Workshop Description:
"Everyone has a right to have a present and future that are not completely dominated and dictated by the past." - Karen Saakvitne
Relationship issues cause many individuals to seek therapy. As therapists, we listen to people discuss their relationships and the dynamics within them. Patterns may begin to emerge that heighten the therapist’s awareness around the dynamics of the relationship and the safety of it. Initially, the individual may not identify the relationship as unsafe or abusive.
This workshop will focus on increasing the therapist’s awareness of the reverberating effects of narcissistic abuse, coercive control, interpersonal violence, and emotionally abusive relationships on individuals through a trauma-informed approach. Survivors of abuse and coercive control often adopt patterns of behavior that are adaptive as survival skills and are the best choices they can make in a dangerous situation. However, these skills may be maladaptive in healing from the control and abuse and reclaiming their rights to be in a safe, healthy relationship with themselves and others.
Therapists will be provided with skills and techniques to support individuals as they begin to understand what has happened to them and how they have coped. We will focus on de-pathologizing and reducing the stigma and shame associated with being a survivor of control and abuse and supporting individuals in reclaiming their rights to safety and choice.
Learning Objectives:
1. Define narcissistic abuse, coercive control, interpersonal violence and emotional abuse.
2. Explore the effects of coercive control, violence and abuse across all aspects of the individual’s life.
3. Increase skills in assessing for empowering characteristics and cognitions.
4. Teach clients strategies to uncover their potential for personal growth, positive change and connecting with their inner strengths.
5. Identify and implement specific trauma-informed strategies to help individuals to remain emotionally present and grounded to facilitate healing from controlling, abusive relationships.
6. Identify five (5) creative and body-oriented treatment strategies and modalities to support individuals in identifying and implementing adaptive coping methods that regulate arousal level and modulate affect and reduce the use of the maladaptive coping mechanisms.
7. Identify the components of a safety plan that acknowledges the risks and barriers associated with ending/leaving the relationship.