Host Julie Clarke speaks with Somatic Experiencing practitioner Pete Sandoval about what drew him to a body-oriented approach to trauma therapy.

After training in models including CBT, DBT and EMDR, Pete still noticed gaps in his work. Some clients found that cognitive tools helped only temporarily, while others felt emotionally stirred up after trauma processing. His search for a deeper understanding of trauma physiology led him to Somatic Experiencing and its emphasis on carefully observing nervous-system patterns.

Pete explains how the model complements different therapeutic frameworks and can create a bridge between mental health, physical health and other supportive disciplines. Drawing on his background as a musician, he compares the work to slowing a whole note into progressively smaller parts until the practitioner and client can notice the tiny “note” that may be holding a physiological pattern in place.

The conversation also explores the importance of lived practice, ongoing learning, and the possibility that trauma work need not depend solely on retelling every detail of a painful experience. Rather than promising a quick technique, Julie and Pete present Somatic Experiencing as a complex, lifelong discipline that becomes richer through training, consultation and practice.

Host Julie Clarke speaks with registered psychotherapist and longtime Ontario paramedic Deb Cooper about finding appropriate mental-health support as a trauma-exposed professional.

Their definition reaches beyond first responders. Paramedics, police officers, firefighters, military personnel, healthcare workers, mental-health clinicians, personal support workers, and early childhood educators can all encounter trauma as an expected part of their work. Julie and Deb discuss why those professionals need clinicians who understand both trauma and the occupational culture surrounding it.

The conversation explores the differences among mental-health providers in Ontario, the limits of labels such as “trauma-informed,” and practical ways to evaluate a prospective therapist. It also gives listeners permission to ask questions, seek referrals, try several sessions, name problems in the therapeutic relationship, set limits on what they are ready to discuss, and leave when serious red flags appear.

At its heart, this episode is about agency: therapy exists for the client. A thoughtful therapist respects boundaries, welcomes honest feedback, repairs ruptures, and helps clients build the ability to move forward without them.

Join me in my conversation with Kathleen Elliott as she talks about her Student Intern experience! Kathleen shares how her love of connecting with people; their stories and community through travels in Nepal, a Cree Nation Reserve back to her roots in Fredericton (and now in Alberta)!

Kathleen can be reached at: [email protected]

SE® Therapist Avdeep Bahra

Join myself and my and SE® colleague Avdeep Bahra of Inner Healing near Toronto, ON. You can check out Avdeep’s bio and work at inerhealing.ca [https://www.innerhealing.ca/about-avdeep/]

This podcast series is a direct practice offering and perspective from certified SE® Practitioners.

My guest today, Avdeep has a unique perspective that saw her finding the SE® work after suffering a concussion. Avdeep shares her deep resonance with the nervous system physiology having worked previously as an Occupational Therapist in a neuro rehab unit.

She shares how she appreciated the integration of older traditions and practices, how they became somewhat packaged and teachable with SE® and it help fill a gap that as missing for her on her healing journey post-concussion. She has training and experience in tai chi eg expansion /contraction, natural rhythms of nature and is completing a Tao of Trauma course too ( 5 Element Chinese Medicine and SE® touch).

She speaks of presence and connectedness as benefits to the teachings of Somatic Experiencing™. Avdeep connected with a hashtag she created prior to learning SE® ~ #fromlonlinesstoconnection. The messaging behind this hashtag now vibrates more for her than ever before; an impulse in her that there is something more finally arose!

Avdeep has created and runs virtual healing groups using Somatic Experiencing™ ! She is one of the only individuals I have talked to to date that does this. I think group work is incredibly powerful and I enjoyed hearing about this group in our podcast today.

My colleagues words enlighten me as a mental health clinician. They help me to further understand the limitations just one kind of training lens, in my case mental health, how this can indirectly and unintentionally limit the scope and depth of trauma healing work. This is why I created this series.

I believe trauma work is expansive, it is complicated. Embracing the togetherness that is knowledge, information and experience is enriching and healing. As a body of helping professionals we can not, and should not, do this work in isolation.

Join us for a conversation that enlightens others on the clinical work that is SE® whether you are curious about starting with a practitioner for your own personal journey or if you are a professional curious about what all this hype is about, this trauma modality known as Somatic Experiencing™ [https://traumahealing.org/se-101/]

SE® Therapist Jane Gotch

Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis Master Teacher and Choreographer

www.resilientbodygyrotonic.com

Join myself and my and SE® colleague Jane Gotch of Resilient Body Gyrotonic in Toronto, ON. You can check out Jane’s bio and work at resilientbodygyrotonic.com.

This podcast series is a direct practice offering and perspective from certified SE® Practitioners.

My guest today, Jane Gotch has both personal and professional experience as a movement specialist and dancer. Jane offers an aspiring perspective to the depths of Somatic Experiencing™ work through movement and dance. This offering allows you, the listener, to understand what we think and experience as somatic work practice.

My colleagues words enlighten me as a mental health clinician. They help me to further understand the limitations just one kind of training lens, in my case mental health, how this can indirectly and unintentionally limit the scope and depth of trauma healing work. This is why I created this series.

I believe trauma work is expansive, it is complicated. Embracing the togetherness that is knowledge, information and experience is enriching and healing. As a body of helping professionals we can not, and should not, do this work in isolation.

This episode shares some fun and informative details with Jane who uses her body as a tool for deep exploration in movement. For her, this intuitive viewpoint creates an idea of how one can build awareness through movement, what it means to “train into your nervous system” as Jane says. It creates “harmonious participation”.

Join us for a conversation that enlightens others on the clinical work that is SE® whether you are curious about starting with a practitioner for your own personal journey or if you are a professional curious about what all this hype is about, this trauma modality known as Somatic Experiencing™ [https://traumahealing.org/se-101/]

Candy Smith

https://www.candysmithcounseling.com/

Join myself and my mental health clinician and SE® colleague Candy Smith of a Candy Smith Compassionate Counseling https://www.candysmithcounseling.com]. Candy Smith Compassionate Counseling is located in Leawood, Kansas. You can check out Candy’s bio and clinic at candysmithcounseling.com.

Candy earned her Masters Degree in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling at California State University, Fullerton in 1993. She became a Somatic Experiencing™ Practitioner in 2001 and has continued to assist and provide SE® sessions and consults. Candy is a PACT trained Marriage Therapist using Somatic Principles to help couples communicate and regulate.  She also is just finishing a year of study with Deb Dana on becoming a Polyvagal informed Psychotherapist.

Candy has almost 30 years of practice in psychotherapy and has a passion for integrating trauma work with mindfulness that helps her clients move through past traumas, understand how their ego states keep them stuck and move into the reality of their present lives.

“I believe if you choose to do this hard, courageous work your lives will transform and you will be able to live a balanced life with connection to your body, your emotions and your truth”.

Candy is physically located in the U.S. State of Kansas.

This podcast episode is a front line direct practice offering and perspective from the first-hand experience of certified SE® Practitioners.

This episode shares some fun and informative details with Candy around mental health and the integration of the trauma modality known as Somatic Experiencing™ [https://traumahealing.org/se-101/]

We discuss SE® training and how it changes one personally and professionally in a way to enlighten those who may be interested in seeking body-based healing therapy be it professionally or personally.

Join us for a conversation that enlightens others on the clinical work that is Somatic Experiencing™

Candy talks about how adults have lost the capacity for play and are often led by fear. She discusses in this episode, how play essentially is the way to experience joy and be in the here and now. This assists us to be more relational, reasonable and open. Candy shares how SE® makes going to work as a therapist joyful and provides hope by helping clients connect to their body and brain, taking away the shame of their mental health issues. SE® is a human experience really feeling the nervous system, slowly, while learning to sit with the uncomfortable by focussing and imagining play. There are misconceptions from individuals who have not experienced SE®, but it taps into something that creates a new experience which alleviates the client.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapists/alicia-shameer-ottawa-on/958222

Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), RP (Q), MACP

Thanks for stopping by! I’m Alicia and would love to support you on your journey to growth and awareness. I am passionate about working with people to help them reach a mindset and a place inside themselves where they feel comfortable and empowered, emotionally and physically. I know that sometimes it may be hard to open up to someone and I want you to know that you are never required to talk about anything you don’t want to. My goal is to create a warm, non-judgmental space for you to feel comfortable to bring in any thought or concern that you would like to discuss throughout our sessions.

In individual therapy, I have an interest in working with adolescents and adults experiencing concerns with trauma and abuse related topics, relationship and intimacy concerns, anxiety, depression, eating concerns and addictions. In couples therapy and family therapy, I work with members to restore balance, intimacy and safety in their connections.

I use a holistic approach to counselling by integrating various treatment models into sessions. I look forward to meeting you and supporting you along your journey. Feel free to contact me if you would like to schedule an appointment. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know and I would be happy to assist.

Tiffany Burtch, MSc., RP, SEP

Visit Tiffany's Website [https://www.agoldenthreadpsychotherapy.com/tiffany-burtch.html]

Join myself and my mental health clinician and SE® colleague Tiffany Burtch of a Golden Thread Psychotherapy [https://www.agoldenthreadpsychotherapy.com/]. A Golden Thread Psychotherapy is located in Guelph, ON, you can check out Tiffany’s bio and clinic at agoldenthreadpsychotherapy.com.

Tiffany is a Registered Psychotherapist in the province of Ontario and has a Masters degree in Couple and Family Therapy from the University of Guelph as well as an Undergraduate Degree in Sexuality, Marriage and Family Studies. She has worked in the mental health sector with children and adults of all ages dealing with several issues including attachment, trauma, couple and family relationship difficulties and a number of mental health concerns including anxiety, depression, and borderline personality disorder. Tiffany is happy to work with people of all sexual orientations, genders, sexual preferences, and relationship configurations.

This podcast episode is a front line direct practice offering and perspective from the first-hand experience of certified SE® Practitioners.

This episode shares some fun and informative details with Tiffany around mental health and the integration of the trauma modality known as Somatic Experiencing™ [https://traumahealing.org/se-101/]

We discuss SE® training and how it changes one personally and professionally in a way to enlighten those who may be interested in seeking body-based healing therapy be it professionally or personally.

Join us for a conversation that enlightens others on the clinical work that is SE®.

Tiffany talks about her personal experience of SE™ being a sustainable model of practice that allows her to be a “container for people”. This container essentially involves less thinking which ultimately comes with it an ease where less thinking is beneficial and effective for individuals.

Helping create some context around the difficulty of working in the profession of mental health and trauma. Tiffany beautifully describes what it means, the idea of letting it, the healing work, be hard and hard for “sacred reasons”.

She is eloquent in her words and honest in her approach that will enrich you and get you thinking in new ways.

Natalie is a Counselling Psychology graduate student, completing her Masters through Yorkville University. While completing her studies, she has also served as a Crisis Counsellor with Kids Help Phone, and the Client Relations Manager for a local charity offering pet food support to low-income members of the Ottawa community.

You may connect via these channels:

http://www.julieclarketherapy.com/associates/#intern-nataliefeldman

Email: [email protected]

Vancouver Wellness Studio Bio

Vancouver Wellness Studio is a unique place for whole-person healthcare in Vancouver, Washington.

We are a dynamic team of holistic health professionals who work together to provide quality, cohesive care for the mind, body, and spirit.

The VWS team is passionate about working in community and for community through individual services and community offerings. 

VWS is proud to have created a healing environment where, whether you are receiving care from one or all of our practitioners, you will have the support of the whole team.

We are a studio because at VWS we believe that creativity, art, movement, and gathering as a group are all integral pieces to the wellness puzzle. So, we made space for that. We hope you will come be inspired to heal, create, and thrive.

Kendall Hagensen Bio

Kendall is a Somatic or Body-Oriented Mental Health Therapist and trained in EMDR, which means that she utilizes our innate mind-body connection as a tool in counseling. She specializes in, and is passionate about, working with adults of all ages living with Chronic Pain and Medical Illnesses. These almost always have a psychological component, whether it be a new diagnosis or chronic condition. Using EMDR, body awareness, breath-work, movement, as well as talk therapy, Kendall works with clients to manage pain and develop a healthy relationship with their illness. Kendall’s practice expertise also includes anxiety and stress management; depression; and career issues. As someone who lives with a chronic illness herself, Kendall feels that health happens best within community, which is why she takes a holistic, integrative, and collaborative wellness approach to her personal and professional life. Kendall is also the Clinical Director at VWS.

www.vancouverwellnessstudio.com