Special Topics (Somatic Therapy)

Presenter: Dr Werner Sattmann-Frese

This unit provides students with a working knowledge and skills of a range of recognised and effective body-focused psychotherapy modalities that they can use to deepen the counselling and therapy process and facilitate lasting change. It is recognised that therapeutic modalities that include the body in the healing process significantly reduce chronic stress and emotional armouring patterns resulting  from traumatic  childhood experiences. Clients engaging in body-focused counselling and therapy frequently usually report a high level of health and wellness and healthy identification with their body and its expressions.

 
Depending on the COVID-19 situation at the time, the skills taught to students may include simple touch modalities such holding a client’s head or feet, modalities that are ethically safe and highly effective in enabling traumatised clients to reclaim a positive sense of embodiment. Alternatively, body-focused modalities that do not involve touch between the lecturer and students will be taught and practised.
 
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this elective students should be able to:
* Demonstrate a working knowledge of the history, basic concepts, and practices of body-psychotherapy.
* Demonstrate understanding of the principles underpinning somatic awareness and their applications in counselling and psychotherapy.
* Apply a range of active body-psychotherapy and mindfulness techniques within the context of a psychodynamic approach to counselling and psychotherapy.
* Discuss core principles of relational body psychotherapy to their work with clients.
* Successfully apply a small range of somatic education techniques to their work with clients.
* Demonstrate understanding of psychosomatic principles and use effective practical skills.
* Demonstrate understanding of the ethical ramifications involved in using a body-focused approach to counselling and psychotherapy.

About the presenter: 

Dr Werner Sattmann-Frese, PhD (Social Ecology)

To register for the event, please see here. 

This event counts as 7 hours of category A CPD for PACFA’s membership renewal requirements.