Trauma, Attachment and the Therapeutic Relationship
A continuing education training for therapists on working with attachment and complex trauma in the therapeutic relationship.
Attachment wounds rarely stay in a client's history. They show up in the room, in the relationship between therapist and client, often before a word is spoken about them. This training helps clinicians recognize and work skillfully with attachment driven activation as it unfolds in session, especially when complex trauma and attachment trauma are central to the clinical picture.
Course Details
Investment: $180 (+tax)
Date: December 4, 2026
Time: 9:30 am to 1:00 pm (CST with breaks)
Continuing Education Credit: 3 credit hours
Questions: hello@groundworktraumaeducation.com
Accessibility and Scholarships
Groundwork Trauma Education is committed to making quality trauma training accessible. Reduced rates are available for students, prelicensed therapists, and groups. We also offer a limited number of need-based scholarship seats for each training. If cost is a barrier to your participation, we encourage you to reach out.
To request a discounted rate or apply for a scholarship seat, email [email protected] before registering.
Course Overview
Offered by Groundwork Trauma Education, this training explores the intersection of trauma, attachment, and the therapeutic relationship through a nervous system informed lens. When clients carry complex trauma and attachment injury, the relationship itself becomes one of the most important clinical tools available, and also one of the most activating. How the therapist shows up, holds boundaries, and stays regulated directly shapes whether the work feels safe enough for repair.
This course focuses on helping clinicians track and respond to attachment activation moment by moment. Participants will learn how trauma shapes attachment strategies, how those strategies surface somatically and relationally, and why working in a trauma informed way sometimes means showing up differently than we might with other clients. Emphasis is placed on attunement, pacing, co regulation, boundary clarity, and the use of the therapist's own responses as clinical information.
What You Will Learn
- How trauma and attachment interact within the nervous system
- How to recognize attachment strategies and relational patterns as they appear in session
- How to track shifts in connection, distance, protest, and shutdown
- How reenactment and relational triggers operate in trauma therapy
- How to use your own regulation and countertransference as clinical data
- How to support co regulation, safety, and repair in the therapeutic relationship
- How to navigate rupture and repair without over functioning or withdrawing
- Why holding clear, ethical boundaries is central to attachment based trauma work
Learning Objectives
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Describe how trauma impacts attachment patterns and relational behavior.
- Identify nervous system cues associated with attachment activation in session.
- Apply attunement and co regulation strategies within the therapeutic relationship.
- Demonstrate approaches for responding to rupture and repair in trauma therapy.
- Explain ethical considerations related to boundaries and relational dynamics in attachment based work.
Who This Training Is For
This training is designed for:
- Licensed mental health professionals working with trauma and relational wounds
- Therapists interested in attachment informed trauma therapy
- Clinicians working with clients who experience relational instability or attachment injury
- Practitioners seeking to strengthen attunement and relational presence
- Therapists wanting practical tools for working with attachment activation in session
This is an educational training. It is not a certification program and does not replace required modality specific training or supervision.
About the Instructor
This training is led by Melanie Reese, LMFT, AAMFT Approved Supervisor, and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, founder of Trauma Therapy of Nashville and Groundwork Trauma Education. With more than 15 years of clinical experience, Melanie specializes in complex trauma, nervous system regulation, and experiential healing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this training approved for continuing education credit? Yes. Participants earn 3 NBCC CE hours upon completion. Counselors and other clinicians should confirm acceptance with their own licensing board.
Who should attend this training? It is designed for mental health professionals and clinicians working with trauma, attachment injury and relational instability.
Do I need prior training in attachment or trauma to attend? This is an intermediate level training. It is most useful for clinicians who already have foundational clinical experience and want to deepen their relational and trauma informed skills.
What format is the training delivered in? The training is held live and online via Zoom, with scheduled breaks.
How do I get my CE certificate? A certificate documenting 3 NBCC CE hours is provided after completion of the full training.
Groundwork Trauma Education has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7927. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Groundwork Trauma Education is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
Please confirm with your licensing board about CE eligibility.
