Holding Space, Holding Self: Polyvagal Approaches to Trauma Recovery and Prevention of Vicarious Trauma

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Description: Working with trauma survivors requires clinicians to be attuned not only to their clients’ nervous systems but also to their own. This workshop introduces a polyvagal-informed framework for supporting trauma recovery while simultaneously protecting counselors from the effects of vicarious trauma. Participants will learn how to integrate nervous-system-based strategies that enhance client safety and regulation, including grounding, breathwork, and the therapeutic use of voice and presence. Equally, the workshop emphasizes counselor self-regulation as an essential tool for preventing vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue. Through lecture and experiential practices, attendees will develop a dual toolkit: one for stabilizing and expanding client regulation, and another for monitoring and shifting their own autonomic states during and after sessions. By strengthening both sides of the therapeutic relationship, clinicians will leave with concrete practices that promote client healing and sustain professional resilience.

CE Broker Tracking #: 20-1346786

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify three principles of polyvagal theory that inform trauma counseling.
2. Demonstrate at least two polyvagal-informed interventions for supporting client regulation and recovery.
3. Apply at least two self-regulation practices to mitigate vicarious trauma and strengthen counselor resilience.

About the Presenter:

Rebecca Nelson, PhD, LMHC-QSm LPC is the owner and clinical director of Rebecca Nelson Psychotherapy, LLC. Dr. Nelson specializes in trauma-focused psychotherapy, integrating evidence-based and somatic approaches including EMDR, Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and polyvagal-informed interventions. She is a certified provider of multiple trauma-focused treatments and has advanced training in counselor supervision and leadership. Dr. Nelson's clinical work spans private practice, high-profile treatment centers, and multidisciplinary healthcare teams, where she has supported adolescents, adults, and families navigating complex trauma, PTSD, and co-occurring conditions. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Nelson is a published author and presenter, with recent conference sessions on polyvagal-informed counseling and counselor education assessment and pedagogy. Her research examines trauma outcomes, counselor self-regulation, and the therapeutic relationship, bridging science and practice in meaningful ways. Drawing on both clinical expertise and scholarly inquiry, she equips counselors with practical tools to foster client recovery while preventing vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout, to ensure resilience for both clients and clinicians.

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