Trauma Conscious Spiritual Care Provider Training

Specialized, Comprehensive Training for Heart-Centered, Justice-Focused Ministry Professionals. Chaplains, Spiritual Directors, Ministers, and Holistic Providers

Trauma. Stress. Burnout. Grief.

It’s common in spiritual spaces.

  • the children’s hospital chaplain who sits in silence with the family after a terrifying diagnosis

  • the pastor who lends an ear to the kid who can’t come out to his parents because he fears what they’ll say or do

  • the spiritual director who hosts a retreat and the women there share about their abuse and neglect

  • the soul healer who wonders if they should look for mental health care for a client that comes crying every session

  • the minister who feels barraged every time the council gets together, full of tension and conflict

  • the priest who struggles to find words for his own despair and burnout, wondering about her ability to continue doing this work

Spiritual and ministerial training programs often omit providing skills training for their students. They often don't have the ability to provide psycho-spiritual support and education, which can leave spiritual care providers ill equipped and feeling overwhelmed when faced with the stresses of vocational life.

Spiritual care providers who feel helpless are more at risk for burnout and leaving ministry.

Modern life today requires that we are sensitive to the psycho-spiritual backgrounds of those we care for, if we are to provide compassionate and ethical listening care.

INTRODUCING

Trauma Conscious Spiritual Care Provider Training

LIVE Cohort Style training—so you can learn together, deepen your knowledge, and find peers who also do this holy and heavy work. Includes education, embodiment, integration, peer support, weekly circle sessions, 1:1 coaching with Allie, and a FB group of other leaders who are dedicated to trauma-informed care.

NOW ENROLLING

May 1, 8, 15, + 22

12:00pm - 1:15pm EST
Private Consultation day TBD
BIPOC 10% discount available

After this training, you will:

RECOGNIZE

the symptoms of trauma, whether they be in yourself, your clients, your parishioners, your community

WIDEN

your understanding from trauma informed care to trauma conscious care

DEEPEN

into your own spiritual practices that are embodied and offer safety and belonging

CONNECT

with other spiritual caregivers and share and support each other

Curriculum

  • Module 1: Defining Trauma in Spiritual Care

    Trauma, Caregiving Fatigue, Secondary Stress, Burnout, PTSD—what does it all mean? We overview these terms and discuss how trauma manifests in spiritual spaces. We learn about our sensitive nervous systems, recognizing more clearly the ways we react and mirror others and how we can be better able to cope with our own activation.

  • Module 2: Five Principles of Trauma Conscious Care

    Model presented with the 5 Principles of trauma consciousness, and we examine ways to incorporate these into our practice as spiritual caregivers. We will discuss blocks to trauma consciousness and ways to understand holistically our journey as wounded healers ourselves. We explore embodied care through a lens of mindfulness and contemplative presence.

  • Module 3: What Does Trauma Conscious Care Look Like for Me?

    This week we explore the critical moment we have as spiritual caregivers in how to embody trauma consciousness into our practice. We explore the concept of human giver syndrome and the wounded healer archetype, and ways we can grow from places of challenge ourselves.

  • Module 4: Welcoming, Nourshing, and Ethics

    This week we discuss the implications of all we've learned, how institutions and systems often preclude us to protect and establish healthy boundaries, and ways to provide ethical and healthy soul spaces. We also discuss when to refer to other mental health services and what to look for in ourselves for a sustainable ministry.

Your facilitator - Allie

Psychospiritual Consultant with 20+ years working in mental health, spiritual direction, and lay ministry

Allie Kochert (she/her) is a professional trauma therapist, certified spiritual director, and have decades of experience working with folx in all stages of the healing journey. She comes from personal experience and lived knowledge of what it means to do the inner work to reclaim resiliency in light of trauma, loss, grief and burnout. From core professional knowledge, skills, and experience, she moves through her work with humility, knowing that everyone's journey is different, as everyone's definition of trauma--and how that affects them and their spiritual wellness-- can be different.

Allie identifies as an able-bodied, privileged cis white woman and understands her personal and systemic privilege as well as the importance of healing from the inside-out. She dedicates her practices in offering safe spaces for professional spiritual caregivers (clergy, spiritual directors, ministers, and soul care providers) to reclaim their voice and be able to better hold space for others to do so.

What Folks Are Saying

  • I LOVED it! very relevant for me and my work. all the work actually. I wish all spiritual care givers had trainings like this.

    Sara H., Chaplain, Spring 2023 cohort

  • [I liked] her calm and gentle style, the informative slides/handouts, and her willingness to create a safe space for questions made both for a great learning experience and an excellent model.

    Stacey S., certified spiritual director, 2023 cohort

  • I have found it incredibly helpful. I'm very glad I did this. It's been helpful for my own spiritual health and for my ministryIt's reinforced and offered more support for some things I was already trying to do. It's also helped confirm my expectations for how people will behave in the parish right now.

    Robyn, Pastor, Spring 2023 cohort

  • Well organized in terms of scope and sequence of content. [Takeaways]An understanding of the role of ACEs in anxiety and stress response. The importance of sensitivity to creating a safe and secure systemic approach to avoid retraumatization. The role of spiritual whitewashing and gaslighting is endemic in many settings.

    Mary C., lay leader and spiritual director, Spring 2023 cohort

  • The training was informative, timely and an important part of my ministerial training and learning.

    Bonnie B., ministerial leader, 2023 cohort

  • It has definitely brought understanding to the some response I encounter working in the hospice field. It will give me the tools I need to respond differently and acknowledge the trauma someone may have experienced but unable to verbalize.

    C.S., hospice chaplain, 2023 cohort

  • "I loved every minute of the workshop. It could not have come at a better time. I would have loved it to be longer. lol."

    — Ronette

  • "I would recommend any of Allie's workshops to anyone; I know they would be helpful and satisfying."

    — Jane F., spiritual director and lay leader, Trauma Competencies Workshop, 2023

  • "Excellent resources. I enjoy Allie's wisdom-sharing - always a wealth of knowledge. She does a good job of creating openness on a space like zoom, which can often feel more content driven."

    — Workshop Attendee

This Course is For You If…

  • You are a spiritual caregiver, person in ministry, or caregiving professional or other supporter who holds space for others and desires more knowledge on trauma

  • You are a new--or seasoned--spiritual caregiver and are looking for skills to understand how trauma manifests and how to not cause re-traumatization

  • You are struggling with knowing how to cope with the stresses folks come to you with, especially as it relates to their spiritual care

  • You are noticing your own burnout and wonder how to move forward in your work in a sustainable way

  • You know a bit about trauma but want more experiential and embodied approach that incorporates psycho-spiritual health

  • You desire connection with other heart-centered helpers who value embodied, integrative and ethical spiritual care

Frequently Asked Questions

  • I'm open to sliding options for groups, please email me and I'd be happy to chat about your group's needs.

  • A: The live course has weekly live circle sessions for integration of the material and peer wisdom and engagement, as well as personal coaching with Allie. It is for practicing what we are learning. The Self Study option does not have these weekly sessions, however you do have access to individual coaching with Allie at a discount as well as our peer group on Facebook.

  • ​A: Included in the course is a comprehensive list of resources, including books and other training programs that may elaborate on these issues that we'll discuss. While our time together will flesh out trauma in a psychospiritual framework, there are lots of excellent places to learn more.

I welcome any questions!
allie@rootgrowthrive.com

LOOKING FOR A SELF-STUDY OPTION?
That’s available too!

Walk through the material on your own, receiving access to a private FB group for questions that may arise and to connect with other spiritual care providers.

While you won't have one on one access to Allie or peer support, you will have access to Q and A and coaching support twice a year hosted on that FB group. This option is for you if:

  • you don’t want the weekly sessions for teaching, integration, and engagement 

  • you don't need individualized support from Allie

  • you are needing a self-study option and can keep accountable to the material without peer support

  • you’ve done trauma trainings in the past but want a program that is comprehensive to review 

This curriculum is for the heart-centered space holder who prioritizes ethical soul care.

With fuller knowledge of our nervous systems' effect on spiritual wellness, we are better able to serve without causing further harm.

We also have a chance to prevent re-traumatization and perpetuation of stigma, and build much more inclusive, compassionate and supportive communities and relationships.

This is not a mental health or support group, and does not replace mental health counseling or therapy. We come from the knowledge based in research that most of us have expereinced trauma in one way or another. In this training we will discuss situations that may elicit strong feelings or trigger some who have had experience with traumatic grief or stress. If you know there may be potentially triggering content in this course, contact Allie to discern if this trainig is right for you.

Join the Course Today

Trauma Conscious Spiritual Care
$495.00
One time

May 2024 Live Cohort - Join Allie and your peers for live coaching and community as you learn and implement.

✓ 6 hours of live group coaching
✓ 1:1 coaching session to integrate material
✓ Access to full course content
✓ Community Facebook Group
✓ BIPOC provider 10% discount - use code BIPOC10
Self Study - Trauma Conscious Spiritual Care
$299.00
One time

Walk through the material on your own if you're not able to commit to the days for the live training.

✓ Access to full course content
✓ Community Facebook Group
✓ Optional 1:1 coaching add-on available at a discounted rate

Not sure if the training is for you? Contact me here and let’s chat!

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