Transforming Trauma: Episode 201

“Just becoming an NARM therapist, with each step, there was a feeling of I’m trying to do something that then gave way to a feeling of I don’t have to try to do this anymore. I just am being this.” ~Stefanie Klein

How do you teach a trauma-informed model that emphasizes presence, authenticity, and curiosity? By creating a learning experience that invites therapists to embody these very qualities through their own journey of self-discovery, personal growth, and professional development.

On this episode of Transforming Trauma, host Emily Ruth welcomes Stefanie Klein, LCSW, and Lisa Gillispie, LPCC-S, faculty members of the Complex Trauma Training Center (CTTC). They share observations from their journeys as students to teachers of the NeuroAffective Relational Model® (NARM®), developed by Dr. Laurence Heller. Stefanie and Lisa also provide insights into the depth of knowledge and support available through CTTC’s professional development programs, including the NARM Therapist Trainings. Our conversation focuses on the life-changing experience of embodying this powerful modality.

“One of the things I love so much about the approach to mentorship and learning at CTTC is how much we’re coming from a place of not being experts,” says Stefanie. “We’re coming from a place of always being in a growing and learning process, even when we’re in teaching roles.”

Lisa agrees. Rather than assume the mantle of NARM expert with a perfect response queued up for every possible student inquiry, she embodies a way of relating that emphasizes collaboration, compassion, and curiosity for the unknown. “What’s it like to be with myself in this place of learning something new, having these different experiences, feeling incompetent at times, feeling the self-doubt, the pressure––all of my familiar strategies––and be in relationship with them?” she asks.

Both Lisa and Stefanie bring a profound understanding and professionalism to their teaching roles. Stefanie is a NARM® Master Therapist and Assistant Training Director at CTTC and has specialized in treating trauma and anxiety for 20 of her 30 years in private practice. Lisa is also a NARM® Master Therapist who has specialized in somatic and trauma-informed care for over two decades. The care they take to support students through their learning is unmistakable. The sincerity with which they admit to not always having “the” answer is refreshing––and feels especially important to support a process of discovery in clients.

CTTC provides an environment where practitioners not only learn NARM but are supported to progressively move into effortless embodiment of the model. It’s a process that requires skill and humility from teachers. “One of the things [students] often say is, I know how to explain it. I understand it, and I can psycho-educate till the end of time, but I don’t know how to translate that into being with my clients,” observes Stefanie. She and Lisa have traveled this same uncertain path. Now, as teachers, the pair support students as they learn to bring greater depthfulness and heartfulness to their clinical work.

“I’ve had so much more empathy for students as they’re practicing these skills,” Lisa says. “It is such a privilege to be on the journey with a student from day one, module one. It’s so meaningful to witness the ripple effects that it has, not just for someone’s clinical work, but then how that carries out into their personal lives and their communities.”

Stefanie echoes that sentiment. “We know that this is a big undertaking, taking a NARM training. We know that it’s challenging on a personal and professional level. I think we’re really in it to deliver something that is so high quality because we believe in what that can do in the world.”

Transforming Trauma is deeply grateful for the mentorship, care, and dedication Stefanie and Lisa bring to the CTTC learning community, and for the important role they play in supporting the next generation of NARM-trained therapists.

RECOMMENDED EPISODE

Healing Shame and Guilt using NARM® with Dr. Laurence Heller

Inside-Out Learning and the SPACE Inner Development Program with CTTC Faculty Brad Kammer, Stefanie Klein, and Marcia Black