Talia Spear

C.CFM, C.FRM, CNWFF, CIMC, CCTP-II
ASDCS, ADHD-CCSP, CFTP, CAGCS, NATC

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Talia is a Co-parenting Coach, Certified Comprehensive Family Mediator, Counsellor, Certified Family Relations Mediator, and Child-Inclusive Mediator who supports families in building realistic, affordable, and sustainable pathways forward; especially in moments when relationships feel stuck, fragile, or impossible. She helps reduce conflict, restore predictability for children, and create calmer co-parenting systems where communication becomes functional rather than triggering.

Talia has a reputation for being able to “hold” complex family dynamics without assigning blame, pathologizing, or taking sides.

Parents value her ability to stay calm when things feel chaotic and to help them understand why patterns keep repeating as well as how to change them.

Talia began her career more than twenty years ago in assault services. Over the decades that followed, she’s been fortunate to have led multiple local, regional, national, and international teams improving access to safety, stability, and dignity for vulnerable populations experiencing trauma, violence, poverty, crisis, homelessness, mental-health challenges, and systemic exclusion.

She brings that same commitment to families navigating separation and divorce, especially when the journey has been painful, confusing, or adversarial. Talia is known for her ability to work effectively with lawyers, mental-health providers, educators, and the court system while remaining anchored in what is genuinely best for the child.

She is frequently described as soft-spoken, measured, insightful, and exceptionally effective; someone with warmth and backbone.

Talia is a child of parents who navigated “high-conflict” co-parenting for nearly two decades. She also experienced “reunification” therapy herself as a child. These experiences shaped her belief that support works best when children and parents feel emotionally safe and respected in the process, and when steps forward are introduced at a pace that protects each person’s well-being rather than overwhelming them. She also fundamentally believes that change is possible when compassion and accountability coexist, and that children have the right to their childhood as well as to healthy relationships with safe, attuned parents.

Talia works from the assumption that every parent is more than the hardest moment in their history, and every family member deserves the chance to build healthier patterns. She practices from an omni-partial, function-forward, culturally supportive, trauma-aware, child-focused, and neurodiversity-affirming perspective.

Her goal is to create a space where each family member can be heard and where solutions feel doable, safe and sustainable. She works with both survivors of family violence as well as folks who have behaved abusively. Talia is extensively trained to work with both populations and does so because, simply, parents deserve peace, and children deserve relationships with healthy, safe and attuned parents.

Talia is known for her ability to:

  • hear children’s voices under conflict and insulate them from being weaponized

  • help parents understand nervous-system responses, attachment needs, and trauma patterns

  • support parents overwhelmed by their own history, stress, or emotional reactions

  • empower change for parents who have caused harm and genuinely want to attune to their children and change how they show up in their co-parenting dynamic

  • support parents who have experienced harm or abuse from a deeply trauma-aware perspective to navigate co-parenting challenges without pushing them to abandon their instincts or boundaries

  • create conditions for emotional safety and relational repair that allow for sustainable and meaningful healthy relationships to emerge

Her training spans a wide range of respected organizations and institutions, including Family Mediation Canada, the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Children Beyond Dispute, Harvard Law School, Stanford University, the Institute of Child Psychology, the Crisis and Trauma Research Institute, the High Conflict Institute, the Justice Institute of BC, the University of Toronto, the University of Salford’s MSc Psychology with a specialization in coercive control programme, and RESOLVE, among many others.

She holds many certifications and specialty training inclusive but not limited to:

  • Certified Comprehensive Family Mediator (C.CFM)

  • Certified Family Relations Mediator (C.FRM)

  • Certified New Ways for Families Coach (C.NWFF)

  • Certified Child Inclusive Mediation and Counselling Consultant (CIMC)

  • Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP-II)

  • Certified Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist (ASDCS)

  • Certified Coercive Control Trauma-Informed Clinician

  • ADHD Certified Clinical Services Provider (ADHD-CCSP)

  • Dual Certified Child and Family Trauma Professional (CFTP)

  • Certified Advanced Grief Counselling Specialist (CAGCS)

  • Certified Narcissistic Abuse Treatment Clinician (NATC)

  • Certificate in Gender Based Violence - Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women & Children

  • Certificate in Family Mediation - Herzing College

  • Certificate in Child Protection Mediation - Family Mediation Canada

  • Certificate in Parenting Coordination - Association of Family and Conciliation Courts

  • Certificate in Parenting Plan Evaluations - Association of Family and Conciliation Courts

  • Somatic Experiencing Professional Certification - Beg I, Beg II, Beg III

In alignment with her values, she offers limited pro bono (no-cost) and sliding-scale (reduced cost) spaces for survivors of family violence, mature minor children seeking to have their voices safely heard, and individuals with annual household incomes under $60,000

If cost is a barrier and you have been accused or convicted of causing harm and genuinely want to show up differently for your children, Talia welcomes you to inquire about pro bono and sliding-scale availability as well.

memberships + affliations

  • AFCC is the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts – the premier interdisciplinary and international association of professionals dedicated to the resolution of family conflict.  AFCC members are the leading practitioners, researchers, teachers and policymakers in the family court arena.

    Talia's fortunate to be an organizing committee (board) member of the British Columbia chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC-BC), and Ialso was on the task force that developed the AFCC-BC Parenting Plan Guide. One project that is ongoing with AFCC-BC that Talia is particularly passionate about and leads is the heard and seen children’s voices and choices project.

  • APA is the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States, with more than 157,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students as its members.

  • The ABA was founded in 1878 on a commitment to set the legal and ethical foundation for the American nation. Today, it exists as a membership organization and stands committed to its mission of defending liberty and pursuing justice.

  • Family Mediation Canada is a national, interdisciplinary association of individuals working together to promote mediation and other forms of conflict resolution for individuals and families and to promote high-quality specialized family mediation services for the public.  FMC was established in 1984 as a charitable, not-for-profit association.  It is affiliated with like-minded organizations across Canada.

    Talia is a Certified Comprehensive Family Mediator. She qualifies under s. 4 of the Family Law Act.

  • The ADR Institute of Canada (ADRIC) is recognized as Canada’s preeminent self-regulatory professional Dispute Resolution organization.

    ADRIC sets the standard for best practices for ADR (alternative dispute resolution) in Canada and provides leadership, value and support to our individual and corporate members and to our clients. We provide education and certification, promote ethical standards and professional competency, and advocate for all forms of ADR for public and private disputes.

  • IACP is the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, an international community of legal, mental health and financial professionals working in concert to create client-centered processes for resolving conflict. IACP has members in 42 states and 22 countries, on 5 continents. 

  • The BC Hear the Child Society is a non-profit society formed in late 2009 to support opportunities for children to share their views and be heard when their best interests are being determined in family justice decision-making.

  • Since 1974, the Society has focused on providing a strong voice representing children and youth and advocating for their well-being in British Columbia. Using the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) as a foundation, SCY has a track record of creating and delivering programs that have motivated change in legislation, policy, and practice in Canada.

  • Started in 2008 and co-founded by Bill Eddy and Megan Hunter, High Conflict Institute offers skills and strategies to help resolve the most tense and difficult situations. Where other conflict resolution strategies fail, HCI provides answers.

    Talia is a Certified New Ways for Families Co-parent Coach.

  • Item description

  • MediateBC supports the public in learning about and accessing inclusive and ethical conflict resolution services. They maintain a roster of qualified conflict resolution practitioners with diverse backgrounds, approaches, and identities and can assist in identifying and appointing appropriate mediators, med-arbitrators, and facilitators in most areas of practice. 

    Talia is on the associate roster for MediateBC

  • American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists is the professional association for the field of marriage and family therapy. They represent the professional interests of more than 72,000 marriage and family therapists throughout the United States, Canada and abroad. 

Talia is an organizing committee (board) member of the BC chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. She contributed to the AFCC-BC Parenting Plan Guide.

She is the lead to the Trauma-Aware Services project, and the Empowering the Voices and Best Interests of Children project with AFCC-BC.

The Trauma-Aware Services Project with AFCC-BC develops trauma-informed practice training for members of the bar, members of the bench, mental health professionals and allied family services professionals with a focus on trauma-informed practice, support of families that have experienced/are experiencing family violence, the impact of attachment on family member’s engagement and behaviour in family law, amongst other topics, this project is rooted in supporting families navigating conflict through a trauma-informed lens.

The Empowering the Voices, and Best Interests of Children Project with AFCC-BC develops and presents child-centric practice training for members of the bar, members of the bench, mental health professionals and allied family services professionals. Family law professionals, family services facilitators, and allied professionals that are deeply experienced in child-centric work will provide valuable insight into possible opportunities to empower and strengthen children’s best interests, voices, and needs in family law and family services.

A woman crouched down on a city street, smiling and looking at a small child who is hiding their face behind a hoodie. The woman is wearing sunglasses, a black coat, ripped jeans, and sneakers, with a small red purse around her waist. The child is dressed in a gray hooded jumpsuit and tan sneakers, hiding behind their hood. The background shows urban buildings, parked cars, and street signs.

Participate in Talia’s research

Talia researches the experiences of neurodivergent people within the family law system. She welcomes neurodivergent parents and mature minors to connect with her to share their experiences or participate in her various ongoing projects.

She also researches the impact of coercive control on children, and welcomes parents and mature minors to connect with her to share their experiences or participate in her various ongoing projects.

*It should be made clear that Talia does not in any capacity condone or participate in the coercion of children. She fundamentally believes that healthy relationships (professional or otherwise) require consent and absence of coercive actions/techniques.

Connect with talia

education and training.

Advanced ADHD Certification Course: Strategies to Customize Treatment for Every Client 

Faculty: Ari Tuckman, Psy.D. MBA

Length: 33.5 hours

Certification: ADHD Certified Clinical Services Provider (ADHD-CCSP)

  • ADHD at Work

  • Home & in the Classroom

  • Time Management and Executive Functioning

  • Couples & Relationship Strategies

  • Medication & Non-Medication Interventions

  • Neurology Drives Psychology

  • Emotional Regulation Skills

  • Advanced Assessment

  • Essential Tools for Women

  • Mindfulness Strategies

  • Diversity Considerations

Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute of Canada - Ontario

Faculty:

Length: Eight (8) hours

Training: Practical Ethics for Working Mediators

Association of Family and Conciliation Courts

  • John Moran: Overcoming the Alienation Crisis: A Team Model

  • Betting on the Voice of Children in Parenting Disputes

  • Encapsulated Delusion

  • Resisting Simplicity to Understand Child Resistance: Alienation Meaning in the Field of Family Law

  • Concepts, Controversies, and Conundrums of Parent-Child Contact Problems

  • Acting Before it’s Too Late: Prudent Early Intervention in Resist-Refuse Dynamics

  • Allegations of Child Abuse During Child Custody Disputes

  • Interviewing Children: How to Talk and How to Listen

  • Neurodiverse Children and Parents in Family Court: Psychological and Judical Perspectives of Avoiding Bias and Negative Presumptions

  • The Family Court System and Intimate Partner Violence: The Effects on Young Children

  • Popular Post-Separation Parenting Apps: A Systemic Evaluation

  • The Shortened MASIC-Online Intimate Partner Violence Screening Tool

  • Advanced Intimate Partner Violence Screening for Mediators, Arbitrators, and Parenting Coordinators

  • Harm Reduction: Avoiding Anchoring Bias and Binary Approaches to Parent-Child Contact

  • Child-Inclusive Family Mediation Step-by-Step

  • Creating Parenting Plans for the Major World Religions

  • Parent Child Contact Problems: Family Violence and Parental Alienation - Either/or, Neither/nor, Both/and One in the Same

  • Coercive Control: Understanding the Impact on Survivors as Parents and Their Children

  • Confirmation Bias: Getting it Backwards in High Conflict Cases (and How to Correct It)

  • Parent-Child Contact Disruption in Multi-Problem Families: What Do We Know? What Can We Do?

  • Children’s Experience in Patterns of Coercive Control

  • Developing a Parenting Education Course for Indigenous Families: Now What? 

  • Expectations, Roles, and Outcomes in Supervised Parenting Time

  • Interview the Traumatized Child in Family Law Cases

  • The Paradox of Power: A Coach Approach Amid Intimate Partner Violence Allegations

  • Enhancing Children’s Participation in Child Protection and Parenting Mediations

  • Family Violence: Voices of Racialized Immigrant Youth and Their Best Interests

  • Understanding and Managing High-Conflict Situations

  • Understanding Autistic Brain Differences: Implications for Supporting Autistic Children and their Families through Divorce/Separation

AFCC - Parenting Coordination Training

Faculty: Chioma Ajoku, JD, PhD, ABPP, Robin M. Deutsch, PhD, ABPP, April Harris-Britt, PhD, Kathleen McNamara, PhD, Terry Singh, PhD, ABPP

Length: 16 hours

  • Parenting Coordinator Process I

  • Parenting Coordinator Process II

  • Family Dynamics

  • Techniques & Interventions I

  • Techniques & Interventions II

  • Techniques & Interventions III

  • Intimate Partner Violence and Safety

  • Ethics, Diversity, Technology, 

  • Engaging Cultural Differences and Communication in Intimate Partner Violence Cases

AFCC - Parenting Plan Evaluation Training 

Faculty: Chioma Ajoku, JD, PhD, ABPP, Robin M. Deutsch, PhD, ABPP, April Harris-Britt, PhD, Kathleen McNamara, PhD, Terry Singh, PhD, ABPP

Length - 28 hours

  • Purpose and Roles

  • Parenting Plan Evaluation Process I

  • Parenting Plan Evaluation Process II

  • Parenting Plan Evaluation Process III

  • Parenting Plan Evaluation Process IV

  • Research I, Research II

  • Hypothesis Testing and Cognitive Biases

  • Culture and Diversity Considerations

  • Parenting Plans; Psychological Testing

  • Child Maltreatment

  • Relocations and Special Needs Children

  • Report Writing and Testifying 

  • Advanced Training in Parenting Plan Evaluations

AFCC - Advanced Issues in Family Law: Parent-Child Contact Problems 

Faculty: Robin M. Deutsch, PhD, ABPP, Leslie Drozd, PhD, John A. “Jack” Moran, PhD, Marsha Kline Pruett, PhD, ABPP, Matthew Sullivan, PhD, Peggie Ward, PhD

Length - 16 hours

  • Modules 1 through 8

AFCC - Safety First: Strengthening Family Law Responses to Violence and Coercive Control

Length - 15.5 hours

  • Understanding Family Violence—The History, Definitions, Dynamics, and Concept Creep
    Michael A. Saini, PhD, MSW, RSW

  • Screening for Family Violence—Early Detection and Legal Considerations
    Hilary Linton, JD, LLM

  • Using the MASIC-Short: A Structured Interview for Screening Violence
    Amy G. Applegate, JD

  • Embedding the DOOR Framework in Family Court Practice
    Elisabeth Godbout, MSW, PhD

  • SAFeR: A Brief Screening Tool for Family Law Contexts
    Anadella M. Martinez-Mullen, JD and Tracy Showberg, JD

  • Risk Assessment and Safety Planning
    Lisa Heslop, PhD and Katreena Scott, PhD

  • Judicial Perspective on Responding to Family Violence
    Hon. Rosemary Collins

  • Building Safer Pathways: Strengthening Family Violence Screening and Assessment Across AFCC Guidelines
    Kathleen McNamara, PhD

  • The Impact of Family Violence on Children: Exposure, Adaptation, and Consequences
    Angelique Jenney, MSW, PhD, RSW

  • Interventions for Survivors, Children, and Perpetrators
    Katreena Scott, PhD

  • Working Across Cultures and Borders - Diversity, Migration, and Justice
    Archana Medhekar, LLB, LLM

  • Parenting Plans in the Context of Family Violence
    Peter Jaffe, PhD

  • Repairing Ruptures: Rebuilding Parent-Child Relationships After Family Violence
    Glenda Lux, MA, RPsych, Beth Archer-Kuhn, PhD, and Natalie Beltrano, PhD(c)

  • Technology in Family Violence Cases: Risks and Responses
    Sean B. Knuth, PhD

  • Final Panel—From Knowledge to Action: Implementation and Next Steps
    Moderated by Michael A. Saini, PhD, MSW, RSW

Ausome Training

  • Autism and Meltdowns

  • Autistic Joy and Passionate Interests

  • Alternatives to ABA

  • Autism and Emotions

  • Autism and Communication

  • Autism and Play

  • Supporting Autistic Children

  • Developing Self-Compassion as a Late-Discovered Neurodivergent Adult

  • Autism and PDA

  • An Introduction to Gestalt Language

  • Boundaries and Beliefs

  • Autistic and ADHD

  • Nurturing Autistic Identity

  • Trauma and Behaviour

  • Exploring Stimming

  • Autism and Social Skills

  • Autism and Masking

  • Autism and Food

AutPlay Therapy

Faculty: Dr. Robert Grant EdD, LPC, NCC, RPT-S

  • Creating a Sensory Affirming Office and Playroom - 1 hour

  • Understanding Ableism and Neurodiversity in Play Therapy - 1 hour

  • Training: Introduction to AutPlay Therapy - 4 hours

Canadian Police Knowledge Network

Faculty:  Pro Training Mental Health Awareness in collaboration with an International Advisory Board of police officers, police educators, mental health professionals, academic researchers, adult educators, eLearning experts and individuals with lived experiences of mental illness from the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, USA, and Canada

Length: 1.5 hours

Training: Scenario-Based Mental Health and De-escalation Training

Faculty: Hamilton Police; Edmonton Police; Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime; Victims and Vulnerable Persons Division, Attorney General's Office, Government of Ontario; ENPQ; York Regional Police; RCMP

Length: One (1) hour

Training: Victim Rights in Canada

Faculty: Edmonton Police Service's Equity, Inclusion, and Human Rights Branch and adapted for use by CPKN

Length: One (1) hour

Training: Managing Unconscious Bias

Faculty: Canadian Observatory on the Justice System’s Response to Intimate Partner Violence, the CACP Crime Prevention and Community Safety and Well-Being Committee, and participants in the Think Tank Community Police Response to Intimate Partner Violence: Sharing Best Practices

Length: Three (3) hours

Training: Collaborative Police Action on Intimate Partner Violence

Certified Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist Intensive Training (ASDCS) - 2nd Edition: Affirming Neurodiversity with Strengths- and Abilities-Based Interventions 

Faculty: Temple Grandin, PhD, Stephen Shore, EdD, Jeffrey Guenzel, EdD, LPC, Emile Gouws, PhD student, Kimberly Clairy, OTR/L, Varleisha Lyons, PhD, OTD, OTR/L, ASDCS, Barry Prizant, PhD, CCC-SLP, Robert Naseef, PhD, Michael Hannon, PhD, LAC, NCC, Gil Tippy, PsyD, Kathy Morris, MEd, BS, Sean Inderbitzen, DSW, LCSW, MINT, Robert Bernstein, MA

Length: 33.5 hours

  • Navigating Autism with a Strengths-Based Mindset: Empowering Clients to Find and Develop their Strengths and Thrive!

  • Abilities & Strengths-Based Autism Interventions: Help Clients Find Success in Education, Employment, Community, and More!

  • Developing Core Competencies as an Autism Specialist through a Neurodiversity Lens

  • Developing Core Competencies as an Autism Specialist through a Neurodiversity Lens

  • Dissecting the Brain-Gut Connection to Address Sensorimotor Concerns for Autistic Children

  • Enhancing Social Communication for Autistic Clients: Neurodiversity Principles in Action

  • Racial Disparities and Neurodivergence in Autism: Strategies for Systemic Change and Equitable Care

  • Helping Autistic Clients Relate and Communicate through DIR/Floortime®

  • Techniques for After an Autism Meltdown: Supporting Prevention of Future Eruptions

  • Treating Autism and PTSD Comorbid Through a Polyvagal-Informed Lens: A Framework to Inform EMDR and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Interventions in Therapy

  • Help Autistic Clients Build Strengths, Ease Frustration, & Engage with the World: Techniques to Improve Cognitive Development, Early Language Development, Anxiety, & Behavior

Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Training: Trauma Treatment Certification Training: Safe and Stable Trauma Processing and Resolution with CPT, PE, EMDR and IFS 

Certification: Certified Clinical Trauma Professional II (CCTP-II)

Faculty:
Daphne Fatter, PhD
Arielle Schwartz, PhD

How the Neuroscience of Traumatic Stress Informs Your Treatment Plan

  • Impact on Brain Stem, Limbic System, & Pre-Frontal Cortex

  • How Trauma Impacts Information Processing

  • Indicators that a Client has Unprocessed Trauma

  • How Understanding the Neurobiology Informs Treatment Plans

Trauma Assessment Tools

  • Trauma Symptomology

  • Simple vs. Complex Trauma

  • Intergenerational Trauma

  • CAPS-5 and PCL-5

  • Screening for Racial Trauma and Stress Due to Discrimination

  • Dual Diagnosis & Differential Diagnosis

Creating Treatment Plans Focused on Arousal Regulation

  • PTSD & the Nervous System

  • Reading Your Client’s Signals

  • Signs Your Client is in Hyperarousal

  • Signs Your Client is in Hypoarousal

  • Polyvagal Theory

  • Emotional Attunement in Therapeutic Relationship

Employing the Phase-Oriented Treatment Model: A Roadmap to Safe and Effective Trauma Processing and Resolution

  • Benefits, Risks, Limitations

  • Phase One: Stabilization

  • Phase Two: Trauma Processing & Grieving

  • Phase Three: Present Day Life

  • What to Include in your Clinical Documentation

Adjunctive Interventions: 4 Proven Tools to Reduce Symptomology, Enhance Calm, and Improve Functioning

  • Arousal Regulation & Coping Skills

  • Yoga

  • Safe & Sound Protocol

  • Heart Rate Variability

  • Neurofeedback

  • How to Integrate These into Your Practice

  • Limitations of the Research and Potential Risks

Navigating Acute Distress for State Change In and Out of Session

  • Bi-lateral Stimulation & Resource Tapping

  • Relational Resources & Integrating Culturally-Based Strengths

  • Breathing & Somatic Interventions

  • Emotion-Freedom Technique

  • Sensory Resources

  • Self-Compassion and Mindfulness

  • Limitations of the Research and Potential Risks

Trauma Processing: Accessing Trauma Memory Networks, Managing Triggers, and More

  • What It Is and What It Isn’t

  • Accessing Traumatic Memory Networks

  • What Happens When a Client is Triggered

  • Engaging the Right & Left-Brain Hemisphere

Is Your Client Ready? Contraindications for Trauma Processing

  • Common Contraindications for Trauma Processing

  • Understanding Factors that Contribute to Early Termination

  • Informed Consent

  • How to Communicate Realistic Expectations

  • Things to Ask out Before Beginning

  • Including Partners & Family in Trauma Treatment

Cultural & Relational Factors in Trauma Treatment

  • Cultural Humility & Cultural Attunement

  • Systemic & Oppression-based Traumas

  • Social Location & Creating Working Alliance

  • Language Code Switching

  • Treatment Plan Considerations

Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing Therapy: 2 of the Best-Validated Top-Down Models for Trauma Resolution

  • Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE)

  • Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

  • Case Conceptualization & Case Examples

  • Treatment Goals & Roadmaps

  • Therapist’s Role

  • Limitations of the Research and Potential Risks

EMDR and IFS: Evidenced-Based Bottom-Up Models to Heal Trauma

  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS)

  • Memory Reconsolidation

  • Case Conceptualization & Case Examples

  • Treatment Goals & Roadmaps

  • Therapist’s Role

  • Limitations of the Research and Potential Risks

Choosing the Right Trauma Processing Model for Your Client

  • Treatment Considerations

  • Shared Decision Making

  • Indicators of Effectiveness & Progress

  • When Is Trauma Processing is Complete

Specific Considerations & Future Directions in Trauma Treatment

  • Nuances with Neurodiverse Populations

  • Considerations with Traumatic Loss

  • When is Group Therapy Appropriate

  • Future Directions & Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

  • Free Phone Apps and Resources for Clients

Certified Narcissistic Abuse Treatment Clinician Training

  • Module 1: Narcissistic Abuse In-Depth Workshop with Ramani Durvasula

  • Module 2: Dynamics of Narcissistic and Antagonistic Relationships

  • Module 3: Trauma and Narcissism: Personality Disorders as Trauma-Related Disorders

  • Module 4: Working with the Fallout of Narcissistic Abuse

  • Module 5: Being Culturally and Intersectionally Informed When Working with Clients Experiencing NA/ARS

  • Module 6: Working with Clients Experiencing NA/ARS: An antagonism-informed treatment approach (Part 1)

  • Module 7: Working with Clients Experiencing NA/ARS: An antagonism-informed treatment approach (Part 2)

  • Module 8: Legal and Ethical Considerations for Working with Narcissism and NA/ARS

Faculty: Dr. Ramani Durvasula

Length: 4 months (44 hours)

Complex Trauma Certification Training: A Strength-Based Approach for Treating Complex PTSD

Faculty: Arielle Schwartz, PhD

Length: 24 hours

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder vs. Complex PTSD: Understand the Difference

  • Acute traumatic stress, PTSD, Complex PTSD

  • Diagnostic clarification, differential diagnosis and co-morbidities

  • Key contributing factors of Complex PTSD

  • The common symptoms of Complex PTSD

The Neurobiology of PTSD: Beyond Fight and Flight

  • Polyvagal Theory

  • Stages of trauma response

  • Trauma specific psychopharmacology

  • Heart Rate Variability and the Social Nervous System

  • Interpersonal Neurobiology

  • Psychobiological regulation

  • Rupture and repair

  • Implications of childhood neglect or abuse

  • Neuroplasticity and Complex PTSD

Psychological and Physiological Repercussions of Complex PTSD: A Deeper Understanding for Accurate Assessment

  • Intrusive symptoms and anxiety

  • Emotional dysregulation: Outbursts of anger and debilitating shame

  • Avoidance symptoms and phobic reactions to traumatic material

  • Interpersonal problems and difficulty being close to others

  • Dissociation and dysregulation

  • Cognitive distortions and compromised meaning making

  • Physical health problems, ACE factors and painful somatization

  • Preverbal and nonverbal memories

  • Disturbing somatic sensations

  • Depressive symptoms

  • Learned helplessness and shame

Therapeutic Interventions for Complex PTSD: Summary of Effective Therapies

  • Psychodynamic and Relational Therapy

  • Psychobiological perspectives: Polyvagal Theory

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

  • EMDR Therapy

  • Somatic Psychology

  • Parts Work Therapy: Work with Ego States

  • Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM):
    mindfulness, yoga, and integrative healthcare

Integrative Treatment for Complex PTSD: Putting it All Together for an Effective Treatment Plan

  • A Biopsychosocial Approach: Partner with clients to build a health care team

  • Goal of treatment: Memory retrieval vs. trauma recovery

  • History taking: Identify chronic, repeated, and/or developmental trauma events

  • Cultural factors and Complex PTSD

  • Recognize attachment injuries

  • Identify parts, ego states and defenses

  • Assess for dissociation (“fragmentation”)

  • Clinical Vignette #1

  • Mutual regulation and relational repair in therapy

  • Prepare for trauma processing: Develop resources and stability

  • Working with parts of self

  • Work through traumatic memories: EMDR and Somatic Psychology

  • Clinical Vignette #2

  • Grief work in Complex PTSD

Integrate and Instill positive change 

  • Experiential Interventions: Mind-Body Practices for Clients with Complex PTSD

  • Conscious breathing for self-regulation

  • Grounding and sensory awareness

  • Containment: Reclaim choice and control

  • Build imaginal allies

  • Cultivate mindfulness, acceptance, and self-compassion

  • Somatic interventions: Titration, sequencing, and somatic re-patterning

  • Bilateral stimulation and dual attention in EMDR Therapy

  • Potential risks and limitations of mind-body therapies

Special Considerations in Complex Trauma Treatment

  • Working with Preverbal and Nonverbal Memories

  • Working with transgenerational trauma

  • Somatization, Chronic Pain and illness

  • Gate Control Theory

  • Mindfulness, Yoga, and Compassion Based Interventions

  • Clinical Vignette #3

Fostering Resilience: For Post-Traumatic Growth and Healing

  • Learn the 6 Pillars of Resilience

  • Trauma recovery and the bell curve

  • Resilience as a process and an outcome

  • Help clients move from learned helplessness to learned optimism

  • Post-Traumatic Growth: Help clients reach their potential

Vicarious Trauma: Improve Client Outcomes Through Effective Self-Care

  • Identify resources that improve your clinical skills

  • In-session self-care to improve focus on the client and therapeutic process

  • Burnout prevention techniques

Trauma history of neglect, grandmother suicide, father inappropriate sexually

  • Addressing internalized negative aspects of parents

  • Goals of therapy

Integrative Approach to Trauma Reprocessing

  • Focusing and resourcing

  • Touchstone target

  • Negative and positive cognitions

  • Emotions and body sensations

Deepening the work

  • Parts work, pendulating between distress and resource, and somatic interventions

Top Down and Bottom Up

  • Cognitive reappraisal, somatic interventions, and parts work

Somatic repatterning and reprocessing

  • Parts work, cognitive reappraisal

Integration:  A path to self-regulation

  • Parts work, somatic integration, and cognitive reappraisal

The Institute of Child Psychology

  • The Making of the Resilient Child: Tools and Strategies

  • Childhood Brain Development

  • Integrating Sand Tray Work into Your Play Therapy Practice

  • Working with Children Impacted by Divorce & Separation in the Play Therapy Room

  • Greatest Mistakes: Play Therapists Make Mistakes Too

  • Feelings Activities: Emotional Identification & Regulation in Play Therapy

  • Family Assessment in Play Therapy

  • Becoming an External Regulator for Trauma Integration in Play Therapy

  • Pre-teens and Teens in Play Therapy

Crisis and Trauma Institute

  • Addictions and Mental Health: Strategies for Complex Issues

  • Additions and Youth

  • Adolescent Brain Development

  • Anxiety in Children & Youth, Addictions and Youth

  • Adverse Childhood Experiences

  • Anti-Bias and Inclusion

  • Attachement

  • Borderline Personality Disorder

  • Body-Oriented Trauma Counselling Strategies

  • Counselling in Relationships: Helping Families Develop Healthy Connections

  • De-escalating Children and Youth in Crisis

  • De-escalating Potentially Violent Situations

  • Ethics of Helping

  • Family Violence

  • Harm Reduction: A Framework for Change, Choice and Control

  • Language Matters: Rethinking How We Talk About People and Problems

  • Mental Health Concerns in Children and Youth

  • Motivational Interviewing

  • Navigating Difficulty Client Relationships

  • Providing Support Remotely

  • Regulation Strategies for Children and Youth

  • Refugees and Trauma

  • Restorative Justice

  • Resilience in Children - Understanding

  • Trauma-Informed Care

  • Trauma-Informed Leadership

  • Trauma - Strategies

  • Vicarious Trauma, Attachment and Families

  • Violence Threat Assessment

Gender-Based Violence Practice Skills Certificate
(in conjunction with the  University of Western Ontario)

Faculty: Dr. Katreena Scott, PhD, C.Psych, Sarah Webb, MSW/RSW, Dr. Angelique Jenney, MSW, RSW, PhD, Charmaine Lane, PhD, MSc, RP, BA, Margaret MacPherson, Tim Kelly, BA, MSW/RSW, Vivien Green

  • Intimate Partner Violence Foundations

  • Understanding and Responding to Young People with Childhood Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence

  • Engaging Men in Conversations about Family Violence to Manage Risk and Promote Safety

  • Supporting and Advocating for Survivors Who Are Navigating the Criminal Justice System

The Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children

  • Responding to Disclosure of Sexual Violence

  • Gender-based violence in the Lives of Muslim Women in Canada

  • Realities, Challenges, and Resistance

  • Traumatic Brain Injury and Intimate Partner Violence

  • Challenges for Survivors in Family Court

  • Looking Back the Programs that Kept Me Alive: Women’s Impressions of Counselling for IPV

  • Supporting and Advocating for Survivors Who Are Navigating the Criminal Justice System

  • Engaging Men in Conversation about Family Violence

  • Responding to Disclosure of Sexual Violence on Campus 

  • Domestic Violence Risk Assessment and Management

  • Responding to Intimate Partner Violence

  • Refugee Assistance Program Workers

  • Family Violence Family Law Project

Coercive Control Consulting
Coercive Control Trauma-Informed  Clinician Certification Training

​​Faculty: Dr. Cocchiola DSW, LCSW

Length: 14 hours

Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia

  • Ethics & Standards of Dispute Resolution Professionals - Reflecting on the Standards of Conduct

  • Managing High-Conflict Parents in and out of Court

  • The Child’s Participation Rights and Access Points in Justice Processes

  • Attachment, Parenting Plans and Child Contact Problems

  • Assessments in Family Law Disputes 

  • Parenting Time/Repairing the Disrupted Parent-Child Relationship

Compassionate Inquiry Practitioner Certification

Length: 1st year of 3 (in progress)

Dialectical Behavior Therapy Certification (C-DBT): Practical Clinical Applications for Trauma, Comorbidities, Addiction

Faculty: Katelyn Baxter-Musser, LCSW, C-DBT
Length: 20 hours

  • Modules 1 through 3

Family Mediation Canada - Child Protection Mediation Certificate 

Faculty: Dr. Michael Saini

Length: 40 hours

  • Child Protection Mediation

  • Children’s Needs in the Context of Child Protection Proceedings

  • Family Centered Proactive in Child Welfare

  • Diversity Issues in Child Protection Mediation: State of Evidence of Child Protection Mediation

  • Child Protection Mediation and the Essential Laws: Guiding Principles of Child Protection Mediation

  • Mediation Process and Techniques in Child Protection Mediation

  • Conflict Resolution Skills in Child Protection Mediation

  • Working with Power Imbalances in Child Protection Mediation

  • Trauma-Informed Child Protection Mediation; Spirituality in Child Protection Mediation

  • Involving Children in Child Protection Mediation

Dr. Frank Anderson MD

Length: 2-Day (12.5 hours)

Training: Intensive Workshop: Treating Complex Trauma with Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy

Government of British Columbia

  • Parenting After Separation

  • Parenting After Separation for Indigenous Families

The Gottman Institute

  • Clinical Training - Level One

  • Clinical Training - Level Two

Harvard Law School

  • Contract Law 

  • Child Protection: Children’s Rights in Theory and Practice

  • Mediation and Conflict Management 

Harvard Medical School - Global Mental Health: Trauma and Recovery Certificate Training Program*

  • Phenomenological theory of trauma and recovery developed by HPRT and international colleagues over 40 years.

  • Epidemiology and the neuroscience of trauma.

  • The HPRT Global Mental Health Action Plan.

  • Trauma-informed Care. 

  • Mental Health Diagnosis and Treatment of Mental Health and Medical Disorders.

  • Scientific (Evidence-Based) and Culturally Valid Best Clinical Practices.

  • The new H5 Model for field based psychosocial and clinical approach to recovery.

  • Health and mental health impact of health disparities. 

  • Human Rights and Rebuilding Social Capital.

  • Working in Interdisciplinary Medical Teams.

  • Scientific and culture-based approach to leadership.

  • Climate change and ecocide.

  • The importance of Self-care.

Herzing College

  • Screening for Family Violence

  • Abuse, Power Balances

  • Family Relations

  • Family Mediation

  • Family Law

  • Advanced Family Mediation

Certification: Family Mediation Certificate

The High Conflict Institute 

Faculty: Bill Eddy LCSW, Esq.

Training: New Ways for Families Coach Training

Certification: New Ways for Families Coach

  • Pre-mediation Coaching

  • Decision Making

  • Co-parenting

  • Coaching Training

IFS in Action: Leading Clients to Self-Leadership

Faculty:
Richard C. Schwartz, PhD

IFS Therapy Immersion Training

Faculty:
Frank Anderson, MD
Deran Young, LCSW
Richard Schwartz, PhD
James Andralis, LCAT
Pamela Krause, LCSW
Toni Herbine-Blank, MSN, RN
Michael Elkin, MA, LMFT, NBCCH
Jeanne Catanzaro, Ph.D.
Cece Sykes, LCSW, ACSW
Chris Burris, LPC, LMFT
Paul Ginter, Ed.D.

Modules:

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS): Development, Application and Transformational Model to Effectively Help Clients Improve Well-Being

  • Attachment & IFS: Healing Trauma and Attachment Wounds that Befriend the Body

  • Treating Complex PTSD with IFS

  • IFS & Addictive Processes: Healing Wounds and Restoring Balance to the System of Parts

  • IFS & Disordered Eating: Heal the Relationship Between Food and Body

  • IFS Approaches to Shame, Anxiety, and Depression

  • IFS & Couples Therapy: Using Intimacy from the Inside Out (IFCO) to Heal, Improve, and Provide Relationship Help

  • IFS with Children & Adolescents: Using Parts Work to Help Young People Heal

  • IFS Approaches with LGBTQ2IA+ Clients

  • Healing Racial Trauma with IFS

  • The Future of IFS

Intensive Anger Management Certification Training: Mindfulness-Based Tools for Impulse Control, Reduced Emotional Reactivity and Long-Lasting Change

Faculty:
Dr. Pavel Somov

Justice Institute of British Columbia

  • Introduction to Critical Incident Stress Management

  • Diversity & Trauma

  • Vicarious Traumatization

  • Navigating Intense Emotions in Conflict

  • Applied Psychological First Aid

  • Foundations of Conflict Resolution

Justice Institute of British Columbia
Family Justice Professional Training

Coursework:

  • Substance Use in Family Justice

  • Child Support Guidelines

  • Family Violence: Impact on Separation & Divorce

  • Effects of Separation & Divorce on Adults

  • Effects of Separation & Divorce on Children

  • Mediated Agreements and Related Court Orders

  • Multicultural Family Justice

  • Writing Children’s Needs Assessments

  • Family Justice Services in BC

  • Shuttle Mediation

Length:
Approx. 250 hours (in-class and otherwise)

Play Therapy Training: Innovative Interventions to Meet the Needs of Young Clients

Faculty:
Ana Gomez MC, LPC
Jackie Flynn, EdS, LMHC-S, RPT
David Crenshaw, Ph.D., ABPP, RPT-S
Tammi Van Hollander, LCSW, RPT-S
Marshall Lyles, LPC-S, LMFT-S, RPT-S
Carmen Jimenez-Pride, LCSW, LISW-CP, ERYT, RCYT, RPT-S
Clair Mellenthin, LCSW, RPT-S
Dan Siegel, MD
Robert Jason Grant, EdD, LPC, NCC, RPT-S
Liana Lowenstein, MSW, RSW, CPT-S
Paris Goodyear-Brown, LCSW, RPT-S
Amy Nelson, LCSW, LSCSW, RPT-S
Sophia Ansari, LPCC, RPT, & Josué Cardona, MS
Jessica Stone, PhD, RPT-S

Training:
Popular Play Therapy Approaches:

  • EMDR & Play Therapy: A Multimodal Approach for Children

  • Applying Polyvagal Theory to Your Play Therapy Practice for Safety, Connection & Healing

  • Pathways to Attachment Security in Play Therapy

  • Sand Therapy: A Powerful Tool to Create Safety and Healing for Trauma, Anxiety & More

Play therapy for Diverse Populations

  • Creating Diversity in the Practice of Play Therapy: More Than Color, More Than Gender

  • Creating a Safe Haven for Families in the Playroom to Rest, Refuel and Replenish

  • The Power of Play: Promoting an IntraConnected Relational Experience of Self

Play Therapy for Opposition and Resistance

  • Affirming Play Therapy Approaches - The Agent of Change for Neurodivergent Kids

  • Creative Interventions for Engaging Resistant Children in Play Therapy: "I Don't Want to Talk About it"

  • Big Behaviors in Small Containers: Trauma Informed Play Therapy Interventions for Dysregulation

Digital Play Therapy

  • Tele-Play the Preschool Way! Interactive Play Therapy Interventions for Engaging Young Children

  • Superheroes and Video Games: Creating Epic Adventures in Child & Adolescent Therapy

  • Virtual Sandtray: Remaining Connected Through a Powerful Projective Intervention

Length: 30 hours

Provincial Association of Transition Houses and Services (PATHS)
Screening for Family Violence, Abuse & Power Balances Understanding the Dynamics of Domestic Violence for Family Law Practitioners

Faculty:
Jo-Anne Dusel
Crystal Giesbrecht

Modules:

  •  Types and Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence

  •  Recognizing Risk Factors

  •  Intersectionality and Impacts of Intimate Partner Violence  on Victims/ Survivors

  •  Typology of Perpetrators

  •  Coercive Control

  •  Domestic Homicide Risk Factors

  •  Children Exposed to and Experiencing Domestic/ Family Violence

  •  Family Violence in The Divorce Act and The Children’s Law Act

  •  The Impact of Trauma and Trauma Informed Practice

  •  High Conflict Relationship vs. Abuse

  •  Post-separation Abuse

  •  Parental Alienation Allegations

  •  Screening for Intimate Partner Violence 

  •  Risk Assessment and Safety Planning

Length:
15 hours

Research and Education for Solutions to Violence and Abuse

  • Traumatic Brain Injury and Intimate Partner Violence: Challenges for Survivors in Family Court

  • Enhancing Responses to Survivors & Perpetrators of Strangulation in IPV

Dr. Robert Grant EdD, LPC, NCC, RPT-S

Training: Using Play Therapy Constructs with Adult Clients
Length: 6 hours

University of Salford
Master of Science, Psychology with a specialization in Coercive Control*

Somatic Experiencing™ International
Somatic Experiencing Practitioner Certification (3 years)

  • Somatic Experiencing® Beg I (24 hours live training with Dea Parsanishi MED, CCC, SEP)

  • Somatic Experiencing® Beg II (24 hours live training with Dea Parsanishi MED, CCC, SEP)

Stanford University

  • Diversity Equity and Inclusion: Disparities in Healthcare

  • Unconscious Bias in Medicine

  • Identifying Early Signs of Psychosis in Adolescents and Young Adults

  • Communicating with Presence

Trauma Research Foundation
Certificate Program in Traumatic Stress Studies*

Modules/Faculty:

  • Understanding Trauma: Foundations
    Bessel van der Kolk, MD

  • The Complexity of Adaptation to Trauma
    Jana Pressley Psy.D.

  • The Nature of Trauma: Developmental Neurobiology, Neuroimaging Research and Effective Intervention
    Bessel van der Kolk, MD

  • Neurobiology of Trauma Treatment: EMDR and New Research Directions
    Bessel van der Kolk, MD

  • Adult Attachment Relationships
    Jana Pressley Psy.D.

  • The Roles Intersectionality & Cultural Humility Play When Working with Diverse Client Populations
    Gary Bailey, MSW, ACSW

  • The Field Guide for Barefoot Psychology: Making Psychoeducation Relevant and Scalable across Cultures
    Vivian Khedari-DePierro, PhD
    Michael Niconchuk, MSc

  • Trauma Through the Lens of Polyvagal Theory
    Stephen Porges, PhD
    Bessel van der Kolk, MD

  • Trauma Assessment of Children and Adults
    Alexandra Cook, PhD

  • Childhood Trauma: Impact and Long-Term Consequences
    Bessel van der Kolk, MD

  • The Scope of Trauma Treatment: From Acute Interventions to Restoration of Self-Experience
    Bessel van der Kolk, MD

  • Introduction to ARC: The Attachment, Regulation, and Competency Model
    Margaret Blaustein, PhD

  • ARC & Supporting Regulation in Childhood
    Margaret Blaustein, PhD

  • We Do Not Work Alone: Implementing and Sustaining Trauma-informed Systems
    Patricia Wilcox, LCSW

  • SMART: Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Treatment
    Elizabeth Warner, EdM, PsyD
    Alexandra Cook, PhD

  • Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Theory and Practice
    Pat Ogden, PhD

  • Trauma, PTSD, and the Mind-Body Relationship
    Matthew Sanford

  • Embodied Awareness
    Licia Sky, BFA

  • Use of Play and Activity to Support Trauma-informed Treatment
    Steve Gross, MSW

  • Trauma Processing with Children
    Michele Henderson, LICSW

  • Making Connections: The Neuropsychology of Sandplay Therapy in the Treatment of Trauma
    Lorraine Freedle, LCSW, PhD, ABPdN, ABSNP, CST-T

  • The Importance of Play in the Treatment of Trauma
    Dafna Lender, LCSW

  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: A Model for Accelerated Change
    Deborah Korn, PsyD

  • The DE-CRUIT Monologue Method: Treating Trauma Through Narrative Embodiment
    Stephan Wolfert, MFA
    Dawn Stern

  • Working with Problematic Sexual Behavior in Children & Youth
    Tarah Kuhn, PhD
    Jon Ebert, PsyD

  • Trauma & Altered States of Consciousness
    Ruth Lanius, MD, PhD, FRCPC

  • Internal Family Systems
    Richard Schwartz, PhD

  • The Use of Internal Family Systems Model in Trauma Treatment
    Frank Anderson, MD

  • Implementing a Trauma-Informed Approach in Community, Hospital and Low-Income Settings
    Janina Fisher, PhD

  • Trauma-informed, Spiritually aware: Considering spirituality in holistic self and client care
    Jana Pressley, Psy.D.

  • Caring for the Caregiver: Vicarious Trauma
    Jana Pressley, Psy.D.

  • Neurofeedback Training as an Alternative Non-pharmaceutical Treatment Modality for Development Trauma
    Ainat Rogel, PhD, MSW, LCSW
    Diana Martinez, MD, MSc, PhD, BNC

  • The Future of Trauma Interventions
    Bessel van der Kolk, MD

Length:
7 months

The Treehouse

Faculty: Kelsie Bacon, LCSW-S, RPT
Training: Pathological Demand Avoidance and Play Therapy
Length: 4 hours

Faculty: Kelsie Bacon, LCSW-S, RPT
Training: ADHD and Play Therapy: A Strengths-Based Perspective - Module 1 to 13
Length: 6 hours