Somatic Trainings for Mental Health and Medical Professionals
Christine Donohue, MFT, SEP is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LPCCs, LEPs, and/or LCSWs. She maintains responsibility for trainings and their content. Courses that offer CE's meet qualifications for LMFTs, LPCCs, LEPs, and/or LCSWs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. CE certificates are emailed within 15 days post training. Provider #82389.
Mind, Body, Spirt: Conscious Embodiment
Come deepen your connection to your inner wisdom and true self during this three-part experiential class. Our time together weaves exercises to tune into your physical body, mind, and spirit in ways that offer you palpable, empowering, and exciting new discoveries. In our time together you:
- Learn five details about the wonders of your physical body’s capacity to heal
- Experience the dynamic nature of your aura and how to use your consciousness to cleanse chakras
- Tap into the level of intentionality within your energetic body and gain proficiency with aligning this to your highest service
- Reconnect to your essential self, that unique spark of aliveness that is YOU.
Dates: Drop-in classes for 2026 ~TBA
Time: 9:30 AM -1:00 PM EST
Location: Shamballa Healing Center, W. Falmouth
Cost: $70 per class. Invest in 2 classes for $135. Payment plans available by emailing: info@christinedonohue.com
Register: www.shamballahealingcenter.com/upcoming-event
Teaching method: Lecture, Experiential, Group Discussion
“Education is not the filling of a pot but the lighting of a fire.”
W.B. Yeats
Somatic Assessment I: Neo-Reichian Character Defense Structures (CDS)
During this training, you learn details of five main Character Defense Structures (CDS) and two subgroups. The content for each CDS includes the core wound, main issue, typical physical musculature, how the energetic field shifts to cope, modeling of physical/energetic expression, and therapeutic interventions to provide a reparative experience. Case studies are shared and time for question and answer is provided. Participants use worksheets to work alone or in dyads to identify aspects of your Character Defense Structures.
By the end of our time together, you are able to:
- Assess 5 main Character Defense Structures (CDS) by core wound and main issue
- Describe the 2 CDS sub-types and how they are unique
- Describe defining body structure and how the energetic field typically shifts for each CDS
- Apply one therapeutic reflection for 2 CDS in order to establish rapport and create safety.
Date: May 16, 2026 OR June 20, 2026
Time: 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM PST NOTE: there is one 30-minute break during this training
Location: Zoom
Cost: $150. Associate cost: $75
CE’s: 5.5 CE. CEPA Provider #: 82389
Teaching method: PowerPoint, Case Study, Experiential, Group Discussion
This training will be recorded
For Associate payment and questions, email: info@christinedonohue.com
Testimonials:
- “I highly recommend this course. Christine is a dynamic presenter and provides opportunities for Q&A and breakouts – so the course stays engaging for the full four hours. The material was powerful and immediately applicable to my clinical work, as well as personal self reflection.” Seth A, MFT
- “It’s very interesting to consider Character Defense Structures through a clinical lens. Christine is an excellent, bright, effective, and compassionate teacher.” Nora W, MFT, SEP
- “The presentation and the material flowed smoothly, making it easy to follow and digest. I felt that the course improved my clinical understanding of character defenses, which will help me enhance my conceptualization of my clients. Christine is a warm and inviting instructor who has an innate ability to present complex material. She provided plenty of examples to relate the material to a clinical setting, helping enhance our understanding. I walked away with extra tools to utilize in sessions with my clients. Thanks, Christine!” Matt C, AMFT
- “Excellent & clear design of material and thorough presentation by Christine. I recommend this course for anyone seeking to increase their knowledge of somatic presentations.” Lisa D, MFT
Refund Policy: All refund requests will be honored if they are made within five business days prior to the course, less a $20 processing fee. For those who cancel less than 48 hours (during business days: M-F) there is a 50% refund. There is no refund for participants who ‘no show’ or for technical difficulties experienced on the student’s end. To cancel a training, even if it is a free offering, please email info@christinedonohue.com.
Grievance: shall be submitted by email to info@christinedonohue.com. An acknowledgment of receipt will be sent within 24 hours, M-F. The Program Administrator will review the grievance and respond back to the participant within 72 hours.
Creative Wound to Spontaneous Expression: Body as Portal
Come nourish yourself this summer, embody your spontaneous creative spark, and learn ways to support your clients to do the same. This training offers a theoretical conceptualization of the creative wound, an introduction to the R.A.D.I.A.T.E process, and your own experience of unleashing spontaneous creative expression.
By the end of our time together you are able to:
- Identify 3 aspects of the creative wound and how this links to shame
- Apply 3 interventions to assess and treat the impacts of the creative wound
- Utilize embodiment as a doorway for your client’s spontaneous expression
- Apply the R.A.D.I.A.T.E. process to facilitate a deepening of self-connection and access spontaneous authentic expression.
Date: August 8, 2026
Time: 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM PST NOTE: there is one 30-minute break during this training
Location: Zoom
Cost: $150. Associate cost: $75
CE’s: 5.5 CE. CEPA Provider #: 82389
This training will be recorded
Teaching method: PowerPoint, Experiential, Group Discussion
Materials: Please have writing, drawing, and/or painting materials & phone for voice memo’s.
For Associate payment and questions, email: info@christinedonohue.com
Refund Policy: All refund requests will be honored if they are made within five business days prior to the course, less a $20 processing fee. For those who cancel less than 48 hours (during business days: M-F) there is a 50% refund. There is no refund for participants who ‘no show’ or for technical difficulties experienced on the student’s end. To cancel a training, even if it is a free offering, please email info@christinedonohue.com.
Grievance: shall be submitted by email to info@christinedonohue.com. An acknowledgment of receipt will be sent within 24 hours, M-F. The Program Administrator will review the grievance and respond back to the participant within 72 hours.
Somatic Assessment II: CDS to Enhance Attunement
Prereq: Somatic Assessment I
This training offers clinical information of the five main Character Defense Structures (CDS) specific to the intersubjective field and clinicians “body as instrument” for attunement and interventions. Learn five energetic and verbally-based healing responses to facilitate co-regulation and harmonic resonance, enhance attunement, and increase client’s regulation of their autonomic nervous system.
By the end of our time together, you are able to:
- Describe 2 ways CDS’s impact interpersonal dynamics and 2 interventions to reduce reactivity of someone’s character defenses
- Deepen assessment skills for 2 clinical cases by identifying primary CDS and overlay CDS
- Apply understanding of transference and countertransference for 2 CDS-based clinical scenarios
- Become proficient with assessing and shifting your energetic field to attune to 3 CDS.
Date: August 22, 2026 OR September 12, 2026
Time: 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM PST. NOTE: there is one 30-minute break during this training
Location: Zoom
Cost: $150. Associate cost: $75
CE’s: 5.5 CE. CEPA Provider #: 82389
This training will be recorded
Teaching method: PowerPoint, Demonstration, Case Study, Experiential, Group Discussion
For Associate payment and questions, email: info@christinedonohue.com
Refund Policy: All refund requests will be honored if they are made within five business days prior to the course, less a $20 processing fee. For those who cancel less than 48 hours (during business days: M-F) there is a 50% refund. There is no refund for participants who ‘no show’ or for technical difficulties experienced on the student’s end. To cancel a training, even if it is a free offering, please email info@christinedonohue.com.
Grievance: shall be submitted by email to info@christinedonohue.com. An acknowledgment of receipt will be sent within 24 hours, M-F. The Program Administrator will review the grievance and respond back to the participant within 72 hours.
Somatic Assessment III: CDS-Based Clinical Approaches
Prereq: Somatic Assessment I & Somatic Assessment II
This training is an opportunity to take your clinical assessment of Neo-Reichian Character Defense Structures, & attunement, to the next level. Through multiple case presentations, dyad practice, and a longer focus on the energetics of CDS, you are able to:
- Learn 5 clarifying questions to ask clients in order to differentiate CDS
- Describe 3 differences in narrative, non-verbal communication, and energetics with 3 CDS
- Deepen case conceptualization by naming and validating primary & overlay CDS for 2 cases
- Gain proficiency with creating clinical trust & rapport while assessing CDS during 2 dyads.
Date: October 3, 2026
Time: 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM PST. NOTE: there is one 30-minute break during this training
Location: Zoom
Cost: $150. Associate cost: $75
CE’s: 5.5 CE. CEPA Provider #: 82389
This training will be recorded
Teaching method: PowerPoint, Demonstration, Case Study, Experiential, Group Discussion
For Associate payment and questions, email: info@christinedonohue.com
Refund Policy: All refund requests will be honored if they are made within five business days prior to the course, less a $20 processing fee. For those who cancel less than 48 hours (during business days: M-F) there is a 50% refund. There is no refund for participants who ‘no show’ or for technical difficulties experienced on the student’s end. To cancel a training, even if it is a free offering, please email info@christinedonohue.com.
Grievance: shall be submitted by email to info@christinedonohue.com. An acknowledgment of receipt will be sent within 24 hours, M-F. The Program Administrator will review the grievance and respond back to the participant within 72 hours.
Intro to Somatic Experiencing I
In our time together, you are introduced to Somatic Experiencing (SE) concepts and approaches to facilitate greater affect regulation. In-depth education of the Window of Tolerance, Dysregulation, Hyper/Hypoarousal, Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn, Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous System, and description of how the brain is impacted by trauma is offered. Learn how to apply SE concepts of “stuck-on”, “stuck-off” pendulation, and titration. Christine models three SE tools for affect regulation and offers a case study to describe how these tools support SE key concepts. Participants practice SE tools in dyads.
By the end of our time together you are able to:
- Define trauma using: dysregulation, hyper/hypoarousal, window of tolerance, polarization, stuck-on, and stuck-off
- Identify 3 physiological cues of fight/flight, freeze, and fawn
- Learn 2 SE tools to teach clients to use between sessions and gain proficiency through dyads
- Apply 2 SE interventions to support someone to shift out of an overwhelmed state.
Date: April 4, 2026
Time: 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM PST. NOTE: there is one 30-minute break during this training.
Location: Zoom
Cost: $150. Associate cost: $75
CE’s: 5.5, CE. CEPA Provider #: 82389
This training will be recorded
Teaching method: PowerPoint, Demo, Case Study, Dyad Practice Sessions, Group Discussion
For Associate payment and questions, email: info@christinedonohue.com
Testimonials:
- “As a new Associate Clinical Social Worker, I found this Somatic Experiencing training very accessible and grounding. The material was presented in a way that felt welcoming to beginners while still offering meaningful depth. I left with practical tools and a clearer understanding of how to support nervous system regulation in my clinical work. I would highly recommend this training to clinicians who are new to somatic approaches and looking for an entry point that is both thoughtful and applicable.” – Elisha M, MMT, ASW, MT-BC
Refund Policy: All refund requests will be honored if they are made within five business days prior to the course, less a $20 processing fee. For those who cancel less than 48 hours (during business days: M-F) there is a 50% refund. There is no refund for participants who ‘no show’ or for technical difficulties experienced on the student’s end. To cancel a training, even if it is a free offering, please email info@christinedonohue.com.
Grievance: shall be submitted by email to info@christinedonohue.com. An acknowledgment of receipt will be sent within 24 hours, M-F. The Program Administrator will review the grievance and respond back to the participant within 72 hours.
Intro to Somatic Experiencing II
Pre-req: Intro to SE I
During this training, you deepen your understanding of the neuroscience of how SE approaches impact the limbic and brainstem, over-coupling, under-coupling, coherency, and orientation. You acquire 3 additional somatic tools to facilitate clients to use for affect regulation and learn how to engage these tools in session. You are taught how to work with clients experiencing overwhelming states, the use of sound to enhance regulation of autonomic nervous system (ANS). Christine demonstrates how to blend these tools into a session with one participant. Practice somatic approaches sessions in dyads or triads.
By the end of our time together you are able to:
- Apply 3 new SE concepts (SIBAM, benevolent protector, over/under-coupling) to your caseload
- Describe benefits of using sound-based interventions and how this relates to the ANS
- Apply 2 SE interventions to address clients who go into “freeze” during sessions
- Gain proficiency with tracking clients’ ANS & combining 2 SE tools during practice dyads.
Date: April 18, 2026
Time: 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM PST. NOTE: there is one 30-minute break during this training
Location: Zoom
Cost: $150. Associate cost: $75
CE’s: 5.5, CE. CEPA Provider #: 82389
This training will be recorded
Teaching method: PowerPoint, Demo, Case Study, Dyad Practice Sessions, Group Discussion
For Associate payment and questions, email: info@christinedonohue.com
Refund Policy: All refund requests will be honored if they are made within five business days prior to the course, less a $20 processing fee. For those who cancel less than 48 hours (during business days: M-F) there is a 50% refund. There is no refund for participants who ‘no show’ or for technical difficulties experienced on the student’s end. To cancel a training, even if it is a free offering, please email info@christinedonohue.com.
Grievance: shall be submitted by email to info@christinedonohue.com. An acknowledgment of receipt will be sent within 24 hours, M-F. The Program Administrator will review the grievance and respond back to the participant within 72 hours.
Somatic Experiencing III: Clinical Approaches
Pre-req: Intro to SE I & II
This five and a half hour training supports you to incorporate SE and other somatic approaches into your clinical practice. Areas of focus are how to track involuntary muscle movements and facilitate completion of activation cycles, the importance of the vagus nerve and basics of Polyvagal Theory, and how to work with clients who have anger issues or buried anger. You have ample time to work with somatic approaches during practice sessions in dyads or triads. Christine demonstrates how to blend these tools into a full session with one participant. There are several opportunities for group discussion.
- Gain proficiency with tracking involuntary muscle movements and combining somatic tools to facilitate completion of activation cycles
- Apply 3 neurocscience concepts of the vagus nerve to your caseload
- Learn 2 somatic approaches to work with anger issues.
Date: May 2, 2026
Time: 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM PST. NOTE: there is one 30-minute break during this training.
Location: Zoom
Cost: $150. Associate cost: $75
CE’s: 5 .5 CE. CEPA Provider #: 82389
Teaching method: PowerPoint, Demo, Case Study, Dyad Practice Sessions, Group Discussion
This training will be recorded
For Associate payment and questions, email: info@christinedonohue.com
Refund Policy: All refund requests will be honored if they are made within five business days prior to the course, less a $20 processing fee. For those who cancel less than 48 hours (during business days: M-F) there is a 50% refund. There is no refund for participants who ‘no show’ or for technical difficulties experienced on the student’s end. To cancel a training, even if it is a free offering, please email info@christinedonohue.com.
Grievance: shall be submitted by email to info@christinedonohue.com. An acknowledgment of receipt will be sent within 24 hours, M-F. The Program Administrator will review the grievance and respond back to the participant within 72 ho
Somatic Experiencing Clinical Case Study
Pre-req: Somatic Experiencing I, II & III
These. two-hour classes provide you with an opportunity to apply your knowledge of:
Somatic Experiencing; neuroscience of the autonomic nervous system and the brain; and
specific interventions to case studies. One case-study will be explored each week from
participants clinical practices. Note, there is approximately one hour of preparation per class.
Dates: Friday: May 15, 2026, May 29, 2026, June 12, 2026
Time: 12;00 -1:55 PM PST
Location: On-line: Zoom
Cost: $300 for series or $105/class. Associates $185 for series or $65/class
CE’s: 2 CE per class. CEPA Provider #: 82389
Register: info@christinedonohue.com for Licensed and Associate payment information
Prerequisites: Somatic Experiencing I, II, & III
Teaching method: Case Study, Demo, Dyad Practice Sessions, Group Discussion
For more info: info@christinedonohue.com
Refund Policy: All refund requests will be honored if they are made within five business days prior to the course, less a $20
processing fee. For those who cancel less than 48 hours (during business days: M-F) there is a 50% refund. There is no
refund for participants who ‘no show’ or for technical difficulties experienced on the student’s end. To cancel a training, even if
it is a free offering, please email info@christinedonohue.com.
Grievance: shall be submitted by email to info@christinedonohue.com. An acknowledgment of receipt will be sent within
24 hours, M-F. The Program Administrator will review the grievance and respond back to the participant within 72 hours.