Institute for Psychological Advancement

In recent years research has indicated that somatic and embodied practices are an important aspect of trauma treatment and healing. Often the typical intersecting experiences of trauma, grief, panic, stressors, and depression are not just about the mind or cognition, but also manifested physically. They are held and expressed within the body through the autonomic nervous system. For this reason, exploring and practicing mindfulness-based somatic techniques can be highly useful in supporting clients’ ability to connect to the wisdom of their bodies.  Mindful somatic connections can provide opportunities to safely cultivate a greater sense of self-awareness and co-create supportive and soothing “toolbox self-resources.” These somatic practices are especially useful when mental, emotional, relational, environmental, and sensory overwhelming experiences and emotional dysregulation arises. Ultimately, somatic wisdom and practices can foster a greater sense of mind-body-emotional integration, self-empowerment, release of pent-up bodily tension, and the development of agency. These body-based practices can complement traditional strategies and other therapeutic models.

Facilitator:  Sydney Spears, Ph.D., LCSW, LSCSW 

Sydney Spears, Ph.D., LCSW is a certified Mindful-Self Compassion teacher and the Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) for the Center of Mindful Self-Compassion. She has been very dedicated to advocating for social justice for underrepresented and oppressed communities. Practicing self-compassion and extending compassion toward human beings is very important to her equity work, counseling services, educational efforts and personal mission.

Sydney works as a licensed part-time psychotherapist and clinical social worker in private practice in Missouri and Kansas. She specializes in working with survivors of many types of trauma, including traumatic grief, complicated grief, social injustice grief, and individuals who have experienced complex trauma, domestic violence, and relational narcissistic abuse. Sydney is also a member of the leadership team and a certified Trauma-Sensitive Yoga facilitator for the Center for Trauma and Embodiment in the Boston, Massachusetts area.

Learning Level: Basic-Intermediate

Target Audience: This course is designed for professional counselors, school counselors, social workers, marital and family therapists, psychologists, addiction counselors, case managers, nurses, and other health care professionals. 

Continuing Education: To obtain the certificate of attendance for the 3 hours associated with this course, the participant will need to sign in at the start of the program, attend the full course, and complete the program evaluation form.  At the end of the program, participants will receive a certificate of attendance.  

Each in-person course offered designates the number of CE hours (50 minutes = 1 clock hour of continuing education).  Be sure to check with your professional board as they will specify whether you should count clock/CE hours or actual contact hours. Both CE hours and contact hours will be listed on your certificate of attendance.

The content of this program may meet requirements for continuing education for most national, state, and local licensing boards and professional organizations.  Many boards and professional organizations will accept continuing education that is relevant to each profession and presented by qualified individuals.  Be sure to print or save the course description to submit with your certificate of attendance to your professional board if requested.  For rules governing continuing education and to confirm whether this course qualifies for continuing education, participants should contact their respective regulatory boards.  Participants may also contact IPA and we will do our best to answer your questions.

Kansas Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board does not require pre-approval of CE programs for professional counselors, marital and family therapists, social workers, and psychologists.  They will consider CE programs that cover content specific to each profession's practice, skills, ethics, and knowledge.  Additional information is provided on their website under each profession, typically in the FAQ sections.

Missouri Division of Professional Registration does not require continuing education providers or programs to be approved prior to the event.  They will accept continuing education for professional counselors, marital and family therapists, and psychologists that is relevant to each profession.  CE events are submitted to Missouri for pre-approval for continuing education for social workers.  Additional information is provided on their website.  

This course is pending approval by the Missouri State Committee for Social Workers for 3 hours of continuing education. This will be updated once approval is received.

At this time, Institute for Psychological Advancement is only approved for NBCC credit for online programs. In-Person programs do not qualify for NBCC credit.

CEs by Profession and State (ipa-kc.com) 

Registration:  Registration for this in-person program is available on our website.  For manual registration or payment by check, please contact IPA.

We strive to represent diverse experiences thoughtfully and inclusively through the language we use. However, we recognize that language can be imperfect and may sometimes feel biased or hurtful. Please know this is never our intention, and we greatly appreciate your feedback on how we can improve. Your suggestions are always welcome as we continue to learn and grow.