Continuing Education Trainings for Local Therapists
Shine a Light Counseling Center is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs,LCSWs, and LPCCs. Please sign up on our email list to receive information on classes and workshops designed to help you broaden or deepen your therapeutic skill set. Also let us know if you have a workshop you would like to offer. We need presenters for in-service trainings to our eager-to-learn staff, as well as workshops valuable to the local therapist community.
Experiential Therapy for Clinicians
Embodiment – Expression – Relational Depth
Sunday July 26th, 2026 1pm – 4pm $30.
with Amaia Brehaut, AMFT#153199 and Lillian Myers, AMFT#151821
A 3-hour immersive experience to move beyond talk therapy and into lived, emobidied practice. Rooted in our work with children, adults, and couples, this workshop explores the roles we take on, the stories we carry, and the unseen scripts shaping how we relate.
- Expand your role repertoire
- Shift patterns through narrative & perspective
- Map intergenerational trauma
- Identify core relational scripts
- Engage in experiential practices
Live on Zoom
sorry, there are no CEUs for this training
Using the Language of the Unconscious
with Lindasue Marshall
November 21st, 2026 9:30am – 4:00pm
Free for all current clinicians
Drawing from hypnotherapeutic, Ericksonian, and positive psychology frameworks, this workshop examines the clinical rationale behind unconscious language, then provides practical tools for immediate integration into practice. Participants will learn to distinguish between directive and permissive language styles, harness presupposition and the language of possibility, and apply tonal and pacing techniques to deepen client engagement.
Particular attention is given to the clinical applications of these skills: how to bring a client’s past strengths and resources into current problem-solving, how to reframe negative self-talk and distressing memories, how to interrupt unhelpful trance states, and how to validate client successes on a deeper, non-conscious level.
Registration link is coming soon.
Facilitating Communication:
The Use of Nonviolent Communication in Therapy
December 5th, 2026 10:30 – 4:30pm
Free for all current clinicians
Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is a comprehensive set of communication concepts that every therapist should have in their tool bag. This training teaches the principles and techniques of NVC to therapists, so they can offer a detailed response to client’s’ requests for help with communication. Using NVC, a therapist can transform escalating arguments into compassionate and articulate conversations that lead to greater cooperation and connection.
Registration link is coming soon.
Play Therapy with Alison Harre
September 12th, 2026 10:00 – 2:30pm
4CEUs
Free for all current clinicians
This course is well-suited for master’s level and licensed therapists who are interested in working with children using play therapy. Play therapy is an appropriate modality for children ages 2-12 (and somtimes older) for resolving traua and stress, and anxiety or depression related to unconscious conflict. This course will reach clinicians about play therapy and working with children generally, as well as specific theory and interventions as described by the modality of Experiential Play Therapy. Participants will be taught the stages of play therapy, related interventions, the concept of play and toys as metaphor, how to communicate with parents and write notes, as well as understanding importnat toys to have in the playroom. Most importantly they will learn about how to show up in the play therapy room in a way that supports children to heal.
Registration link is coming soon.
Use of Metaphor in Therapy
with Lindasue Marshall
November 22nd, 2026 9:30am – 4:00pm
Free for all current clinicians
Continuing from the Using th Language of the Unconscious, this training will explore Ericksonian and other approaches to unsing metaphors in therapy. Fairy Tales, Sayings, Ancedotes, the client’s own story, and more can all be used to reframe narratives and suggest new possibilities for clients.
Registration link is coming soon.
Attachment-Based Couples Therapy
Jan 30th and 31st, 2027 10:30 – 4:30pm
Free for all current clinicians
Research in attachment has contributed greatly to the development of couples therapy models. Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT, Sue Johnson) in particular, has integrated attachment theory as a core component of clinical treatment. This course explores how to utilize attachment theory to craft both an overarching understanding of marriage therapy, as well as specific interventions characteristic of the EFT approach.
Participants will learn the structure of EFT couples therapy, including specific interventions that can bolster clients’ awareness of dysfunctional patterns, AND provide experiential guidance in fostering deep and genuine emotional connection. Additionally, we will explore the use ot the therapist’s own emotions as a valuable resource in both modeling healthy communication and validating client progress.
Registration link is coming soon.
Previous CEU Topics:
Therapy with Teens Training
Jessica Zover LMFT
Breathwork Emergence Training
Dylan Brody
Internal Family Systems
Jane Farrar
Essentials of Ericksonian Hypnosis
Lindasue Marshall
Therapy with Teens: Navigating Parental Involvement
Jessica Zovar
Parent Education Gems
Tim Hartnett
Use of Metaphor in Therapy
Lindasue Marshall
Eating Disorders 101
Jenn Farley
Brief Solution-Focused Therapy,
Lindasue Marshall
The Foundation of Empathy in Therapy,
Tim Hartnett
Experiential Expressive Arts Therapy
Jennifer Alexander
Ethics & Boundaries in Psychotherapy
Lisa Herendeen
Introduction to Experiential Play Therapy
Alison Harre
Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions
Jessica Zovar
Gender Diversity Basics
Anthony Ross
Effective Therapy with Reactive Couples, Melissa Fritchle
Attachment-Based Couples Therapy,
Tim Hartnett
Co-Parent Counseling & Mediation
Tim Hartnett
Mindfulness Interventions for Trauma
Melissa Fritchle
Facilitating Communication with NVC
Tim Hartnett
Supporting Healthy Sexual Development in Children & Teens
Melissa Fritchle
Sexual Desire Discrepancy & Incompatibility in Couples Therapy
Melissa Fritchle
Fundamentals of Supervision,
Mark Zalona
Starting a Private Practice,
Julia Pinsky
Relationship Repair After Infidelity
Melissa Fritchle
Being with Our Client’s Suffering While in Our Own
Melissa Fritchle