Trauma Practice

FOUNDATIONS OF TRAUMA PRACTICE (NEW!)

About the Presenter

Dhwani Joshi is a registered social worker, clinician, and educator with experience across multiple levels of care, including community settings, hospital outpatient programs, and private practice. 

Her clinical work focuses on trauma, addictions, and mental health, with a strong commitment to culturally responsive and anti-oppressive practice.

She has contributed to the development and delivery of innovative clinical programming in hospital settings, including piloting a Seeking Safety group for individuals experiencing concurrent trauma and substance use, and supporting the development of harm reduction-focused outpatient services. During her MSW at Wilfrid Laurier University, she completed an international placement in Beijing focused on grassroots mental health initiatives, where she was recognized with a Field Excellence Award.

In addition to her clinical work, Dhwani is an experienced educator and facilitator who has delivered professional training through organizations such as the SickKids Learning Institute, the IDEA Collaborative and Reconnect Health Services in the GTA. Her approach integrates body-oriented and holistic perspectives, with a focus on translating complex concepts into practical, applicable skills for helping professionals.

Overview

This 4-week online workshop introduces foundational concepts in trauma-informed practice, with a central focus on establishing safety and building practical skills for clinical work. Moving beyond trauma-informed awareness toward practical, skills-based application in Stage 1 trauma work, the course emphasizes stabilization as a key focus. Participants will develop concrete strategies to support symptom management, emotional regulation, and client stabilization without engaging in deeper trauma processing.

Participants will explore the neurobiology of trauma, including the window of tolerance, and examine how survival strategies are often misinterpreted in practice. The course integrates an anti-oppressive lens, supporting clinicians in understanding trauma within broader systemic and relational contexts. Throughout the workshop, participants will learn and practice skills to support coping, enhance interpersonal safety, and effectively respond to trauma-related symptoms in real time.

Target Audience

This workshop will be of interest to social workers and helping professionals seeking practical, applicable tools to support clients experiencing trauma, while deepening their understanding of how trauma impacts behaviour, engagement, and the therapeutic relationship.

Synopsis

Structured across four modules, the workshop integrates brief lectures, reflective exercises, case-based discussions, and practical skill-building activities.

Participants will build foundational knowledge of trauma and safety, explore the neurobiology of trauma and the window of tolerance, and develop practical, Stage 1 (stabilization-focused) skills to support emotional regulation, symptom management, and interpersonal safety. Emphasis is placed on translating trauma-informed principles into concrete strategies that can be applied immediately in a wide range of clinical and helping contexts (e.g. substance use and addictions, mental health, justice-involved populations, domestic violence etc.).

Module 1: Foundations of trauma, including neurobiology, the window of tolerance, and establishing safety within an anti-oppressive framework.

Module 2: Regulation and stabilization skills, including grounding, pacing, and strategies to support clients within their window of tolerance.

Module 3: Understanding emotions, cognitions, and survival strategies, with a focus on building coping and meaning-making.

Module 4: Interpersonal safety including relational attunement, boundaries, and the use of self in supporting client stabilization.

Across all modules, participants will engage in reflective exercises and case-based learning to support integration into practice. Safe and effective use of self will also be integrated across all modules. 

Format

This course includes four weekly modules. Each module requires approximately 4 hours of online work.

Speed of learning and ease with technology will affect the time it takes to complete the course exercises. Basic technical and computer skills are required to watch online videos, post questions and comments, and navigate the website.

There are no scheduled lecture times. The course site is available 24/7.

16 continuing education credit hours.