Workshops

Codependency – 4 hour workshop - $60

Codependency is an often-misunderstood phenomenon that occurs much more than most of us realize. It is a paralyzing series of maladaptive thought processes learned over time that keep us from functioning from our innate self. It is much more than a lack of individuality because people who struggle with codependence often feel intense guilt, feel responsible for others’ happiness, desperately try to avoid all conflict and people please, and they don’t want to but always tend to put the needs of others before their own. Over time, these maladaptive thought processes lead to intense dissatisfaction with self without an awareness of why the dissatisfaction exists.

This workshop will explore the symptoms of codependency while identifying its origins and how it negatively impacts our life. We will learn how to develop techniques to identify and challenge maladaptive thoughts and behaviors related to codependency. We will also discuss the importance of self-awareness and insight into our current emotional and psychological state to develop coping strategies and establish healthy boundaries to promote recovery from codependency.

Living with Grief – 3 hour workshop - $45

Grief is one of the most complex and painful emotions we will experience in life. So often, however, grief is not just experienced once in our life but many times over to varying degrees and for that reason, it is incredibly difficult to understand how to manage it in a healthy way. Instances of death are readily acknowledged but we often miss the grief experienced when a relationship/friendship ends, a job or job opportunity ends, or even the loss of a negative thought process long held as truth. These are just a few of the many instances where grief can be experienced loud or intensely quiet and manifest in symptoms that are sometimes misinterpreted. When we grieve, our thoughts and feelings are no longer comfortable but instead can be frightening and intensely disturbing which takes us to a place where the only thing we understand is the pain.

This workshop will explore some of the most common appearances of grief and help in making the necessary journey to being able to experience and manage grief in a healthy way.

Complex PTSD (CPTSD) - 3 hour workshop - $45

Childhood Trauma comes in many forms. The most commonly known forms are the loud traumas: physical, emotional, sexual, verbal, and mental abuse but often overlooked or explained away are the silent traumas: abandonment, neglect, maladaptive parenting styles, and non-nurturing. In his book COMPLEX PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving, Pete Walker describes Cptsd as “…a more severe form of Post-traumatic stress disorder. It is delineated from this better known trauma syndrome by five of its most common and troublesome features: emotional flashbacks, toxic shame, self-abandonment, a vicious inner critic, and social anxiety.”

This workshop will provide information as well as life-changing tools that can help map out a path of healing from the painful and traumatic experiences of childhood.

Emotional Intelligence – 4 hour workshop - $60

Cognitive Distortions – This discussion will provide insight into common cognitive distortions, such as all-or-nothing thinking, overgeneralization, and catastrophizing and teach techniques to help the patient identify and challenge their cognitive distortions. We will then learn adaptive thinking strategies, such as balanced thinking, perspective-taking, and problem-solving and incorporate mindfulness techniques to help us become more aware of thoughts and emotions in the present moment.

Diplomatic Communication– This discussion will introduce active listening strategies to foster improvement in communication skills, focusing on practical exercises that can be integrated into daily routines. We will explore specific techniques related to diplomatic communication, such as employing empathetic responses, practicing assertiveness, and mastering conflict resolution strategies and learn how to make the skills more accessible in real-life scenarios.

Emotions, Anger Management, and Coping Skills – We will explore what emotions are, how to identify and understand them, and how to manage them in a healthy way. We will discuss the nature and expression of anger, why it seems uncontrollable, and identify coping skills to regulate anger and all emotions.

The Four Agreements - 3 hour workshop - $45

In this workshop, we will discuss the concepts from the book "The 4 Agreements" and their potential impact on mental well-being. Exploring the principles outlined in the book will offer tools to better identify and address self-limiting behaviors that have previously caused distress and hindered happiness. Applying these agreements to our way of thinking can contribute to a newfound sense of freedom, happiness, and love in life, while helping avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

Understanding Codependence – Thursday Class (6 hours): Part 1 (3 hours); Part 2 (3 hours) OR Saturday Class (6 hours): Part 1 (3 hours); Part 2 (3 hours)

Cost: $100

Main Source Material: Facing Codependence – Pia Mellody

Codependents feel intense guilt, feel responsible for others’ happiness, desperately try to avoid all conflict and people please, and they don’t want to but always tend to put the needs of others before their own. This class explores the symptoms of codependency while identifying its origins and how it negatively impacts our life. We will learn how to develop techniques to identify and challenge maladaptive thoughts and behaviors related to codependency. We will also discuss the importance of self-awareness and insight into our current emotional and psychological state to develop coping strategies and establish healthy boundaries to promote recovery from codependency.

Healthy Identity – Thursday Class (6 hours): Part 1 (3 hours); Part 2 (3 hours) OR Saturday Class (6 hours): Part 1 (3 hours); Part 2 (3 hours)

Cost: $100

Main Source Material: Healing the Shame That Binds You – John Bradshaw

Toxic Shame manifests in all areas of life, from feeling intense fear of exposure to disowning ourselves and covering up what we feel is a shameful existence. This class explores healthy shame vs unhealthy toxic shame and provides psychoeducation to distinguish between the two. We will begin by learning about positive shame and track it by developmental phases of life and see how it promotes the development of a positive self-image and worldview. We will then explore toxic shame, which is learned at a young age and maintained into adulthood, and leads to inappropriate or misdirected shame, which results in the breakdown of self-esteem, destruction of the family system, and an inability to move forward in life with emotional honesty. Left unidentified, toxic shame proves to significantly impact mental health and daily functioning. We will learn how to identify toxic shame in our lives and develop coping strategies. In addition, learn how to engage in practices of self-compassion and self-forgiveness to mitigate the impact of toxic shame.

Surviving the Unhealthy Parent – Thursday Class (6 hours): Part 1 (3 hours); Part 2 (3 hours)

Cost: $100

Main Source Material: Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents - Lindsay C. Gibson

The unfortunate experience of growing up with emotionally immature, unavailable, or selfish parents leads to lingering feelings of anger, loneliness, betrayal, and abandonment. Childhood becomes a time when emotional needs were not met, feelings were dismissed, and taking on adult-level responsibilities to compensate for their parents' behavior. In this workshop, we learn how to move past the pain and confusion caused by parents' emotional immaturity and to regain control over reactions to them. We develop an understanding of the impact of emotionally immature or unavailable parents on emotional well-being and develop coping strategies to manage feelings of anger, loneliness, betrayal, and abandonment and develop boundaries to protect their emotional well-being. Learning to have effective communication skills to both identify and improve the ability to express needs and feelings in relationships as well as develop the ability to engage in activities that promote self-care and self-compassion to boost self-esteem and self-worth.

Attachment Styles – Saturday Class (4 hours)

Cost: $75

Main Source Material: Attachments - Why You Love, Feel, And Act the Way You Do - Dr. Tim Clinton & Dr Gary Sibcy

Attachment styles are set early in our development and when trauma occurs, they are impacted. We will focus on the principles, dynamics, and the occurrence of attachment injuries. While exploring the four attachment styles: secure, avoidant, ambivalent, and disorganized, we learn how to identify our current attachment style and how it is manifesting in our relationships and behaviors. Learn how to increase self-awareness and adjust attachment patterns in relationships.

Emotional Intelligence – Saturday Class (4 hours)

Cost: $75

Emotions, Anger Management, and Coping Skills – We will explore what emotions are, how to identify and understand them, and how to manage them in a healthy way. We will discuss the nature and expression of anger, why it seems uncontrollable, and identify coping skills to regulate anger and all emotions.