Highlights from the 2nd Annual Complex Trauma Training Summer Institute – Professional Growth, Experiential Learning, and Collegiality

Last month, the Complex Trauma Training Institute (CTTI), supported in part by the Foundation Trust, held its second annual Summer Institute in Hyannis, MA. Over 50 clinicians from around the world gathered for an intensive learning experience featuring leading treatment model developers, clinical researchers, and innovators in the field of complex traumatic stress. Participants had the opportunity to enhance their practice through a variety of workshops covering topics including adaptation to trauma, spirituality in client care, identity conscious practice, theater and play in recovery from trauma, and clinical decision-making in treatment of complex developmental trauma. There were also extensive opportunities for networking with peers and interaction with conference faculty.

The Summer Institute was hosted by Dr. Joseph Spinazzola, Executive Director of the Foundation Trust, and Dr. Jana Pressley, Senior Training Associate of the Foundation Trust. “It was a joy to have the opportunity for a second year to offer substantive workshops on complex trauma understanding, treatment, and innovation to such a thoughtful and dedicated cohort of clinicians and multidisciplinary providers from throughout the Northeast United States all the way to Australia and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands,” shared Dr. Spinazzola, Co-Director of the Complex Trauma Treatment Affiliates, Associate Director of the Complex Trauma Training Initiative of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, and Director of the Complex Trauma Institute.

Workshops were taught with both traditional and interactive experiential components which elevated participants’ engagement. For example, “Embodied Trauma Treatment: The Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Treatment (SMART) Model Across the Age Span” presented by SMART model co-developers Dr. Elizabeth Warner, Anne Westcott, LICSW, and Dr. Alexandra Cook, included an experiential applied practice component conducted in smaller groups. “We learned immensely from all the high-level and deeply conceptualized clinical presentations and the sheer competence of the presenters. And what stood out the most for us was the clinical maturity, wisdom and acuity of our fellow attendees. It’s rare to be in such uniformly astute company, and we found this personally and professionally enriching, along with the presentations themselves,” shared Ken Kessel, LCSW, MegKen Consulting LLC and Maggie Ngunang, LCSW.

Other workshops included “The Complexity of Adaptation to Trauma” presented by Dr. Joseph Spinazzola, “Complex Trauma-Informed, Spiritually Aware: Considering Spirituality in Client Care” presented by Dr. Jana Pressley, Director of Clinical Services at the Complex Trauma Treatment Center Boston, and Co-Director of the Complex Trauma Treatment Affiliates program, “Cultivating Cultural Attunement: The Power of Therapist Self-Awareness and Identity Conscious Practice” presented by Kaitlyn Wilson, LICSW, owner and founder of Reframed Counseling and Social Work Supervisor at Complex Trauma Treatment Center Boston, and “Clinical Decision-Making in Treatment of Complex Developmental Trauma with Children, Adolescents, Families and Young Adults,” presented by Dr. Julian D. Ford, Principal Investigator of the Center for Trauma Recovery and Juvenile Justice and the Center for the Treatment of Developmental Trauma Disorders in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.

Many participants also attended last year’s inaugural event and praised the continued relevance of this year’s workshop content and its applicability to their current practices. “The Complex Trauma Summer Institute is an immersive, thoughtfully designed week filled with rich learning, valuable time to connect with others in the field, and a wealth of knowledge from leading clinicians in complex trauma treatment. Both this year and last year, I left more hopeful about the work we get to do as clinicians alongside our clients. Finding hope within this work that leads us to enter into the trenches with others is invaluable,” shared Bailey Serrano, Mental Health Therapist at Bridge Family Therapy and returning 2025 participant.

Affiliate Lunch. Front: Sue Foster, Bailey Frederking Serrano. Back: Jana Pressley, Kaitlyn Wilson, Cate Hartnett, Joseph Spinazzola

Participates appreciated the collaborative nature of the workshops and their close interaction with presenting faculty. Alongside the workshops, additional events included a wine and cheese reception with faculty and ice cream social. One participant shared, “The institute’s organization and intimate size encouraged meaningful interaction between faculty and participants. We could connect during sessions and in informal discussions afterward and foster a sense of collegiality.” A highlight of the event was the national affiliates luncheon attended by several CTTI affiliate members. The Complex Trauma Treatment Affiliates training program was launched in May 2020, and this event was a wonderful and rare opportunity for the affiliates to meet in-person. Faculty were also able to connect at a faculty dinner.