Holistic Workshop Series

December 2020: Incorporating Yoga and Meditation for Survivors of Sexual Trauma

Presenter: Halli Jastaran Faulkner

November 2020: Introduction to Somatic Experiencing

Presenters: Sarah Levy and Stacey Thompson

October 2020: Introduction to Internal Family Systems

Presenter: Alina McClerklin, LICSW

Alina McClerklin, LICSW is a couples and sex therapist who uses IFS to help people understand themselves better and stop feeling overwhelmed by their emotions. In this workshop, she’ll be sharing how she uses this unique modality that helps to explore and accept all the many “parts” within you and help you use this information to connect with others.

About the presenter: Alina McClerklin, LICSW, is a psychotherapist that uses an Emotionally Focused Therapy approach to help couples improve their relationship romantically, sexually, and emotionally. Alina helps couples enhance their attachment and communication skills to navigate challenging life issues like trauma, early-childhood wounds, sexual issues, infidelity, depression, and parenting. She works with individuals looking for ways to process their trauma, improve their relationship skills, and promote personal growth. As a trauma specialist, she infuses Internal Family Systems and Brainspotting to help her clients create manageable ways of dealing with overwhelming emotions and create new life-affirming patterns. She practices at the Brilliant Evolution Group and the Viva Center both in Dupont Circle in DC.

September 18th, 2020

“What Gets In The Way? Becoming Embodied Anti-Racist Practitioners”

Presenter: Zeshan Mustafa

How do we address race meaningfully in our healing sessions when the topic of race brings up so much discomfort across racial lines? What stops us from having authentic communication across-racial lines?

Back by popular demand! This is Part II of one of the most attended workshops at HPG last year: When Helping is Not Helping: Blind Spots When Working with Clients of Color.

You do not need to have attended Part 1 to attend Part II.

In this workshop, we will learn and get more practice using body-based approaches to:

• Stay grounded during difficult conversations
• Become more aware of our own racial biases
• Become more comfortable addressing race in healing sessions

Join us and come away with tools you can use in your work and in your life! Please dress comfortably and be ready to do some movement. Sometimes the material that comes up can be sensitive for participants and we want everyone to feel comfortable sharing without inhibitions.

May 15th, 2020

Spring Networking Event – “Tune In,” Sound and Therapy

This event will take place online and is a chance for holistic professionals to connect with one another, learn about a variety of healing modalities, and build their professional networks.

We’ll have brief presentations from practitioners in diverse fields focusing on the use of sound in healing modalities. Experiential groups will include:

-“Inside My Head,” a piece on mental conditions written and performed by speaker and Broadway pianist Zak Sandler

-Brain-based trauma treatment with Georgiana Mora, LICSW

-A sound bath with Elizabeth Piren, MA, LPC

-“Sound and Somatics” with Zeshan Mustafa, JD, CCEP

-An Auditory awakening of our vagus nerve using the chakra system with Arielle Mesa, LGSW, RYT-200

-Tibetan Chanting with Candida Deluise, MSW

-A sound healing breathwork exercise with Colleen Avis

This event is free, and you will receive the Zoom link after registering.

June 2020 Energy Healing

Presenter: Tim Rogers, LMT

May 8th, 2020

Introduction to Surrogate Partner Therapy

Presenter: Brian Gibney

Since its introduction into the therapeutic community by Masters and Johnson, Surrogate Partner Therapy (sex surrogacy) has been a powerful, if often misunderstood, therapeutic tool.

In this presentation, we will examine the use of surrogate partner therapy (SPT) as a tandem treatment for patients experiencing obstacles to physical and/or emotional intimacy. We will cover a brief history of SPT, identify typical issues that SPT may address, outline the relationship between the supporting clinician and the surrogate partner, and examine the process of the work. We will also discuss the overarching philosophies of SPT, ethics, and legality of the use of surrogate partners.

During this workshop, attendees will be invited to participate in some optional, guided exercises and discuss how they promote holistic well-being in clients.

About the presenter:

Brian Gibney has worn many hats in his life: scientific researcher, educator, personal trainer, professional artist, and circus performer. His life experiences have exposed him to a wide variety of people and lifestyles and helped him appreciate the common threads that bind us all together.

As a surrogate partner and intimacy coach, Brian seeks to use his knowledge to help people overcome obstacles to physical and emotional intimacy. Applying techniques pioneered by Masters and Johnson, he uses an interdisciplinary approach to help others find balance in their intellectual, emotional, and physical selves. With the help of a therapist, Brian guides clients through the resolution of a variety of presenting issues in a safe, non-judgmental environment. His practice is rooted in patience, authenticity, vulnerability, touch…and
sometimes a little bit of humor. Brian adheres to a strict code of code of ethics as outlined by the International Professional Surrogates Association (IPSA).

Brian believes that advocacy, outreach, and professional education are essential parts of providing the best care for clients. In addition to his therapeutic work, he is a passionate advocate for surrogate partner therapy and an experienced presenter, frequently giving talks at private practices, workshops, and conferences. Brian has taught for both ISEE and ISTI sex therapist certifications, has presented at the Psychotherapy Networker, and was a featured presenter at the 2019 AASECT Fall Institute, Bridges to Body Work.

April 17th, 2020

Mindfulness and Self-Care in Therapy

Presenter: Jeremy Mohler

As mindfulness increasingly captures headlines, psychotherapists are raising alarms about the false promises of meditation practice for healing emotional wounds. As healing professionals, we must be aware of the dangers of spiritual bypassing, defined by psychologist John Welwood as the “use of spiritual practices and beliefs to avoid dealing with painful feelings, unresolved wounds, and developmental needs.”

In this session, we’ll practice and define mindfulness meditation and talk about the differences between mindfulness, psychotherapy, spirituality, and social change. Participants are encouraged to bring their thoughts and tactics for how they differentiate between psychotherapy and healing modalities like meditation and yoga in their work.

About the presenter: Jeremy Mohler is a writer and meditation teacher who is currently pursuing a Master’s in Mental Health Counseling at Adams State University. He is the host of the Meditation for the 99% podcast and a former resident of Lamont Dharma House in Washington, DC.

March 2020

Bringing Artmaking Into Healing

Presenter: Anne Eckman, Phd, LICSW

In our healing work, we often venture into spaces and places where “words alone” are not enough. Art-making can offer our clients and ourselves another modality to help be with, and work through, experiences.  

Join us as we explore several practical art-making approaches, materials, and resources that can be integrated into our work as therapists and healers.  

In this experiential workshop, we will use art-making prompts that can help deepen awareness of sensations, breath, and emotions. We will consider our clients’ and our own varying delight or blocks in approaching art-making. We will also touch on ethical considerations when integrating art into our practice as therapists and healers without formal training in art therapy.

February 2020

Exploring Walking Therapy

Presenter: Jennifer Udler, LCSW-C

Jennifer Udler, LCSW-C, will discuss the components of walking during therapy sessions, including the use of the natural environment and the use of movement. She will explain how the therapeutic process can be applied in the great outdoors and the best ways to utilize the change of environment.  Participants will be asked to participate in a visualization of having a session outdoors, and will be able to discuss the advantages and challenges they may face.  Short case vignettes will be presented to exemplify the power that nature and movement can have during a therapy session.  Keep an open mind, and prepare to think outside the box, couch, or office!

About the presenter: Jennifer Udler, LCSW-C is the founder and owner of a therapy practice that incorporates walking with traditional cognitive behavioral therapy.  Jennifer has been practicing individual therapy for over 18 years.  After sitting in an office for 13 of those years, she decided to move her practice outdoors.  She has since found her interactions with clients to be deeper, more uplifting, and therapeutic in both mind and body.  She has had the honor of working with a variety of clients including those with anxiety, depression, ADHD, self-harm, transgender, trauma, divorce, adolescents, suicidality, grief/loss, developmental disabilities and children on the autism spectrum. When she is not working, she enjoys her family, exercising, and reading.

January 2020

When Helping Is Not Helping: Professional Blinds Spots When Working With Clients of Color

Presenter:  Zeshan Mustafa, JD, CCEP

How do we have courageous conversations that heal? Join us in an exploration combining somatic therapy and cultural humility to examine our blind spots when working with clients of color.

We will discuss how to create a safe container for ourselves and for our clients in order to explore issues around race and other sensitive topics. We’ll reflect on our own biases, blind spots, and systemic realities and how they may show up in the treatment room.

Participants will be encouraged to share their own challenges in working with clients of differing racial backgrounds, questions they are reluctant to ask, and reflections on opportunities for growth in this work.

This workshop welcomes and encourages persons of all backgrounds and professions to attend. 

About the presenter: Zeshan Mustafa is a Certified Core Energetics Practitioner, which is a powerful body-oriented healing modality. She helps clients heal various life issues related to self and interpersonal relationships at the cellular level. She has worked specifically with teens and adults in recovery from substance abuse and clients navigating issues related to cultural differences and racial and religious marginalization.

Zeshan is a South Asian-American, Muslim woman and was trained and worked as a civil rights lawyer before transitioning to the healing profession. In addition to working with clients one-on-one and in process groups, she creates and leads embodied workshops and trainings around racial and cultural diversity for educational institutions and those in the helping professions to address blind spots.

December 2019

Tending to Loss in the Helping Professions

Presenters: Regina Tosca, LICSW, Jazmín González Moya, Rev. Louise Green

As healers, caring for others is at the heart of our work. The relationships with our clients involve trust and intimacy, both of which are vital to the therapeutic process.

What happens for us when those relationships end, due to relocation, termination of therapy, or death? How do we honor and tend to our emotional needs as humans, in the context of our professional identities?

Please join me as we explore how these losses affect us, the importance of acknowledging them, and how giving space to those feelings can deepen our work as clinicians.

About the presenters:

Regina Tosca is a psychotherapist at The Viva Center. Her client focus includes grief and loss, including disenfranchised grief, coping with serious illness, and medical and other trauma. She also works as a program therapist for the psychiatric consult service at Washington Hospital Center (WHC), where she conducts psychiatric assessments and provides supportive counseling to psychiatric patients.

She received her Master’s in Social Work from Catholic University, with a specialization in health care. She has co-authored and presented research on palliative care practice, and co-wrote a palliative care textbook for medical social workers.

Jazmín González Moya is a yoga teacher, former ballet dancer and manager of Lighthouse Yoga DC. She teaches both group and private classes, which combine poses with breath work and meditation to help guide students in exploration of the whole self. Through a focus on self-awareness, Jazmín gently encourages inquiry into beliefs that may limit growth and new possibilities.

Rev. Louise Green (RYT-450) is a yoga educator, Unitarian Universalist minister, and community organizer. She currently works with Metro IAF on interfaith multi-issue community building in Maryland.  As a former dancer, Louise continues to value work with movement to navigate mind/body/spirit health and life.

November 15, 2019

Creating Meaningful Rituals

Presenter: Candida DeLuise, LICSW and Vincenza Kamwendo

This experiential workshop will explore the power of creating rituals in our professional and personal lives. Rituals marking significant events provide us with meaning and serve as touchstones for healing, deeper awareness, and celebration. Drawing on traditional practices and artistic processes, we will collaborate in designing rituals for use in clinical settings and/or in our families and personal relationships.

Join mother-daughter team Candida DeLuise and Vincenza Kamwendo, who have been creating rituals together for 30 years. They bring a shared sense of spirituality, love of family, and community and intentional creation of holiday and life traditions that offer an alternative to the consumerist appropriation of both religious and secular holidays.

About the Presenters:
Candida DeLuise is a licensed psychotherapist who has been in private practice for many years. She integrates mind-body awareness and psycho-spiritual approaches into the therapy process. Her training includes psychosynthesis, Buddhist psychology, trauma informed work, and mindfulness-based psychotherapy. Candida teaches meditation and is also a Reiki master and wedding officiant.

Vincenza Kamwendo has worked as both an entrepreneur and a non-profit leader in the US and South Africa. Her background is in arts education and non-violent conflict resolution. She worked in South Africa for several years, using the arts to bring together diverse youth and artists to learn cross-cultural communication skills. In her work as an entrepreneur, Vincenza collaborated with other “mom-preneurs” to explore the role of women running businesses while parenting and creating support networks for mothers and caregivers who also manage professional pursuits.

October 18, 2019

Healing Trauma You Cannot See: Rewiring the Brain’s Hidden Control Panel

Presenter: Dr. Julie Lopez, LICSW

Our brain and bodies hold powerful resources for healing in our implicit memory (past experiences we can’t recall but which remain stored in our subconscious).

Come hear Viva’s founder and author of Live Empowered!, Dr. Julie Lopez, as she shares personal and professional stories highlighting the power of working with implicit memory.

A former university professor and licensed clinical social worker, Dr. Julie Lopez is the founder of Viva Partnership, a mental health collaborative specializing in non-verbal treatment approaches. Dr. Lopez specializes in working with trauma and compulsive/addictive behaviors. She has dedicated her life to empowering clients and clinicians alike to attain their full potential.

Sept. 20, 2019

Making Peace with Food and Body

Most of us have struggled with food and their weight at some point in their lives. We often feel guilt or shame after eating; we resent our body shape and size when we look in the mirror. We’re caught up in a tiring cycle of dieting or eating “clean”, followed by periods of losing control around food.

Some tolerate having a complicated relationship with food and their weight. Others take action because they are tired of how food and body dissatisfaction consume their lives, affecting their relationships, career, physical and emotional health.

Join Lina Salazar, Founder of Live Well, for a session where she explains her eclectic approach to coaching through the process of making peace with food and their bodies, and finding freedom and joy in eating.

About the Presenter

As the founder of Live Well and the Food Sanity program Lina coaches women and companies to harness internal tools to experience a mindset shift in how they think about their bodies and well-being. Drawing on personal life events associated with bulimia and binge eating, Lina empowers individuals to live a life led by self-awareness and freedom of choice. Previous to becoming a certified Health Coach from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York, Lina worked in international development. Lina has a JD and holds two MPAs (Master of Public Administration), from Sciences Po in Paris and Columbia University in New York.