“We come into the world wired to connect. With our first breath, we embark on a quest to feel safe in our bodies, in our environments, and in our relationships with others. The autonomic nervous system is our personal surveillance system, always on guard, asking the question “Is this safe?” Its goal is to protect us by sensing safety and risk, listening moment by moment to what is happening in and around our bodies and in the connections we have to others.” Deb Dana, 2018

Parent-Child Relationship Programs is pleased to bring Deb Dana, LCSW, to the Seattle area for a one-day workshop on the neurophysiological bases of safety and regulation. As clinical providers for children and adults it is essential to understand how those we serve experience threat and safety and how that impacts their behavior and actions.

This one-day workshop will introduce the audience to Polyvagal Theory, which is a framework, to help those of us working with parents and young children understand how threat is processed below the level of conscious awareness. Understanding how both adults and children respond to a sense of threat at a neurophysiological level, opens us to have greater compassion for those we serve as well as a deeper understanding of the need for safe-connected relationships.

Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:

1. Describe the organizing principles of Polyvagal Theory
2. Discuss the function of the vagal brake
3. Utilize an autonomic map to identify states of connection, mobilization, and disconnection
4. Summarize typical body responses, behaviors, and beliefs for each autonomic state
5. List commonplace autonomic cues of safety and danger
6. Apply strategies that utilize the co-regulating pathways of the Social Engagement System in clinical work
7. Explain how breath can be used to strengthen vagal flexibility

Continuing Education:
This workshop is available for 6.10 contact hours.

Refund Policy:
If you register for this event but are unable to attend, you may obtain a refund of the fee less $15.00 for handling. Requests must be made via email (pcrp@uw.edu) and received prior to June 18, 2019.

Sign In:  Sign in time starts at 8:15am