Smoky Mountains Symposium
on
Relational Trauma
When the Work Gets Complex, Your Training Should Match
For therapists who want depth, refined clinical skills, and tools they can use immediately
What Training Attendees Are Saying
“What a presenter! She is engaging, knowledgeable and witty. I loved her sharing real experiences and giving tools and tips on how to approach couples work. Loved all the book recommendation and openness to discussion.”
“I nearly skipped this session because I am not a couples counselor, but I am SO GLAD I didn't. LaDonna was engaging, entertaining, and so knowledgeable. I learned a lot about Critical Discourse Analysis, which I believe can be applied very well as a therapist specializing in BPD. Accountability is difficult for many of my clients and LaDonna provided some great tools in finding the verbiage to challenge clients on owning their own impulsive behaviors. I would listen to LaDonna train on ANYTHING.”
Check out all of our speakers below!
“The information was relevant, helpful, insightful, and nuanced in a way that is difficult to achieve in a 2hr timeframe- I appreciate the content and the presentation!”
“I enjoyed the presenter's energy and presentation contents.”
Join us for three days of continuing education integrating evidence-based approaches with real-world clinical application in betrayal trauma, CPTSD, intimate partner violence, and complex relational work.
In-Person
Joint Accreditation
In support of improving patient care, CE Learning Systems is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
American Psychological Association
Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.
National Board for Certified Counselors
CE Learning Systems has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5951. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CE Learning Systems is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Make An Impact is a service division of CE Learning Systems.
New York Education Department's State Board for Social Work
CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #0060.
New York Education Department for Licensed Mental Health Counselors
CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0072.
New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology
CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #PSY-0016.
New York Education Department's State Board for Marriage and Family Therapy
CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Marriage and Family Therapy as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MFT-0045.
ASWB IN PROCESS
Questions? Email LaDonna contact@ladonnacarey.com
Meet Your Speakers
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LaDonna Carey, MA Safety First and Forget Forgiveness?
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Jenny Hughes, PhD Vicarious Resilience: Sustaining the Therapist in Trauma Work
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Thomas Zimmerman, LPCC Predictive Processing Flash
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Laura Reagan, LCSW-C Systemic Betrayal of Trauma Clients
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Anjahni Davi, LMFT Type Talk: Introduction to the Enneagram
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Rachael Britton, PsyD Unmasking Disgust: Navigating Trapped Emotions in Trauma Therapy
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Jennifer Parker, MSSW Healing from Coercive Control
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Rhonda Noordyk Event Manager
Presentations October 21
LaDonna Carey, MA
1 hour Ethics
Safety First
This training focuses on the initial phase of treatment, emphasizing structured approaches to assessment, stabilization, and ethical decision-making. Participants will apply the SAFE Blueprint™ framework alongside Psychological First Aid (PFA) principles to guide early intervention, support emotional regulation, and determine readiness for relational work.
Participants will leave with practical strategies for supporting clients in the immediate aftermath of betrayal, including safety-oriented intake practices, stabilization techniques, and clear frameworks for navigating complex relational dynamics.
Learn More about LaDonna
Jenny Hughes, PhD
2.5 hours Ethics
This continuing education program is designed for healthcare providers (e.g. mental health professionals, medical professionals, paraprofessionals, educators, etc.) seeking to deepen their understanding of vicarious trauma and vicarious resilience through an evidence-based lens. Participants will explore research-backed practices for recognizing the effects of trauma work on themselves and their clients/patients, with an emphasis on identifying signs of vicarious trauma along with indicators of vicarious resilience. This training gives providers the tools to manage the emotional demands of their work while enhancing their effectiveness in delivering evidence-based treatments for trauma and PTSD.
Participants will engage in practical exercises, case discussions, and create a personalized resilience plan to ensure that resilience practices are sustainable and applicable to both their clients/patients and themselves.
Learn More about Jenny
Thomas Zimmerman, LPCC
3 hours + Bonus Evening Session
(Evening Session available only for On-Site Participants)
Predictive Processing Flash: An Open Approach To Trauma Reprocessing
Rapid Memory Reconsolidation
This version of Flash moves individual difficult memories from traumatic memory storage into more normal memory storage by lightly activating a microslice of traumatic memory at a time, immediately “containering” each microslice, quickly transitioning to a disconfirming/calm scene for about 30 seconds at a time, and disrupting that 30 second calm scene using a series of rapid eye blinks every five seconds.
The blinks during the calm scene split the 30-second exposure into six individual five-second exposures. The large number of exposures to the calm scene appears to fully or partially reprocess each microslice of the memory as it sits out of direct awareness. This process allows complex clients with very little adaptive information, very few resources, and a tiny window of tolerance to resolve extremely painful memories with remarkably little distress and with minimal risk of decompensating.
Presentations October 22
Laura Reagan, LCSW-C
2.5 hours
Rachael Britton, PsyD, LP
2.5 hours
Unmasking Disgust- Navigating Trapped Emotions in Trauma Therapy
Disgust is a fundamental but often overlooked emotion in trauma treatment. This continuing education(CE)course explores the neurobiological, psychological, and sensory dimensions of disgust in trauma survivors.
Participants will examine how disgust manifests in the body, contributes to shame and self-perception, and influences avoidance behaviors. Through evidence-based interventions, including somatic approaches, EMDR, and parts work, clinicians will gain practical strategies to help clients process and integrate disgust-based trauma.
Case studies, ethical considerations, and therapist self-awareness will be incorporated to ensure trauma-informed and culturally responsive care.
Jennifer Parker, LCSW
2.5 hours
Recognizing and Responding to Coercive Control: A Structured Clinical Framework
Jennifer offers an overview of the seven interventions within the Journey to Healing framework for survivors of intimate partner abuse, equipping clinicians with a cohesive structure for assessment and survivor care.
The second half of the training focuses more deeply on “End the Silence,” the foundational intervention that guides survivors in naming their partner’s behavior, releasing self-blame, and reclaiming agency. Through guided role-play and discussion, participants will strengthen their ability to apply these interventions with clinical precision and confidence.
Presentations October 23
Anjahni Davi, LMFT
2.5 hours
Type Talk: An Introduction to the Enneagram
In this training, we will explore how the Enneagram can be used both in clinical practice and in the clinician's ongoing personal development. Participants will be introduced to each of the nine types and the three Centers of Intelligence.
Through guided somatic practices and reflective exercises, we will focus on integrating the material to support clinical application while also deepening awareness of how we show up in the therapy room and in our own lives.
LaDonna Carey, MA
2.5 hours
A Fresh Look at Forgiveness in Trauma Work
A Fresh Look at Forgiveness in Healing from Relational Trauma explores forgiveness through a trauma-informed lens and asks a critical clinical question: is forgiveness always necessary for healing, or can it sometimes become a pressure that interferes with recovery?
This presentation reviews emerging findings showing that forgiveness-based interventions can improve posttraumatic growth, emotional regulation, coping, anxiety, and depression in some populations. At the same time, newer scoping review data highlight that survivors with relational trauma or adverse childhood experiences often experience mixed responses to forgiveness, and outcomes may worsen when forgiveness is expected as a necessary step to healing.
The session will help therapists to support clients who heal through forgiveness and those who do not. Clinicians will leave with a more nuanced framework for discussing forgiveness in trauma work — one that centers safety, autonomy, and emotional honesty rather than pressure or moral expectation.
Learn More about LaDonna
Meet our Event MC!
Rhonda Noordyk
Rhonda will keep our conference moving!
We’re fortunate to have Rhonda steering the Smoky Mountain Symposium!
She is a strong advocate for women going through divorce, helping them navigate the financial aspects of divorce as the owner of Women’s Financial Wellness Center. She hosts trainings, a podcast, a blog, and has written a book, in addition to working with women individually and in groups.
Learn More about Rhonda
Pricing
Continuing education credit up to 23 hours in person and 20 hours virtual.
Includes
Welcome Reception on Tuesday with food, games and fun! Don’t miss it!
Lunch on Wednesday and Thursday
Coffee and Light Refreshments
All the amenities of the beautiful DreamMore Resort
$695
In-Person Symposium
Early Bird Pricing
Dollywood DreamMore
Discount Room Rates $269 + tax
Free Parking and No Resort Fees!
Two Queens or One King or One King with Bunkbed
See More Below!
Limited Availability/Reservation Link available after Registration
$395
Join us virtually!
HYBRID
Interested in a Smoky Mountain Cabin, Hotel, or Activities?
Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, and Gatlinburg offer numerous options for housing and fun! Dollywood Resorts offers additional options, too!
DreamMore offers free parking so you can stay anywhere and join us at the resort!
Here are some links to help you plan your trip!
These are available to you as suggestions. I do not personally endorse any of these options as I have not had personal experience with their services. Please vet your accommodations.Why Should You Attend?
This is for therapists who have sat in session and thought, “What do I do with this?”
This is training that supports how you think, how you respond, and how you remain steady in the room with clients who need to feel understood.
This symposium is designed for therapists who may find themselves in sessions where the path forward is not clear.
Where betrayal, trauma, and relational dynamics are still unfolding, where clients are overwhelmed, guarded, or unsure what they want, and the work requires careful thinking, steady presence, and more than a standard approach.
Across three days, you will engage with training that integrates evidence-based methods with real-world clinical application. The focus is on how to assess, respond, and make thoughtful decisions when working with complex relational trauma.
You will strengthen your ability to:
Work with clients navigating betrayal, coercion, and relational trauma as it unfolds
Recognize and respond to emotional states that are often missed or misunderstood, including disgust and forgiveness
Apply approaches such as FLASH and the Enneagram in ways that translate directly into session
Navigate clinical and ethical decision-making when situations are ongoing or unclear
Sustain yourself in the work through an understanding of vicarious resilience
You will also be in the room with clinicians who understand this level of work. That matters.
Symposium Schedule
Dollywood Dreammore Resort
Limited Discount Room Rates
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$269.00 Plus Tax
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Two Queen, One King or One King with Bunkbeds
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Limited Discount Room Rates * $269.00 Plus Tax * Two Queen, One King or One King with Bunkbeds *
Free Parking No Resort Fees
FAQs
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This symposium is designed for licensed therapists, associate-level clinicians, and graduate students who are working with trauma, betrayal, and complex relational dynamics. The content is applicable across levels of experience, with depth that supports both early-career and seasoned clinicians.
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Event Learning Objectives
Assess early treatment considerations related to safety, disclosure, and power dynamics in cases involving betrayal, IPV, and relational trauma.
Demonstrate and explain at least three evidence-based techniques that foster vicarious resilience, such as Reflective Supervision, Narrative Reframing, and Gratitude Journaling, and describe how applying these methods can enhance both provider wellbeing and client/patient outcomes.
Summarize the foundations of the Flash technique within the Predictive Processing Framework and its application in trauma reprocessing.
Demonstrate at least two trauma-informed strategies to support stabilization and re-establish a sense of safety following relational or institutional betrayal.
Identify the nine Enneagram personality patterns and describe their core motivations, fears, and coping strategies.Identify the nine Enneagram personality patterns and describe their core motivations, fears, and coping strategies.
Assess client readiness for forgiveness work using a four-domain trauma-informed checklist (safety, autonomy, emotional regulation, and timing).Item description
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In-Person (Live and Virtual)
Joint Accreditation
In support of improving patient care, CE Learning Systems is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
American Psychological Association
Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.
National Board for Certified Counselors
CE Learning Systems has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5951. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CE Learning Systems is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Make An Impact is a service division of CE Learning Systems.
New York Education Department's State Board for Social Work
CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #0060.
New York Education Department for Licensed Mental Health Counselors
CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0072.
New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology
CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #PSY-0016.
New York Education Department's State Board for Marriage and Family Therapy
CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Marriage and Family Therapy as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MFT-0045.
ASWB in approval process.
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In-person registration includes three days of training, lunch each day, access to all sessions, and continuing education credits. Attendees will also have opportunities for informal connection and discussion with presenters and other clinicians throughout the event.
Thomas Zimmerman will be providing a evening session on Wednesday evening to provide additional instruction in the use of FLASH.
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Yes! A hybrid option is available for those who prefer to attend remotely or are unable to travel. You will be required to log in throughout the sessions for which you desire continuing education credits. There are no recordings.
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The symposium will be held at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. A limited block of discounted rooms is available at $269 per night. Booking details and access codes will be provided upon registration.
There are numerous hotels and cabins near DreamMore for your convenience. DreamMore offers free parking in you prefer to commute.
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Once you register, you will receive a link and instructions to reserve your room at the discounted rate. Rooms are limited and available on a first-come basis.
If you prefer alternative housing or commuting, DreamMore provides free parking for your convenience.
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We understand life can change. If you need to cancel your registration, you will receive a full refund (minus service charges from Ce-GO and credit card charges) up until September 15. If you have conflicts after September 15, please contact LaDonna Care to determine if any additional service charges will be assessed.
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Check out our speakers section and the daily program for details.
Full session details available on Ce-Go which you can access here
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Joining the waitlist is the best way to access preferred pricing. Waitlist members will receive early registration access before it opens to the public.
You will also receive group discounts for 3 or more attendees.
Policies
Cancellation/Refund Policy
We understand life can change. If you need to cancel your registration, you will receive a full refund (minus service charges and/or credit card processing charges) until September 15, 2026. If you have conflicts after September 15, please contact LaDonna Carey to determine whether any additional symposium charges have accrued.
Disability Accommodation
We are committed to providing ADA accommodations in compliance with the law. To ensure your needs are met, please inform us of any requirements when you register, ideally at least 30 days before the event. You can do so by emailing support@ce-go.com or calling 888-498-5578.
Technology
1. This virtual event will be hosted via Zoom Webinar, and you may be prompted to download or upgrade your Zoom app if using a mobile device. A strong WiFi connection will be required for best quality.
2. We recommend clicking your "Join Webinar" button early and checking that your speakers are on before the event begins. Please do not worry about being seen or heard! Attendee video feeds and mics are turned off by default when entering a webinar. You will be able to ask questions via the Q&A feature.
3. Please respect that no copying, recording, or distribution of live session content is allowed. CE's are provided for the "live" sessions only. CE's will not be available for the recordings.
CELS Grievance Policy
If a grievance arises pertaining to continuing education activities or processes, please contact Tyler Gibson via confidential email to tyler@celearningsystems.com as soon as possible, so that the nature of the concern may be addressed in a timely fashion.