Foundations of Experiential Therapy
After Completing This Course, You Will Be Able To:
-
Understand and apply core principles of mindfulness and moment-by-moment tracking in accessing and regulating emotion with clients.
-
Describe neural integration and its importance in emotional and relational wellbeing (as outlined by Interpersonal Neurobiology and Polyvagal Theory).
-
Be familiar with the background and history of experiential psychotherapies and its key figures.
-
Be familiar with a number of experiential techniques aimed at increasing integration.
-
Describe both top-down and bottom-up ways to work with defenses.
-
Describe the triangle of conflict and why clients are in any moment either in defense, anxiety, or emotional experience.
-
Describe how to move clients from âexplainingâ to âexploringâ.
-
Describe why anxiety, shame, and defensive exclusion are natural byproducts of insecure attachment.
-
Describe the conceptualization of depression as shutting down of the SEEKING system as delineated by affective neuroscience.
-
Understand why the capacity for rest, play, and the safety to have oneâs feelings are all fostered by secure attachment.
Testimonials
Tori, you have such a lovely, authentic way of working with clients. I love your energy and your ability to âbeâ with clients in whatever place they are or need to go. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge and how you integrated what you have learned. The visual map is extremely helpful.
Kathryn Z.
-Psychologist
This training group was helpful to me in so many ways, itâs hard to know where to begin. But most of all, I think, it was helpful for integrating bits and pieces I had learned in school at various trainings and from mentors into one broader understanding of what weâre meant to be doing with clients in session. Through experiential learning, role-playing, and hearing stories from Toriâs and Sydnorâs practices, I feel much more confident about the application of popular theories and techniquesâŚlike I actually know what to say and how to say it, what to do and how to do itâor at least to tryâin response to client experiences/interactions in the moment. There is so much information for practitioners, itâs hard to know what the best info is or what to take away from various trainings and how to apply it! It can be very overwhelming for a new therapist. Tori and Sydnor seemed to boil it all down for us, simplify it, and show us how to apply it right away to the benefit of our clients. Bravo and thank you both!
Jacey
-Psychologist
The class served to integrate several of the body/emotion-based approaches that I have been learning about in recent years, in a way that helped me understand how they fit together, and where I might want to seek further training. Additionally, I found myself integrating pieces from the class in my work immediately. Kudos to Tori and Sydnor for an engaging, easily-utilized introductory, and often beyond, exposure to these valuable and intriguing theories!
Susan A.
-Psychologist
