The Pennsylvania Society for Clinical Social Work (PSCSW)
Presents
Dr. Janina Fisher Ph.D.
Understanding Trauma and Suicidality
Date: Saturday, October 19, 2024
Time: 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
(Registration: 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM)
Location: Virtual via Zoom Meeting
Workshop Summary:
In this interactive workshop, Dr. Janina Fisher will explore the relationship between trauma and suicidal behavior. Traumatized children often use their bodies to regulate overwhelming emotions, leading to self-destructive behaviors like cutting, head-banging, or suicidal ideation. These responses are a way of finding "safety" in unsafe behavior, often disconnected from the childhood trauma that originated them.
Dr. Fisher will introduce a new framework for understanding self-harm and suicidality as survival responses that aim to regulate trauma-related states. By recognizing unsafe behaviors as attempts to self-protect and self-soothe, clinicians can shift their approach, leading to reduced client risk and lower therapist stress. This understanding will transform the way therapists engage with suicidal clients, leading to more effective and compassionate care.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
1. Conceptualize trauma responses using an animal defense survival paradigm.
2. Apply cognitive restructuring techniques to help clients understand suicidal impulses.
3. Implement mindfulness-based interventions with suicidal clients.
4. Identify and engage with suicidal parts of clients without over-identifying with them.
Detailed Schedule:
- 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM: Registration
- 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM: Understanding the Neurobiology of Trauma
- 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM: Suicidality and Trauma-Related Triggers
- 1:00 PM - 1:45 PM: Survival Defense Responses to Trauma
- 1:45 PM - 2:00 PM: Break
- 2:00 PM - 2:45 PM: Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Suicidality
- 2:45 PM - 3:00 PM: Q&A
Presenter Bio:
Dr. Janina Fisher is a licensed clinical psychologist and former instructor at Harvard Medical School. Internationally recognized for her expertise in trauma treatment, she is an Executive Board member of the Trauma Research Foundation and a Patron of the John Bowlby Centre. She is the author of *Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors: Overcoming Self-Alienation* (2017), *Transforming the Living Legacy of Trauma: A Workbook for Survivors and Therapists* (2021), and *The Living Legacy Instructional Flip Chart* (2022). Dr. Fisher is known for her Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST) model, which is taught worldwide.
Continuing Education Credits:
FOR PENNSYLVANIA SOCIAL WORKERS, MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS, AND PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS: This program is approved for credits for professional workshops sponsored by the Pennsylvania Society for Clinical Social Work, a state affiliate of the Clinical Social Work Association listed in Section 47.36 of Title 49, Chapter 47 of the PA Code, State Board of Social Work Examiners. This program is also approved for 3 credits for professional workshops for marriage & family therapists (Section 48.36) and professional counselors (Section 49.36).
FOR NEW JERSEY SOCIAL WORKERS: This program is approved for 3 clinical credits. Attendance at programs or courses given at state and national social work association conferences, where the criteria for membership is an academic degree in social work, are a valid source of continuing education credit (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-6.4(c)4).
Workshop Fees (including CE Certificate):
EXPIRED (see late registration, below)
- Members: $70
- Non-Members: $85
- Student Members: $20
- Student Non-Members: $30
Late Registration (after October 1, 2024):
- Members: $80
- Non-Members: $95
- Student Members: $25
- Student Non-Members: $35
Registration Information:
If you need to cancel, refunds (minus a $15 administrative fee) will be issued up to the program date.
Contact Information:
For more information, please contact Lauren Montemuro at laurendmontemuro@gmail.com or 610-662-9104.