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Brainspotting with Katherine Allen, LMFT

Brainspotting is a cutting edge, neurologically based form of deep and rapid healing

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      • BSP Phase 2: February 19-21, 2021 (ONLINE)
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      • BSP Phase 1: June 5-7, 2020 (ONLINE)
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      • BSP Phase 2: April 24-26, 2020 in Keene, NH
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Author Archives: Katherine Allen

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It’s Been a While…

Brainspotting with Katherine Allen, LMFT Posted on April 4, 2022 by Katherine AllenApril 4, 2022

…and WE DID IT! An in-person private Brainspotting Phase 1 training in New England is in the books.

We were generously hosted by Shortridge Academy in Milton, NH for this first return-to-in-person event in 2 years and 2 months (but who’s counting…?) for me as the trainer. We have now trained ALL of Shortridge’s therapeutic staff as well as a representative from Thetford Academy (in Thetford, VT) and Mondanock Family Services (in Keene, NH).

I am quite giddy to have been able to run an in-person event. I got to tiptoe around and see all of the practicum work, adjust arms, answer questions and whisper into ears as these amazingly talented practitioners learned Brainspotting. There were hugs and handshakes, and of course the best chocolate chip cookies around.

Please join me in welcoming these very talented colleagues to the Brainspotting family.

The Winnipesaukee Lakes Region of New Hampshire is incredibly beautiful! Check out these views!! (Kara’s from the top and Katherine’s from the shore. The ice is almost all out, and yes it was cold.)

Posted in Brain, Trainings | Tagged 2022, April 1-3, healing, in-person, Mondanock Family Services, New Hampshire, Phase 1, Shortridge Academy, therapeutic boarding school, Thetford Academy, trauma, Winnipesaukee | Leave a reply

Continuing Education in Brainspotting

Brainspotting with Katherine Allen, LMFT Posted on July 9, 2021 by Katherine AllenNovember 2, 2022

We are proud to share a limited-time sale on some recent webinars, short informational dives into specific areas of client experience and practitioner expertise. The journey of learning with Brainspotting is ever-continuing. I invite you to look through these and see what, if any, may appeal to you and your client base.

Learn more about Brainspotting!

Posted in Workshops | Tagged learn more, limited time sale, short, webinars, workshops | Leave a reply

Nelba, Bruce and Oprah

Brainspotting with Katherine Allen, LMFT Posted on May 26, 2021 by Katherine AllenMay 26, 2021

This is a must see. We must look at the developmental details and see people through the lens of their pain and how that informs their brain.

I say this to clients every single day, for 15 years now, there’s nothing wrong WITH you, something wrong happened TO you. What Happened To You.

Posted in Brain, Trauma | Tagged brain, Bruce Perry, CCSU, development, healing, hearing, Nelba, Oprah Winfrey, pain, seeing, trauma, What Happened To You | Leave a reply

Pandemic In Review – One Year Later

Brainspotting with Katherine Allen, LMFT Posted on March 3, 2021 by Katherine AllenMarch 4, 2021

Yesterday marked the 1 year anniversary of the first COVID case in New Hampshire. And not surprisingly, similarly to other disasters (9/11, Sandy Hook), everything changed that day. There was now a “before” and an “after”. My clients started cancelling like wildfire, afraid to be in “that area”. I remember panic setting in, fear, not knowing the roadmap or steps necessary to navigate this new thing called “Global Pandemic”. I felt very small and alone. I look back on posts and see the confusion, the waves of information heading towards us and the lag in fully digesting their meaning, the impact, the changes that lay ahead. We have new nomenclature like PPP, stimulus checks, mask-ne, social/physical distancing, mRNA, pods, Zoom-fatigue, quarantinis and the like. Who knew.

I was privileged to receive a PPP Loan, and it mattered quite a lot to me. Much of my caseload scattered to the wind as so many of my clients needed to a) suddenly be home with children full time or b) suddenly lost their low-paying hourly (sans benefit) jobs and were scrambling and panicking with the rest of us or c) stop spending completely as they saw their savings and portfolios flung into chaos and havoc, disposable income was no longer a thing.

And then it came – the huge tidal wave of need, of support, of seeking clarity in the universally bewildering murkiness of pandemic, lockdowns, closures, the re-imagining of countless aspects of our lives. For many, the steady reliability of sessions with a therapist offered a dry patch of rock in the swirling crashing wavy sea. (and all the while, the therapists were also navigating that very same swirling crashing wavy sea). Clients asked for ever more time. 90-minute sessions, multiple times per week. The wait lists became ethically unsustainable. Calls, e-mails for ever more sessions felt like stabs by tiny arrows from hearts seeking something to soothe their pain, and I had no ability to help ease their suffering as there were just no more hours in the day, the week. But that’s my job! To help ease suffering and pain of others. And I just couldn’t do more.

I was also re-tooling my practice, shifting overnight from in-person sessions with maybe 3-4 telehealth sessions sprinkled in per week to 100% telehealth. Plus teaching other therapists how to do this. Plus learning how to train colleagues online on how to work online. And believe me, I fought it as long as I could.

I miss my hair. Yes, I have lost quite a bit of it during this past year. I miss my reliable balance as I also have bouts with vertigo. Now, here I sit before my laptop stand with conferencing microphone and external speakers in a room, all alone. No tissues to refill or water bottles to restock. No hugs. No casual meetings in the hall with building colleagues. No lunches, no spontaneous “let’s meet at x for dinner tonight”. Everything is scheduled, formal, official. The pace and demands have been unrelenting, unparalleled.

For therapists there haven’t been any holidays, weeks off, vacations or breaks. I MISS SNOW DAYS! Working in telehealth means that weather is never an issue anymore, no more fun “free” days off, just shuffle down the hall, launch Zoom, and off to work you go. I now have clients that I believe I may –never- meet in-person. How strange is that? Unprecedented. (I think that is the word of the year). And every spare second of every day there is another “opportunity” for learning: a webinar, a seminar, a podcast. There aren’t enough hours in a day, even if you doubled them, to fit a fraction of everything in. I have stopped saving links and am leaning more towards quiet stillness at home.

But wait – there have been lovely gems that have gratefully appeared as well. I learned how to train colleagues well online and have now expanded my collegial pool to the entirety of the US, Canada, the UK and Europe, something that would probably never have happened if I had only been training in-person. I mean, New Hampshire isn’t a huge draw for travel. I have also been invited into so many clients personal spaces and am better able to witness systems and changes that I never would have been privy to in the traditional office visit model. Likewise so many clients have been able to access many more sessions due to the convenience of just switching screens versus needing to get dressed, drive to my office, wait in the waiting room, have a session, drive home, etc. I am also licensed in 4 states now, again expanding the reach of support I am able to offer.

Yesterday I had a tough day. I made mistakes, had technology snafus, and basically found myself strongly desiring a cry and a break, and a meal out at a restaurant. And yet here I am, in front of the laptop, launching the next Zoom session, a good therapist trying to do a good job.

 

 

Posted in Site news, Trauma | Tagged 1 year, alone, anniversary, breaks, crisis, disaster, existential, global, good, helping, hope, lonely, loss, pandemic, review, scared, support, telehealth, therapist, tired, Zoom | Leave a reply

6 Spots Left!

Brainspotting with Katherine Allen, LMFT Posted on February 5, 2021 by Katherine AllenFebruary 5, 2021

I have 6 spots remaining for the Brainspotting Phase 2 Training this upcoming February 19-21, 2021.

I like to keep my classes small and intimate and 20 is the maximum I allow. If you have taken Phase 1 and are interested in expanding your bag of tools, some play and practice with creative adaptations, and to learn more about the science behind the eye-brain connection, then join me and fabulous colleagues from across the country in learning Phase 2 science and setups.

Please note that this training will take place in Eastern Standard Time Zone, 9a-6p Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Posted in Trainings | 4 Replies

Welcome 20 new Brainspotting Practitioners!

Brainspotting with Katherine Allen, LMFT Posted on January 18, 2021 by Katherine AllenJanuary 18, 2021

Please join me in welcoming 20 more Brainspotting Practitioners to our community!

What a 3-day weekend. 20 trainees from coast-to-coast and Canada, 17 assistants (also from coast-to-coast and Canada!) and the amazing Amanda Perez as our pilot. We faced snowstorms and power outages and embraced pets (thank you Lily!) and processing.

The overwhelm and burnout we all face is hopefully smaller and lighter as we move back into our systems and continue to support our communities in navigating these very strange and difficult waters.

Well done everyone!!

Posted in Trainings, Trauma | Tagged healing, January 2021, Phase 1, processing, training, trauma, welcome | Leave a reply

Join me for Phase 2 Online in February!

Brainspotting with Katherine Allen, LMFT Posted on December 11, 2020 by Katherine AllenDecember 11, 2020

Keep your Brainspotting skills sharp with a brief overview of Phase 1 technique, and then learn a new array of set-ups for you and your clients in Phase 2 Brainspotting training. We do an in-depth focus on the eye and how it guides and informs us to the client’s held trauma to swiftly and effective release it.

We also learn to “play and practice” all of the Brainspotting set-ups, to gain confidence and skill in practice.

There’s still plenty of room! Register soon to claim your spot.

Posted in Site news | 2 Replies

Join me in Welcoming “Pathways to Healing” to the Brainspotting community!

Brainspotting with Katherine Allen, LMFT Posted on November 16, 2020 by Katherine AllenNovember 17, 2020

The past 3 days were filled with heart and healing as we ushered in a private group Phase 1 Brainspotting training with Pathways to Healing Counseling in the Indianapolis area of Indiana.

Owner, Kristen Boice, generously and lovingly created an opportunity for her whole team to learn Brainspotting together. It was my deep privilege to be their trainer and leader in this journey.

Please join me in welcoming 10 new Brainspotting practitioners to the greater Brainspotting community! (in no particular order): Rachel Hall, Roxie Stone, Liz Howerth, Jason Tarnow, Matthew Stach, Julie Setmeyer, Renee Day, Missy Snyder, Mary Maas and Taylor Ellis. And, well, Renee’s 2 cats provided a remarkable reflection of internal processing!

And as always, this would have been impossible without my great team of support and Assistants. Giant shout-out to Micheal McGee for running the Zoom technology, and to Lucas Brewer, Beverly Fuentes, Christine Genovese, Mehwish Issa, Nikki Batta, Sheryl Wookey, Kim Knowlton-Young, Christina Smalley, Kimberly Ward and Helen Vozinidis. Their generosity of time, again and again, further demonstrates the deep commitment to this model of therapy and to this community. I am ever grateful for you, as are our newly trained colleagues!

Posted in Brain, Trainings | Tagged Indiana, Indianapolis, Noblesville, Pathways to Healing, Phase 1, private group | 3 Replies

Welcome Phase 2 Trainees!

Brainspotting with Katherine Allen, LMFT Posted on October 19, 2020 by Katherine AllenOctober 19, 2020

We did it again! We completed our latest ONLINE Brainspotting Phase 2 training. We had trainees from the US, Canada, Switzerland and the UK. Part of the emotional energy during the 3-day event was hijacked by the environmental crisis looming large in our small group, with extremely early snow happening at my house Saturday morning, followed by an emergency evacuation for our Colorado attendee later that day, we were all taking time to be with each other in a more thoughtful way.

So although I am only announcing 12 trainees, a 13th is 2/3 of the way there to being officially completed, and we will work to make that happen when they are safe and ready and able to focus again.

Please join me in welcoming these newest Phase 2 trainees to the Brainspotting community (in no particular order): Julie Burke, Kara Serasis, Erika López, Angela Thompson, Danielle LeRiche-Forkey, Wookaja Yukako Chang, Katherine Beckett, Gloria Hood, Davi Stein-Kiley, Majjham Warenfeldt, Michael Finegan and Lindsay Elin.

And as always, none of this would be possible without the essential support of our Assistants. Amanda Perez as my navigator was spectacular. Grateful thanks go out to: Christine Genovese, Carolyn Robistow, Kimberly Ward, Sheryl Wookey, Kim Knowlton-Young, Nikki Batta, Kristen Swart, Cesilia Gonzalez and Mehwish Issa. The generosity of time and commitment is deeply felt and appreciated.

Posted in Trainings | Tagged 2020, brainspotting, complete, International, October, online, Phase 2, successful, trainees | Leave a reply

Thank you Castleton University!

Brainspotting with Katherine Allen, LMFT Posted on October 5, 2020 by Katherine AllenOctober 5, 2020

I wanted to thank Castleton University for having me as a guest lecturer in their Introduction to Trauma Studies class, again.

I am so happy to do this kind of teaching as I believe it is the most important foundation of being a good therapist, really knowing how the brain and body react and respond to threat, and then the best part, how to actually heal from it.

The Castleton University Counseling Center has 3 trained Brainspotting practitioners, Martha, Linda and Amy, and they have created a unique and special resource for students who have experienced trauma. I am so proud of them and so proud to be invited back each year.

Posted in Site news | Leave a reply

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Recent Posts

  • It’s Been a While…
  • Continuing Education in Brainspotting
  • Nelba, Bruce and Oprah
  • Pandemic In Review – One Year Later
  • 6 Spots Left!
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