tools clinicians can apply immediately to improve engagement, reduce burnout, and support sustainable mental health outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

Identify common clinical themes associated with late identification of ADHD and autism in adults, including burnout, identity shifts, and treatment misalignment.
Describe the impact of delayed identification and misdiagnosis on treatment engagement, pacing, and clinical outcomes for neurodivergent adults.
Demonstrate neurodiversity-affirming strategies for assessment, treatment planning, and therapeutic pacing when working with late-identified neurodivergent adult clients.

CEU Workshop Agenda

*Please arrive by 11:00 AM for lunch and networking. The program will begin promptly at 11:15 AM

Samantha Willi, LPCC-S(she/her), is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Supervisor, EMDR Certified Therapist, and speaker with more than a decade of experience in mental health treatment, clinical leadership, and practice development. She is the owner and Clinical Director of CLE Counseling & Wellness Center, a group practice in Northeast Ohio specializing in trauma-informed therapy and comprehensive adult ADHD and Autism evaluations. Samantha is also the founder of Once Upon a Practice, LLC, where she provides continuing education, consultation, and training for mental health professionals. Her areas of expertise include adult ADHD and Autism assessment, neurodiversity-affirming care, trauma treatment, clinical supervision, and sustainable practice development. Samantha is passionate about increasing access to high-quality mental health services and helping clinicians translate evidence-based concepts into practical, real-world applications.

Halle Schelb, LPCC (she/her), brings both professional expertise and lived experience to her work with late-identified adults with ADHD and autism. As a clinician at CLE Counseling & Wellness Center in Ohio, Halle provides therapy and assessment services for adults experiencing anxiety, trauma, life transitions, and neurodivergent-related challenges. She specializes in supporting individuals navigating the emotional, relational, and identity-related impacts of discovering their neurodivergence later in life, with particular attention to burnout, masking, trauma, and nervous system dysregulation. Halle is an EMDR-certified therapist who works from a neurodiversity-affirming, trauma-informed framework. Her clinical interests include the intersection of ADHD, autism, grief, trauma, and self-concept, particularly among females whose neurodivergence has been historically overlooked or misunderstood. She is passionate about helping clients move from self-criticism and survival-based functioning toward greater self-understanding, self-compassion, and sustainable well-being.

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What Would You Do? Professional Ethics and Boundaries in Clinical Practice (04/09/2027)

Fri, 09 Apr 2027 15:00:00 GMT

What Would You Do? Professional Ethics and Boundaries in Clinical Practice

Moderator: John Puls, LCSW, MCAP

Panel: Annette Pullen, PhD, LADC, LPCC, LPC, BAS | Sara Bazzigaluppi, JD | Stephanie Dailey, EdD, LPC-VA

CEU: 3.0 Professional Ethics and Boundaries CEU Hours

Description:

This live, in-person 3-hour CE workshop examines professional ethics and boundary issues in mental health practice through both clinical and legal perspectives. Designed for mental health counselors, clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, registered interns, and qualified supervisors, the program focuses on ethical decision-making, professional boundary maintenance, client protection, documentation, consultation, informed consent, confidentiality, dual relationships, conflicts of interest, termination, and common areas of professional risk. Legal and clinical panelists will discuss how professional codes of ethics, Florida Chapter 491 practice expectations, and accepted standards of care inform ethical conduct and boundary management. The workshop will also address ethical and professional responses to client grievances, board complaints, documentation requests, and allegations of boundary violations. Using structured case examples and facilitated panel discussion, participants will apply ethical principles to real-world practice situations involving client vulnerability, power differentials, technology-related boundaries, supervision concerns, risk of exploitation or harm, and professional accountability. The workshop is intended to strengthen participants’ ability to recognize ethical concerns early, maintain appropriate boundaries, respond professionally to complaints or grievances, and use consultation and documentation to protect client welfare and uphold public trust in the mental health professions.

Learning Objectives:

CEU Workshop Agenda

*Note this presentation will begin promptly at 11 am for this 3 CEU course

Presenter Bios

John Puls, LCSW, MCAP is a licensed clinical social worker and master’s certified addiction professional with over a decade of experience in mental health and substance use treatment. He earned both his BSW and MSW from Florida Atlantic University, where he now serves as an adjunct professor in the School of Social Work. John is also a qualified expert witness, conducting forensic evaluations in cases involving behavioral health issues. Additionally, John is the co-founder of a crisis intervention, case management, and psychotherapy practice located in Boca Raton, FL. His work focuses on bridging the gap between clinical care and community-based services, with a passion for advancing ethical, effective treatment solutions across systems.

Annette Pullen has over 17 years of experience in mental health, beginning at a Christian Counseling Agency where she helped launch three chemical dependency programs statewide. She later focused on individual, marriage, and trauma counseling, and in 2013 created a trauma-focused class. Certified in EMDR, she founded her private practice in 2017, supporting high-trauma professionals. A Board Approved Supervisor in WI and MN, she taught supervisor training in Minnesota for seven years. With over seven years in higher education, she mentors future counselors and has authored addiction courses, finding joy in their growth and impact.

Sara Bazzigaluppi, JD is a Shareholder and Chairperson of Florida's Professional Licensing & Regulatory Affairs division at Chapman Law Group, representing healthcare professionals and regulated entities from her Sarasota office. Her practice includes defense of healthcare professionals in disciplinary proceedings before the Florida Department of Health, representation before the Agency for Health Care Administration, appeals involving exclusions and terminations by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, reinstatement applications following OIG exclusions, credentialing disputes, NPDB matters, commercial insurance carrier disputes, and licensure applications. She also counsels’ healthcare professionals on regulatory consequences arising from criminal investigations and coordinates with criminal defense counsel on reporting obligations and mitigation strategy. A native of Milan, Italy, Sara is fluent in English and Italian. She holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Business Economics, Cum Laude, from the University of South Florida. She is admitted to practice in Florida and maintains memberships in the State Bar of Florida, the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division, the Florida Bar Health Law Section, and the American Health Law Association.

Stephanie Dailey, EdD, LPC-VA is an Associate Professor of Counseling at George Mason University, a Virginia Licensed Professional Counselor, and an ethics consultant with extensive experience in professional counseling ethics, supervision, crisis response, and applied ethical decision-making. She has served as a consultant to the American Counseling Association (ACA) Ethics Office, Senior Co-Chair of the ACA Ethics Committee, Chair of the ACA Foundation, and has contributed ethics-related consultation for ACA amicus briefings and professional policy matters. For more than two decades, Dr. Dailey has trained counselors, supervisors, students, and interdisciplinary professionals on core ethics issues, including confidentiality, informed consent, scope of practice, documentation, boundaries, mandated reporting, counselor competence, and ethical decision-making in complex clinical and community settings. Her scholarship and professional work focus on counselor education, crisis and disaster response, school and community safety, clinical supervision, diagnosis, and the ethical use of immersive simulation and emerging technologies in training. Across these roles, she emphasizes practical, values-informed, and legally sound approaches to ethical practice.

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Unseen Roles: Chronic Pain, Caretaking, and the Cost of Chronic Pain and Illness on Daily Life (05/14/2027)

Fri, 14 May 2027 15:00:00 GMT

Unseen Roles: Chronic Pain, Caretaking, and the Cost of Chronic Pain and Illness on Daily Life

Rick Elgersma, LMFT, M. Litt | Monique I. Elgersma, LMFT

2.0 General CEU Hours

Description: Chronic pain and illness reshape family life through loss, worry, and constant adjustment. Bodies deteriorate. Capabilities change. Dreams narrow or disappear altogether. Alongside these changes, sadness, anger, fear, and confusion begin to organize daily life. Partners and children adapt to what the body can no longer do, often absorbing responsibility without preparation or relief. This workshop brings therapists into the lived reality of families navigating chronic pain, with attention to role confusion, caretaker fatigue, and the quiet grief attached to altered futures. Presenters address how discrimination and misunderstanding compound relational strain inside families and treatment systems. Drawing from research, clinical practice, and lived experience, the session offers frameworks for recognizing adaptive patterns without minimizing heartache. Therapists learn how to assess relational flexibility, address ongoing worry, and intervene in ways that protect dignity, connection, and long-term relational health.

Learning Objectives:

Identify the full cost of chronic pain and illness on individuals and families, including changes to bodies, capabilities, identity, future expectations, and daily functioning, alongside the emotional impact of ongoing worry, grief, anger, and confusion.
Recognize how chronic pain reshapes family systems, including caretaker role development, role confusion, relational rigidity, and subtle forms of discrimination that emerge inside families and clinical settings despite good intentions.
Apply practical clinical frameworks for assessing relational flexibility, addressing unconventional grief, and intervening in ways that reduce exhaustion, protect dignity, and strengthen connection for couples and families living with chronic pain.

CEU Workshop Agenda

*Please arrive by 11:00 AM for lunch and networking. The program will begin promptly at 11:15 AM

Rick and Monique Elgersma are licensed marriage and family therapists, speakers, Enneagram experts, and co-founders of Real Connections Counseling & Coaching. Their clinical training comes from one of the country’s leading marriage and family therapy programs, and their work joins systems theory, Enneagram insight, lived disability experience, caregiving, grief, and more than 30 years of marriage with chronic pain and constant adaptation.

Rick was born with Spina Bifida and lives with chronic pain every day, bringing clinical training and lived experience into realities many disabled clients face long before treatment begins: adaptation fatigue, dignity wounds, dependence, independence, ableism, role confusion, hidden grief, medical trauma, spiritual strain, and the pressure to function inside an abled version of normal.

Monique brings clinical depth, systems thinking, Enneagram expertise, and the long, complex reality of loving, partnering, advocating, caregiving, building a family, and building a business inside that story. Together, they help clinicians understand disability as far more than a medical condition or access issue.

Disability changes relationships, bodies, identity, faith, sexuality, parenting, family systems, community participation, and the meaning of dependence and independence. Their team-based presentation gives therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and other helping professionals both clinical precision and lived truth, helping them recognize the hidden grief, role confusion, dignity injuries, discrimination patterns, and relational strain that often remain untreated when disability gets reduced to diagnosis, accommodation, burden, or inspiration.

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Holding Space, Holding Self: Polyvagal Approaches to Trauma Recovery and Prevention of Vicarious Trauma (06/18/2027)

Fri, 18 Jun 2027 15:00:00 GMT

Holding Space, Holding Self: Polyvagal Approaches to Trauma Recovery and Prevention of Vicarious Trauma

Rebecca Nelson, PhD, LMHC-QS, LPC

2.0 General CEU Hours

Description: Working with trauma survivors requires clinicians to be attuned not only to their clients’ nervous systems but also to their own. This workshop introduces a polyvagal-informed framework for supporting trauma recovery while simultaneously protecting counselors from the effects of vicarious trauma. Participants will learn how to integrate nervous-system-based strategies that enhance client safety and regulation, including grounding, breathwork, and the therapeutic use of voice and presence. Equally, the workshop emphasizes counselor self-regulation as an essential tool for preventing vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue. Through lecture and experiential practices, attendees will develop a dual toolkit: one for stabilizing and expanding client regulation, and another for monitoring and shifting their own autonomic states during and after sessions. By strengthening both sides of the therapeutic relationship, clinicians will leave with concrete practices that promote client healing and sustain professional resilience.

Learning Objectives:

CEU Workshop Agenda

*Please arrive by 11:00 AM for lunch and networking. The program will begin promptly at 11:15 AM

Rebecca Nelson, PhD, LMHC-QS, specializes in trauma-focused psychotherapy, integrating evidence-based and somatic approaches, including EMDR, Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and polyvagal-informed interventions. She is a certified provider of multiple trauma-focused treatments and has advanced training in counselor supervision and leadership. Rebecca’s clinical work spans private practice, high-profile treatment centers, and multidisciplinary healthcare teams, where she has supported adolescents, adults, and families navigating complex trauma, PTSD, and co-occurring conditions. In addition to her clinical work, Rebecca is a published author and presenter, with recent conference sessions on polyvagal-informed counseling and counselor education assessment and pedagogy. Her research examines trauma outcomes, counselor self-regulation, and the therapeutic relationship, bridging science and practice in meaningful ways. Drawing on both clinical expertise and scholarly inquiry, she equips counselors with practical tools to foster client recovery while preventing vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout, to ensure resilience for both clients and clinicians.

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