What We‘re Missing in Trauma Treatment

Why Good Therapy Fails: What We Are Missing in Trauma Treatment (1.5HR)

$27.00

Course Description

Traditional trauma training misses the mark. Some lessons can only be learned through experience. It doesn’t prepare you for the clients who stall out, repeat painful patterns, or “complete” treatment but never actually heal. This session is for providers ready to go beyond TF-CBT and EMDR—and into the deeper blocks that keep people stuck. We’ll dig into what happens when cognitive tools fall flat, and why nervous systems stuck in survival mode can’t think their way out. You’ll learn how trauma imprints the body, drives self-sabotage, and creates a pull toward chaos that feels safer than calm. We’ll unpack the beliefs, patterns, and subconscious loops that therapy often misses—and why just removing someone from trauma isn’t enough. Because we don’t see thoughts—we see “stuckness”; and, without decoding what’s underneath, we can’t truly help people break free.

Walk away with sharper insight and somatic tools to help clients finally get unstuck—and stay unstuck.

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

Identify key reasons why clients disengage from trauma therapy, even when evidence-based protocols are applied correctly.
Apply body-based strategies to support trauma survivors who exhibit chronic self-sabotage, looping patterns, or resistance to healing
Integrate practical strategies to build deeper relational trust and safety in trauma-focused sessions.

Social workers completing this course receive 1.5 Clinical asynchronous continuing education credits.

For other board approvals, this course qualifies for 1.5 hours of Clinical continuing education training.

Course Instructor: Shelby Czarnick, LICSW, ADHD-CCSP

Recording Date: 12/02/2025

Course Format

NBCC ACEP # 7091, CE Training Workshops has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP #7091. Programs that do not qualify are clearly identified. CE Training Workshops is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. CE Training Workshops designates this continuing education activity for 3 continuing education hours.

CE Training Workshops, LLC, #1770, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/02/2025 to 08/02/2028. Social workers completing this course receive 3 Clinical continuing education credits.

Meet Your Facilitator

Shelby Czarnick, LICSW, ADHD-CCSP is a respected clinical social worker, certified ADHD professional, program developer, and visionary leader. As founder of Essential Life Tools LLC, she has transformed mental health and leadership development with innovative, results-driven strategies. In therapy, Shelby helps clients shift weaknesses into strengths in under ten minutes. Her approach fosters deep trust, allowing clients to process and heal from unspoken traumas—often in their first session. She additionally enjoys creating focus and love of differences within the neurodivergent population. Beyond therapy, she builds high-performing teams and programs. Within a month, she has successfully developed professional teams through strategic planning, self-care initiatives, and structured growth opportunities. Her ability to optimize environments for staff and clients, particularly neurodivergent individuals, has made a lasting impact across at least four behavioral health programs and an oncology navigation program. As an expert and parent, Shelby understands firsthand the complexities of raising and supporting individuals with diverse neurological needs. This insight fuels her next endeavor: creating a retreat clinic and center specifically designed for neurodivergent individuals. She envisions a world where “you can’t” is replaced with “you can,” ensuring all individuals thrive.

Syllabus

Introduction

This training explores why trauma therapy can stall even when evidence-based protocols are applied correctly. Participants will examine how trauma affects the nervous system, why clients disengage or self-sabotage, and how therapists can adjust their approach to restore safety, connection, and progress. The course integrates neuroscience, somatic principles, and practical strategies to help clinicians move beyond traditional methods and support deeper healing.

Objective 1: Identify Why Clients Disengage From Trauma Therapy

Participants will explore how trauma impacts the nervous system’s capacity for regulation and engagement, making therapeutic work neurologically challenging. The course will examine why insight alone cannot override body-level fear and protective patterns, and how relational ruptures, misattunement, and subtle cues of safety influence a client’s ability to stay in treatment.

Objective 2: Apply Body-Based Strategies for Stuck Patterns

This section introduces somatic and practical tools to support clients experiencing chronic self-sabotage, looping behaviors, or resistance to change. Participants will learn how to use movement, grounding, breath, sensory input, and OT-informed methods to support regulation before new skills are attempted. The “Stuck-to-Step Method: Do™” will be presented as a framework for rehearsing micro-skills between sessions.

Objective 3: Build Relational Trust and Safety in Sessions

Participants will learn strategies for prioritizing connection and regulation before cognitive interventions. The course will demonstrate how to visually map patterns of thoughts, feelings, sensations, and actions to locate accessible points of change. Emphasis will be placed on normalizing discomfort and helping clients understand why healthy change can feel unfamiliar and difficult.

Summary and Q&A

The course concludes with a review of key concepts and an opportunity for discussion about implementation, body-based interventions, and expanding beyond traditional trauma protocols. Participants will leave with concrete tools for in-session work, between-session support, and restoring momentum when therapy becomes stuck.