At this seminar, Dr Arielle Schwartz explains how both therapists and clients can focus on embodiment as a resource during remote psychotherapy. By placing emphasis on nervous system regulation, co-regulation and dual-awareness strategies, she elucidates the practical changes that we can make to our somatic tool kit and the specific somatic resources that we can draw on; with a view to enhancing our clients’ embodied self-awareness and facilitating grounding. Using illustrative case examples, she explains how we, as therapists, can increase our own mindful body awareness – allowing us to close the gap between our verbal and non-verbal communications. Such congruence between words and body language enhances trustworthiness with our clients; even across the distance of the screen.

She also explains the 5-step model of parts work and how this can be applied in an online environment. The seminar walks us through the process of introducing clients to parts work, helping them to identify parts, anchoring the adult self, differentiating from a part and repairing a missing experience.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain how embodiment facilitates co-regulation and serves as a precursor to self-regulation in treatment
• Practice at least three interventions for working with somatic symptoms in trauma treatment
• Discuss the role of mindful body awareness in helping clients build affect and sensation tolerance
• Recognize how client’s “parts” might get triggered when working remotely
• Learn how to apply the 5-part model of Parts Work in an online setting
• Identify self-care practices for therapists for managing screen time

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