2-day Trauma Recovery Specialist Certification Training: Strengths-based, Positive Psychology Approaches to Lasting Resilience

Credit

Speaker

MaryCatherine McDonald, PhD Related seminars and products

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MaryCatherine (MC) McDonald, PhD, is a research professor and author specializing in trauma, stress, and resilience. With over a decade of experience researching and teaching the neuroscience and psychology of trauma, she is passionate about destigmatizing mental health and reframing trauma as a strength-based response.

Dr. McDonald earned her master’s degree at The New School, researching traumatic loss, and completed her PhD at Boston University. She has published extensively, including her latest book, Unbroken: The Trauma Response is Never Wrong (and other things you need to know to take back your life), released in 2023 by Sounds True.

In her thriving coaching practice, she has worked with combat veterans, survivors of sexual assault, individuals navigating career transitions, and more. Since 2010, she has also developed trauma-based curricula for nonprofits across the US.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Mary Catherine McDonald has an employment relationship with Old Dominion University and is the co-director of the Institute for Ethics and Public Affairs University Institutional Review Board. She receives royalties as a published author. Dr. McDonald receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Mary Catherine McDonald is a member of the American Psychological Association and the American Philosophical Association.

Taune Lyons, LMFT Related seminars and products

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Taune Lyons, LMFT, brings a wealth of specialized expertise in trauma and integrative therapeutic practices. With a master’s in integral counseling psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies, Taune is currently advancing in Somatic Experiencing, having trained under experts like Berns Galloway, Abi Blakeslee, and Linda Stelte. Her professional development includes in-depth workshops with leaders in trauma and attachment, including Gabor Maté and Peter Levine, as well as advanced training in clinical applications of the adult attachment interview, sex therapy under AASECT-approved supervisor Gail Guttman, and couples therapy with the Couples Center. Additionally, Taune’s grounding in interpersonal neurobiology, meditation, and nonviolent communication adds a layered, integrative approach to her trauma recovery work, making her an invaluable resource in this training.

Additional Info

For live CE credit, you must watch the live webcast in its entirety at its scheduled time and complete the CE quiz and evaluation within one week. You will have access for 90 days after the program for review.

Please note: There will be a 70-minute lunch and two 15-minute breaks; one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Lunch and break times will be announced by the speaker and at their discretion. A more detailed schedule is available upon request.

Visit our FAQ page at www.pesi.com/faq or contact us at www.pesi.com/info

Objectives

1. Utilize an empowerment-focused model to address trauma.
2. Identify subtle trauma indicators, like somatic and relational shifts to improve assessment.
3. Use practical assessment tools to match trauma interventions to client need.
4. Evaluate trauma as an adaptive response.
5. Use neurobiological insights to provide self-compassion.
6. Choose somatic interventions to reduce trauma symptoms.
7. Utilize positive psychology to foster resilience in trauma recovery.
8. Evaluate readiness for positive emotion work.
9. Develop trauma recovery plans using neurobiological and positive psychology frameworks.
10. Determine when complex cases need to be referred to other professionals.
11. Use structured positivity practices to deepen therapeutic rapport.
12. Identify effective trauma-informed and strengths-based strategies using case studies.

Outline

• Overview of current trauma modalities
• Current trauma research
• Trauma diagnosis and stressor-related disorders
• Types of trauma (e.g., developmental)
• Trauma as an adaptive survival response, not a disorder
• Debunk myths shift from deficit-focused to strengths-based thinking
• Interventions that help clients reclaim their agency
• Risk assessment, ethical considerations, and scope of practice

• Practical breakdown of trauma’s effect on the brain and body
• Key structures: amygdala, hippocampus, and autonomic nervous system
• Practical implications for therapy & how these systems influence resilience and vulnerability

• Ready-to-implement assessments for different trauma types
• Standardized and therapeutic tools to understand client’s trauma response
• How to choose the right trauma treatment for the client in front of you
• Assess common co-morbidities

• Beyond obvious symptoms: recognize the silent signs of trauma
• Identify somatic responses to trauma
• Assessment of relational shifts, emotional numbing, dissociation, hypervigilance, and avoidance behaviors

• Phases of treatment
• Ways to help clients see their symptoms as adaptive responses, not as permanent damage
• Tools for reframing trauma responses in a genuine way
• Techniques for transforming trauma-related shame into self-compassion and growth

• Immediate, practical tools for calming acute symptoms
• Somatic interventions – activate the body’s natural healing capacity
• Self-regulation and body awareness for long-term resilience
• Guided Visualization for inner alignment
• Mindful presence as a therapeutic tool
• Orienting to positive emotions
• Radical self-compassion and acceptance
• Strengths-based spotting techniques
• Narrative restructuring for cognitive flexibility
• Cognitive reframing for new perspectives

• Leverage, joy, gratitude, and hope to rewire trauma responses
• Evidence-based techniques that cultivate these emotions safely, even in high-risk clients
• The neuroscience of positivity
• How positive emotions affect brain chemistry and neuroplasticity
• Harness the power of the vagus nerve and parasympathetic nervous system in facilitating healing
• Connect positive emotional states to physiological health and stress resilience
• Overcome barriers to positive emotions
• Emotional numbing and avoidance: strategies to safely reintroduce positive feelings
• Tools to help clients overcome resistance to joy and hope
• Gradual exposure to foster emotional flexibility without overwhelming clients
• Integrating positivity in therapy
• Structured methods for integrating joy, gratitude, and emotional resilience into treatment
• Incorporate mindfulness and gratitude practices into daily life and therapeutic work
• Tools to increase emotional flexibility and deepen therapeutic rapport

• Ready-to-go worksheets for trauma re-framing, building resilience, and gratitude practices
• Tools for self-regulation and emotional tracking that clients can use independently to continue healing
• Case studies that show success
• Real-world examples of how strengths-based trauma-informed approaches have led to client breakthroughs
• Demonstrations of how positive psychology principles, like gratitude and hope, shifted the recovery process
• Detailed case studies of complex trauma cases, illustrating effective use of the strategies taught in the course

Target Audience

• Counselors
• Social Workers
• Psychologists
• Case Managers
• Addiction Counselors
• Therapists
• Marriage & Family Therapists
• Nurses
• Physicians
• Other Mental Health Professionals