A Practitioners Guide to the Autonomic Nervous System

Somatic Practices for Calm and Clarity :

Continuing Education Training

Gain a deeper understanding of the autonomic nervous system and its impact on client relationships, enabling you to tailor interventions with greater precision and utilize experiential exercises to support them, and yourself, in achieving somatic balance. This course invites you to explore the autonomic nervous system (ANS) as a key to deeper client connection. We'll unravel how the five core autonomic states shape our clients' relationships—to others, the world, and themselves—and how these states show up in the therapeutic space. By learning to recognize and understand these states, you'll gain a relational framework for somatic case conceptualization, allowing you to meet your clients where they are. We'll practice somatic experiential exercises together, fostering a sense of shared understanding and equipping you to tailor interventions that resonate with your clients' unique ANS states. Ultimately, this course empowers you to build stronger, more attuned therapeutic relationships by deepening your understanding of the intricate dance of the nervous system.

Course Description: This course will offer a foundational understanding of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) as it relates to the ways in which the core autonomic states affect clients’ relationships to others, the world and themselves. We will explore the 5 ANS states, and how they manifest both in the therapeutic relationship and beyond. This exploration will provide clinicians with a template for somatic case conceptualization, as well as discerning intervention selection, based upon an understanding of their clients’ present ANS state. Clinicians will also learn and practice somatic experiential exercises with the hope of tailoring those interventions to their clients’, and their own, ANS states. These exercises and others from the clinicians’ existing toolkits can then be applied and likely implemented with greater effectiveness as they will have a deeper understanding of the autonomic nervous system in themselves and clientele.

Instructor Information: Ashley Liston-Avnaim is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in OH, TN and NC and holds a certificate as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and level 2 trained EMDR therapist. She resides in Cincinnati, OH, where she owns and operates Woven Bone Somatics, a clinical practice which offers somatic therapy, clinical supervision, continuing education, corporate consultation, and facilitation of community care events.

 

Details

  • When: Friday, April 25th, 9am-12:30pm (includes two 15 minute breaks, which do not count towards CE credits)

  • Who: Target Audience → LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCSs, Psychologists, Associates, Students, & Related Professionals. Presented by → Ashley Liston-Avnaim, LPCC, SEP

  • Where: This training will be held virtually only! It will also be recorded so if you purchase a ticket and are unable to attend, you will be able to receive the recording at a later date. *Please note that the recording will only be available for a limited amount of time after the training date and will require a post-test to receive CE credit.

  • How Much: We have pricing options below, dependent upon training-level and CE needs.

  • Refund & Cancellation Policy: A full refund is available for cancellations made 72+ hours prior to course start time. 50% refund for cancellations made with less than 72 hours prior to course start time. Please email the Program Administrator at kelli@spacestherapyla.com should you need to cancel. Refunds will be processed within 48 business hours of the receipt of request.

  • CE Info: This course meets the requirement for 3 hours of continuing education credit for LMFT’s, LCSW’s, LPCC’s, and LEP’s as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences and approved by CAMFT. Those seeking CE credit for the live presentation must be in attendance for the entirety of the course and complete the course evaluation in order to receive their certificate. Certificates will be sent via email within 5 business days of attending the training and completing the course evaluation. Those seeking CEs from watching the recording after the live presentation will need to watch the course in its entirety, complete the course evaluation, and pass a post-test with at least 70% grade or better. Post-tests will be scored and certificates will be sent via email within 5 business days of the participant notifying the Program Administrator (kelli@spacestherapyla.com) of their completion of the above mentioned requirements.

  • Please use the drop-down menu below to sign up. If you are having any trouble signing up, please email kelli@spacestherapyla.com

Somatic CE

More Info:

Educational Goals:

1) To develop an understanding of the stress response cycle as it occurs in the autonomic nervous system as related to the intersection of evolutionary biology and the bodies’ current context. The course aims to center the somatic experience of clinicians and clients through this understanding of stress response cycles as they occur in the treatment setting and daily life. 

2) The course utilizes some of the tenets of polyvagal theory (Porges, 2011) and the research of Emily and Amelia Nagoski (2019) to define the 5 core autonomic nervous system states, with a practical discussion on how these 5 core states manifest in the human body, behavior, and emotional communication.

3) This course aims to teach the skill of somatic tracking for determining which core autonomic state an individual is experiencing to engender the conditions for state shift. State change can be in the direction of up-regulation or down-regulation. Clinicians will utilize tools to determine which type of state change is needed for resolution, regulation, and health of their client. A variety of skills, including somatic interventions, will be utilized to create the desired state change. 


Measurable Learning Objectives:

1) Participants will be able to identify the 5 ANS states in their clients and selves through somatic tracking. 

2) Participants will be able to assess the effectiveness of at least 3 therapeutic interventions tailored to present ANS state of clients. 

3) Participants will be able to apply 3 somatic practices with clients in any ANS state.

Spaces Therapy LA (Provider #1032777) is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs and LEPs. Spaces Therapy LA maintains responsibility for the program and all its content.

Grievance Procedure:

To obtain the grievance policy or report a grievance, please email the Program Administrator kelli@spacestherapyla.com or call 323-498-4448.

Accommodations:

To request accommodations for any ability-related needs, please email the Program Administrator at kelli@spacestherapyla.com.