Befriending Parts of Me 2025:

Preparation Technique for Complex Trauma and Dissociation

In this workshop Sarah will teach the innovative preparation technique, Befriending Parts of Me.

Befriending Parts of Me is a preparation technique for trauma-focused therapy that aims to create integrative capacity and readiness for trauma memory reprocessing, by resolving internal conflict, and creating flexibility in nervous system states. Befriending Parts of Me is a technique that is founded upon adaptive information processing theory (Shapiro, 2018) and the wisdom of human innate capacity to heal. The technique draws upon Kathleen Martin’s (Martin, 2012) work on expanded readiness for treating dissociation, and structural dissociation theory (Steele et al., 2017), and synergistically integrates polyvagal theory (Dana, 2020; Porges, 2021), interpersonal neurobiology (Siegel, 2021), Internal Family System (Schwartz & Sweezy, 2020), and tips from Schema Therapy chairwork. The intervention requires a philosophical stance emphasised by Synergetic Play Therapy (Dion, 2018) to genuinely, authentically attune to our clients, and their fears and ambivalence and fears to healing.

 The aim of this technique is to curiously, authentically, get to compassionately know all parts of our clients; their strengths, fears, protective role and defensive nature, that at times creates ruptures in the therapeutic relationship and forms the foundation to blocks and resistance to memory reprocessing phases of trauma-focused therapy. Through integrating 'Befriending Parts of Me' into your clinical you will increase safety, trust, self-compassion, and coregulation for effective healing from trauma. This webinar will walk through the Befriending Parts of Me technique, highlighting its unique approach and rationale to each step with demonstration, critical discussion, and clinical case examples across the life span.

Learning Objectives 

At the conclusion of this webinar, participants will:

  • Implement a preparation technique aimed to compassionately understand and integrate parts in preparation for effective memory reprocessing phases of trauma-focused therapy.

  • Enhance their understanding of the emergence and adaptive nature of complex PTSD and dissociation from numerous theoretical models and approaches (i.e. structural dissociation, polyvagal theory).

  • Further understand the need for preparation in trauma-focused therapy when complex trauma and dissociation present in clients across the life span.

Webinar Date and Timezones:

  • Thursday 22nd May 2025, 7am - 10:15am Western Australian Time

  • Being, Thursday 22nd May 2025, 9am - 12:15pm Aust. Eastern Standard Time

  • Being, Wednesday 21st May 7pm - 10:15pm New York EDT Time

Venue: Online (Zoom link will be provided)

Cost:  $165 AUD or $110 USD

This webinar will be recorded with the exclusion of any client videos, used to demonstrate the technique, for privacy and confidentiality reasons. This will impact your learning experience thus we encourage all participants to attend the session live.

If you have any questions please contact my Admin Manager on admin@drsarahschubert.com

Audience: This workshop is suited for those who are new to or experienced with EMDR, who work across the developmental life span, with complex, comorbid trauma related clinical presentations.

About the Presenter: Sarah Schubert is a clinical psychologist who specialises in the treatment of trauma and the comorbidities this brings across the lifespan. Sarah is published in the area of EMDR and trauma therapy, and she has contributed to the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS, 2020) international guidelines on PTSD.  Sarah is an editor for the Oxford Handbook of EMDR Therapy, editor for the Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, a contributing author to the EMDR textbook (Shapiro, 2018), an accredited EMDR trainer and consultant, and is involved in training other therapists and mental health professionals in the area of child, adolescent, and adult treatment for trauma and PTSD. Sarah values flexibility and groundedness in theoretical knowledge in her approach to healing. She innovatively integrates mind, brain, and body therapeutic approaches with authenticity and compassion.

All Sarah Schubert Psychology workshops and consultation groups are conducted in accord with our Terms and Conditions of Service.