The Smoky Mountains Symposium on Relational Trauma was built around a simple idea:

The questions our clients bring into therapy rarely fit neatly into a single model, diagnosis, or intervention.

Clients arrive carrying betrayal, attachment wounds, abuse, grief, trauma, shame, moral injury, relationship struggles, and questions that don't always have easy answers.

This October, a group of experienced clinicians will gather at DreamMore Resort in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, to explore some of the most important conversations happening in trauma and relational therapy today.

Here's a glimpse of what you'll experience:

• How do we respond when the systems meant to protect survivors become part of the trauma?
Laura Reagan explores systemic betrayal and its impact on survivors' trust, safety, and recovery.

• How do we recognize coercive control before it escalates?
Jennifer Parker offers a practical framework for identifying coercive control and helping survivors reclaim their voice and agency.

• What role does disgust play in trauma recovery?
Rachael Britton examines one of the most overlooked emotions in trauma treatment and provides practical strategies for helping clients process shame, contamination, and self-disgust.

• How can therapists effectively address betrayal trauma in the earliest stages of treatment?
LaDonna Carey introduces the SAFE Blueprint™ and Psychological First Aid strategies for stabilization, assessment, and treatment planning after betrayal.

• Is forgiveness necessary for healing?
LaDonna Carey takes a fresh look at forgiveness through a trauma-informed lens, examining what research tells us about healing, autonomy, and recovery.

• How do we protect ourselves from the emotional toll of trauma work?
Jenny Hughes explores both vicarious trauma and vicarious resilience, helping clinicians build sustainable practices that support longevity in the field.

• Can trauma reprocessing become more tolerable for clients with complex trauma?
Thomas Zimmerman introduces Flash through the lens of Predictive Processing, offering a practical approach that many therapists can begin applying immediately.

• How can personality patterns deepen our clinical understanding?
Anjahni Davi demonstrates how the Enneagram can be used to understand attachment, emotional regulation, communication, and relationship dynamics in individuals and couples.

Along with continuing education, you'll find meaningful conversations, practical tools, new perspectives, and the opportunity to connect with colleagues who care deeply about the work we do.

Whether your focus is trauma treatment, couples work, betrayal recovery, attachment, abuse recovery, or resilience, there is something here for you.

Join us October 22-24, 2026, at DreamMore Resort in the Smoky Mountains.

Learn more and register:

Smoky Mountains Symposium on Relational Trauma

I hope you'll join us!