Frequently Requested Seminars
Below you will find descriptive outlines for the three most requested of my seminars; Trauma, PTSD, and Traumatic Grief; Healthy Grieving; and Disaster Mental Health.
If you are interested in arranging for me to present a seminar, look through these outlines – we can mix and match information as necessary.
These are full-day seminars, however I can present segments, or shortened versions of the information down to two hours in length.
In addition, if you are looking for a seminar on a topic related to anything you have read anywhere in this website, we can create something new. Feel free to contact me with any questions or ideas you may have.
TRAUMA, PTSD, TRAUMATIC LOSS
Duane T. Bowers, LPC,CCHt
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TRAUMA
Introduction to Assessment
As we begin this seminar we look at how the characteristics of the crisis event are used in the formulation of a traumatic response. These combined with experiences of the client as early as the third trimester in prenatal development play a significant role in the traumatic reaction. This section of the presentation also looks at the history, statistics, and diagnosis of PTSD, the diagnosis of Acute Stress Disorder, and the proposed DSM – V criteria for PTSD, ASD.
TRAUMA AND THE BRAIN, BODY, MIND
This section of the presentation looks at the body’s hormonal response to trauma (HPA axis), and trauma’s affect on the neuro-structure and the neuro-chemistry of the brain and body. How the mind perceives the trauma directly affects brain function, which determines the neuro-chemical reaction in the body, determining physical reaction and behavior. Therefore we also consider how the client integrates the traumatic event into their mind.
LOSS AND GRIEF
A loss does not have to be traumatic for the client’s grieving to have traumatic elements. Looking at a normal grieving processes and identifying elements of trauma within it allows the seminar participant to understand TRAUMATIC GRIEF. To that end topics including Tasks of Mourning, re-grief, multiple loss and multiple trauma, as well as common issues of guilt and forgiveness as related to grief are presented.
TRAUMATIC LOSS
The three most common types of traumatic loss are discussed in this section of the seminar; homicide, suicide, and accident . The client who has lost a loved one in any of these specific ways has needs that are also specific to that type of loss. Information on the specific needs of a survivor of sudden loss in general are also presented.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The seminar wraps up the topic of assessment by looking at the role of a client’s Coping Styles in recovering from trauma, assisting the client in making a coping skills inventory, and discussing Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs from the perspective of trauma.
CHILDREN AND TRAUMA/GRIEF
This section of the seminar looks specifically at how a child integrates trauma into their conceptual structure, how to best support a child experiencing trauma, and how to know what a child understands about death and grief. A model for each of these topics is presented.
IMMEDIATE INTERVENTIONS
Interventions for treating traumatic response and PTSD are presented considering the three ways in which the client is affected; psycho/emotional, physical and spiritual. The clinical interventions for the psycho/emotional responses include Complicated Grief Therapy, Gradual Exposure Therapy and Bi-lateral Interventions. The interventions for the client’s physical reactions to trauma include Neuro-vascular Stimulation, Stress Inoculation Therapies, and Hormonal Response Techniques. Interventions concerned with the spiritual affect of the trauma on the client include assisting the client in rebuilding their Core Beliefs, defining their Expectation of God, and assisting in the process of the client assignment of value to the event and its aftermath.
HEALTHY GRIEF:
Practical grief interventions for families,
children and pets.
Duane T. Bowers, LPC, CCHt
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THE PROCESS OF HEALTHY GRIEF
This seminar begins with defining Grief and Griefwork. Then, the progression of the models of grief is presented beginning with Attachment Theory, and considering Anticipatory Grief, Tasks of Mourning, the Grief Cycle and Complicated (Traumatic) Grief. This discussion is further developed by presenting the obstacles to healthy grieving including Stress Reaction, Lack of Integration, Lack of Resilience, Guilt and the Perceived Need for Forgiveness
THE FAMILY AND HEALTHY GRIEF
A frank discussion of the Ethical Issues at the end of life, the need for Advanced Directives and their impact on the grief of the survivor is presented. The survivor’s Coping Styles, and the topic of Family Resilience are discussed as well. The type of death or process of dying involved in the death are explored. The topic of Long term Illness is presented as well as the survivors’ adjustment to the diagnosis, illness, and impending death. Sudden Death (including homicide, suicide, accident) includes a discussion of the needs of the survivors, and their process of creating the picture of the death. The unique characteristics for the survivors of the death of a child are also presented. Interventions discussed for these topics include Grief ritual (Memorialization, Invocation, Celebration, Waves of Grief), Cognitive Behavioral approaches, and Complicated Grief Therapy. Interventions for the physical response to grief which are presented in this section include Eye Movement Therapies, Relaxation Techniques and Stress Inoculation Therapies. Finally, the spiritual aspect of grief is considered with a discussion of Spiritual themes, and the death’s affect on the client’s belief system.
CHILDREN AND HEALTHY GRIEF
Types of grief responses exhibited by children are presented, and the model based on Age Appropriate Grief Responses is compared to a Conceptual Processing model for children and grief. This section of the presentation looks at how children integrate loss, and the role of projection in integration. Basic Play Therapy techniques are also discussed.
PETS AND HEALTHY GRIEF
The symbiotic relationship of supporting a grieving pet, and looking at pets as support to human grieving is the topic of this section of the presentation. There is also a discussion of appropriate grieving for the death of a pet.
THE PROFESSIONAL AND HEALTHY GRIEF
Self care on the part of mental health professionals , specifically burnout, secondary trauma, vicarious traumatization, and compassion fatigue are presented and discussed. Information about self care is focused around The Four Basics; caseload, education, social network, peer
Support.
DISASTER MENTAL HEALTH;
NOT JUST HOW, BUT WHY
Duane T. Bowers, LPC, CCHt
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UNDERSTANDING TRAUMA
To begin the presentation a discussion of the characteristics of the crisis or crisis event are presented as the means by which clients make the subjective interpretation as to whether the event is going to be traumatic for them or not. Once the event is understood, the types of trauma are presented.
RESPONSE TO TRAUMA
This section of the presentation looks at how the client physiologically responds to a trauma. This is done by looking at the hormonal response in the body which is regulated by the Limbic Brain. Then a discussion of MacLean’s Triune Brain Theory reveals how the brain responds to trauma. Based on this information interventions are presented to affect the physiological response of the body and the brain.
CRISIS INTERVENTION TECHNIQUES
Crisis intervention techniques are presented and a comparison between Debriefing and Psychological First Aid is discussed. The characteristics of Debriefing as a crisis intervention are presented; specifically Recollection, Ventilation, Reworking, Normalization. Debriefing In Group is broken into its base components; Safety, Security, Ventilation, Prediction, and Preparation.
Psychological First Aid is presented and broken down into its eight components, each explored in detail. These component are Contact and Engagement, Stabilize, Information Gathering, Practical Assistance, Connection to Social Supports, Information on Coping and Linkage to collaborative services. This is followed by a discussion of using Psychological First Aid in groups.
NORMAL REACTIONS, VERBAL FIRST AID, RESILIENCY, and POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH are all presented in detail with examples of each.
CRISIS INTERVENTION FOR CHILDREN
Eight steps in traumatic stress treatment for children is presented for discussion in this section of the presentation. This topic is accompanied by a discussion of the way grief and trauma are integrated by children.
TRAUMA INTERVENTIONS
In addition to the interventions that are presented throughout the seminar, this sections discusses physical (body) interventions, and spiritual interventions. The idea is presented that cannot only treat the client’s emotional response to trauma, as the physical response is part of that response. We are more effective treating whole client; body mind and spirit.
Published works:
Bowers, D.T. (2009, Summer). Supporting your grieving pet. American Academy of
Bereavement News, 2, 6.
Bowers, D.T. (2007). A child is missing: Providing support for families of missing
children. Alexandria, VA: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Download.
Greif, G. & Bowers, D. (2007). Unresolved loss: Issues in working with adults whose
siblings were kidnapped years ago. The American Journal of Family Therapy, vol. 35, issue 3, pp. 203-219.
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a777852396~frm=titlelink
Bowers, D.T. (2005). Guiding your family through loss and grief. Tucson, AZ: Fenestra
Books.
Bowers, D.T. (2005) Information for families grieving after the loss of a child, and the
professionals who support them. Retrieved February 3, 2005.
http://www.missingkids.com/en_US/publications/NC10.pdf
Bowers, D. T. (2002). Communicating with someone who is grieving. American
Association of Retired Persons (AARP), web-site,
