Overview

Trauma and childhood attachment challenges often lead to emotional, cognitive, and somatic patterns that shape a person’s worldview.

As schema therapists, we have effective tools for addressing these cognitive and emotional patterns—but we may sometimes feel less confident in working with the somatic aspects of trauma, especially when parts are non-verbal or manifest as physical symptoms.

This workshop focuses on somatic mode work, exploring how to track and understand the body's somatic patterns, recognise animal defenses that evolve into extreme modes, and help clients experience the body as a resource for safety and healing.

Learning Outcomes

• Track body sensations, movements, and impulses across different modes
• Listen to the story your client’s body tells
• Develop a structured approach for working with somatic experiences
• Create safety within the body using somatic resourcing
• Co-regulate with somatic attunement in the therapeutic relationship
• Manage dissociation and support overwhelmed Child Modes
• Use somatic interventions to address anger, coping, and critic modes
• Enhance parenting skills for Child Modes through compassionate somatic work

Presenter(s)

Janis Briedis

About the presenter(s)

Janis Briedis is a Consultant Psychologist based in the UK and has worked in the National Health Service (NHS) and private practice for many years. He is an ISST accredited advanced level Schema Therapist, Supervisor and Trainer. He is a Level II trained Sensorimotor Psychotherapist. Janis is also a cognitive behavioural (CBT), EMDR, IFS, mindfulness and compassion-focussed therapist, and teaches regularly schema therapy, CBT, trauma-focussed approaches and mindfulness in a variety of NHS and academic settings. Janis has worked in primary care, drug and alcohol, LGBT services, community mental health teams and specialist psychology services and has a wide range of clinical experience working particularly with complex trauma, dissociation, personality disorders and relationship difficulties.

Notes

*Registration for this workshop includes a compulsory three-hour introductory online seminar with Janis, scheduled for Thursday 8 October, 6-9pm Melbourne time.

Website/s

https://www.psychology-training.com.au/all-workshops/body-focused-schema-therapy-workshop-with-janis-briedis-october20-2025-34lf2-7wty6-2y9en