RC Trainer Events Archive
As part of our Whole-System Change Model, RC Trainers are required to attend at least 2 RC professional development trainings each year. RC Webinars are for those at our distant client agencies (those outside of a reasonable driveable distance from New Britain, CT). RC Consult Groups are in-person events at Klingberg for local agencies (though distant agencies are welcome to attend). RC Champions are also welcome (though not required) to attend these events.
Scroll below to see some of our past offerings:
RC Trainer Webinars and Consult Groups
2023
RC Trainer/Champion Webinar - Child Sexual Abuse: Talking About Prevention
March 15, 2023
Stop It Now! is a child sexual abuse prevention program that is – like TSI – part of Klingberg Family Centers. For 30 years, Stop It Now! has been a global leader in preventing child sexual abuse. They are a unique one-stop-shop for resources to help youth, parents, adults, and organizations prevent child sexual abuse before a child is harmed.
This webinar introduced the Stop It Now! program and resources to participants, encouraging a hopeful perspective that views child sexual abuse as preventable, not inevitable. By actively addressing both behaviors and environments where children are vulnerable early, with safety plans and organizational polices, professionals strengthen children’s protective factors.
2022
RC Webinar - Trauma Readiness for Organizations and Leaders
December 8, 2022
This 90-minute interactive presentation provided a primer in trauma and resilience in the workforce. It explored the ways leaders and managers can position themselves and their teams to enhance awareness for both trauma and resilience, and develop the flexible and adaptive mindsets necessary to sustain a truly trauma informed and relationally-focused organization.
RC Consult Group - Implicit Bias and Cultural Humility
December 1, 2022
This was an in-person event in New Britain, CT.
Paying attention to biases and reducing them will improve expression and understanding of disagreements. Acknowledging the reality and role of implicit biases in guiding behaviors and beliefs can result in actionable and effective solutions to facilitate and improve relationships.
Facilitated discussions on biases and perceptions created a safe environment for hard, ongoing conversations. Cultural safety is the ability to create a trusting environment that is socially, emotionally, spiritually, and physically safe for staff and family members. Cultural humility challenges us to learn from others, reserve judgement, and bridge the cultural divide. Cultural humility increases the quality of interpersonal actions.
Virtual Day of Learning and Sharing - Social Justice in Supervision
November 1, 2022
This training focused on trauma-informed supervision through a social justice lens, an approach to supervision that begins with the personal and extends to the professional. Personal histories, identities, characteristics, and psychological experiences of supervisors, as well as structural and environmental conditions of the organization, were considered in supervision. This perspective promotes the role of the supervisor as a leader in establishing a culture within their team that is responsive to and inclusive of the positionalities and unique experiences of clients and colleagues. Supervisors are encouraged to remain vigilant in their commitment to social justice by leading their teams and organizations in achieving truly inclusive diversity.
RC Consult Group - Tapping into Our Creativity and Playfulness via Improv
September 27, 2022
This was an in-person event.
Don’t freak out. This may just be the most enjoyable and hilarious RC Trainer Consult groups we’ve ever done. Laughter, silliness, and stepping slightly outside your comfort zone can be the perfect antidote to VT. After this Consult Group, you’ll be saying, “I can’t believe I got to do that on work time…AND GET PAID FOR IT.”
Lacey Byrne, Assistant Touring Company Manager for Sea Tea Comedy Theater in Hartford, CT, took RC Trainers through a variety of exercises and games to build confidence in public speaking, foster creativity…but mostly just have fun! Read more about it and get activity descriptions you can use in your program in this blog post.
RC Webinar - A Deeper Dive: Building Skills to Teach Risking Connection with an Anti-Racist Lens
September 13, 2022
Like so many institutions, the Traumatic Stress Institute has set a strategic priority on embodying anti-racism in our organizational culture. The racial reckoning of the past couple of years has provided us with an opportunity to acknowledge our blind spots and work to reconcile those gaps.
One of our first actions over the past year was the creation of a new supplement to the Teaching Manual for Risking Connection called “Teaching Risking Connection with an Anti-Racist Lens.” In collaboration with an Advisory Committee made up of RC Trainers and Champions with diverse racial and ethnic identities, we were able to produce this supplement. It is NOT meant to replace the Teaching Manual, but rather offer insights and strategies to weave an anti-racist mindset into your teaching.
This deeper dive built on last December’s webinar, when the Anti–Racism supplement was introduced.
RC Webinar - Trauma Informed Support for People with IDD
May 19, 2022
This workshop provided a view of trauma from the perspective of the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. It explored the sources of trauma, the effects of that trauma on both a biological and psychological level, and the key ingredients for healing. Healing and case studies were examined in depth.
RC Webinar - Historical Trauma: The Back-Story to Vicarious Trauma
March 22, 2022
Vulnerabilities greatly contribute to the development of vicarious trauma (VT). We looked at how historical trauma serves as both a vulnerability and resiliency factor to VT. For BIPOC communities there is a constant back-story of collective, historical trauma that impacts present experience. We will learn more about how this ongoing narrative can contribute to vicarious trauma and vicarious resiliency.
2021
RC Webinar - Teaching Risking Connection with an Anti-Racist Lens: Introducing a NEW Resource for RC Trainers and Champions
December 9, 2021
Like so many institutions, the Traumatic Stress Institute has set a strategic priority on embodying anti-racism in our organizational culture. Like others, we are inspired by the racial reckoning of the past year. And, like so many, we acknowledge the blind spots of our whiteness that have only now spurred us to make this a high priority.
We are determined to do better — not by short term actions in reaction to the moment, but rather by steady, continuous, long-term learning, self-examination, and through–most importantly–action.
One of our first actions is the creation of new supplement to the Teaching Manual for Risking Connection called “Teaching Risking Connection with and Anti-Racist Lens.” In collaboration with an Advisory Committee made up of RC Trainers and Champions with diverse racial and ethnic identities, we are currently writing this supplement. It is NOT meant to replace the Teaching Manual, but rather offer insights and strategies to weave an anti-racist mindset into your teaching.
This important webinar introduced the resource to our RC community. In it, presenters described the process that went into creation of the resource, reviewed its content, and talked about how it can be used to deepen your RC teaching.
RC Webinar - Using “Stay Interviews” to Motivate Staff Engagement and Facilitate Staff Retention
November 11, 2021
The most valuable relationship in any organization is the one between manager and team member. Managers in programs that work directly with clients work side-by-side with these team members daily and significantly impact their development, environment, and experiences. When an organization operates from a strengths-based rather than a deficit mindset and embraces the diverse, unique talents of its staff, creativity and innovation is abundant.
One concrete method for building a strong relationship between manager and staff is the “stay interview”. Rather than only conducting exit interviews when some decided to leave, a stay interview is a proactive way to engage staff around why they do stay and would continue to stay in their job in the future.
RC Day of Learning and Sharing - Post-Traumatic Growth: Facilitating Transformation in our RC Communities
October 19, 2021
Post-traumatic growth states that those who experience highly challenging life circumstances – where one’s core beliefs are rattled and psychological struggle is endured – can ultimately experience a sense of personal growth and transformation. This past year, RC treaters and organizations have faced unprecedented challenges in the form of perpetual racial violence and trauma, deeply polarizing political division and violence, and the devastating global COVID-19 pandemic. Individually and collectively we have endured tremendous harm and loss. All of this in addition to the standard occupational hazard of supporting trauma survivors – vicarious traumatization – creates a deep need for connection and an opportunity for transformation in our RC community.
RC Webinar - Widening the Window of Tolerance: Strategies for Individual and Collective Healing
August 26, 2021
In many ways the world shut down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As trauma professionals, we can see this as a healthy and adaptive response. But to effectively manage stress and heal trauma (especially during a global pandemic), we must also open up – by widening our individual and collective windows of tolerance.
This webinar will take a deeper look at the neurobiological window of tolerance (WOT), which represents an individual’s optimal zone of physiological arousal. In short, a wide window supports a normal threat response, executive function, social engagement, regulation, and resilience. A narrow window, on the other hand, leads to a malfunctioning threat response, disruption of both social engagement and executive function, dysregulation, and less resilience.
RC Webinar - Understanding Dysregulated and Aggressive Behavior: A Neurodevelopmental Perspective
June 8, 2021 – extended time
Aggressive behavior–along with other types of dysregulated behavior–can be motivated and precipitated by a variety of factors. Understanding the needs met by the behavior as well as the underlying neurological factors that may lead to dysregulation and aggression is an essential element in developing effective interventions. This webinar will examine some of the different pathways that lead to aggressive behavior in the clients we see and discuss options for assessing and treating dysregulated and aggressive behavior, especially for those clients who have been unresponsive to more typical behavior management approaches.
RC Webinar - Can our COVID-19 Experience Increase Compassion for and Connection with our Clients?
March 23, 2021
We have all had to endure many changes and stressors during the pandemic crisis. Since we have no way to avoid experiencing this, how can we use our experiences to enhance our clinical compassion? Participants will examine their experiences during this crisis and consider what they can learn from them. As we allow ourselves to explore in-depth, we can develop a more visceral understanding of our clients’ everyday world. How can we translate this new awareness into changed practices for our work?
Distant RC Trainer Webinars
Local RC Trainer Consult Groups
2020
Distant RC Trainer Webinar - Staff Retention and Sustainability
December 9, 2020
As you work toward sustaining a trauma-sensitive environment, staff turnover can be a major challenge for organizations. In addition, sustaining a trauma-informed approach is difficult in a punitive world. When staff are experiencing vicarious trauma and are feeling discouraged or unsafe, they may tend to revert to a punishment-based approach. This webinar will provide an opportunity to hear from a panel of RC Associate Trainers that have implemented Risking Connection programming for 7 plus years. They will share strategies that reduced staff turnover as well as creative steps they’ve taken to sustain Risking Connection on a systemic level.
Distant RC Trainer Webinar - ADVANCED Topic: Transference & Countertransference Dynamics with Trauma Survivor Clients - A Deeper Dive
September 15, 2020
Transference and Countertransference (T/CT) dynamics are happening moment-to-moment, hour-to-hour, and day-to-day in our programs. While challenging with all clients, these dynamics are especially perplexing and activating with trauma survivors. They evoke powerful feelings in us. We often feel “between a rock and a hard place.” They pose boundary dilemmas and invite boundary transgressions, both small and large.
We fall into these traps when we are not aware of T/CT dynamics, we lack a framework to understand them, or lack the skills to address them in our supervisions and treatment teams. This ADVANCED webinar will help unpack this complicated topic.
Distant RC Trainer Webinar - Symptoms as Adaptations and the Healing Tool of Validation: A Model for an RC Refresher
May 20, 2020
This webinar will take a deeper look at Symptoms as Adaptations and the importance of using validation as a healing tool. Participants will unpack why it is important to take a step back when engaging with a dysregulated client to ask, “What need is he/she trying to meet?” In order to get a clear understanding of that need, the use of validation can be both healing and helpful. Engaging in validation is often rushed during interactions in favor of solutions and problem solving. When validation is done effectively, treaters get more information about how the disruptive behavior has assisted the client with survival as well as what self-capacities should be strengthened so that needs get met in a less disruptive way. In addition, when people feel heard and understood they become more regulated and calmer.
This training is designed as a model for an RC Refresher. At the end of the training, trainers will receive all materials (outline, power point, and handouts to teach this training).
RC Distant Trainer Webinar - Effective Supervision for Trauma-Informed Care
March 24, 2020
Trauma-informed supervision is one of the most effective strategies that agencies can employ to sustain their trauma-informed approach and to decrease staff turnover. Research shows that staff’s rating of their supervisor and their immediate work group are what determine their job satisfaction.
But what is trauma-informed supervision? This workshop will discuss the principles of reflective supervision, and the parallel process of supervising in a way that models the attitudes we want our staff to display with our clients. Video examples will be used to explore the dilemmas of supervision, such as wearing many hats, managing both supportive and administrative roles, and developing self-awareness. The supervisor’s role in enhancing team functioning will also be discussed.
2019
Distant RC Trainer Webinar - Using Modern Science of Brain and Body to Create High-Performing Organizations
December 10, 2019
Our growing awareness of the functioning of our brains and our bodies has created a new realization of the conditions necessary for people to grow and thrive. A sense of safety is the underlying condition necessary for learning, connecting and relaxing. Understanding how both our brains and our polyvagal nervous systems respond to signals of danger and safety can offer concrete steps to improve the functioning of staff and the organization as a whole. This webinar will discuss how what is being termed NEAR Science (Neuroscience, Epigenetics, Adverse Childhood Experiences and Resilience) can create optimal environments for staff excellence.
Distant RC Trainer Webinar - Mindfulness in the Workplace: Practices for Sustaining Trauma-Informed Care
September 17, 2019
Wondering about the mindfulness buzz? Wondering about the evidence-based benefits of mindfulness practice? New to mindfulness, already engaged in mindfulness or wanting to further integrate mindfulness practice in your workday? Interested in integrating mindfulness in your organization’s culture as a practice for sustaining trauma-informed care? Come ready to learn more about mindfulness, how mindfulness can help sustain trauma-informed care, for individual treaters and organizations. Learn, too, principles for practicing mindfulness in a trauma-informed way.
Distant RC Trainer Webinar - What People with Lived Experience Can Teach Us About Trauma-Informed Care
May 21, 2019
This webinar will feature a panel of people of lived experience who will discuss: what they found helpful, unhelpful, and re-traumatizing about behavioral health services; recommendations for organizations serving trauma survivors; and ideas for including people with lived experience in helping your organization become more trauma-informed.
RC Distant Trainer Webinar - What is Polyvagal Theory and Why Should You Care?
March 26, 2019
Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory refers to the nerve structures which connect the brain to various parts of the body. It describes the ways our body is constantly scanning for safety, and how we react when we feel unsafe. It gives us new insights into the ways that problem behaviors are adaptive and in fact biologically hard wired, and how the most effective way to change these behaviors is by activating the social engagement system. Relationships!
2018
RC Webinar - Trauma-Informed Mandates are Coming
December 11, 2018
More and more government bodies at the county, state, province, and national levels are mandating that agencies be trauma-informed. The US “Family First Prevention Services Act” legislation is a prime example. Signed into law on February 9, 2018, it stipulates that “funded services must be trauma-informed.” While the requirements for implement TIC differ, many agencies are nervous about losing funding as a result of falling short.
Being trauma-informed is more than using Risking Connection. It involves other TIC implementation steps as well, such as changing agency policy and procedure, doing universal trauma screening, and changing hiring practices. It also requires providers to prove to funders that they have met the trauma-informed standard.
In this final webinar of 2018, we discussed the current mandates related to TIC, supplied tools for participants to assess where their organizations stood with respect to TIC implementation, and outlined concrete steps to take to meet these mandates.
RC Webinar - Inequities Facing Black Girls
September 18, 2018
This webinar described the wide array of challenges that Black adolescent girls face as they strive to negotiate the rocky waters of adolescence and transition to young adulthood. Findings drawn from community collaborations and data sharing point to inequities Black girls face in the child welfare system, widespread childhood adversity and trauma, and biases related to the “adultification” of this population. Using the example of two Pittsburgh-based agencies – the Black Girls Equity Alliance and Gwen’s Girls – the webinar provided examples of how these organizations have systematically addressed the challenges for Black girls through trauma-informed clinical services, gender specific programming, a school-based educational curriculum, professional training, and advocacy.
RC Webinar - How to Stay RICH While Having Difficult Conversations
May 22, 2018
This RC Trainer Webinar addressed the challenges of staying RICH when having difficult conversations during supervision or with colleagues in the workplace. Conflict can affect our ability to communicate. Effective communication is key to staying RICH and arriving at mutually agreeable solutions.
RC Webinar - The Importance of Fathers and Male Caregivers in Healing Trauma Survivors
March 27 , 2018
Why are fathers and male caregivers so absent in the treatment of children in our agencies? Sometimes it’s because there are few men in our clients’ lives. Sometimes men are the perpetrators of violence for which our clients are seeking treatment. But even when there ARE important male figures in the lives of the clients we serve, they often stay away from our programs.
In this RC Trainer Webinar, we explored these behaviors and circumstances by considering some familiar RC questions: What happened (to these fathers and men) that explains their behavior? How do we as treaters (and agencies) contribute to and reinforce such behavior? The answers to these questions will help us identify attitudes and practices for being more father/male-inclusive in our delivery of trauma-informed care.
2020
Local RC Trainer Webinar - A Deep Dive into Symptoms as Adaptations and the Healing Power of Validation
December 1, 2020
Due to COVID-19 this training will be held virtually.
This consult group will take a deeper look at Symptoms as Adaptations and the importance of using validation as a healing tool. Participants will unpack why it is important to take a step back when engaging with a dysregulated client to ask, “What need is he/she trying to meet?” In order to get a clear understanding of that need, the use of validation can be both healing and helpful. Engaging in validation is often rushed during interactions in favor of solutions and problem solving. When validation is done effectively, treaters get more information about how the disruptive behavior has assisted the client with survival as well as what self-capacities should be strengthened so that needs get met in a less disruptive way. In addition, when people feel heard and understood they become more regulated and calmer.
This training is designed as a model for an RC Refresher. At the end of the training, trainers will receive all materials (outline, power point, and handouts to teach this training).
14th Annual RC Day of Learning and Sharing
Mindfulness: The Inner Work of Racial Healing and Trauma-Informed Care
October 13, 2020
Due to COVID-19 this training was held virtually and was open to both Local and Distant RC Trainers.
This event was bookended by two acclaimed keynote presenters in the global mindfulness movement: Jenée Johnson and David Treleaven.
Participants engaged in RICH community-building activities, learn about the cutting-edge neuroscience of mindfulness, gain insight about how to make mindfulness trauma-sensitive, understand the important role of mindfulness in anti-racism work, and discover how mindfulness can expand the collective healing power of our growing Risking Connection community.
At a time when our nation is in much need of healing – from the stress and trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic to the suffering and destruction caused by historical and ongoing racial trauma – this event was meant to inspire and empower RC Trainers and treaters to promote the hope and healing we all so deeply desire.
Local RC Trainer Webinar - Harnessing the Power (and Managing the Challenges) of Trauma Survivor Staff
June 16, 2020
Due to COVID-19 this training was held virtually.
The human service workforce generally reflects higher rates of childhood adversity and trauma than other sectors. This can be an asset to organizations in that workers with lived experience can be especially motivated and dedicated to serving others. They often can see gaps in service provision that others cannot and have insights about clients stemming from their own history. At the same time, especially staff with unprocessed trauma, can have blind spots that get in the way of effective service and can be harmful.
This webinar will explore how our organizations can be responsive to the needs of workers who bring their lived experience to the workplace. It will discuss their assets and potential challenges and discuss how to support their success via hiring and onboarding, supervision, and practices to address vicarious trauma.
Local RC Trainer Webinar - Advancing Trauma-Informed Care through Effective Supervision
May 19, 2020
Due to COVID-19 this training was held virtually.
Trauma-informed supervision is one of the most effective strategies that agencies can employ to sustain their trauma-informed approach and to decrease staff turnover. Research shows that staff’s rating of their supervisor and their immediate work group are what determine their job satisfaction.
But what is trauma-informed supervision? This workshop will discuss the principles of reflective supervision, and the parallel process of supervising in a way that models the attitudes we want our staff to display with our clients. Video examples will be used to explore the dilemmas of supervision, such as wearing many hats, managing both supportive and administrative roles, and developing self-awareness. The supervisor’s role in enhancing team functioning will also be discussed.
RC Consult Group - How to Stay RICH While Having Difficult Conversations
December 3, 2019 January 14, 2020
This event was rescheduled due to snow but counted toward 2019 RC Trainer requirements.
This RC Trainer Consult group addressed the challenges of staying RICH when having difficult conversations during supervision or with colleagues in the workplace. Conflict can affect our ability to communicate. Effective communication is key to staying RICH and arriving at mutually agreeable solutions.
2019
RC Day of Learning and Sharing: Healing Racial Trauma
October 1, 2019
Racial trauma is an inescapable by-product of persistent exposure to oppressive circumstances that emotionally, psychologically, and physically devastates one’s sense of self while simultaneously depleting one’s strategies for coping. It is a life altering and debilitating experience that affects countless numbers of people of color over multiple generations. Unfortunately, the failure to consider the interrelationship between racial oppression and trauma limits our ability to work effectively with People of Color. Even when work is trauma-informed, it rarely devotes adequate attention to racial oppression and the pervasive trauma associated with it.
RC Consult Group - ADVANCED! Transference & Countertransference Dynamics with Trauma Survivor Clients - Part 2
May 14, 2019
We got such great feedback on last year’s advanced Trainer Consult group on this topic and nearly everyone said they wished it was longer and wanted more …well, we heard you! This year we will do a 2.0 version of the topic, starting where we left off last year by exploring Transference and Countertransference (T/CT) from more angles. You don’t have to have attended last year, but if you did, there will be plenty of new stuff.
ADVANCED topics for RC Trainer Consult Groups are designed to meet the needs of longtime Trainers with many years of clinical experience. Of course, any RC Trainer can attend, but this Trainer Consult Group will be pitched at a higher level.
RC Consult Group - Grand Rounds Case Consultation
April 2, 2019
New this year! RC Trainers will gather to look deeply at treatment cases through a Risking Connection, trauma-informed lens. Trainers will have the opportunity to use the brain trust of their fellow RC Trainers peers to unpack, analyze, and design practical solutions for our most challenging cases…and we all know there are plenty of those. We may also choose a success case to explore intensely with the goal of learning what makes things go well, what specifically did we do to promote healing, and how to hone that secret sauce. TSI staff will facilitate the discussion but this is mostly a chance to learn from each other.
2018
RC Webinar - Trauma-Informed Mandates are Coming
December 4, 2018
More and more government bodies at the county, state, province, and national levels are mandating that agencies be trauma-informed. The US “Family First Prevention Services Act” legislation is a prime example. Signed into law on February 9, 2018, it stipulates that “funded services must be trauma-informed.” While the requirements for implement TIC differ, many agencies are nervous about losing funding as a result of falling short.
Being trauma-informed is more than using Risking Connection. It involves other TIC implementation steps as well, such as changing agency policy and procedure, doing universal trauma screening, and changing hiring practices. It also requires providers to prove to funders that they have met the trauma-informed standard.
In this final webinar of 2018, we discussed the current mandates related to TIC, supplied tools for participants to assess where their organizations stood with respect to TIC implementation, and outlined concrete steps to take to meet these mandates.
RC Day of Learning and Sharing - Becoming a Master Trainer: Critical Skills for Teaching Adult Learners
September 25, 2018
In an age of rapidly changing technology, instant messaging, and a 24/7 news cycle, capturing and retaining a participant’s attention during trainings can be challenging. How do adults learn most effectively? Does staff training even work? Why does it seem like training so rarely leads to behavior change? How can you learn skills of a master trainer/teacher?
The good news is that today we know more about how people learn, how people process and retain knowledge, and how trainers and teachers can connect with an audience. The presenters addressed how to best connect with learners; how to build community in a group; knowing your own learning style and how to use that knowledge to be an effective teacher; ways to implement restorative justice practices in learning spaces; and how to tell a great story.
RC Consult Group - Transference & Countertransference Dynamics with Trauma Survivor Clients - Part 1
May 8, 2018
Transference and Countertransference (T/CT) dynamics are happening moment-to-moment, hour-to-hour, day-to-day in our programs. While challenging with all clients, these dynamics are especially perplexing and activating with trauma survivors. They evoke powerful feelings in us. We often feel “between a rock and a hard place.” They pose boundary dilemmas and invite boundary transgressions, small and large.
We fall into these traps and cannot get out when we are not aware of T/CT dynamics, we lack the frameworks to understand them, and we don’t know how to address in our supervisions and treatment teams. Our presenter was Laurie Anne Pearlman, Ph.D., co-creator of Risking Connection®, co-founder of the Traumatic Stress Institute, and co-writer with Kay Saakvitne, Ph.D., of one of the seminal books about countertransference in the trauma field called Trauma and the Therapist: Countertransference and Vicarious Traumatization in Psychotherapy with Incest Survivors.
RC Webinar - The Importance of Fathers and Male Caregivers in Healing Trauma Survivors
April 24, 2018
Why are fathers and male caregivers so absent in the treatment of children in our agencies? Sometimes it’s because there are few men in our clients’ lives. Sometimes men are the perpetrators of violence for which our clients are seeking treatment. But even when there ARE important male figures in the lives of the clients we serve, they often stay away from our programs.
In this RC Trainer Consult, we explored these behaviors and circumstances by considering some familiar RC questions: What happened (to these fathers and men) that explains their behavior? How do we as treaters (and agencies) contribute to and reinforce such behavior? The answers to these questions will help us identify attitudes and practices for being more father/male-inclusive in our delivery of trauma-informed care.
