Transforming Trauma: Episode 167

In this special Transforming Trauma series, we are exploring the “origin stories” of influential therapists. These episodes offer a rare opportunity to peek behind the curtain and understand what inspired these therapists to pursue healing work – and how they have brought their life experiences into their professional work, impacting and inspiring many people along the way. By learning from seasoned master therapists who openly share their professional journeys, as well as the painful personal life lessons along the way, we gain valuable insights to support our own growth, both professionally and personally.

On this episode of Transforming Trauma, host Emily Ruth welcomes back Marcia Black, a licensed psychologist, faculty member at the Complex Trauma Training Center (CTTC), and a trainer and master therapist in the Neuro Affective Relational Model® (NARM®). Marcia shares defining moments from her remarkable 40+ year career and reminiscences about the generous mentors who have shaped her professional life. The pair also explore the role that curiosity plays in forming meaningful relationships with clients, colleagues, and the broader professional community.

“This whole theme [of doing our “origin stories”] came out of our first SPACE class,” Marcia says, referencing CTTC’s inside-out, experiential learning program for therapists. “We actually posed the question to the students around their own origin story about becoming a therapist.” That inquiry speaks to Marcia’s genuine interest in others and desire to create community wherever she goes. It’s also become a vital component of the SPACE curriculum. “It was like this window opened up into their inner landscape,” she explains. “We all got to enjoy that and, from there, we’ve recognized how powerful it can be.”

Marcia’s inner landscape is vast––covering over four decades of intellectual growth and societal change––and still wildly fertile. “Growing up, I was really into Laura Ingles Wilder (author of the Little House on the Prairie series), wanting to know where things come from, wanting to have my hands in the dirt,” she says. Her hunger for experiential learning, coupled with having family members in the psychology field, informed her career choice. “My dad and aunt were both psychologists,” Marcia explains. “I don’t think I ever considered being anything other than a therapist.”

If curiosity formed the foundation of Marcia’s journey, then the relationships she’s fostered along the way has imparted necessary depth. “I just had wonderful teachers, mentors that have stayed a part of my life through all of these years,” she says, counting her colleagues at CTTC – Stefanie Klein and Brad Kammer – among her most influential ones. 

Marcia is also fond of and grateful for the children who have helped expand her skillset. “When I first started my education in psychology, I was very focused on working with kids and I think, in some ways, there’s no better learning for working with adults than working with children,” she insists. “When you’re working through play, you’re reading between the lines. What’s the narrative that they’re creating? They’re trying to tell you about their internal landscape through how they’re relating and how they wanna play things out with you and what parts they give you to play.” Consequently, Marcia has become finely attuned to the nonverbal cues of her own children and those employed by adult clients, the pauses in speech, body language, and less obvious dynamics that percolate beneath the surface of every interaction. 

The conversation comes full-circle to the practice and purpose of professional curiosity. “I think for a lot of us, we’re drawn to this work for our own healing, I have certainly been impacted by all the personal work,” acknowledges Marcia. “The SPACE program comes out of our belief that no matter what approach you’re using, if you’re doing it without taking a look at your own deep part in it, it’s gonna be less effective.” 

Transforming Trauma thanks Marcia for sharing her origin story with our community. We appreciate her invitation to curiosity and lifelong learning.

RECOMMENDED EPISODES

Stefanie Klein

Supporting Presence, Awareness, Connection, and Embodiment for Mental Health Professionals with Brad Kammer and Stefanie Klein of the Complex

Trauma Training Center

Creating SPACE for Self-Discovery and Community Support for Therapists

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Mesa Verde

Dibs In Search Of Self

Listening With The Third Ear

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood

Kaiser Permanente Vallejo

Hal Sampson, PhD

Peter A. Levine, PhD

Somatic Experiencing

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Stanford University – Department Of Psychology

California School of Professional Psychology

University Of Massachusetts – Department Of Psychology

George Bach, PhD

Milton H  Erickson, MD

James F. Masterson, MD

David Liu, MD

Gestalt Foundation

Family Systems Therapy

GUEST BIO & CONTACT

Complex Trauma Training Center

Marcia Black, PhD is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and CTTC Faculty member. Marcia has a passion for mentoring students and Training Assistants in NARM® Trainings and the SPACE Inner Development Program for Therapists. She enjoys nurturing the growth of the CTTC professional community who are committed to ongoing learning. Marcia is also a NARM Master Therapist and has been in private practice for over 40 years in San Francisco and the East Bay, specializing in treating complex and developmental trauma. Coming from a background in Attachment, Relational and Intersubjective approaches, as well as experience as a Somatic Experiencing practitioner and SE Assistant, Marcia’s mentorship is based in a relational approach that invites an exploration into the therapist’s inner experience and growth, alongside that of the client’s. Marcia is excited about supporting ongoing training, consultation, and mentorship in her role at CTTC.