1. How to Work with Trauma Safely

“What if I trigger my client? What if I get overwhelmed?”

• Psychoeducation on trauma responses (freeze/fawn)

• Grounding techniques for therapist and client

• When to refer or slow down 

2. Understanding the Nervous System 

“I want to learn how to track dysregulation and support safety.”

• How to apply polyvagal theory in session

• Reading cues of sympathetic vs. dorsal states

• Using language and pacing to support co-regulation

3. Parts Work, Inner Child, and Identity Healing

“Clients are talking about ‘younger parts’ — what do I do with that?”

• Introduction to ego states and dissociation

• When a “persona” is a protector

• How to validate and work with fragmented identities

4. Addiction — Through a Self-Medicating, Trauma-Informed Lens

“What’s the root of binge drinking? What about porn or food?”

• Avoiding moral framing; understanding adaptive strategies

• Shame and moral injury

• The Default Mode Network (DMN) and the Self

• Understanding the Seeking System (part of Deep Brain Reorienting)

• Integration of the Stages of Change model

5. Countertransference and the Therapist’s Triggers

“I freeze or get anxious when clients are intense. Is that bad?”

• Using your nervous system as a clinical tool

• When your inner child meets theirs (a brainstem approach)

• Staying self-compassionate while holding boundaries

6. Documentation, Ethics & CRPO Expectations

“I’m so scared I’m going to do something wrong.”

• Real examples of record-keeping, consent, and boundaries

• Talking about trauma without re-traumatizing

• Navigating dual relationships, social media, and self-disclosure

7. How to Be “Trauma-Informed” — for Real

“I know the phrase, but what does it mean in the room?”

• Attunement over intervention

• Pace and titration

• Respecting ambivalence and the survival strategy

• The human first