An Advanced Clinical Training on
Modern Attachment and
Applied Relational Neuroscience
Hosted by Austin IN Connection
May 4, 2024 | Austin, TX | 8am-5pm
In this session, you’ll receive an update and new perspective on the contemporary application of the relational sciences – attachment, neuroscience and trauma. In addition, you'll get exciting new tools to make it practical to apply in session and in real life. We will push the conception of “attachment,” moving beyond the traditional use of research categories and add the concept of an attachment spectrum. These ideas will add dynamic nuance when it comes to unconscious patterns of relating. We will deep-dive into each of the attachment leanings with an eye toward the most effective clinical work to make the education and experience most meaningful to you.
But that's not all…
Panel on relational “security” in marginalized groups
Building security isn’t just an internal mental process – it goes beyond one-on-one relationships. To look at structures that create insecurity, we will have a live conversation with a panel of BIPOC therapists: Dr. Marlon Johnson, Vanessa Newton and Shayla Wilson, to expand our conceptions of what attachment security looks like for marginalized communities. (We hope to facilitate more opportunities to go in-depth with this at a later time!)
Professionally facilitated break-out groups
We will help you ground the learning and explore the material – including your own relational defensive patterns – so that it doesn’t stay just an intellectual exercise.
Lunch
Lunch is included in your ticket and is another opportunity to build connections.
*Bonus*
An extra 1/2 hour of care
Trauma-informed strength movement, led by a holistic professional personal trainer, or Guided mindfulness practice led by a mindfulness-based practitioner.
7 CEUs included – Ethics (3 hours) and Cultural (2 hrs)
IN ADDITION
You are invited!
You are also invited to a PUBLIC TALK on secure relating and book launch party for Sue and Ann, held on Friday evening, May 3, 2024 at the Austin Public Library Rooftop Garden. Partners, friends, clients, & parents are welcome to join for this one to learn updated basics about deepening security! It's free but grab a ticket to secure your spot!
Secure your seat for the conference – Register now
THIS IS NOT YOUR ORDINARY CONFERENCE…
Ann Kelley Ph.D.
Ann Kelley (she/her) is a licensed psychologist specializing in interdisciplinary relational work for over 30 years. Her professional work and writing is motivated by her ongoing concern about the toxic strategies being used by media and political forces that provoke fear, anger and polarization. In her former role as a Director of Clinical Treatment for the Texas Youth Commission, she provided workshops, training, supervision, and agency-wide program development as well as serving as an expert witness for courts and national media outlets as a key resource regarding the treatment of early trauma resulting in violence.
Sue Marriott LCSW, CGP
Sue Marriott (she/her) is a clinical social worker, educator, and podcaster who has worked with individuals and groups in private practice in Austin TX for over 30 years. She's studied and trained directly with the top experts in the field at attachment and neuroscience, provided workshops nationally and led supervision and study groups for therapists for decades. Her passion for bridging the life changing relational sciences to those who would otherwise not have access to it led her to co-found the hosting organization, Austin Interpersonal Neurobiology (IN) Connection and to extend that work across the globe by co-producing the podcast, Therapist Uncensored.
Ann and Sue have been busy springing three incredible young adults and delivering their Apple Top 10 Social Science indie podcast, Therapist Uncensored which now has over 9 million downloads and is heard in almost every country around the world.
Together, they are also launching their critically-acclaimed book, Secure Relating, Holding Your Own in an Insecure World, (HarperCollins 4/30/24) which is available for pre-order now.
You’ll have two additional options right after lunch to enhance your experience and learning.
1.) Embodied Strength Activity
(gentle, body accessible)
World Record sprinter and personal trainer Alexandria Alexander will lead us in collective movement inspired by ideas in the book Lifting Heavy Things Healing Trauma One Rep at a Time by Laura Khoudari. This ½ hour post-lunch activity will get your large muscles firing which frankly just feels good, but will also empower you to continue doing the work of spreading security, one ripple at a time.
Alexandria Anderson (she/her) is an ACE Certified Personal and Group Fitness Instructor who ran professionally for USA and NIKE Track and Field Teams, competing internationally and winning World Gold and Silver Medals. She was inducted into the University of Texas at Austin Athletics Hall of Honors for her successful track and field career in 2020. Her passion is empowering those marginalized by trauma or social conditions to become the best version of themselves possible.
Website: www.essentialfitnessatx.com
Instagram: @heymarie87 & @essentialfitnessatx
2.) Developing Meta Awareness:
A Mindfulness Practice
An integrated mind-state can free us from the traumas of the past, helping us develop relational resilience and secure attachments. However, to integrate the mind, we need a consistent daily practice to change those solidified old patterns and develop new neuropathways. In this session, leveraging the brain's ability to change itself (neuroplasticity), Firoozeh will lead us in a guided mindfulness practice inspired by Dan Siegal’s Wheel of Awareness to cultivate the (3) pillar practice of focused attention, open awareness, and kind intention.
Firoozeh Tuller (she/her) is a licensed clinical social worker, mindfulness meditation teacher (certified by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach), educator, and consultant. She is in private practice, working with individuals, groups, and leadership teams. Firoozeh has an unwavering dedication to expanding consciousness, increasing awareness, and cultivating compassion.
And to understand what attachment security looks like in marginalized communities, we turn to those with lived experience – for a lively 1 hour discussion.
Vanessa Newton LCSW-S, CDWF, TCYM Certified, EMDR Trained
A first-generation Latina and Entrepreneur, Vanessa has worked in the field of social work for 15+ years, founding Colors of Austin Counseling (2018), the therapist coaching and support organization Brave & Well (2019), and the school-based mental health web application SocialNote (2015). She has spent over a decade working with teens, survivors of trauma, LatinX women and communities of culture. Vanessa believes in removing barriers of access to mental health treatment for all and finding ways to uplift future generations of therapists so that together we can decolonize the mental health space. Whether it be through the direct provision of mental health services, bolstering and helping grow the practices of younger therapists or creating tools that help support the work of her fellow practitioners, Vanessa is committed to fundamentally transforming how we think about, practice and experience mental health. Colors of Austin website.
Shayla Wilson, LCSW-S, ACSWCM
With a focus on communities of color, Shayla specializes in culturally sensitive and comprehensive mental health services for individuals, children and families. Her commitment to empowering BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Color) individuals has been a driving force throughout her career. Culturally cross-trained in EMDR, Shayla is equipped to navigate the complexities of healing and growth through a social justice lens. Her practice revolves around helping individuals overcome trauma, manage chronic illnesses, and navigate disordered eating. Through her work, she contributes to the well-being of BIPOC women and children by offering specialized trainings that address their unique needs. Her mission is to promote mental health awareness, provide culturally competent care, and empower individuals to lead fulfilling lives. Liberate Counseling website.
Marlon Johnson, PhD, LPC (TX), LPC-MHSP (TN), NCC
Dr. Marlon Johnson (He/Him) serves as an Assistant Professor of Counselor Education at Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, where he prepares individuals to become culturally-inclusive and spiritually-integrated mental health professionals. Dr. Johnson’s clinical work centers Black mental wellness, queer and trans-inclusive mental healthcare, and community racial healing activities. He utilizes Narrative and Quare theories to help clients feel seen and safe to explore their identities and experiences within the counseling environment. Dr. Johnson trains students and scholars to think critically about cultural inclusion and advocacy within the realms of assessment, career interventions, and counseling practice. As a researcher and advocate, he integrates an intersectional framework to help communities explore Black and Queer identity development, gay male relationship longevity, strategies for racial healing, and mental health access and equity. Dr. Johnson's website and Seminary of the Southwest page.
