A one-day workshop with Dr Amber Gray and Conrad Aikin in Victoria, Australia
Many of us have ‘grown up’ (or are growing up) professionally in a language oriented therapeutic landscape. As essential as language is to human communication and understanding, our lives are lived in the field of our bodies, connected to a much wider world of interoceptive and unspoken wisdom. There are times when talk therapy on its own is not enough. This workshop will promote access to your bodily wisdom as a reference point for working with clients affected by trauma, and will offer specific practices to incorporate into your work.
Friday 7 March, 2025 – 9:30 am – 4:30 pm AEDT
Register Here
Venue:
The Salon
Abbotsford Convent
1 St Heliers St, Abbotsford,
Victoria, Australia
Cost:
$320 AUD
What you will learn:
- Apply Polyvagal Theory to communication and the therapeutic relationship
- Develop a sense of ease in using somatic approaches to psychotherapy
- Cultivate somatic curiosity: heighten your sensitivity to what is happening in your own body and your clients’ bodies
- Regulation: working with movement and stillness, rather than chaos and shutdown
- Understand and work with co-regulation to support your client toward wellness
In this workshop there will be information and concepts, experiential processes and opportunities for reflection. You will benefit from having two highly experienced and engaging teachers
Who is this workshop for?
- Those who have sufficient professional experience to enable reflection on process and outcomes
- And an introductory or greater knowledge of Poly Vagal Theory
What else you need to know:
- There are a range of food options at Abbotsford Convent, or feel free to bring your own.
- Please wear comfortable clothing suitable for gentle movement.
- Please bring a notepad and pen.
Register Here
Who is Amber Gray?
Dr. Amber Elizabeth Lynn Gray is an award winning dance movement therapist, human rights psychotherapist, yoga instructor and Continuum teacher. She has worked for 28 years with survivors of human rights abuses, war, torture, oppression, collective and historical trauma globally. Equally artist, advocate, author, educator, mystic and therapist, she, her clients and mentor co-created Survivor- & Spirit-centered, Polyvagal-informed approaches to Somatic & Dance/Movement Therapy for trauma that are holistic and emergent. A lover of all things wild, Amber regularly facilitates eco-somatic-dance retreats for survivors and caregivers. She consults to organizations world-wide on staff care programming, and is a fierce advocate for self-care, self-compassion and self-respect.
Who is Conrad Aikin?
Conrad has more than three decades of experience as a psychologist and counsellor. Conrad’s work is founded on basic principles of human rights and social justice. He worked at the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture for 18 years, initially as a counsellor advocate assisting survivors of torture and trauma, and subsequently in roles focused on case supervision and professional development. As the Principal Practice Leader at Sacred Heart Mission, Conrad was responsible for the support and development of people in all supervisory and management roles within Client Services.
Conrad has a consultancy practice in Melbourne that focuses on supporting professionals who respond to people who have experienced psychological trauma. His professional development of people who work with survivors of severe and complex trauma supports them to understand and manage the emotional effects of that work. Conrad is highly skilled in the design and delivery of professional development programs, facilitation, leading reflective practice, Psychological First Aid, debriefing, supervision, and leadership coaching.