Level 1: SP for the Treatment of Trauma
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP) is a body-oriented talk therapy that blends cognitive and emotional approaches, verbal dialogue, and physical interventions to directly address the implicit memories and neurobiological effects of trauma. By using bodily experience as a primary entry point in trauma therapy, rather than the events of the “story,” we attend to how the body is processing information and its interface with emotions and cognitive meaning making.
Our Level 1 trauma training presents simple, body-oriented interventions for tracking, naming, and safely exploring trauma-related, somatic activation, creating new competencies and restoring a somatic sense of self.
Students learn effective and accessible interventions for identifying and working with limiting somatic patterns, disturbed cognitive and emotional processing, and the fragmented sense of self experienced by so many traumatized individuals.
By the end of the training, students will be able to apply basic SP techniques with clients who are distressed or traumatized and adapt SP skills for more complex clinical situations.
I utilize SP as a stand-alone approach as well as incorporating it into my existing repertoire of therapeutic modalities. It has transformed my clients. Not only have they made progress, they have maintained their gains. They typically experience a sense of awe, as they become aware that they already possess the tools to heal. A client with complex trauma summed up the benefits of the SP approach, “There is more correspondence between my body and my brain!”
Training Details
Click each tab to learn more about prerequisites, tuition, and topics for our Level 1 trauma training.
Training Program candidates must meet one or more of the following prerequisites:
• Legally authorized in local state/province or country to practice as a mental health professional
• Graduate-level student currently enrolled in a mental health discipline at an accredited college or university
• Post-graduate student actively engaged in the process of qualifying as a mental health professional legally authorized to practice
Tuition for Level 1: SP for the Treatment of Trauma is listed by training in our training calendar.
This training requires students to complete 3 hours of consultation with an SPI Approved Consultant or Consultant-in-Training. Fees for the required consultation hours are paid independently outside of training tuition.
Application requires a non-refundable fee of $25.00.
Once accepted, a deposit of $500.00 is due to provisionally secure a place in the training (deposit is not due at time of application).
Learn more about tuition, discounts, financial aid and refund policies on our Admissions webpage.
SP Foundations
Describe the four concepts that make up the SP Foundations: 6 guiding principles, non-pathologizing perspective, body as resource, and experimental attitude.
Theory and Maps
Explain the theoretical and therapeutic maps that underpin the SP method, including procedural learning through “bottom-up” therapy, the organization of experience, the five stages of the process, and a phase-oriented approach to treatment.
Trauma, Resourced States, and the Body
Identify examples of resiliency and resourced states along the SP Experience Continuum.
Container Stage
List and describe the seven tasks associated with the container stage of the process.
Tracking
Describe and demonstrate the SP technique of tracking.
Contact
Describe and demonstrate the SP technique of making contact.
Framing
Describe and demonstrate the SP technique of framing.
Mindfulness
Define and compare mindfulness directives and mindfulness questions.
Steps to Mindfulness
Describe and demonstrate the SP technique of Steps to Mindfulness.
Experimenting Together
List and practice two types of experiments: verbal and physical.
Accessing and Processing Stages
Identify and compare the tasks associated with the accessing and processing stages of the process.
Modulating the Effects of Trauma
Describe the effects of trauma on the brain and body and explain the Modulation Model.
Phase 1: Developing Resources
Identify a variety of somatic resources and SPI’s PEACE Resource Protocol.
Transformation and Integration Stages
Identify the skills associated with the transformation and integration stages of the process.
Common Challenges in Phase 1
Identify common challenges encountered in Phase 1 of treatment and examine strategies for meeting them.
Phase 2: Processing the Effects of Trauma
Describe different types of trauma and differentiate between implicit and explicit memory.
Orienting and Instinctive Defenses
Demonstrate bottom-up interventions to address orienting and instinctive defenses.
Sensorimotor Sequencing
Describe and demonstrate the SP technique of Sensorimotor Sequencing, including how to access a sliver of memory to activate state-specific memory.
Common Challenges in Phase 2
Identify common challenges encountered in Phase 2 of treatment and examine strategies for meeting each challenge.
Structural Dissociation
Assess indicators of structural dissociation and apply interventions.
Putting It Together
Apply the SP Foundations, Maps, and Techniques to clinical choice points across the stages of the process.
Introduction to Phase 3
Describe integrating top-down and bottom-up interventions in Phase 3 treatment and recognize the effects of attachment and developmental experiences on the body.
Training Formats
Level 1: SP for the Treatment of Trauma is standardized across 4 formats to support learning and accessibility. All formats offer a minimum of 39 Continuing Education (CE) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits and deliver the same content, learning materials, and interactive lessons.
The hybrid online format combines self-paced online modules with live online training.
We recommend this option for students who prefer to complete learning modules at their own pace and attend a virtual classroom for facilitated skills application and practice.
Total Training Hours
78 hours divided into 39 live-online hours and 39 hours of asynchronous self-paced learning.
Hours Credited for CE and CPD
CE credit is offered for the live attendance portion of the training, which is 39 hours. CPD credit is 78 hours.
The hybrid in-person format combines self-paced online modules with in-person training.
We recommend this option for students who prefer to complete learning modules at their own pace and gather in-person with their training cohort for facilitated skills application and practice.
Total Training Hours
78 hours divided into 39 in-person hours and 39 hours of asynchronous, self-paced learning.
Hours Credited for CE and CPD
CE credit is offered for the live attendance portion of the training, which is 39 hours. CPD credit is 78 hours.
The live online format allows students to complete all content during live online training.
We recommend this option for students who want to bring the traditional classroom experience to their personal computer.
Total Training Hours
78 live-online hours
Hours Credited for CE and CPD
CE credit is offered for the live attendance portion of the training, which is 78 hours. CPD credit is 78 hours.
The in-person format* allows students to complete all training in person.
We recommend this option for students who prefer a traditional, in-person classroom experience.
*This format is currently only offered in the UK and Europe.
Total Training Hours
78 in-person hours
Hours Credited for CE and CPD
CE credit is offered for the live attendance portion of the training, which is 78 hours. CPD credit is 78 hours.
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is a conceptually elegant, powerfully effective body therapy that involves a broad repertoire of somatic interventions specifically designed to help clients tap into the wisdom of their bodies. The SPI Training Program offers ingeniously taught intensive courses for clinicians seeking to deepen their understanding of the body.