SOMATIC ORIENTED ACTIVITIES FOR EDUCATORS AND COUNSELORS

At the heart of this method is an emphasis on the use of play and joyful movement with children. Given that kids are not as cognitively oriented as adults, what could be more natural?

The aim is to help children reorganize and rebalance the autonomic nervous system at the biological/survival level after being overwhelmed following a stressful or traumatic event. Based upon the realization that human beings have an innate ability to overcome the effects of stress & trauma, Somatic Experiencing® restores self-regulation as well as a sense of aliveness in the individual, promoting relaxation and wholeness.

Participants will learn:

• Somatic tools for understanding and dealing with behaviors such as irritability, aggressiveness, lack of energy, inattentiveness
• The importance of their own self-regulation in creating a “healthy” group of children
• How to craft group activities that promote children’s self-regulation and integration
• How to use basic principles of touch to restore balance to children
• To help kids find autonomic nervous system balance while having fun at the same time

About the workshop:

In this workshop, Alé integrates stories, videos, and demonstrations of the principles of this natural approach that he has found to be as effective for treating people at his own office as it is abroad in disaster zones. Using activities and specific examples to crate a real “somatic tour” of our bodies and perception, Alé will share his insights from Somatic Experiencing® from an experiential perspective to stimulate awareness of somatic distress that may be present in you and the children around you.

“When left to their own devices, kids have the innate ability to create their own world, their own fantasies, their own dreams. By playing and acting these out, whether alone or in a group, this allows them to begin the process of self-healing.  As therapists, we have the responsibility to create an ‘available’ space, for this natural process to begin.” ~ Alé Duarte