Our collective hearts and minds have turned to the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Harvey unfolding in Texas and soon Louisiana. The call has gone out from the Red Cross to the mental health community.
Another option for serving is through Give An Hour, where you can donate phone time.
Our skills are needed. If you have the space in your life and can offer your services, I trust you will. It can be easy to minimize the work we do. Please don’t. Pause, take a minute and recognize the value of the work you do, reflect on the investment you’ve made in your skills. Though you may not be able to head to Texas, your presence, your work matters right where you are.
It is yet unclear how many lives have been upended by Harvey and how many are walking through a traumatic replay of Katrina. As our profession gains understanding and skills in recognizing and treating trauma, our ability to help people get free of associated intrusive wounds means our clients can live NOW rather than THEN. Now is where our power of choice lives. Now is where LIFE is.
Sara Ridner, L.C.S.W. is a local therapist who loathe to pause and publicly toot her own horn to acknowledge the value of what she offers. But I will! Sara has sought out and received post graduate psychotherapy training in EMDR and AAIT to deepen her understanding of treating trauma. She is currently in the Acceptance and Integration Fellowship Training Group where she has become proficient in treating trauma with AAIT. In addition to her trauma work, Sara works primarily with women suffering from depression, anxiety, grief/loss and issues underlying addiction. I especially appreciate her gentle yet firm presence with clients. I’d like you to meet Sara.
Why did you decide to get certified in AAIT?
I decided to get certified in AAIT because I knew from experiencing it that I could go deeper into myself and uproot, dissolve, let go of the barriers of thought, belief, and limitation that have kept me from progressing in my life. Metaphysical spirituality gave me the gift of belief in self-responsibility for my experience, AAIT gave me the vehicle to take it deeper. I also wanted to build on the AAIT Basics training I had. The Fellowship Training Group Immersive experience gave me the intensity and accountability I needed to go deeper.
How are you using it now?
In my job as a therapist, I am using AAIT with clients who are being treated for substance abuse issues and who also have trauma. It has given these clients skills for emotional regulation and relief from traumas. Similarly, in private practice, clients are gaining relief from emotional traumas, insight into negative beliefs about themselves, and skills to further explore their inner world.
What difference has it made to your clients?
My clients have begun to request AAIT, as opposed to talk therapy or other methods such as EMDR. Comments such as “it is deceptively simple, but profound” or “AAIT really sticks” have been made. Clients have experienced relief within a session and then seen results of feeling peaceful and calmer in their daily lives. For clients who do not want to be in the story, AAIT provides a reliable way to resolve traumas without having to relive them.
What difference has it made to you personally?
I can hardly express completely all AAIT has given me. I feel AAIT has really SOLIDIFIED the ground beneath my feet. I have become more assertive about expressing my needs, boundaries, and self-care. I feel more confident and able to take risks to move forward in my professional life. I have an abiding CALM (one of my primes!) in my day to day life that I have never known. I have been able to take on changes in diet and exercise that have eluded me for years because of underlying anxiety and self-sabotage. AAIT has given me tools to use for ANY SITUATION I will ever face.
Who do you really love serving?
I love working with women coping with trauma, depression, anxiety, grief/loss and issues underlying addiction.
How can people find you?
Sara Ridner – 865.254.8222
Sarabeth220@gmail.com
