CALPCC is pleased to offer another live webinar from the Groundswell Institute. Natalie Small, LMFT, will present on eco, expressive art, and somatic therapy and how it can support the mental health and well-being of both clients and clinicians. We hope you will join us! Details below.

Ocean as My Co-Facilitator: How Groundswell Surf Therapy based in eco, expressive art, and somatic therapy can support the mental health and well-being of both clients and clinicians

Cross-culturally and throughout time people have come together in nature for healing and well being. Groundswell Surf Therapy is an invitation to come back to these ancient ways of healing, not only for our clients, but for the well-being of the practitioner as well. Research with UCSD, USC, Burrel, and Queen Margaret University in Scotland show that Groundswell Surf Therapy is a powerful tool for building resilience, interpersonal skills, emotional regulation, gratitude, and positive body relationship while also reducing stress, anxiety, and depression.

In this interactive workshop, we will explore the intersection between nature, community, and our bodies as integral healing modalities not just for clients but also for practitioners. We will get to try on and practice various eco, somatic, and expressive arts-based tools that can be used with clients working with grief, depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. And bring attention to the mental health and well-being shift that can take place when clinicians are accessing nature, their bodies, and community as an integral part of their therapeutic practice.

About the presenter: 

Natalie Small, LMFT

Natalie Small, LMFT, developed the Groundswell Surf TherapyTM model and curriculum combining her expertise in trauma-informed somatic, eco, and community therapy models and rooted in the methodology of positive psychology, depth psychology, and Feminist Psychology Theory. Theory. Since 2018, she has trained over 300 clinicians and community leaders around the globe in her model and became an accredited CEU provider with CAMFT in 2020. She sees surf therapy specifically as a bridge between historical ancestral ways of healing and modern day science and psychology, and is actively doing research and pursuing her PhD to further advance the understanding and practice of surf therapy. as a is a powerful tool for building resilience, interpersonal skills, emotional regulation, gratitude, and positive body relationship while also reducing stress, anxiety, and depression.