Cascadia Training for Professional Development

Reaching the Inner Child: Using Integrated, Brain-based Internal Family Systems Therapy to Treat Trauma and Personality Disorders
2025-10-20 09:00 - 16:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Zoom
Reaching the Inner Child: Using Integrated, Brain-based Internal Family Systems Therapy to Treat Trauma and Personality Disorders
Presented by: Hannah Smith, MA, LMHC, CGP (she/her)
When: Monday, October 20th, 2025 | 9am – 4:30pm Pacific Time
Where: Live on Zoom or In-Person in Mount Vernon at the Union Block Building Conference Room at 325 Pine St., Mount Vernon, WA (Google Maps Link). If GPS is a problem, put “Lincoln Theater; 712 S 1st St in and park anywhere near there. Look for the Bail Bonds and the door is behind it in the Square. You will receive workshop details the week of the workshop.
Continuing Education Credit Hours: 6 CEs | Cost: $190.00
Modern neuroscience has provided us with valuable and targeted information to help in understanding and healing the traumatized brain, including those with severe developmental trauma who later end up with “personality disorder” diagnoses.
Unfortunately, much of this valuable information remains abstract and out-of-reach to those doing the actual work of trauma treatment.
This workshop will address these issues by combining insights from neuroscience with an evidence-based treatment approach known as Internal Family Systems.
Internal Family Systems is a treatment modality created in the 1980s by Dr. Richard C. Schwartz. Trained as a couples and family therapist, Dr. Schwartz realized the same dynamics he found in family systems also presented within individuals. His work reveals the brain’s natural ability to create different parts, known as Managers, Firefighters, and Exiles, in order to protect the core, undamaged self. His theory is non-pathologizing, allowing us to see “diagnoses” as “strategies” and recognizes the protective nature of the “Internal Family.” Using modern brain science along with these well-established concepts, we can isolate and treat the “Inner Child” – those parts that carry traumatic memory – in more effective ways.
In this dynamic and experiential session, you will learn the underlying framework of Internal Family Systems both from traditional and neuroscience-informed perspectives, allowing for greater understanding of yourself and your client and providing for higher precision in therapeutic work. By applying narrative and imagery-based techniques in real time, you will incorporate what is known about brain processing into your work, thus enabling you to more efficiently and safely reach “the Inner Child.” Attendees will grow in their practical understanding and application of neuroscience to aid in reducing shame, increasing client engagement, improving outcomes, and – as an added bonus – reducing clinician burnout!
OBJECTIVES:
• Consider Internal Family Systems (IFS) structure and techniques from both traditional and neuroscience-informed perspectives
• Apply a non-pathologizing model of treatment to reduce shame and increase client ability to grow and change.
• Use “Externalization of Parts” and other somatic, imagery- and analogy-based techniques to develop the concept of the “Inner Child” to promote experiences that create new neural connections that lead to lasting change and healing
• Learn techniques to teach internal communication, self-compassion, and define and measure success in more effective ways
• Communicate modern neuroscience principles of neuroplasticity, mentalization, and somatic responding as it relates to IFS and the “Inner Child,” in a user-friendly manner
• Apply newly learned skills in real-time to build competency and confidence as practitioner
REGISTER HERE

SPECIAL SALE! The Science of Gender & Resistance: Empowering Ourselves and Our Clients with Practical Neuroscience
2025-10-23 09:00 - 12:15 | Zoom
LAST-MINUTE DEAL! $45 OFF!
🆕BRAND-NEW!🆕
Healthy Equity or Cultural Competence CEs
The Science of Gender & Resistance: Empowering Ourselves and Our Clients with Practical Neuroscience
Presented by: Hannah Smith, MA, LMHC, CGP
When: Thursday, October 23rd, 2025 | 9:00 am – 12:15 pm Pacific Time
Where: Live on Zoom or In-Person in Mount Vernon at the Union Block Building Conference Room at 325 Pine St., Mount Vernon, WA (Google Maps Link). If GPS is a problem, put “Lincoln Theater; 712 S 1st St in and park anywhere near there. Look for the Bail Bonds and the door is behind it in the Square. You will receive workshop details the week of the workshop.
Continuing Education Credit Hours: 3 Health Equity or Cultural Competence CEs | $95.00 NOW ONLY $50.00
There is no doubt that one of the most polarizing and difficult topics today is the idea of gender. For those of us who work with the LGBTQIA+ community, the result is devastating and heartbreaking for our clients – and for those of us who work with them. It can feel daunting and overwhelming.
We may find ourselves asking lots of questions, from what even is gender to why is it so controversial? And why on earth is there so much push-back on it?
This is a complex issue with multi-faceted causes and reasons – however, at the base of it all lies the body. Applying practical applications of neuroscience and Interpersonal Neurobiology, we can look under the surface to what lies beneath – and in so doing, improve our client’s self-image and empower ourselves and them to reduce our stress as we move through difficult interactions.
This course will teach you not only the proper language of gender, but the science behind the terms so you can speak confidently on the topic. In addition, we will explore and identify the biological source that feeds much of the resistance to listening. Most of all, the attendee will be given techniques to help more accurately frame what is happening and maintain their body regulation during difficult interactions.
Objectives:

List and describe the science of gender, including up-to-date associated vocabulary
Identify reasons for resistance in others
Apply Principles of Neuroscience and Interpersonal Neurobiology to Regulate Your Own Nervous System to Reduce Shame & Activation During Difficult Interactions
Apply New Learning to Case Studies

REGISTER HERE

SPECIAL SALE! Difficult People: Dealing with the Most Challenging and Irksome Individuals in Our Lives and Clinical Practices
2025-10-23 09:00 - 16:30 | Zoom
LAST-MINUTE DEAL! $50 OFF!
Difficult People: Dealing with the Most Challenging and Irksome Individuals in Our Lives and Clinical Practices
Presented by: Kristie Baber, MSW, LICSW, CCTP
When: Thursday, October 23, 2025 | 9:00 am – 4:30 pm Pacific Time
Where: Live via Zoom (you’ll receive the Zoom link via email the week of the workshop)
Continuing Education Credit Hours: 6 CEs | Cost: $190.00 NOW ONLY $140.00!
This class will encourage and equip clinicians that are struggling with seemingly impossible people in their practices and personal lives. You know the types – folks who distract us from doing our best work and erode our sense of contentment. The class will equip attendees with hacks to confront the demanding, thorny, bothersome, and stressful situations that challenging relationships bring into our offices and lives. From the annoying to the exhausting – we will address generalized personality types and how to deal with them while simultaneously remaining grounded and holding our center.
Please note that this class is NOT intended to address the DSM5 diagnostic categories of personality disorders – rather, we will be addressing more common issues that don’t necessarily rise to clinically diagnostic levels but can be equally disconcerting and uncomfortable in relationships, both personal and professional.
This lighthearted class is designed for practicing therapists with clients of all ages. The workshop will be conducted in a Zoom format and teaching modalities will include a mix of clinical discussion, lecture with clinical examples, and video illustrations, as well as individual/group case exercises.
Objectives:

Distinctively examine high-maintenance relationships characterized by anger, criticism, martyrdom, negativity, neediness, competition, insensitivity and control.
Address strategies for universal psychotherapy office-specific challenges.
Contextualize Freud’s defense mechanisms.
Identify essential emotional regulation skills in adulthood.
Develop capacity for self-assessment around the impact of stress on our lives and work.
Explore multiple strategies to hold our center and maintain equilibrium in our practices.
Access provided references and resources for further study.

REGISTER HERE

Tarot and Therapy: Intuition and Metaphor
2025-10-24 09:00 - 16:30 | Zoom
Tarot and Therapy: Intuition and Metaphor
Presented by: Rebecca Bloom, ATR-BC, LMHC (she/her)
When: Friday, October 24th, 2025 | 9:00 am – 4:30 pm Pacific Time
Where: Live on Zoom. You will receive your Zoom link/invitation the week of the workshop.
Continuing Education Credits: CEs: 6 | $199.00, which includes $174.00 tuition plus $25.00 for Ephemera Art Supply Packs Created by Rebecca Bloom Especially for Cascadia Training Registrants. Art supply packs will be mailed to registrants in advance of the workshop.
Why is Tarot so popular right now? Are your clients coming in talking about the card they pulled before the session and you have no idea what that means? Have you used tarot for years for your own well being and would love to use it with mental health clients but not sure how?
Most clients come into therapy saying that they do not have access to their intuition and are not sure how to trust what the right choices are to make in their lives. Using a single card pulled from a tarot deck, and exploring the client’s meaning of the card, clients can begin to feel connected to their own sense of self, clients can find new ways to safely explore difficult experiences and find ways to test out feeling grounded again.
Starting with the Jungian concepts of Archetypes we will look at how the collective sense of self represents over these twelve types of being. Then we will explore the history and uses of tarot. These seventy-eight cards have been used for hundreds of years. Using the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, from 1909, as a starting place we will look at many of the decks available today and why people turn to them every day or when times get difficult.
We will explore intuition and how to trust our own sense of knowing. In this hands-on workshop, you will make five of your own cards. Exploring the major arcana, and the suits of cups, pentacles, swords and wands we will learn the journeys of each of these sets.
Objectives:

Learn archetypes of Jung and Tarot.
Learn why the creative process soothes the body and the mind.
Find materials you will be comfortable using with your clients.
Use art making for your own self-care.

REGISTER HERE

ALMOST SOLD OUT! Youth and Adult Suicide: Recognition, Assessment and Treatment of Suicidality
2025-10-24 09:00 - 16:30 | Zoom
Almost SOLD-OUT – Register Now to Save Your Spot!
This workshop meets the suicide assessment requirements for re-licensure.
Youth and Adult Suicide: Recognition, Assessment, and Treatment of Suicidality
Presented by: Randi Jensen, MA, LMHC, SUDP
When: Friday, October 24th, 2025 | 9:00 am – 4:30 pm Pacific Time
Where: Live on Zoom. You will receive your Zoom link/invitation the week of the workshop.
Continuing Education Credit Hours: 6 CEs | $199.00
Future Sessions of This Workshop:

Thursday, January 15th, 2026: LINK FOR MORE INFO>>>
Thursday, April 30th, 2026: LINK FOR MORE INFO>>>
Friday, July 24th, 2026: LINK FOR MORE INFO>>>
Friday, November 6th, 2026: LINK FOR MORE INFO>>>

*This workshop meets the Washington State suicide assessment requirements for re-licensure.
Historically mental health treatment for suicidal individuals has involved extensive psychopharmacology, repeated cognitive behavioral self-esteem and stress reduction exercises, or deep therapy into family of origin issues, all proven to be ineffective in long term prevention of suicide.
According to the World Health Organization (2009), there has been a 60 percent increase in the worldwide suicide rates in the last 45 years, with 1 million suicides worldwide each year, relating to someone dying by suicide every 40 second. Twenty-two US military veterans kill themselves every single day.
This workshop presents original concepts in the development of suicidality as an ingenious coping mechanism which develops over time. The brain’s neuroplasticity forms neural pathways which underpin the reinforcing suicidal thought pattern. Brain retraining provides formation of new healthful neural pathways. The healing process is directed, encouraged and supported through a specifically designed peer protocol based on existing evidence-based social support.
Research shows that the first suicide attempt is often the first time anyone intervenes. However, it is never the first time the danger has been known. Love ones just don’t know what to do. They take the suicidal individual to a hospital or professional where the treatment protocol has not changed for decades. When the suicidal individual comes home after the attempt, family and friends just don’t know how to help prevent the next one. The Jensen Suicide Peer Protocol (JSP3), based on evidence-based principles, is a prescribed method for the family members and concerned others to take an active part in the recovery of their loved one. Randi has used this method for decades and has saved lives.
Objectives:

Describe the extent of suicide in the general and special populations, including children, adolescents and military
Distinguish what suicidality is and the difference between self-harm and suicidality
Explain the psychobiology of suicidality and its progression
Articulate warning signs and symptoms using a simple and effective suicide assessment tool
Express and practice Motivational Interviewing techniques used in counseling suicidal individuals
Explain a life-saving peer support protocol and how to implement it
Describe ethical considerations, documentation and confidentiality issues.

This 6 hour workshop has been approved by the Washington State Department of Health for its 2017 Model List, and satisfies continuing education requirements set by the Department of Health related to suicide assessment, management, and treatment.
REGISTER HERE

SOLD OUT! Register for Upcoming Sessions | In-Person Training with Eric Strom
2025-10-24 09:30 - 17:00 | Bainbridge Performing Arts Center, 200 Madison Ave N, Bainbridge Island, WA, 98110, United States
Unfortunately, this workshop is now sold out.
REGISTER FOR UPCOMING ZOOM SESSIONS: There are also upcoming Zoom sessions that cover the same material as this in-person workshop.
Please register for one or more of the workshops below:

The next 2-hour section on the new Professional Roles & Boundaries requirement, which is not sold out, is scheduled for Thursday, February 5th, 2026 (the November 2025 one is now sold out). MORE INFO & REGISTER HERE>>>
The next 3-hour workshop on Clinical Documentation Considerations of Changing Federal and State Laws is scheduled for Friday, January 23, 2026. MORE INFO & REGISTER HERE>>>
The next 3-hour section on the new confidentiality laws is scheduled for Friday, February 27, 2026. MORE INFO & REGISTER HERE>>>

BRAND-NEW – A MUST-TAKE ETHICS WORKSHOP
An In-Person Training with Eric Strom: Stay Current on NEW Legal and Ethical Responsibilities:

New Confidentiality Rules for LMFTs, LMHCs, LiCSWs as of 7/27/25

New WA CE requirement as of October 2025: Relationships, Professional Roles, & Boundaries

New and Changing Laws to Consider When Working Across State Lines

Presented by: Eric Ström, PhD, Attorney at Law, LMHC
When: Friday, October 24th, 2025 | 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM, Pacific Time
Where: Live in person at the Bainbridge Performing Arts Center (200 Madison Ave N, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110)
Continuing Education Credit Hours: 6 Law & Ethics CEs, 2 count as Professional Roles & Boundaries CEs | $229.00
Schedule for the day:

9:30 AM – 12:45 PM (with a 15-minute break from 11:00 AM – 11:15 AM): Washington Confidentiality Law Update
12:45 PM – 1:45 PM: 1-hour lunch break
1:45 PM – 3:45 PM: Law & Ethics of Relationships, Professional Roles, and Boundaries in the Clinical Setting
3:45 PM – 4:00 PM: 15-minute break
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Navigating Diverging State Laws

Morning Session (9:30 AM – 12:45 PM – includes 15-minute break): Washington Confidentiality Law Update
As of July 27th, 2025, the legal framework for confidentiality in behavioral health practice has undergone a significant shift in Washington State. Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHCs), Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs), and Social Workers are now subject to the standards of RCW 70.02—Washington’s Uniform Health Care Information Act—through its incorporation into RCW 18.225.105. Participants will examine how the newly aligned laws alter confidentiality obligations, reshape definitions of protected information, and introduce updated rules around disclosures, client rights, and documentation practices. Through step-by-step analysis, practical examples, and discussion, this 3-hour workshop will equip attendees to confidently navigate the new legal landscape while upholding core ethical principles.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Identify the sources of legal standards relating to confidentiality;
Understand the relationship between Washington State statutes and federal regulations with respect to client confidentiality;
Describe when disclosure of client information is required;
Describe when disclosure of client information is allowed.

Lunch Break (12:45 PM – 1:45 PM)
Afternoon Session 1 (1:45 PM – 3:45 PM): Law & Ethics of Relationships, Professional Roles, and Boundaries in the Clinical Setting
Boundary violations are among the most common reasons for professional discipline of behavioral health clinicians. Dual relationships—both intentional and unintentional—can arise in many forms and often present ethical, clinical, and legal challenges.
In recognition of this significant cause of misconduct, as of October 2025, the Washington Department of Health has implemented a new requirement for two hours of continuing education in “Professional Roles and Boundaries” every two years (the new Washington State continuing education requirements according to WAC 246-809-630 can be found here).
In this two-hour section, we will examine Washington State laws and professional ethical standards regarding personal and dual relationships with clients. Drawing from recent Washington Department of Health disciplinary decisions, participants will engage with real-world case studies that illustrate common risk areas. The workshop will also offer practical strategies for establishing and maintaining appropriate clinical boundaries in everyday practice.
This course is designed to meet the Washington State Department of Health’s requirement for continuing education in Professional Roles and Boundaries according to WAC 246-809-630.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Apply Washington legal guidelines regarding dual relationships;
Apply ethical standards concerning dual relationships with clients;
Recognize risk factors that may contribute to boundary crossings or violations; and
Create and evaluate strategies to maintain appropriate and ethical clinical relationships.

Afternoon Break (3:45 PM – 4:00 PM)
Afternoon Session 2 (4:00 PM – 5:00 PM): Navigating Diverging State Laws
Recent changes to US federal law and policy have given states more leeway to regulate in vastly different ways. These changing laws may impact clients and clinicians in a variety of ways – particularly when telehealth is delivered across state lines. Through a discussion of a range of various state laws, we will identify the impacts this current regulatory situation has on clinical documentation, on our exposure to liability, and to protection of marginalized populations when delivering clinical services.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Describe the regulatory impact of providing clinical service across state lines.
Identify some other states’ laws that may impact us as Washington-based clinicians and clients.
Understand Washington’s new Protected Health Care Statutes.
Create strategies to appropriately conduct and document clinical services while protecting clients and ourselves.

SPECIAL SALE! Enneagram and Internal Family Systems (IFS): Working with Our EnneaTypes and Our Parts
2025-10-25 09:00 - 16:30 | Zoom
LAST-MINUTE DEAL! $50 OFF!
Enneagram and Internal Family Systems (IFS): Working with Our EnneaTypes and Our Parts
Presented by Dr. Jennifer Manlowe
Date: Saturday, October 25th, 2025 | 9:00 am – 4:30pm Pacific Time
Where: Live via Zoom (you’ll receive the link the week of the workshop)
Continuing Education Credit Hours: 6 CEs | $190.00 NOW ONLY $140.00
Workshop Description:
Both Internal Family Systems (IFS) and the Enneagram have been used to gather people eager to understand and work with troubling thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and to do so on a deeper level than “Talk Therapy” alone.
In this workshop we will explore how both schools of thought intersect to inspire harmony of mind-body-emotion in our clients and ourselves.
After attending this workshop, you’ll be on your way to understanding the basics of the Enneagram as a Wisdom Tradition and the fundamentals of IFS as a psychotherapeutic model (developed in the 1990s).
You’ll see that both schools of thought work to map out parts or sub-personalities within us—each with its own thoughts, motivations, and behaviors eager for transformation. For instance, with the Enneagram, there are “three centers of intelligence,” and in IFS, there are three categories of parts: managers, firefighters, and exiles. Meeting and interviewing these parts has the power to foster freedom from old ideas of self and others.
Returning to what Enneagram calls our essence or “higher self” and leaning into what IFS calls “Self-Energy” will be explored. Tripartite awareness practices will be shared.
The Enneagram is a personality typing test with nine distinct types of people. Like parts, each type has its own core fears, desires, and motivations. When translated, this symbol offers a psychospiritual model for growth that can be used by health professionals, coaches, and spiritual directors to gain self-awareness about patterns in clients’ (and our own) relationships.
Both the Enneagram and IFS methods can give us valuable insights into why our clients do the things they do and how to unmask and transform harmful behaviors in a curious, compassionate, and nonjudgmental way.
Whether you’re looking to understand yourself better as a helping professional, strengthen your skills with your clients, or cultivate growth through tri-partite awareness (mind-body-heart) work, both models provide tools that will deepen insights and help you along the way.
OBJECTIVES:
By the end of the workshop, you’ll be able to assist your clients in finding an integrative approach on their path to healing by first:

Identify the general healing frameworks of Enneagram Wisdom and Internal Family Systems
Use Enneagram Wisdom as a method for “mapping” our IFS parts
Distinguish the systemic origins of one’s EnneaStyle (an intersectional approach)
Uncover how to work with your clients’ (and your own) disowned “parts”
Gain insight into how EnneaStyles and IFS parts can evolve with compassionate curiosity
Build a bridge from your preferred therapeutic models to your newfound Ennea and IFS Insights

REGISTER HERE
