Presenter:
Patti van Eys, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist and consultant for van Eys Mental Health, trains at the local, regional, and national levels on the complexities of mental health, trauma and substance use. She has experience with underserved populations such as children living in foster care and persons experiencing incarceration. She has led organizations through cultural change regarding trauma informed and healing centered care. Dr. van Eys has 8 years of leadership experience in foster care and behavioral health corporations and 17 years of faculty experience in Psychology and Psychiatry at Vanderbilt University. Dr. van Eys comes from a place of deep commitment to her work, enhanced by transformation through lived experience with family members who have struggled with addiction.
About: This educational workshop delves into Complex Trauma, exploring how Historical/Generational Trauma and Developmental Trauma are not only passed down through generations but are also held in our bodies, sometimes even on a cellular level. Participants will learn how daily systemic and structural factors, such as racial discrimination, oppression and marginalization, can trigger trauma responses tied to deep-rooted, historical experiences. This session will also address the ongoing impact of these factors on communities, including within the context to foster care, the justice system, and social determinants of health. Practical strategies for identifying and healing body-held trauma, with an emphasis on anchoring techniques, will be shared.
Learning Objectives:
- Define Generational Trauma and Developmental Trauma.
- Analyze how trauma responses are encoded in the body and how contemporary systemic oppression, or racial discrimination can activate historical trauma.
- Identify techniques, such as Resma Menakem’s Five Steps to Anchor the Body, and additional resources for healing body-held trauma.
- Discuss how the foster care system and the justice system are influenced by the lingering effects of generational and developmental trauma.
- Reflect on personal and community-level social determinants of health and explore opportunities for systemic change.