Beyond Symptom Management: Rethinking Trauma Informed Care

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Description: This presentation invites mental health professionals to critically examine persistent challenges in trauma treatment, focusing on three key limitations: symptom-centered care, protocol-driven rigidity, and cultural or relational blind spots that can undermine client engagement. Many current interventions emphasize symptom suppression, unintentionally pathologizing natural human responses by treating pain and distress as problems to eliminate rather than as signals pointing to deeper, unintegrated experiences. Event-focused desensitization and one-size-fits-all protocols can overlook the complex, layered nature of memory and human adaptation. Additionally, positioning the clinician as the primary expert risks reinforcing bias, creating cultural disconnects, and limiting what clients feel safe to share. This session introduces a capacity-focused, integrative framework that supports clinicians in recognizing distress as meaningful signals rather than symptoms to suppress. These principles are formalized in Critical Memory Integration (CMI™) - an emerging, evidence-informed approach grounded in contemporary neuroscience, memory reconsolidation research, and somatic and emotion-focused therapies. CMI™ is designed to complement existing modalities, reduce the risk of bias and cultural mis-attunement, and foster deeper, more sustainable healing outcomes.

CE Broker Tracking #: 20-1346797

Learning Objectives:

About the Presenters:

Brian Livesay, PhD, is the Director of Research at ARISE Alliance Institute, where he co-leads the development and training of Critical Memory Integration (CMI™), a neuroscience-informed, experiential model designed to foster deep and sustainable healing. He earned his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Idaho State University and completed his clinical psychology internship at the Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System. He is also a practicing clinician at the Cheyenne VA Medical Center, providing services to Student Veterans across Northern Colorado and Southeastern Wyoming and contributing to VA internship and fellowship training programs. Dr. Livesay’s research and clinical interests focus on PTSD, moral injury, and the development of experiential therapies for stress and trauma-related conditions. He has contributed to the field through research on treatment effectiveness, diagnostic considerations, and the integration of innovative approaches for trauma care, sharing his work through publications, conference presentations, and professional training programs.

Estefana Johnson, LCSW, is the Director of Clinical Training for ARISE Alliance Institute, where she co-leads the development and implementation of Critical Memory Integration (CMI) - a neuroscience-informed, experiential model designed to promote deep, sustainable healing. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker and trauma therapist with over two decades of experience, she has worked across residential treatment, medical social work, clinical training, and community-based care, bringing a strong foundation in relational and culturally responsive practice. In addition to guiding clinician training and community workshops based on CMI principles, Estefana practices at Lighthouse Psychiatry and TMS, where she also serves as a Dosing Session Monitor for psychedelic-assisted therapy research trials. She further contributes as Clinical Director for ASA Now, a nonprofit supporting foster and adoptive families, and helps design programs that foster resilience and mental wellness in individuals, families, and organizations. Her expertise integrates neuroscience, memory reconsolidation, and experiential approaches to help clients reclaim agency and engage in meaningful, embodied healing.

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