Overview

Within psychology, the body and even emotion, has sometimes been sidelined with a focus on the thinking mind, in line with current cultural values. However, when used in isolation, this approach can result in the shoring up of old, previously necessary, but ultimately limiting, avoidance mechanisms, so that authentic change does not occur. This can also lead to ‘stuckness’ in therapy and burn out in professionals who experience the limits of the traditional paradigm, when faced with clients who may have addressed a symptom and come to ‘understand’ why they feel and behave the ways they do, but still can’t seem to change how they feel and what they do.

Developments within the field of trauma therapy and research have begun to place, front and centre, the body, including our nervous system and our emotions, both as a container of trauma, and as a means to heal and re-connect with our ‘true selves’, our truth, our values, and our uniqueness.

Through learning to mindfully tune into the body, and to be with, with compassion, what is held, deeper and more profound healing and growth can occur within our clients and ourselves. Integrating these approaches can allow both ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ processing, encompassing thoughts, beliefs, emotions, implicit memories and the ‘felt sense’, and offering a truly integrative and holistic approach.

Participants will learn how to integrate somatic awareness practices into their usual evidence-based clinical practice, tapping into what is held in the body; trauma, emotion, deep wisdom, and the ability to heal and rediscover wholeness.

Target audience

Psychologists, Therapists, Counsellors, and anyone working with people in a healing or caring capacity. 

Level of learning

Foundational. This activity is targeted both to those new to the topic of somatic work and those with some experience seeking to deepen their knowledge.

APS CPD-Approved

This activity has been assessed against the APS Standards for CPD activities and approved for its education quality. Learn more about the APS CPD Approval process.

Location 

The University of Queensland, 308 Queen Street, Brisbane 4000, QLD

Date

This 3-day workshop will be held from Wednesday 23 July - Friday 25 July 2025, at 9am-5pm AEST on all three days. Refer to provider website for further details.

APS member discount

• APS members: Use code APS-L1 for $50 off

• APS student members: Use code STUDENT-L1 for $100 off

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

• recognise the impact of trauma on their minds, psyche and bodies,

• interpret current psychological approaches (e.g. ACT, IFS and Attachment Theory) through a somatic lens,

• implement techniques from Sensory Motor, Somatic Experiencing, Internal IFS, iRest and others, to address their client’s body-mind, 

• distinguish, through experiential methods, the difference between ‘being with, with compassion’ and ‘fixing’.

• identify work-related beliefs and attitudes that protect against burn-out, and

• utilise somatic exercises to develop a more compassionate relationship with their own bodies.

Presenter(s)

Dr Kirstie Missenden

About the presenter(s)

A Clinical Psychologist with over 25 years of post-qualification experience of working with adults in a variety of settings.
Dr Missenden qualifying through the University of East London in the UK, has worked in Community Mental Health teams, on an acute care ward, outpatient psychology services, a primary care psychology service, women’s health service and a trauma clinic, within the National Health Service, before moving to Australia in 2006 and establishing a private practice.
Co-founder and Co-Director of South Sydney Psychology and Trauma-recovery Service since 2018, she works with 10 other practitioners to provide services under Medicare, PSS and Victim Services, to people in our local community in the Sutherland Shire.
Kirstie's post-qualification training includes Cognitive Analytic Therapy practitioner and supervisor training, EMDR, ACT, and Mind Body therapies training (including Internal Family Systems and Sensory Motor Psychotherapy).

Website/s

https://www.drkirstiemissenden.com.au/