Education & Insight for Mental Health Professionals

Spotlighting Sexual Assault Awareness Month

When "Take Back The Night" was first launched, I knew that something important to help victims of sexual abuse was beginning to take shape.

Using CARESS to Work with Self-Destructive Behaviors

Many adolescent and adult clients with histories of trauma, abuse, neglect and other pain narratives are vulnerable to using self-destructive behaviors to self-soothe or dissociate from unresolved pain. By incorporating CARESS into the therapeutic process, you can give clients meaningful things to do when they get the impulse to self-harm.

The Healing Power of “Letting Go”

Many people have grown up in a dysfunctional family or a specific culture that taught them to always put other people’s needs and feelings before their own. The end result is they neglect themselves physically and emotionally.

The Lingering Effects of COVID-19

Although I believe we are truly a step closer to the end of this devastating pandemic, the mental health residue and various manifestations of PTSD continue to impact all of us.

Hope For our Future and the Ongoing Need for Self-Care

I don't think we have ever been more challenged to balance the impact of extraordinary external and systemic stressors and unrest with an ongoing need to be arbiters of hope and optimism for our anxious, angry, or overwhelmed clients.

Trauma, Eating Disorders, and Other Self-Destructive Behaviors

I was delighted to participate in a podcast with Jodie Gale, a clinician practicing in Australia who is passionate about promoting healing, self-development, and spiritual growth for women. In this...

10 Tips to Stop The Diet-Binge Cycle and Re-claim Your Body!

Despite what all those weight loss ads tell you, being able to fit into a size zero bikini should not be your greatest life accomplishment. Nor will it help you achieve true happiness, inner peace, self-confidence or self-worth.

The Importance of Trauma Informed Assessments

Many years ago, when I was in graduate school, I was taught the assessment phase of treatment should take place in the first one to three sessions, followed by six...

When Words Fail – Using Words

Ever experienced a roadblock in therapy with a client when asking important questions? Drawing can be incredibly valuable tool to help clients express and articulate what they’re feeling. Get to...

Connecting Trauma and Spirituality

Learn why it’s important to view clients through a bio-psychosocial and spiritual lens, and how to how to assess for spiritual resources.

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Lisa Ferentz, LCSW

Lisa Ferentz, LSCW-C DAPA, is a recognized expert in the strengths-based, de-pathologized treatment of trauma and has been in private practice for over 33 years. She presents workshops and keynote addresses nationally and internationally and is a clinical consultant to practitioners and mental health agencies worldwide. She has been an Adjunct Faculty member at several Universities and is the Founder of The Ferentz Institute.

Lisa is the author of “Treating Self-Destructive Behaviors in Traumatized Clients: A Clinician’s Guide,” “Letting Go of Self-Destructive Behaviors: A Workbook of Hope and Healing,” and “Finding Your Ruby Slippers: Transformative Life Lessons From the Therapist’s Couch.” She also is a contributing writer for mental health-related blogs and websites, including Psychologytoday.com.

To learn more about Lisa, click here.

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