THURSDAY – JULY 30, 2026

Transforming Suffering Into Wisdom

A Chan-Informed Perspective for Therapeutic Practice
Shi Heng Yi
July 30, 2026 – 9:00am – 10:00am

Suffering is not an error in the human system – it is an inherent part of conscious life. From a Chan Buddhist perspective, suffering arises not merely from pain itself, but from our resistance, identification, and unconscious attachment to experience. The transformation of suffering into wisdom does not occur through suppression, avoidance, or premature cognitive reframing, but through direct, embodied awareness.

This keynote explores how therapists can facilitate a shift from reactivity to insight – from fragmentation to integration. Drawing on Chan principles such as radical presence, non-attachment, and clarity of mind, the talk bridges contemplative traditions with modern psychotherapy and trauma-informed care. Rather than pathologizing pain, this approach reframes it as a potential gateway to wisdom – not romanticizing trauma, but recognizing that within every contraction lies the possibility of expansion.

For therapists, this perspective invites a shift in stance: from fixing to witnessing, from controlling to clarifying, from symptom reduction to transformation. In doing so, the therapeutic space becomes not only a site of healing, but a field of awakening.

Traumatic Grief

Releasing Pain and Finding Meaning
David Kessler
July 30, 2026 – 10:30am – 11:45am

Grief is inherently relational, shaping our connections with others. This session, led by grief expert David Kessler, explores how traumatic grief impacts individuals’ ability to navigate relationships, reframe their identities, and rebuild a sense of purpose after loss.

While the five stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance—are widely recognized, Kessler introduces a sixth stage: finding meaning. He also discusses the limitations of the stage model and utilizes other models as well.  These concepts serve as a transformative tool in addressing the complex emotional and relational impacts of grief. Drawing from powerful case examples as well as his own traumatic losses, Kessler will explore how grief can either create emotional distance or foster closer connections among individuals. He will offer practical strategies for helping clients navigate all kinds of grief and loss

Advanced Applications and Interventions in Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

Elliott Connie, M.A., LPC
July 30, 2026 – 1:45pm – 2:30pm

This advanced-level workshop is designed to deepen the theoretical understanding and clinical application of solution focused brief therapy (SFBT) for mental health practitioners. Emphasis will be placed on advanced clinical decision-making, therapist responsiveness, and utilizing Solution-Focused principles while working with complex clinical presentations.

Participants will engage in systematic analysis of recorded clinical sessions to examine the therapist’s use of language, sequencing of questions, and moment-to-moment responsiveness within the Diamond framework. The workshop will explore advanced methods for eliciting client-defined outcomes, co-constructing richly detailed descriptions of transformation, and facilitating session closures that strengthen client autonomy and self-efficacy.

Through structured discussion, guided observation, and supervised skills practice, participants will refine their ability to apply the Diamond Approach with increased precision, intentionality, and clinical confidence. Special attention will be given to adapting the model for clients presenting with ambivalence, difficulty articulating goals, or complex psychosocial histories.

Addressing Eating Disorders In Your Practice

Evolving Clinical and Research Perspectives on the Etiology and Treatment of Eating Disorders
Timothy D. Brewerton, M.D., DLFAPA, FAED, DFAACAP, CEDS-C
July 30, 2026 – 3:00pm – 4:15pm

Eating disorders (EDs) are commonly occurring conditions, and clinicians are very likely to encounter them in the context of evaluating and treating other problems. There is no single etiology or basis for any of the eating disorders (EDs), but similar to other mental disorders, they result from the dynamic interplay between biological, psychological and social factors that operate along a developmental continuum. Several advances made over the last several years will be reviewed that have enhanced our understanding and treatment of EDs, including the illumination of genetic, epigenetic, neuroendocrine, and neurobiological underpinnings. Predisposing factors linked to anxiety, mood dysregulation, impulsivity, harm avoidance, obsessive-compulsiveness and drive for thinness are exposed, triggered and/or exacerbated by behaviors geared toward weight loss. Among a host of psychosocial factors, traumatic experiences often play important roles in predisposing, precipitating and perpetuating disorders, especially when there is psychiatric comorbidity. This presentation will also provide an overview of evidence-based assessment and treatment approaches.

FRIDAY – July 31, 2026

Beyond One Model

Integrative Tools and Techniques for Trauma Treatment
Frank Anderson, M.D.
July 31, 2026 – 8:45am – 10:00am

Trauma treatment is rarely a straight path—and experienced clinicians know that what helps in one moment may fall flat in the next. In this keynote, Dr. Frank Anderson offers a coherent, “beyond one model” framework for working with complex trauma presentations using flexible, moment-to-moment clinical decision-making. Grounded in a non-pathologizing stance, he will illustrate how symptoms and survival strategies can be understood as organized responses shaped by nervous system adaptation, attachment history, and protective internal dynamics. Participants will strengthen their ability to assess what a client’s system is communicating in real time—without forcing a linear narrative or overcommitting to a single methodology.

Building from this integrative foundation, Dr. Anderson will demonstrate how to track shifts in arousal, dissociation, and relational engagement, then select interventions that match the client’s capacity and clinical priorities in that moment. Drawing from parts-informed principles, polyvagal awareness, somatic/embodiment tools, and attachment-focused strategies, he will highlight practical ways to work with extreme reactions, reactivity, shutdown, and destabilizing patterns while maintaining therapeutic presence and alliance. Participants will leave with a clearer map for sequencing interventions—stabilization, processing, and integration—and a set of concrete techniques to support stability, deepen connection, and create conditions for durable, meaningful change.

Come Closer!

Childhood Wounds, Adult Love, and the Secrets of Intimacy
Dr. Galit Atlas
July 31, 2026 – 10:00am – 11:15am

In this groundbreaking work, renowned psychoanalyst Dr. Galit Atlas provides an honest and nuanced understanding of how our childhood wounds shape our adult intimate relationships and how our earliest attachments form the love we develop later in life. Atlas explores six distinct prototypes of childhood wounds— the frightened child, who is ambivalent about closeness; the melancholic child, who is anxious about separations and transitions; the ashamed child, who believes something is wrong with who she is; the invisible child, who learned to hide; the guilty child, who worries about hurting the people she loves; and the chosen child, who feels responsible for others’ emotional well-being. By identifying these wounds within ourselves, we gain the ability to break old patterns, make different choices, and become known to ourselves and to others.

The Diamond Approach: Clarity, Courage, and the Power of What’s Possible

Elliott Connie, M.A., LPC
July 31, 2026 – 1:00pm – 2:45pm

This session invites participants into the spirit of the Diamond Approach within Solution-Focused Brief Therapy—not as a set of techniques, but as a way of seeing, listening, and responding with intention.

Through story, reflection, and real-world examples, the presentation explores how clarity emerges when we stay anchored in what people want rather than what is wrong, and how meaningful change unfolds when we trust the wisdom already present in those we serve. The Diamond Approach offers a simple yet powerful structure for navigating complexity, uncertainty, and emotionally charged moments—while keeping conversations grounded in hope, agency, and forward movement.

Designed for a mixed audience of clinicians, leaders, and helping professionals, this talk reconnects participants with the purpose behind their work: creating space for people to rediscover their strengths, articulate their vision, and take the next meaningful step toward the life they want.

Participants will leave feeling inspired, grounded, and reminded that small, intentional shifts in conversation can open the door to extraordinary change.

Losing A Loved One To Suicide

An Interview and Conversation
Tessa Spencer and Matthew Dorman, M.A., LPC
July 31, 2026 – 3:00pm – 4:00pm

Workshop summary coming soon.