In this 3-hour training, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the lasting impact of developmental trauma on all dimensions of the person and society as a whole and meaningful and effective ways to respond with compassion. This training reviews the findings of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study, the impact of ACEs, principles of trauma-informed practice, and tools to intervene.

Learning objectives:

• Understanding what the ACEs are
• Identify the lasting bio-psycho-social-spiritual impacts of childhood trauma on clients accessing services.
• Reframe perspectives on the challenges presented by clients who have experienced developmental trauma
• Gain an understanding of the principles of trauma-informed practice
• Learn specific tools to support clients in managing complex trauma reactions
• Gain insight into applying trauma-informed principles to program design and operations
• Engage in compassionate self-reflection on our role as service providers in walking with clients in their healing journeys

Instructor:

Meredith Klemmensen, MA CCC

Meredith Klemmensen is the Program Coordinator and therapist for the Stopping The Violence women’s counselling program at Ishtar Women’s resources. Meredith holds an MA in Counselling Psychology and is registered as a Canadian Certified Counsellor (CCC). She has also worked as a therapist and anti-violence advocate in various settings, including transitional housing, residential addiction rehabilitation facilities, and municipal, provincial and federal correctional settings. She holds specialized training in feminist and anti-oppressive approaches to therapy, the neurobiology of attachment, trauma, and evidence-based practices in the treatment of complex developmental and acute trauma, including training in the Structural Model of Dissociation, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Lifespan Integration Therapy, Observed and Experiential Integration Therapy, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy. In all her work, Meredith strives to uphold the fundamental dignity of clients and staff, support others in accessing their innate capacities for courage and resilience, and enact justice through the relational encounter of counselling and supervision.