APSATS TRAINING JUNE 26- JUNE 29, 2013 DALLAS, TEXAS
I caught up with Dr. Barbara Steffens and Richard Blankenship (another APSATS Board member & sex addiction therapist in GA) after the completion of the first-ever training to certify clinicians in the new partner-sensitive trauma treatment model. We were exhilarated and spent, having come through a four-day training so intense there wasn't even enough time for breaks. At night, we "processed" with our fellow trainees and stuffed ourselves on delicious Tex-Mex food in the 100-degree + heat of the Dallas summer.
I couldn't help but often feel emotionally overwhelmed during and especially after our training: there was grief at all that had been lost to those of us who had Discovery in the pre-trauma-model days. Grief not just for our own selves and our own relationships lost, but for those of many of our clients.
I listened to one of the therapists in attendance express remorse that they hadn't known this model before and how they wish they could turn back the hands of the clock and apply this new knowledge to clients long gone by now. More than once, tears were rolling down my cheeks hearing so much honesty being shared in the room.
I was also surprised at how many treatment providers in attendance were (or still are) POSAs themselves. How healing it was to be able to share our hearts and minds with each other during the pockets of downtime in the training.
Hanging in the air, mingling with some grief were also huge feelings of relief that an end to unjust treatment was in sight, and also plenty of pure excitement at the implications for big changes now that the new APSATS certification had been launched and the training had sold out. Many of us hardly slept a wink at night, we were so excited and moved at what was happening here.
I felt incredibly honored to participate in this historical training event and am excited to bring this work to the pages of PoSARC as well as to the clients I work with privately. Sharing resources with the other treatment providers at the training yielded a treasure trove of rich and diverse tools for all of us to tap into and use.
What an incredibly exciting day for POSAs!
That one woman had the courage to exact her vision of a fairer world for partners devastated by discovering sex addiction in their primary relationships, and stand in front of a room full of doctors and therapists to train them in a model that would ensure trauma-informed and empathetic treatment for partners....well, it just inspires me more than I can even begin to say.
Dr. Steffens is a living example of what it means to Be the change you wish to see in the world. (Gandhi)
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