Sexual Trauma Clinical Training: Interventions to Cultivate Safety, Release Shame, and Nurture Boundaries

Credits

Handouts/Brochure

Speaker

Erika Shershun, LMFT Related seminars and products

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Erika Shershun, LMFT, is the author of the Healing Sexual Trauma Workbook, offering somatic skills to foster safety within your body, establish boundaries, and nurture resilience. The workbook is available in Spanish (Tengo Un Trauma Corporal?), Russian, and Polish.

She is crafting the Healing Sexual Trauma Guided Journal, scheduled for release by New Harbinger in 2024. Erica’s development of the healing trauma course showcases her expertise and commitment to guiding individuals on their healing journey.

Erika has been featured on podcasts like Therapy Chat and FOF: Living Unstuck After Sexual Trauma, and quoted in publications like healthywomen.org. Her qualifications include graduating from the California Institute of Integral Studies Somatic Clinical Psychology program, and she operates as a licensed therapist in California, specializing in working with survivors and those dealing with PTSD. She also supervises trainees and associates on sexual trauma.

Her approach is rooted in compassion and comatic principles, incorporating methods like EMDR and other integrative modalities. Erika values diversity and offers therapy sessions, facilitates a therapy group for female survivors in California, and provides coaching to clients outside the state. Her work continues to make a meaningful impact in the realm of healing and trauma recovery.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Erika Shershun maintains a private practice and receives royalties as a published author. She receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Erika Shershun is a member of the American Psychological Association, the United States Association for Body Psychotherapy, and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.

 

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 somatic therapy interventions and techniques to support victims of sexual trauma.
2. Provide psychoeducation on polyvagal theory for clients regarding why they responded the way they did during the traumatic event(s).
3. Teach clients how to recognize what state their nervous system is in and tools to shift their state.
4. Provide psychoeducation on trauma and memory to help ease clients confusion around the traumatic event(s).
5. Differentiate and learn how to work with triggers, flashbacks, and dissociation.
6. Teach clients how to feel into, physicalize, and verbalize boundaries.
7. Implement strategies to help clients regulate the emotional distress of anger, grief, and shame.
8. Deepen your understanding of why survivors may struggle with intimacy issues, and steps they can take to recover.

Outline

Examining the Profound Impact of Sexual Trauma

• In-depth exploration of the psychological effects of sexual trauma
• Comprehensive examination of the nuanced manifestations of trauma
• Advanced strategies for therapeutic conversations with clients
• Therapeutic techniques to facilitate somatic safety in clients
• Guided experiential exercises to enhance personal and professional presence and attunement

Decoding the Role of the Nervous System

• The intricate interplay between the nervous system and trauma responses
• In-depth exploration and application of polyvagal theory
• Skillful identification and assessment of different nervous system states and their influence on client reactions
• Techniques to facilitate state shifts and find regulation

Mastering Memory, Triggers, Flashbacks, and Dissociation

• Breakdown of the complex dynamics surrounding memory, triggers, flashbacks, and dissociation in the context of sexual trauma
• The intricate relationship between trauma and memory processes
• Practical tools to manage triggers and process flashbacks
• Skillful interventions for dissociative experiences and restoring a sense of safety and control over client narratives

Reconstructing Boundaries

• Assessment of the impact on boundaries as a result of sexual trauma
• Advanced strategies to facilitate clients in embodying and articulating healthy boundaries
• Techniques to rebuild a coherent sense of self and agency
• Self-care exercises to mitigate vicarious trauma and burnout

Cultivating Emotional and Physical Resilience

• Understanding the emotional landscape experienced by sexual trauma survivors
• Advanced interventions to address complex emotional experiences, including anger, rage, shame, grief, nightmares, and intimacy issues
• Techniques to guide clients through the intricate terrain of complex emotions
• Strategies for emotional and physical resilience
• Processes to thrive beyond the impact of traumatic experiences

Ethical Considerations

• Scope of practice
• Limitations of research
• Counselor self-care
• Referrals and healthcare collaboration

Target Audience

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