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Dr Karen Treisman 2 Day Training for Professionals, Nov 21 - 22.

Dr Karen Treisman 2 Day Training November 21st and 22nd, 2019

• DAY 1 - Relational and Developmental Trauma; understanding its impact on children’s brains, bodies, emotions, relationships and behaviours. (registration will open at 8.30am) 9.30am– 4.30pm,
• DAY 2 - Moving towards being and sustaining being an adversity, culturally, & trauma-informed, infused, and responsive organisation 9.30am – 4.30pm
• Venue: The Killeshin Hotel, Dublin Road, Portlaoise, Co. Laois Registration Information:

For information on this event or other training events please contact Sheena Lawless via email at coordinator@afrc.ie. This two day event costs €200.00 (including training materials, tea/coffee, * Light lunch is included). Tickets are limited so book early to avoid disappointment.

Registration opens Monday 14th October 2019, tickets for this event can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Training Overview

Day 1

This training day offers an abundance of learnings around the impact of trauma, neglect, toxic stress, and disrupted attachment on children, adolescents, and on their surrounding adults. Including on the impact of trauma and disrupted attachment on the body (physical and sensory), brain (cognitive and neuropsychological) emotions, behaviours, learning, and relationships. This day uses a range of metaphors, props, video clips, experiential learning, and case studies to bring the contents alive. This day also draws on the latest evidence based and neuroscience findings but delivers them in an accessible engaging and applicable way. This training draws on the attachment, loss, stress, and trauma theory, however, with a focus of translating the findings into day-to-day child protection and children in care case work and practical tips

Outline of the Day:

• Explore what is meant by the terms relational and developmental trauma
• Provide a rational and framework for relationship-based-trauma-informed practice.
• Consider and reflect on some of the trauma and loss experiences which many of these children have faced and still face
• Learn about why children’s social and emotional age can be different from their chronological age.
• Consider some of the impact that these experiences have on children’s brains, bodies, relationships, behaviours, and emotions. Including on areas such as emotional-regulation, sensory processing, and impulse control.
• Reflect on key elements such as “behaviour and communication”, and identifying children and our own multi-layered triggers.
• Reflect on some of the wider impact of trauma on the surrounding systems such as the family, school, and organisations.
• Consider some of the literature and examples around resilience, hope, and strengths-based practice.

Aims and Objectives of the Day:

• Develop further knowledge and understanding about the impact of early trauma and disrupted attachment on children’s overall development.
• Gain further insight into the latest brain science and neurobiology around childhood trauma and neglect.
• Link trauma and attachment theories to real life case examples. Consider typical behavioural presentations within this client group and how these can be formulated from an attachment and trauma perspective.
• Learn about how to identify children’s multi-sensory triggers and emotional hotspots.
• Gain further understanding s to why therapeutic re-parenting and relationship-based trauma-informed practice is so fundamental to children’s progress.

Day 2

This introduction day workshop is an opportunity to learn further from a system and organisational perspective about what an adversity is culturally, & trauma-informed, infused, and responsive organisation and system; and to meaningfully reflect as to why this transformation and lens is needed, is important, and is beneficial to everyone. Including how we can recognise and respond to the pervasive and widespread impact of trauma; whilst proactively finding ways to avoid re-traumatising people through our systems and practices. This also considers aspects such as implementation barriers and success factors; as well as considering some of the key elements of service change. The workshop supports attendees to reflect, notice, magnify, and celebrate what they are already doing that is going well, and which is in line with the principles of trauma-informed practice. This is based on trauma, attachment, organisational, systemic, and implementation science theories. This also draws on the existing international evidence base around different best practices models in trauma informed organisations; as well as giving tangible examples and case studies. Dr Treisman, is a specialist in this area, as well as recently visiting over 70 organisations and 150 people in America as part of a Winston Churchill Fellowship to learn about best practice in trauma-informed organisations. This day can be tailored to focus on different areas, however, often includes creating action plans and commitments for what areas need improvement, and expansion. This day includes considering areas across the whole organisation such as recruitment and induction, through to procedures and policies, through to the physical environment, through to self-care and staff wellbeing, and so forth.

Aims and Objectives:

• Learn about what being trauma-informed and trauma-responsive means and looks like; and establish why it is needed, important, and beneficial.
• Learn about several best practice models for being trauma-informed and trauma-responsive.
• Increase knowledge and understanding around specific components and the nuts and bolts of practice of being more trauma-informed, such as through induction and recruitment, through to the physical environment, through to lived experience involvement, through to behavioural responses.
• Consider what some of the factors are for improving effectiveness of trauma informed practice; as well as what some of the potential obstacles and barriers may be.
• Reflect on what is going well already and how can this be magnified, strengthened, and celebrated.
• Develop action plans, momentum, and ideas from the group as to ways to become more trauma-informed and trauma-responsive

About the Presenter:

Dr Karen Trieisman is a Clinical Psychologist who has worked in the NHS and children’s services for several years. Karen has also worked cross-culturally in both Africa and Asia with groups ranging from former child soldiers to survivors of the Rwandan Genocide. Karen has extensive experience in the areas of trauma, parenting, and attachment, and works clinically using a range of therapeutic approaches with families, systems, and children in or on the edge of care, unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people, and adopted children. In addition to holding a doctorate in Clinical psychology, Karen has undergone a range of specialist trainings including in EMDR, Narrative Therapy, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, Sensory Attachment Intervention, and Thera play.

Karen has previously worked in both Milton Keynes’s and Kensington and Chelsea’s Looked after Children (LAC) and fostering services, and within the National Implementation Service for evidence-based interventions for Looked after children, children on the edge of care, and children in custody at the Michael Rutter Centre in the Maudsley Hospital.
Karen also worked as a Clinical Lead for a court assessment and intensive parenting intervention team for children on the edge of care and in proceedings within Islington. Karen is the director of Safe Hands and Thinking Minds training and consultancy services. www.safehandsthinkingminds.co.uk  Karen is an external consultant, trainer, and assessor to Barnardo’s Adoption Service, PAC-UK, and Hope for families, Frontline, Three Steps Ireland, Grandparents Plus, and the Fostering Network.

Karen is a member of the CoramBAAF health group advisory committee, and a reviewer for the Journal of adoption and fostering. Karen is a TedX speaker and regularly presents at local, national, and international trauma, parenting, and attachment conferences. Karen is a Winston Churchill Fellow, and researched best practice in trauma informed and trauma-responsive systems internationally.

Karen has written a Routledge published book entitled "Working with children and adolescents who have experienced relational and developmental trauma"; and her second book “A therapeutic treasure box for working with relational and developmental trauma” is a bestseller. Karen is also author and creator of the “Therapeutic Treasure Collection”.