Scroll down for the list of available workshops
If you have any questions, please contact John Sanders -- JohnS [at] firstinc [dot] org -- or call/text (828) 989-8823
Thank you. Hope to see you soon!
List of workshops in chronological order...
Positive Psychology and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Friday August 17, 2018
9:00am - 4:30pm
6 contact hours total:
- 6 NBCC credit hours
- The NCSAPPB accepts NBCC credit hours
Description: It is human nature to avoid the negative, the painful, and the uncomfortable, but it is also the inevitable human condition. How many of our clients spend so much energy struggling against their negative experiences that they have become nearsighted losing vital connection with not only positive experience but self as well. This workshop is an introduction and review of both the concepts of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Positive Psychology and their common goal as psychotherapy modalities which use mindfulness, acceptance, positivity and value-based methods. Workshop will offer both theoretical and experiential instruction.
Objectives:
- Explore and identify the six core therapeutic processes of ACT.
- To become familiar with the concepts of positive psychology as strength and value based modality.
- Learn to apply mindfulness and acceptance processes to promote psychological flexibility.
Lunch, coffee, water, and tea are all included!
We look forward to seeing you there!
Presented by:
Jolene Gervasi, LPC, LCAS, CSI
Seeking Safety: A Treatment for PTSD and Substance Use
Tuesday August 28, 2018
9:00am - 4:30pm
6 contact hours total:
- 6 NBCC credit hours
- The NCSAPPB accepts NBCC credit hours
Seeking Safety is an evidenced based treatment curriculum that addresses both PTSD and substance abuse. It's an excellent curriculum that supports the development of skills for emotional regulation and life skills, structure, and recovery from mental illness and substance use. Come join us as we learn the foundational theory and the actual carrying out of the Seeking Safety group. We encourage purchasing the Seeking Safety book ahead of time to bring with you if you plan on facilitating the group in your agency.
Objectives:
- Develop an understanding of how PTSD contributes to substance abuse and how basic CBT can support better decision-making and more positive outcomes in the clients you treat.
- Participate in a mock Seeking Safety group to learn and develop a comfort with the structure of carrying out a Seeking Safety group.
Lunch, snacks, coffee, water, and tea are all included!
We look forward to seeing you there!
Presented by Linda Harrison, LPCS, CCS, MAC
Emotional Freedom Technique and Tapping In Resources
Tuesday September 11, 2018
9:00am - 4:30pm
6 contact hours total:
- 6 NBCC credit hours
- The NCSAPPB accepts NBCC credit hours
Emotional Freedom Technique is an energy psychology based treatment for reducing and removing the blockages created by trauma and self-sabotaging personality disorders. We invite you to come and experience a basic understanding of the protocol and practice the basic and advanced skills in small group. We will also develop a basic protocol for "tapping in positive resources" that develop new neural pathways for success and creating a new vision for healing that interrupts the negative thinking that sabotages both mental health and substance abuse recovery.
Objectives:
- Develop a basic understanding of energy psychology and a working knowledge of the EFT protocol leading to practicing the skills with a partner.
- Develop basic and advanced skills in "tapping in positive resources" to develop new neural pathways.
Lunch, snacks, coffee, water, and tea are all included!
We look forward to seeing you there!
Presented by Linda Harrison, LPCS, CCS, MAC
HIV/STD/Hepatitis: Issues and Resources in WNC
Friday September 21, 2018
1:00pm - 4:15pm
3 credit hours total:
- 3 NBCC credit hours
- 3 NCSAPPB approved credit hours of substance use specific (SS) & Bloodborne Pathogens (HIV)
We will cover the basics of HIV/STD/Hepatitis prevention and transmission along with updates about testing and treatment options in order for professionals to be able to educate patient/client populations on these subjects, and to refer them to community services.
Participants will review and gain a basic knowledge of these subjects in order to reduce stigma among patients and clients as part of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. Participants will be able to ask questions in order to clarify any concerns on these subjects.
Participants will learn about resources in western NC to help their clients get connected.
Light snacks, coffee, tea and water will be available.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Presented by Michael Harney from the Western North Carolina Aids Project (WNCAP)
Counseling Skills In An Eco-Therapy Setting: Trauma Informed Care
Tuesday September 25, 2018
8:30am - 5:00pm
7 contact hours total:
- 7 NBCC credit hours
- The NCSAPPB accepts NBCC credit hours
Training is in an open air ecotherapy venue in Leicester, NC (30 mins. north of Asheville).
Address is:
457 Sugar Creek Rd
Leicester, NC 28748
GPS will bring you straight in
Watch for signs pointing to 457.
House is green and barn retreat center is gray.
Landline is 828-683-6664
Cell phone (text only): 828-380-2948.
If you would like written directions, contact Linda
Participants will develop a basic understanding of trauma as body centered and how to support clients to reduce somatic symptoms through 7 emotional regulation skills. We will also look at body centered treatment of trauma and the evidenced based treatment that’s available for referral. This is practical workshop that is skills based…be ready to learn and practice today what you will use in the clinical setting tomorrow! Case studies will be utilized in mental health and substance use.
Objectives:
- Participants will explore and learn about trauma as body centered and how to treat it with body centered emotional regulation skills.
- Participants will learn, practice, and integrate 7 emotional regulation skills to support clients in their recovery from mental illness and substance use.
Includes an organic farm to table continental breakfast and lunch!
We look forward to seeing you there!
Presented by Linda Harrison, LPCS, CCS, MAC
Yoga Psycho-Therapy: Exploring Breathwork and Simple Postures for Breaking Through Both Resistance and Lethargy
Tuesday October 9, 2018
9:00am - 12:15pm
3 contact hours total:
- 3 NBCC credit hours
- The NCSAPPB accepts NBCC credit hours
This workshop is the first half of the day. The "Ten Emotional Regulation Skills" workshop is the second half of the day. You can sign up for just one, or sign up for both.
Yoga Psychotherapy will begin with contemplative psychotherapy utilizing both mindfulness and meditation skills for client and therapist healing. We will move to breathwork that elicits the relaxation response and emotional regulation. We'll learn 3 types of breathing that you may utilize the next day with your clients. We'll then learn basic chair yoga and a few basic mat yoga postures. We invite you to bring your mat. Weather permitting, we'll be outside but if not, we'll learn postures indoors. We'll utilize positive affirmation that you create and guided imagery for deep relaxation. These are necessary for supporting your client to move out of the limbic brain into the pre-frontal cortex where life's values are stored.
Objectives:
- Develop a basic understanding of yoga psychotherapy and how this wholistic science of breathwork and postures works to heal, body, mind, and Spirit.
- Learn and practice both breathwork and simple chair and mat poses for stabilization and quieting of the mind.
Snacks, coffee, water, and tea are all included!
We look forward to seeing you there!
Presented by Linda Harrison, LPCS, CCS, MAC
Ten Emotional Regulation Skills to Support Your Clients Stabilization and Wellbeing
Tuesday October 9, 2018
1:00pm - 4:15pm
3 contact hours total:
- 3 NBCC credit hours
- The NCSAPPB accepts NBCC credit hours
This workshop is the second half of the day. The "Yoga Psychotherapy" workshop is the first half of the day. You can sign up for just one, or sign up for both.
Emotional Regulation is the key to mental health and substance abuse recovery success. Trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACES) trigger the recovering person to relapse unless emotional regulation skills are available to bring balance and emotional resiliency.
We'll learn and practice ten emotional regulation skills. Be ready to learn today and practice with your clients the next day.
Objectives:
- Develop an understanding of how trauma and ACES leads to emotional dys-regulationa and the living of a life from the activated limbic brain.
- Learn and practice ten emotional regulation skills.
Snacks, coffee, water, and tea are all included!
We look forward to seeing you there!
Presented by Linda Harrison, LPCS, CCS, MAC
Tools for Healing Sexual Trauma
Friday October 19, 2018
1:00pm - 4:15pm
3 contact hours total:
- 3 NBCC credit hours
- The NCSAPPB accepts NBCC credit hours
The objective of this workshop is for clinicians to develop skills and tools in working with sexual trauma. In part one, we will discuss facts and statistics concerning sexual abuse and trauma. In part two, we will briefly look at sexual trauma through the lens of neurophysiology, and how it affects the nervous system long-term. In part three, we will introduce and practice interventions shown to be useful for three main areas of sexual trauma: emotional dysregulation, boundaries, and shame.
Objectives:
- Develop skills and tools in working with sexual trauma
- Discuss facts and statistics concerning sexual abuse and trauma
- Develop skills and learn practice interventions
Snacks, coffee, water, and tea are all included!
We look forward to seeing you there!
Presented by:
Papillon DeBoer is an LPC in private practice in Asheville, and provides counseling for survivors of sexual trauma.
Counseling Skills In An Eco-Therapy Setting: Acceptance Commitment Therapy
Tuesday October 30, 2018
8:30am - 5:00pm
7 contact hours total:
- 7 NBCC credit hours
- The NCSAPPB accepts NBCC credit hours
Training is in an open air ecotherapy venue in Leicester, NC (30 mins. north of Asheville).
Address is:
457 Sugar Creek Rd
Leicester, NC 28748
GPS will bring you straight in
Watch for signs pointing to 457.
House is green and barn retreat center is gray.
Landline is 828-683-6664
Cell phone (text only): 828-380-2948.
If you would like written directions, contact Linda
Participants will learn the basic and advanced skills in Acceptance Commitment Therapy. Skills will begin with assessing psychological flexibility and inflexibility then move to developing skills in the 6 core therapeutic processes of ACT: contacting the present moment, defusion, acceptance, self-as-context, values identification, and committed action. This workshop will be drawn from Dr. Russ Harris’ book, ACT Made Simple so purchasing a copy ahead of time and reading the first couple of chapters will give the participant a jump-start! Case studies from SA and mental health will be utilized.
Objectives:
- Participants will explore and integrate the basic philosophy of ACT.
- Participants will learn, practice, and integrate the 6 core therapeutic processes and skills of ACT.
Includes an organic farm to table continental breakfast and lunch!
We look forward to seeing you there!
Presented by Linda Harrison, LPCS, CCS, MAC
Bibliotherapy: It's About Books and More!
Tuesday November 13, 2018
9:00am - 12:15pm
3 contact hours total:
- 3 NBCC credit hours
- The NCSAPPB accepts NBCC credit hours
This workshop is the first half of the day. The "The Therapist's Workbook" workshop is the second half of the day. You can sign up for just one, or sign up for both.
Bibliotherapy as a powerful therapy for recovering clients. We will explore books to utilize with your clients from ages 3 years old and up! We'll look at how using story on the written page can introduce concepts for healing and CBT. Several therapeutic books will be available for you to peruse. We invite you to bring some of your own favorite books to share in small group bibliotherapy. We'll have a drawing for giving away several therapeutic books. Come beef up your library with new ideas and possibly a book or two!
Objectives:
- Develop an understanding of the evidenced based research behind bibliotherapy.
- Examine therapeutic books for each developmental level, age 3 years and up.
Snacks, coffee, water, and tea are all included!
We look forward to seeing you there!
Presented by Linda Harrison, LPCS, CCS, MAC
The Therapist's Workbook: Self-Assessment, Self-Care, and Self-Improvement Exercises for Mental Health Professionals
Tuesday November 13, 2018
1:00pm - 4:15pm
3 contact hours total:
- 3 NBCC credit hours
- The NCSAPPB accepts NBCC credit hours
This workshop is the second half of the day. The "Bibliotherapy" workshop is the first half of the day. You can sign up for just one, or sign up for both.
For years, I struggled with the concept of "burnout and anger at a for profit system of mental health that works their staff into the ground". I finally realized, I had no control over the state of mental health and it's reform except to vote, get involved with the local MCO to effect policy, support self-help groups with my own attendance, and get therapy myself.
This very practical workshop will focus on self-help drawing from an EXCELLENT workbook, The Therapist's Workbook: Self-Assessment, Self-Care, and Self-Improvement Exercises For Mental Health Professionals by Jeffrey Kottler. It takes a look at and encourages change in several areas for counselors and social workers: "Confronting the Issues", "Taking Care of Yourself", and "Practicing What Your Preach". We will also explore, "When to get out!"
Topics include:
- On Being a Therapist-and the Consequences of Choice
- Identifying Sources of Stress
- Acknowledging Doubts, Limitations, and Failures
- Clients as Teachers: Reciprocal Effects and Influences
- Addressing Countertransference and Other Personal Reactions
- Travel That Can Change Your Life
- Accessing More Fun and Joy From Therapeutic Work
- Promoting Creative Breakthroughs
Objectives:
- Develop a strategy for making changes in your personal and professional life to support staying in the profession you love, social work or counseling.
- Meet like-minded professionals who are working on the same thing that your are: self-care and self-actualization while doing what you love, counseling.
Snacks, coffee, water, and tea are all included!
We look forward to seeing you there!
Presented by Linda Harrison, LPCS, CCS, MAC
Developmental Trauma: When childhood adaptive styles become adulthood maladaptive behaviors
Friday November 30, 2018
9:00am - 4:30pm
6 contact hours total:
- 6 NBCC credit hours
- The NCSAPPB accepts NBCC credit hours
Description: Ann takes care of everyone else and often to her own detriment, Bridget is afraid she will be rejected if people knew the “real” her, and Craig is concerned that he cannot maintain a relationship for longer than six months. Although clients present with a variety of issues, there may be a common denominator, developmental trauma. In this workshop, we will explore early childhood attachment trauma, adaptive survival styles and long term impact into adulthood. We will explore how early trauma impacts self-image, connection and self-regulation and how we as clinicians can promote healing and connection.
Objections:
- Become familiar with the five adaptive survival styles as proposed by the Neuro-Affective Relational Model.
- Introduction to Adverse Childhood Experience study and correlation between early trauma and increased risk of mental health and substance use issues.
- Identify best practice and be able to apply therapies which promote connection, healing and resiliency.
Lunch, coffee, water, and tea are all included!
We look forward to seeing you there!
Presented by:
Jolene Gervasi, LPC, LCAS, CSI
Anger Management: Exploring Three CBT Curriculum
Tuesday December 11, 2018
9:00am - 4:30pm
6 contact hours total:
- 6 NBCC credit hours
- The NCSAPPB accepts NBCC credit hours
Anger Management will explore and develop a working knowledge around three currently popular CBT curriculum:
- Anger Management for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Clients (Free on the SAMHSA website)
- The Anger and Aggression Workbook: Self-Assessments, Exercises, and Educational Handouts by Liptak and Leutenberg
- The Anger Management Workbook for Men by Karmin
We'll look at developing an anger management group as well as individual counseling using the suggested anger management CBT curriculum above. You are welcome to purchase any of these ahead of time or download the free digital version of the Anger Management Curriculum by SAMHSA to utilize in the workshop.
Objectives:
- Develop a working knowledge and comfort level with utilizing one of the three curriculum.
- Explore how to utilize these 3 CBT curriculum in group or individualized counseling.
Lunch, snacks, coffee, water, and tea are all included!
We look forward to seeing you there!
Presented by Linda Harrison, LPCS, CCS, MAC
|
|
|
"Linda Harrison is a phenomenal trainer. She is real and engaging. I can't wait to learn more from her. John Sanders and the FIRST team provided an excellent environment for workshops. What a great opportunity to learn and to network with other WNC providers." - Attendee 10/13/15
100% refunds are available up to 48 hours before a workshop. 50% refund in the two days prior to the workshop. No refund for cancellations on the day of the workshop or for no-shows.
