To provide social workers and other mental health professionals with state-of-the-art continuing education encompassing a variety of clinical issues, client populations, and practice settings. We believe effective learning occurs in a professional, nurturing, supportive, and fun environment that fosters collegial sharing and networking.
Our trainings encourage clinicians to reframe and de-pathologize symptoms, while focusing on clients’ resiliency and strengths. We believe that clinicians are only as effective as the extent to which they take care of themselves, so we also address issues of counter-transference, vicarious traumatization, and professional burnout.
Learn how to incorporate effective and creative trauma treatment strategies that promote self-compassion and healing.
Earn valuable CEUs through informative and experiential workshops that strengthen your professional skills and enhance your personal growth.
Discover trainings and keynote addresses that Lisa can offer your professional community at your clinical setting or conference.
Boost your professional knowledge and expand your expertise with our in-person and online trainings.
In this workshop we will look at the current research regarding the acute and chronic medical and mental health impact and consequences of short and long-term medical marijuana use.
In this 6-hour workshop participants will learn about the etiology, epidemiology and diagnostic criteria for all of the affective and anxiety disorders in DSM-5.
This workshop equips therapists with trauma-informed skills to recognize and address the profound effects of narcissistic abuse, coercive control, and interpersonal violence, empowering survivors to heal, reduce stigma, and reclaim their rights to safety and healthy relationships.
Patricia is Fantastic. Her energy is Beautiful!
Dr. Sabrina's approach to healing leadership offers inspiration and practical tools to tap into our whole selves - and thereby grow leadership that can join with and nurture the whole selves of those we supervise. Invaluable!
Patricia was very engaging and offered a truly interactive experience. She is clearly very knowledgeable on this topic.
This program has completely transformed my clinical practice. Using the skills and knowledge I gained through this program has benefited my clients, and makes me a more confident, competent clinician. I recommend this program to all of my colleagues!
The facilitator [Sabrina] of the workshop was able to artfully and compassionately develop a wonderful learning environment. The information and experiential learning enhanced my personal growth and professional development.
Susan was very knowledgeable and shared a lot of concrete, usable strategies while also providing a clear framework in a way that was understandable for me and that I can use with clients.
This program incorporates all of the contemporary and recent knowledge the field has gained in trauma-informed therapy treatment and gives therapists concrete tools and strategies to use with their clients. Lisa and her faculty provide warmth, support and encouragement all throughout the course.
I loved her accessibility. I was able to ask questions and make comments throughout the talk. I appreciated that the size was small and intimate, that was truly a bonus!
The workshop was very informative. I was able to walk into my office the next day with a clear understanding of parts work and utilize new expressive modalities right away. I'm excited to take more trainings on the topic and deepen my knowledge!
This training was a very thorough and effective look at trauma treatment. Lisa's intentionality and creativity made this training very valuable. I am leaving with many useful strategies, skills, and language to utilize with my clients. I felt challenged through this program to reflect on my clinical practice!
This program has completely changed the way I approach therapy and it show in the improvements I am observing in the lives of my clients! Thank you!
This training allowed me to transform the way I work with clients. I feel much more confident and competent in my work thanks to Lisa's help in expanding my knowledge.
I was moved by the dialogue, and I now have a better understanding of the benefits of balancing spirituality and psycho-therapy. The therapist [Lisa] was awesome and one could get sense as to why she is so sought after. The feedback from the Rabbi [Goldberger] and the Priest [Father Ray] offered for me a unique look into the both perspectives and how each saw how the inclusion of spiritually can help ones clients achieve post recovery.
Enjoyed the energy, enthusiasm, knowledge that Dr. Evans shared about a complex and potentially transformative therapeutic tool. Thanks for offering this to our community.
Clear, succinct, lively, personable.
Lisa Ferentz's Level I trauma training program is a gift for the clinician as well as their clients. Trauma informed care, I am learning, invites the therapist to use their whole self - mind, body, soul, spirit, and heart - to accompany clients on their journeys of healing.
Presenter had a great depth of knowledge on grief that will serve my future clients well!
[Trauma Informed Assessment and Treatment: Ethical Considerations was] very helpful. Material relevant and has broad application. Physical environment was comfortable. Audience was engaged and conversant with material.
I liked [Patricia's] her warmth, and wealth of knowledge, and approachability.
Patricia Papernow is very clear, her presence and engagement with participants is natural; she creates safety, invites questions and feedback, makes room for questions along the way, is clearly passionate and knowledgeable about the content. Supportive of sharing handouts with other clinicians, and includes handouts to give to clients. Amazing amount of resources given to us. Thank YOU!
The presenter [Dr. Evans] was dynamic, engaging and thought provoking. I imagine he's a remarkable therapist. I appreciated how he combined his clinical knowledge with his love of archetypal storytelling to bring about healing with his clients.
Dr. Sabrina is genuine, authentic and compassionate teacher. I appreciate her ability to teach holistic wellness by sharing her knowledge and wisdom. I am grateful for her taking the time to address the importance of utilizing an integrative-approach with clients, as well as empowering clinicians to use healing practices to take care of ourselves as healers.
Timothy is obviously passionate and very knowledgeable about this topic. I appreciated his gentle, supportive, and understanding approach to the workshop attendees, creating a space where I felt safe asking any question.
The presenter had a good grasp of the material and was exceptionally well prepared.
An awesome workshop! I left inspired and better equipped to help my clients.
I look forward to the trainings at the Ferentz institute because I learn meaningful approaches that enhance clinical work. Lisa is a dynamic teacher utilizing researched trauma approaches, she invites participants into experiential exercises that solidify interventions in a whole brain fashion, both cognitive and emotional experiences create deep learning in a nurturing and caring environment. Lisa is attuned and models compassion to the participants.
I liked Dr. Evans' passion for his topic, the handouts and journaling at the end; his ability to engage the room, with 5 of the 17 participants not being African American or brown skinned; his not shying away from anger in a very articulate participant; and his willingness to share out of his own life, practice, and his faith.
I was very impressed with this seminar. The facilitator not only made the seminar enjoyable, but she was extremely knowledgable and shared her experiences. I definitely look forward to attending more seminars.
I am walking away from this program feeling more confident in my abilities and role as a clinician, but I've learned so much about myself that will enhance both my personal and professional successes. Thank you, Lisa!
Lisa's care and attention to our development as trauma informed clinicians is unmatchable. Her knowledge and ability to offer so many variations has been so helpful in my growth and in my work with a wide range of clients. I appreciated her ability to recognize the need for clinician self care and being a huge advocate for that important part of the work that can often go unattended to. I only wish I had taken this training sooner in my career but so grateful for the current opportunity!
Sabrina presents her heart and spirit in the training. Genuine and sincere, while grounded in theory and experience.
Lisa provides very accurate and and clear information. If you are a visual learner, you would benefit [from Navigating the Ethical Challenges of Telemental Health].
Susan was easy to follow & understand; and, she was especially honest if she didn't know something.
Timothy provided a safe and open space to learn and grow together!
This training has truly changed my practice in the way I view both the students and my colleagues in my school. I have completely redesigned the school counselor office lighting to create a warmer more welcoming environment. I look at my most difficult students through a different lens, often picturing them as babies in the trauma he must've endured. I am a patient, more attentive and excited to use the myriad of strategies thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
The Trauma Informed Treatment, Ethical considerations workshop was interesting, clear, informative and useful throughout. Lisa's authenticity is refreshing, her genuine dedication and advocacy for both the client and practitioner are unparalleled. I am glad I had the chance to attend this unique workshop.
Lisa “holds a space” for her students in a way that is restorative, empowering, comforting, and grounding. I highly valued all of my time in Level I and Level II with Lisa and her faculty. If you live within driving distance of an event provided by Lisa- make the time to attend! Soul altering work!
This was by far the best training I have attended. I learned that I was actually doing a lot correctly, but also learned a lot of things I could be doing. I look forward to Level II!
This was one of the best trainings I've ever taken and certainly the most informative. Lisa does an excellent job presenting the material in a way that is really interesting and applicable to a wide array of clinical settings. Anyone working in the mental health field should take this training. Most importantly, Lisa really did a wonderful job of making sure that we as clinicians felt taken care of and appreciated. I truly felt like I mattered.
A fantastic workshop encouraging curiosity about the client's shame, guilt and inner critic parts. By allowing the possibility of honoring those parts, we are encouraging other positive parts to come forward and change the client's current self narrative. As always, Lisa is an excellent teacher, positive, kind and making the experience even more enjoyable.
Timothy was so wise and supportive in the way he presented the material. The environment was comfortable and facilitated space for questions and thoughts among participants, which is not always the case in virtual workshops.
If you are a clinician Lisa Ferentz's trauma training is one you cannot miss!!
I was very impressed with this seminar. The facilitator not only made the seminar enjoyable, but she was extremely knowledgeable and shared her experiences. I definitely look forward to attending more seminars.
Sabrina was so warm and open that I did not feel I was in a role of just teacher and student, but in a place where I am learning from a place as peer seeking wisdom from more advanced peer who is also always in a place of learning and growth.
The session on [Evolving Treatment in the Face of the Opioid Epidemic] was informative especially for someone who is not in the field of substance abuse.
Heidi's style of interacting as she presented the material was kind, respectful, thoughtful, mindful, experienced, and yet humble.
I believe the most positive take away from the workshop was the opportunity to interact with other participants. I do believe the workshop was well-planned and facilitated.
[Working with Dreams: Tapping into an Inner Wisdom had] great information with experiential exercises. I really enjoyed connecting with the other participants.
This was hands down the best and most useful training I have ever done. In my almost 10 years as a therapist, I have never felt more confident in my clinical skills than I do now. Thank you, Lisa, for your infinite wisdom!
[Sabrina is] Engaging, dynamic, thought provoking and fun!
This course was incredibly impactful on my practice and for my clients. Thank you for being so amazing!
Susan was personable and good-natured. Combined with her being informed that made the workshop valuable.
Dr. Sabrina was an amazing presenter and I will definitely take another class with her when one is offered.
I was ambivalent about the utility of teletherapy. Lisa presented information focusing on the individual, therapist, and relationship. [Navigating the Ethical Challenges of Telemental Health was] highly useful.
I feel so much more resourced and capable to work as a trauma informed therapist. This class has given me the confidence and renewed my passion for this work.
Wow. What better way to learn about healing leadership than by witnessing it and being healed by it throughout the workshop? I feel so much gratitude to Sabrina for modeling what healing leadership looks like, and giving so freely of her wisdom so that we may continue to share with others. I am blown away.
Had a great time [at Filling Your Experiential Toolbox: The Empty Chair, The Double and Role Play Techniques]. Very informative. Loved the facilitator!
She was very interactive and kept a positive attitude during the entire training.
I learned a lot [in Trauma Informed Collage Methods] and had fun doing it.
Dr. Evan’s is a phenomenal, engaging educator. He is knowledgeable and fun to listen to. I appreciate the experience he brought and his gift of teaching. I will be looking for his trainings in the future.
[Trauma Informed Collage Methods] greatly refreshed my knowledge as an art therapist, but perhaps more importantly, I recognized the value of collage in working with difficult to reach populations. While the collage experiencials we completed were fun and relaxing, in a new way I could more confidently apply the powerful intuitive processes of collage with people who have lost everything.
[Working with Dreams: Tapping into an Inner Wisdom] was highly interactive and engaging. It was a true, in-person, demonstration of how dream work can be a useful took in therapy.
The Trauma Level I course increased both my confidence and competence as a clinician. The online learning format afforded convenience without sacrificing the quality of this dynamic course. The resources and connection with other clinicians through the online format have proven to be incredibly helpful in my day to day practice.
The program was extremely helpful and has taught me so much about trauma informed care within the mental health field. I would highly recommend this training, it is worth every penny!
Being able to bear witness to Dr. Sabrina's wisdom and experiences, as well as the others in the group was most helpful. It was very nourishing to have self-care practices integrated into our time together. I think the training offers a unique approach to supervision that honors the sacredness of the experience beyond documentation and business exchanges.
I really appreciated Lisa's approachable, super informed, and engaging presentation style [in Understanding and Working with Self-Injurious Behavior (SIB)]. The material was so applicable to not only conceptualization but also practice.
I cannot adequately express how much I gained from Lisa's training. I am tuned into my clients on a much deeper level, always mindful of safety, attunement, body language, and their ability to be fully present in session. Lisa is a very generous teacher as well. I encourage other clinicians to take the trauma training, it will give you so many new tools to help your clients.
I loved the trainer!
This has been, by far, the most useful and high quality training I have ever attended! I recommend this to any mental health professional and really anyone in a helping/health profession.
[Trauma Informed Assessment and Treatment: Ethical Considerations] overall was well organized and useful. I found much of the presentation had a clinical focus and much less emphasis on the ethical considerations and dilemmas we face in practice. Most of us know that it's our ethical responsibility to provide trauma informed care, but how that plays out in group practices and agencies can be very challenging to navigate and effectively advocate.
Dr. Evans was a wonderful and inspirational education and practitioner. His authenticity created a safe space and allowed for an environment that we could really experience our time with him.
Perspective changing- trauma informed- life changing!
Susan was incredibly engaging and knowledgeable about anxiety and OCD disorders. I normally dislike group activities but these made sense and were fun!
I enjoyed this workshop [Using Expressive Modalities to Connect With and Soothe Traumatized Parts]. I feel like this and other offerings at the Ferentz Institute are the only time I receive continuing education that really, really speaks to these matters in a substantive manner. I hope to be able to attend more workshops in the near future. This particular one was impressive at the depth we went to in a relatively short amount of time.
The facilitator [Lisa] was incredibly knowledgeable. The information [in Trauma Informed Assessment and Treatment: Ethical Considerations] given was relatable, concrete examples of how to apply in our daily jobs.
I really appreciated Sabrina's authenticity as well as her ability to have participants explore traits about themselves that can be used as unique gifts as supervisors. She has amazing energy and insight!
Lisa was awesome, full of positive energy and a wealth of information. [Ethical Dilemmas in Clinical Practice] offered updated information on COMAR for clinicians that work in the DMV area with realistic case dilemmas for us to learn from.
This program is an absolute must for any clinician who is serious about providing the best therapeutic care to all clients.
This is the first training I completed that I genuinely looked forward to attending because I recognized the impact it had in my clinical work.
This program boosted my confidence and confidence as a therapist a TON. The information is so well organized and presented. Lisa is inspiring, motivating, and grounding all at once.
Lisa Ferentz is a captivating and engaging speaker. [In Understanding and Working with Self-Injurious Behavior (SIB)] she provided worksheets and techniques for immediate use. I am looking forward to taking another training from her in the future.
Wonderful teacher - the training was informative, clear, interactive, and very applicable to a range of clinical situations involving blended families.
I especially liked looking at supervision from a framework of 4 archetypes and their shadow sides; using heart, hand and mind to encompass all aspects of supervision; viewing supervision as engaging, fun, supportive and as a relationship, not just as a teaching experience.
She's [Lisa's] such a wonderful teacher AND a seasoned clinician- it's hard to get both in one person!
Timothy was thoughtful, compassionate and extremely knowledgeable on the topic and provided excellent tools and resources to engage in the work with gender expansive youth more meaningfully and with greater intention.
Lisa is a gem. I have learned so many wonderful techniques and gained a fresh perspective on my work with trauma survivors.
Denise did an excellent job...I found her very knowledgeable and she used really relevant case examples (from her own experiences) that helped make the material more tangible. Her examples of reframing both assessment questions and how to respond to clients in a strength-based way were very informative...Overall, I very much enjoyed the training.
It was everything I was hoping for and more. So much learning happened during it and so much learning will happen as I continue to reckon with the ideas she introduced to us in this training.
Salicia was amazing and I would attend another training session with her.
I did not hesitate to attend Lisa's workshop as I knew she would add depth and knowledge to the subject. I was not disappointed, and I was happy to gain insights that have helped me personally and professionally.
Great information with experiential exercises. I really enjoyed connecting with the other participants.
Invaluable program; by the 2nd class you can bring your clients interventions that will make profound differences in their therapeutic journey and by the end you feel confident and competent to treat clients with trauma.
Not only was I able to leave [Creative Techniques for Managing Traumatic Stress: Grounding, Containment, and Resourcing} with skills I could use the next day in session, [the presenter] made the workshop interactive, engaging, and I was able to take concrete items for my own personal self-care toolbox!
Heidi made me feel safe to ask questions and responded in a concise and understandable manner.
The Level I training was easily the most valuable training I've ever had. Not only was it professionally helpful, but personally. This class was so emotionally refreshing. I feel as if I have a bright new outlook on my profession and I am eternally grateful.
I deeply appreciate the blend of theoretical and practical knowledge that Lisa's Trauma I course afforded me. I strongly recommend this course and the consummate professional who teaches it.
It is truly an honor and privilege to attend Lisa Ferentz's workshops. Lisa is a dynamic and masterful presenter and therapist specifically trained in trauma therapy. Her trauma workshop provides a high level of education with up to date practical application of assessments, treatments and creative techniques. [Trauma Informed Assessment and Treatment: Ethical Considerations] provides guaranteed take home tools will enhance your clinical practice. I am always inspired by her enthusiasm and dedication to trauma therapy. I walk away with renewed energy and excitement.
Advanced Trauma Training was an amazing experiential and educational experience that advanced my skills, knowledge and support for doing the work I love.
[Trauma Informed Assessment and Treatment: Ethical Considerations] was very informative. Lisa always does an outstanding job making it fun and interesting.
Sabrina was engaging, direct, warm and above all, AUTHENTIC. I could feel her spirit through her tone, use of words and teaching.
Sabrina is knowledgeable, personable and authentic. When I sign up to take a training with Sabrina, I know I will grow as a clinician and as a human. I always get my money's worth and more.
The Ferentz Institute, Inc. is an approved sponsor of the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners for continuing education credits for licensed social workers in Maryland. CEU approval for all trainings is also granted to Psychologists, LCPC’s and MFT’s and approved by the Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists and the Board of Examiners for Psychologists in Maryland. Reciprocity has also been granted for clinicians in Washington, DC, Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Texas. All mental health clinicians are encouraged to check with their respective State Boards to learn if reciprocity is offered for our CEUs. The Institute also maintains full responsibility for all programming.
*Please note that, for workshops that offer CEUs in Anti-Oppressive Content, Ethics, and/or Diversity, those credits may only be used for one of those categories, not all.
Join interactive lessons, get expert feedback, and explore your creativity in a supportive community.
"...a magical guide to conquering our fears, phobias and emotional pain...”
—Janina Fisher, PhD
“… a real treasure trove of tools for healing..."
— Dusty Miller
“…a rich resource which helps empower the client and facilitate recovery..."
— Joyanna Silberg, PhD
"...a dynamic and strengths-focused approach to treating challenging trauma-based behaviors..."
—Nancy Napier, LMFT
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Baltimore, MD 21208
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