A Holistic Approach to Treating Trauma and Addiction & Other Mental Health Disorders

Presented by Carissa Muth, Psy.D., CCC, R.Psych

Monday, July 21, 2025 – Thursday, July 24, 2025  |  Canada, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

Date & Location

Workshop Description

Join us for an immersive 4-day destination workshop in the stunning historical town of Charlottetown, PEI where breathtaking views and world-class therapeutic training come together. In a world of misinformation and information overload, this intensive presents a systematic, practical, evidenced-based approach to treating trauma, addictions, depression, and anxiety. Integrating the latest research in neuroscience, behavioural economics, and psychology, this intensive presents an encompassing and practical method for helping clients reach the change they desire.

Therapists are being asked more and more to provide evidence and results for their work and often under the pressure of less funding and shorter session times. This can lead to burnout and a tendency to look for quick fixes for clients. This intensive will present a research grounded framework that can be utilized with every client and embraces this shift in the field requiring increased accountability, interdisciplinary cooperation, and results.

Why Attend?

• Research Based: The average professional becomes outdated on research ten years after graduating. However, research continues to expand and help us understand placebo versus effective treatments and how to best help clients. This intensive is rooted in the latest scientific research on trauma and will present a balanced perspective of various thoughts in the psychology field.
• Expansion of tools: Application of therapeutic methodology and intervention can be confusing and leave a gap between knowledge and application. This seminar will provide practical therapeutic interventions, grounded in well-established methodology that therapists can implement immediately.
• Holistic Approach: Psychological, biological, social, and spiritual factors all interact to answer the question why do people do what they do?  Answering this question is at the core of case conceptualizing and treating clients. This intensive will cover all aspects of being human and includes teachings on Positive Psychology and Neuroscience.

Learning Objectives 

• Recognize misinformation regarding mental health and understand the complex nature of diagnosis: Navigate the ever-growing world of mental health and understand changing perspectives in diagnosis and treatment
• Develop the ability to conceptualize and develop client treatment plans from a holistic perspective: A broad lens that considers biological, psychological, social and spiritual factors avoids a reductionist view that can limit client treatment. Learn not only research principles, but application to direct client treatment to address any client presenting issue.
• Translate complex scientific concepts into relatable ideas: Increase the therapeutic alliance by growing client buy-in through explaining the reasoning for interventions in easy-to-understand language.
• Explore pertinent biological factors contributing to psychological symptoms: Understand various physical factors that should be considered, screened for and addressed in the treatment of psychological symptoms.
• Investigate a positive psychology framework for understanding and treating any psychological symptomology: Learn the limitations of the medical model and an alternative model to consider understanding and treating mental health disorders.
• Assess psychological symptomology and provide recommendations for further treatment: Provide a holistic explanation to clients regarding a myriad of contributing factors to psychological symptomology and recommend research-based treatment methods.

Who Should Attend

Clinical Professionals: All mental health professionals including, but not limited to Clinical Counsellors, Psychologists, Psychotherapists, Social Workers, Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Hospice and Palliative Care Workers, School Counsellors, Youth Workers, Mental Health Workers, Addiction Specialists, Marital & Family Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Vocational Rehabilitation Consultants and all professionals looking to enhance their therapeutic skills.

Agenda

8:00am – 12:15pm (4 hours per day, 15 minute break)

July 21

• What is mental health?
  • DSM-5 and ICD-11 overview
  • Medical model and the placebo effect
  • Salutogenic model of illness
  • Understanding research
• Holistic conceptualization of human nature
  • Social factors
    • Cultural views of addiction
    • Group think
    • Social bonding
    • Neuroscience of attachment

July 22

• Holistic conceptualization of human nature
  • Biological factors
    • Substances and the brain
    • Epigenetics
    • Stress system
    • Brain- gut pathway
    • Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
  • Psychological factors
    • Adverse Childhood Experiences
    • Understanding human development
    • Maladaptive cognition
    • Schemas
    • Memory

July 23

• Holistic conceptualization of human nature
  • Spiritual
    • Necessity of meaning and purpose
    • Positive psychology
    • Religion and culture and their impact on wellbeing
  • Conceptualizing depression, anxiety, trauma and addictions from a holistic model
  • Developing an encompassing treatment plan

July 24

• Application of research in psychotherapy sessions
  • Effective CBT interventions
  • Exposure therapy and PTSD treatment
  • Childhood trauma treatment and CPTSD interventions, is it the same as PTSD?
  • Role and limitations of psychopharmaceutic interventions
  • Are memories reliable?
  • Utilizing spirituality in session
    • Using Socratic questioning effectively
    • Guide clients in finding a sense of meaning and purpose
  • Establishing healthy routines
    • Improving sleep
    • Role of exercise and diet

Registration & Fees