Helping a complex trauma survivor resolve the multitude of issues that being abused or neglected during childhood is a daunting and complicated process. Tovah will address 3 myths/misconceptions about long term resolution of traumatic stress and dissociation, and how to keep finding true north with your clients when treatment is stuck, overly complex, or unresolved.

Objectives: 

Explore 3 treatment myths/misconceptions:

1. Are Somatic treatments sufficient or preferable to talk therapy? Can talk therapy resolve the somatic encoding of trauma in the body?

2. Does the trauma survivor need to share the details of traumatic events to find resolution?

3. CPTSD/DDNOS/DID – What is structural dissociation and how can we better define it? Rather than conceiving of individuals as multiple personalities or dissociative identities, we will talk about the nature of a dissociative mind/self developed in childhood that is more honoring of the uniqueness and brilliance of our clients.

About the speaker

Tovah Means, MS, LMFT is the founder and co-owner of a trauma specialty group practice, Watch Hill Therapy, located in downtown Chicago. She is uniquely trained to work with individuals who are recovering from childhood emotional, physical, sexual trauma, neglect, dissociative process, somatic issues, extreme trauma, and deep soul injuries. 

Tovah received her Masters of Marriage and Family Therapy from The Family Institute at Northwestern University in 2009. After graduating, she completed a 2 year fellowship at Womencare Counseling Center where she began developing her specialty in treating complex, developmental trauma and dissociation. Tovah speaks and teaches regularly about treating trauma through local universities, group practices, medical practices, and Watch Hill Therapy.

Tovah developed a passion for humanism and anthropology in college before becoming a therapist, which enabled her to experience many different cultures. She has lived in Ghana, West Africa and spent time in many other international countries with a wide diversity of economies, political leaders and uprisings, and traumatic experiences. Tovah diligently works to understand the effects of historical trauma, structural abuse, dissociation, and relevant cultural realities that impact survivors such as denial, racism, sexism, transphobia, and the discrimination against the expression of one’s true self by society. Finding and recovering the authentic self is at the core of Tovah’s clinical work and consultation.

Student discount and sliding scale available. Please contact us at chicagominds@gmail.com for details.

Workshop participants who opt to receive CE certification, please select the CEU option. This workshop fulfills requirement for 2.5 CE credits. CE sponsorship is approved by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), credits are applicable to LCSW and transferrable to LCPC in Illinois. If you have a different licensure or are licensed outside of Illinois, please check with your licensure body before purchasing. 

Please note that we require your live attendance in order to issue CE certificates. If you are unable to attend live, please let us know at least 24 hours before the event.