SE counselling is short for Somatic Experiencing© counselling. This is only available through a Somatic Experiencing© practitioner who has taken 3 years of somatic experiencing© training.

Although yoga is not Somatic Experiencing©, it is very compatible with Somatic Experiencing© and a possible way of supporting the Somatic Experiencing© therapy one is receiving. It is a somatic practise.

It is important to understand that the way the experience is applied is even more important than the actual somatic treatment. If a therapist is not trained in Somatic Experiencing© and applies a somatic type of treatment, it will land very differently to the client. So, it is not about what is done as much as the way it is done. An example of a somatic therapy might be something simple such as a body scan, or noticing where the body is responding when discussing a certain topic. One example might be client experiencing a shortness of breath or muscles around the shoulders feeling tighter when discussing a certain topic. A Somatic Experiencing© practitioner has tools to not only hold the space for the client when very big energy is accessed, also to assist the client in releasing the tightness of the muscle or shortness of breath or whatever shows up in the session. This training in containing high energy and in releasing these energies creates more of a sense of safety for the client and the client often feel less out of control when those energies surface.

I believe that EMDR would be categorized as a somatic intervention. The training to become a Somatic Experiencing© practitioner is different to the training to do EMDR. Lois Hansen is trained in Somatic Experiencing©.

A therapist could be short for a number of professions such as physical therapist, massage therapist, or psychotherapist, to name a few. A psychotherapist is someone who has the training to be a registered counsellor. Usually those with this title have a masters degree in counselling or psychotherapy. But not always. This is something to ask your chosen psychotherapist.

Psychotherapy is administered by a registered counsellor or psychologist. This means someone who has a masters degree in psychology or a PhD in psychology. The cost ranges usually from $100.00 – $250.00 per 50 minute session.

The term real doctor is unclear so I will assume this term means a medical doctor. A medical doctor has studied medicine to become a medical doctor. A Psychotherapist has studied psychology, counselling, and human behaviour to become a psychotherapist.

The term trauma therapist is not a protected title, so this term can legally be applied to anyone who has read about trauma. Therefore as a consumer it is important that you ask your chosen therapist about their credentials. For example what this title means to this therapist, what training they completed to become a trauma therapist.

As stated in the question above, the title: trauma therapist is not a protected title so any counsellor can add this to their title. It is important that you ask the therapist that you are considering what their credentials are and what kind of training they have undergone to earn the title trauma therapist.

I would assume that all professionals who say they are counsellors are trauma informed. Being trauma informed usually includes some weekend trainings or possibly a week or two of training to help a professional working with someone who has trauma to not make the trauma worse and to perform specific tasks with the person who has trauma.

Being trauma informed is not the same as being specially trained to help a client deal with their trauma.

Being a Somatic Experiencing© practitioner is someone who has taken 3 years of training, beyond the training they have taken to be accepted to the training, to learn to assist the person with trauma to release the trauma energy.

Once again, the term somatic practitioner is not a protected title so this could mean a continuum of skill levels.

Alternatively, a somatic Experiencing© practitioner is someone who has taken 3 years of training, a required number of hours in personal and professional sessions and has gone through specific training.

Once a professional has earned the Somatic Experiencing© practitioner designation, it does not mean there is a certain employment opportunity waiting for them. Depending upon the affiliation the professional has before they are Somatic Experiencing© practitioners, they will apply the Somatic Experiencing© practitioner knowledge in different ways.

For example, a massage therapist with a Somatic Experiencing© practitioner designation will apply their massage therapy treatment in a Somatic Experiencing© way. A physical therapist who has taken Somatic Experiencing© training will apply the Somatic Experiencing© knowledge to the physical therapy interventions. A counsellor who has taken Somatic Experiencing© will apply Somatic Experiencing© to the counselling. The counselor may work for a variety of institutions such as a not for-profit organization, a health center, or for themselves. To find out how much they make you would need to find out the place they are working for and what this place pays them.

Somatic techniques are typically techniques that are more body based than cognitive. It is difficult to explain what somatic techniques are, because even a somatic technique can be misapplied when it is applied in a cognitive way. So there is some time needed to help the client learn how to have a somatic lens in applying new interventions. It might be more clear to identify what somatic techniques are NOT somatic. They are not learning to try harder, not concentrating more or being harder on yourself. Somatic techniques include many examples, but they are not about what is done but how it is being done. Some examples might be connecting to one’s heart rate, noticing how one’s muscles respond, supporting one’s adrenal glands, to name a few.

Each year there are more Somatic Experiencing© practitioners being trained. Trainings are all across the world. Twenty years ago I was the only Somatic Experiencing© practitioner that I knew of in the Okanagan. Now I know of at least 10. I am excited about more and more Somatic Experiencing© practitioners being trained to effectively  assist people in becoming free from their trauma.

Somatic Experiencing© is not recognized by extended health insurance. Instead, coverage is offered under the designation that the Somatic Experiencing© practitioner had before earning the Somatic Experiencing© designation, for example, registered counselling, or massage therapy or physical therapy, etc.

Categorizing therapies depends on the categorizer’s theoretical beliefs. In my professional opinion, Somatic Experiencing© is a somatic therapy. However, it also fits into numerous other categories.

IBP stands for integrative body psychotherapy. This psychotherapist is a Somatic Experiencing© practitioner and so can explain what Somatic Experiencing© therapy is.

Body based psychotherapy is counselling based on bodily response not based on the traditional talk therapy. There are many ways to experience counselling without having to sit and talk about the difficulties that were in the past. Somatic Experiencing©, in my professional opinion, falls under the category of a body-based psychotherapy.

Integrated therapy stands for therapy that does not apply 1 theoretical basis of therapy but incorporates more than one style of therapy. In my experience, most therapists incorporate more than 1 style or theoretical approach in their counselling sessions.

There more than 4 types of talk therapies. Behavioural therapy, cognitive therapy, humanistic therapy, psychodynamic therapy, brief therapy, strength based therapy, holistic therapy, to name a few. And there are more types of therapies being developed