
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 6-hour workshop we will set the stage for a clinical and philosophical approach to trauma informed treatment.
In this workshop, participants will connect the fawn response to insecure attachment, and process why it is a necessary and inevitable childhood response to trauma, abuse or neglect.
Explore strategies to help Black men navigate racism and trauma, replacing 'just surviving' with thriving, meaningful lives rooted in resilience and self-worth.
[Trauma Informed Assessment and Treatment: Ethical Considerations] has enlightened my perspective on being able to gather imperative information in a safe matter that does not harm or re-traumatized a survivor. Her [Lisa] assessment questions are designed to allocate the client's ability to tell their story without partaking in a reenactment phenomenon. Great information for anyone who works with traumatized population.
This course gave me the knowledge, skills, and confidence to treat clients with trauma. I would 100% recommend it! It's the course I wish I had in graduate school!
Dr. Sabrina did a fabulous job engaging us for 12 hours. I loved the format, her knowledge, and the real-life tips and experiences to help us grow.
Peggy was very knowlegeable, caring, amd approachable.
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.
Lisa is an exceptional trainer. Knowledgeable, clinically experienced and very good at breaking down research in accessible and practical ways. I walked away with a greater understanding of the problem and strategies to help my clients deal with it immediately.
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.
Getting to utilize and incorporate various expressive therapies in practice has allowed me to better meet the needs of all clients I see, but to especially address the unique needs of the adolescent. Thank you, Lisa, for your passion and mission of equipping all providers with the knowledge and means to address trauma from a safe, strengths-based approach.
[Sabrina is] Engaging, dynamic, thought provoking and fun!
Lisa has a way to make the information accessible and reducing imposter syndrome.
Ken was enthusiastic, engaging, and pretty funny given the content matter. He was conscious of time and his audience as well as very knowledgable about the material he presented.
I've done numerous advanced trainings but this one was head and shoulders above the rest. Lisa's passion and non-pathologizing stance transformed the way I view my clients and inspired me to more creative in my work.
[Navigating the Ethical Challenges of Telemental Health] was excellent. Well organized, very informative. Of course, Lisa is always a superb presenter as she did that day!
I like the presenter’s warmth, willingness to address questions, flexibility, and knowledge.
Denise's material was informative, and she provided relevant examples.
I absolutely loved this training. How to illicit hope, how and when to use spirituality as a vehicle for change and the difficulties and possibilities therein. The training was more of a conversation then a lecture, I am still thinking about this days after the training and have followed up on some reading suggestions that have also been inspiring. Thank you!
Lisa is my favorite CE presenter due to her combination of knowledge and presentation style -- very relatable, accepting of differing points of view, great use of research.
Lisa was real and well informed! Not stuffy and smart, but Sassy and Smart! Thank you!
I loved the overview of the couples IFIO. The presenter was approachable, engaging, and made the information easily digestible.
Sabrina is extremely knowledgeable. Her way of teaching helps you see yourself from a different prospective. Helps identify your strengths and what you need to work on. She provides real world examples and how to work through real challenges.
[Trauma Informed Assessment and Treatment: Ethical Considerations] was wonderful in terms of really considering the effects of trauma and how to identify the respond to them in the therapy session. Lisa's knowledge, warmth and enthusiasm keep me motivated in my growth as a clinician.
Lisa's training has been one of the most meaningful experiences in my career. Lisa is engaging and makes material easy to process. She is warm, validating, direct and clear. I left each session feeling more resourced, with concrete interventions and a new appreciation for my role as a therapist as well as for my clients.
Most of the presenters were amazing. I learned a lot from the experiential techniques.
Lisa was responsive, welcoming and cared for participants. Her vast experience provided for very concrete examples of how the material translates to practice.
She [ Arrielle Seidler] was funny and down to earth.
Dr. Carter was very passionate about the material he was teaching and seemed genuinely happy to take questions and talk with participants which helped more people open up.
Lisa is always a thoughtful, engaging and warm presenter. She makes everyone feel heard and seen.
The Expressive Modalities Program provides a quality connection of didactic information with sensory experience, for a more complete understanding of beneficial client treatment concepts.
Enjoyed the energy, enthusiasm, knowledge that Dr. Evans shared about a complex and potentially transformative therapeutic tool. Thanks for offering this to our community.
It was great to get a spectrum of approaches and the encouragement to synthesize them in our own way.
I enjoyed the presenters [in Individualizing Treatment for Children and Adolescents with Complex Trauma and Dissociation]; they were engaging, informative, current, and had a perspective which I believe broadened my own. They offered breakfast, snacks, and all day coffee. What could be better than being nurtured and informed!
If you're fortunate enough to attend this training I highly recommend doing so. The financial and time commitment pales in comparison to the value of experiences and knowledge gained throughout this program. It really was wonderful and I feel like it provided opportunity for both professional and personal growth.
[Trauma Informed Assessment and Treatment: Ethical Considerations] was very informative. Lisa always does an outstanding job making it fun and interesting.
She was so knowledgeable and insightful. I appreciated her intentionality and ability to weave interventions and art into the training.
Sabrina feels like a safe space! She leads with care and compassion while showing up as herself.
Thank you for teaching me how to be a better trauma informed therapist. I have learned valuable techniques and ideas on how to approach the traumatic events that my clients experience. I enjoyed that classes were interactive, and that Lisa was willing to share her successes as well as challenges with clients.
She created a safe space for us all. Was very kind and personable. Extremely knowledgeable and confident. Stayed on schedule.
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!
Dr. N'Diaye brings warmth and expertise to this training. She inspires, models, and teaches effective technique within a well developed theoretical frame.
She was clear, very well-informed--in fact, I'd call her the best expert I've found on the topic to date.
She was very interactive and kept a positive attitude during the entire training.
Lisa is always on point, covers all of the necessary material, and manages to involve everyone in the training. She has a great sense of humor, along with compassion and caring.
Listening to one of the most talented and gifted therapists was an absolute treat!
Timothy provided a safe and open space to learn and grow together!
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.
[Therapists as Peacebuilders: Using Your Gifts for Global Impact} was a great workshop. I enjoy learning opportunities that balance between personal growth/awareness as a clinician as well as wider reaching issues. The facilitator [Sabrina] was knowledgeable, experienced, approachable and enjoyable. I felt that it was a nice change of pace to be “learning” on the psycho-spiritual/emotional end of things rather than just the mental. I do feel like this was one of the most valuable CEU's I've taken this season.
I especially liked the level of knowledge and comprehensiveness of both the workshop and the presenter [Peggy].
Lisa is a terrific therapist, a terrific teacher, a terrific presenter!
I just loved how approachable Peggy was. There’s something so admirable about a brilliant professional who is so confident and doesn’t need to ACT brilliant. I also enjoyed the content of her course and really respected how she was neither defensive nor condescending when people asked questions in class. I hope I can do that when I teach.
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.
The presenters were knowledgeable and provided psycho-education along with experiential activities.
The materials were comprehensive and easy to follow. The instruction style was engaging and supportive.
This program gave me, as a seasoned clinician, so much insight about how to be trauma informed in every aspect of treatment: intake environment, parts work, and termination. Thank you!
Lisa is a breath of fresh air. She exudes compassion and understanding, She is the model of the perfect therapist.
Susan was very human and approachable.
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.
TJ Matton was knowledgeable and easy to follow in the area of utilizing play in trauma therapy. I liked the balance of slides/learning and utilizing play breaks to get up and move around. The presenter provided great handouts and ideas to take back and use with clients.
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.
This was an awesome workshop that gave me the very unique opportunity to learn from the wisdom of a seasoned Rabbi, Priest and therapist. I left the workshop better equipped and more inspired to help my clients.
I really appreciated Lisa's openness to all feedback and questions.
Great information with experiential exercises. I really enjoyed connecting with the other participants.
I liked that the presenter made the material easy to understand. She was able to cover a lot of material in the time of the workshop. I also really liked to hear specific examples that will help with our future clients.
I especially liked learning about the way she has handled some of her cases and her amazing experience treating clients with complex PTSD.
Great resource provided by a gifted teacher & clinician.
Lisa's trainings validate a lot of the work that we do and provides new formulations, techniques, and a level of confidence to apply these techniques. What a powerful experience.
TJ brought us something that adults and therapist working with adults forget about which is the importance of play. The class gave me a lot of aha moments in thinking about my client population. Additionally, the way that TJ embraces the topic with such passion and connection pulled me in and left me wanting more.
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!
[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.
Wonderful wonderful thanks able to use many things with clients learning in class.
TJ was very genuine and down to earth.
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.
Advanced Trauma Training was an amazing experiential and educational experience that advanced my skills, knowledge and support for doing the work I love.
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.
Great! Lisa is a knowledgable and entertaining speaker. I learned a lot [in Navigating the Ethical Challenges of Telemental Health]!
Sabrina did an incredible job presenting material and keeping us engaged.
Sabrina radiates knowledge, love, compassion, and empathy. I love that she shows up as herself and makes others feel more comfortable being themselves.
I especially liked the presenter's [Dee's] style and the modeling of how to apply what she taught to one's practice.
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].
Dee kept us engaged throughout and provided not only very concrete strategies to incorporate into our practice but also resources and information for us to explore later to continue building our knowledge and skills!
Susan was personable and good-natured. Combined with her being informed that made the workshop valuable.
Lisa is such a dynamic teacher who uses real life examples to teach. Treats DID with compassion and de-pathologizes it.
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.
[Sabrina is] Very engaging and passionate about supervision! Very relatable and encouraged self-reflection.
Fantastic techniques shared that made me excited to get back to work and use with my clients.
Dr. Papernow is a highly-skilled, empathetic, engaging and clear communicator who is able to connect with the audience in powerful and meaningful ways. Her examples, handouts and years of clinical experience will most definitely assist me in my work with clients moving forward. Thank you so much!
The training has been incredible. I feel more competent and confident in my work with my clients because of this training and because of Lisa's ability to teach the material in such an effective manner.
Dr. Evans 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.
Lisa is very intentional in how she teaches the information. It�s helpful that she reinforces previous information by integrating it with new information.
This training has enhanced my skills as an EMDR therapist and furthered my knowledge with Art therapy and IFS. Both of the presenters were extremely knowledgeable, engaging, and presented their information in a way that was easy to understand and could be incorporated into a non-art therapist’s practice.
Lisa does an exceptional job connecting with her audience and educating them at the same time.
I understand ADHD better and how it impacts individuals.
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.
Sabrina was very personable and allowed you to discuss situations that often made you feel vulnerable if you were to share it with other leaders/supervisors. I liked how she allowed you to feel safe and reflect on how to best address supervisory issues. I love the questions to ask Supervisees on what they will find helpful out of supervision, being better at focusing on my own self-care prior, during, and after supervision, and exercising Supervision as a ritual.
Lisa creates such an open environment for learning. Whether you are a new or experienced clinician, the level one trauma certificate training, has something valuable for you to bring to your clinical work.
This program has helped me to become a more competent and confident clinician. I have begun using the skills and interventions from this program with current clients, and the shift in my practice and the progress of my clients has been amazing to witness. I recommend this program to every clinician who wants to develop or strengthen skills and knowledge of trauma informed care.
I greatly appreciate Lisa's approach of comprehensive information backed by research intermingled with concrete, practical application and discussion.
Very informative. Learned a lot in a short amount of time. The presenter was organized and kept the workshop on schedule.
[Trauma Informed Assessment and Treatment: Ethical Considerations] has enlightened my perspective on being able to gather imperative information in a safe matter that does not harm or re-traumatized a survivor. Her [Lisa] assessment questions are designed to allocate the client's ability to tell their story without partaking in a reenactment phenomenon. Great information for anyone who works with traumatized population.
Jill was intelligent, knowledgeable of the subject matter, and treated her audience with respect. All information was explained and modeled in an easy to understand, personal format. I am eager to start doing some of her practices with my clients.
Lisa [Ferentz] has a unique ability to breathe life into an important but dry, dull and boring topic - Ethics! You simply can not fall asleep in Lisa's workshop [Ethical Dilemmas in Clinical Practice].
Sabrina is warm and authentic, and I loved her stories in connection to the topics.
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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