HEART Model: Healing Emotional Affective Responses to Trauma-a Faith-Based Model in Healing of Complex Trauma

Description: The heart, in Jewish tradition, incorporates the wholeness of the self, all that it is; the heart is the seat of emotion, love, and transcendence. The HEART Model is an inner healing process, a journey to the depth of one’s heart, or the depth of one’s wholeness, to experience change. When one’s wholeness is compromised, by trauma of any sort, one discovers that there are pieces and parts that are incomplete. Unexpressed hurts and weaknesses have a tendency to distort functioning. Consequently, these weaknesses predispose a person not to reach life’spotential. In this Model’s framework, inner healing and God are the reconnecting links that restore wholeness and proper functioning. The HEART Model outlines a step-by-step process, based on the standard three-phase model of treatment, that utilizes creative visualization and incorporates guided prayer to allow the individual to clearly see and recreate, and then reprocess, the experience of the submerged memory. It offers a systematic methodology, stemming from a Judeo-Christian worldview, to work with those who have experienced traumas, hurts, and who have difficult or painful memories of the past. Its approach can encompass the backgrounds and experiences even of those who have been trafficked for sexual exploitation. This model is consistent with current standards of care for trauma work and offers a fresh approach to incorporating spiritual issues into the treatment process. The standards that this model follows are those set out by the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD) for the treatment of sexually traumatized and dissociative clients. It has been said that time heals all wounds. However, in a case when emotion and memory have not been sufficiently addressed, the remaining feelings are often repressed or compensated for, in ways that will allow the person to cope or manage with the problem situation. For instance, in the area of childhood sexual abuse, a child may learn to dissociate or disconnect from the actual feelings associated with the sexual violation in order to cope with a traumatic situation. This, over time, can and will cause significant cognitive distortion(s) in this child’s perception of relationships. The mind acts as a protective defense mechanism not only insignificant trauma situations, but also in times of hurt, shame, and humiliation. Defense mechanisms and coping strategies provide a way of protecting the self from difficult emotions. The HEART Model is a step-by-step process of reaching the depth of emotional experiences, resolving and restructuring cognitive distortions, and reframing affective responses. It is also a way of reframing those same emotional processes as they relate to a personal relationship with God or from a secular framework, God as one understands Him/Her to be. The HEART Model can be used in many traumatic situations. It is an intervention approach for recovery; it is used by clinicians to correct the cognitive distortions, and distortions of the image of God, with their clients and to fully Heal from trauma.

CE Broker Tracking #:  20-1038052

This event is sponsored by FMHCA, an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider. FMHCA NBCC Provider# 2058. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  FMHCA is solely responsible for all aspects of the program. This course is approved by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling, LMHC, LMFT, LCSW – FMHCA CE Broker #: 50-748.

Obtain a certification in the HEART Model

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. To understand the direct applications of a Spiritual Trauma model and to extrapolate to mental disorders outside the trauma / dissociative continuum.
2. Participates will learn to synthesize Spiritual Integration with psychological practices and techniques and be able to demonstrate and utilize the skill with their clients the next day.
3. Participants will be able to utilize the concepts of personal internal forgiveness and be able to demonstrate the Gestalt process of chair-work to resolve client's dissonance in a therapeutic session.
4. Participants will be able to learn and apply the 10 steps or stages of the HEART Model when working with clients who have experienced some type of trauma and to guide their clients toward resolving underlying cognitive and spiritual distortions that hamper their ability to thrive emotionally.

About the Presenter:

Dr Benjamin Keyes’ specialties include dissociative disorders, domestic violence, child abuse, addictions, and mood and anxiety disorders. Dr. Keyes received his Doctorate in Rehabilitation Counseling in 1985 from International College and his most recent in Counseling Psychology from the University of Sarasota in 2003. He also has Doctoral Degrees in Theology, Divinity and Ministry. Over the years Dr. Keyes has worked extensively with hospitalization programs, private practice, and has established himself as one of the leading program innovators for partial hospitalization programs. Dr Keyes has been in Private Practice for over thirty-seven years and has been a researcher in the area of Trauma and Dissociation for the last 24 years. Dr Keyes and his colleagues have received the Richard A. Kluft Research Award for work and research in the People’s Republic of China from the Journal of Trauma and Dissociation and the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation. His work dispelled the Cultural Model of Dissociation and has resulted in Dissociative Disorders being treated throughout mental health facilities in China. Dr Keyes has also received The Hope Award from Restoration Ministries for his work in establishing a trauma model for working with Trafficked Survivors and severe trauma. Over the last seven years, Dr. Keyes has been a Professor and Director for the Center for Trauma and Resiliency Studies at Divine Mercy University in Sterling, Virginia. As head of the Center for Trauma and Resiliency Studies, Dr Keyes supervised the developing and training of graduate students in First Response and Chronic Trauma. Dr Keyes also serves the University as a Professor in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. The Center’s Trauma Team will deploy all over the world to work with traumatic events.

The Trauma Team plans to deploy to Developing Nations over the next few years to teach and work with trauma survivors; the Team also plans to train and do research with the HEART(Healing Emotional/Affective Responses to Trauma) Model (Keyes, 2009,2010,2011) in treating trauma from a Faith-Based Model. The HEART Model has just wrapped a 7-year study, researched for efficacy in Shelter Programs throughout the United States. The programs associated with Hope for Justice are aimed at survivors of Human Trafficking. Dr Keyes is also the Executive Director of The Green Cross Academy of Traumatology which trains professionals and paraprofessionals in all aspects of Trauma and Trauma care of others, which leads to Certification in both Field and Clinical Traumatology. He is happily married to Kim and has two adult children Shawn and Jasmin, an Adopted son Garite, three beautiful granddaughters Violet, Amber, and Arella, and a Grandson, Xander...