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Digital Seminar

Abandonment Trauma Specialist Certificate Training

DBT, CBT, Somatic and Parts Work Techniques to Treat Attachment and Inner Child Wounds

Speaker:
Ellen Biros, LCSW, C-PD
Duration:
Approx 12 hours
Language:
Presented in EN
Copyright:
Jul 30, 2026
Product Code:
POS150704
Media Type:
Digital Seminar - Also available: Live Webinar

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Description

When clients come to us with abandonment trauma our role is to dive into the heart of their fears and help them heal the childhood wounds impacting their adult lives and relationships.

But they learned to shut down their feelings. Hide their needs, people-please and over-rely on others to validate their worth.

And “trusting”? It’s a place they’ve been hurt before.
 

Getting past those survival mechanisms can make or break your client’s chances of healing. And it’s not easy.

That’s why abandonment trauma expert Ellen Biros created this exclusive Abandonment Trauma Certificate training 

-- to provide you a roadmap to navigate the complexities of abandonment trauma so you can offer your clients direction, hope, and the keys to healing.

With detailed step-by-step instruction, she’ll share DBT, CBT, somatic approaches and parts work treatments including IFS therapy that will allow you to help clients:

  • Overcome abandonment fears and forge a path toward lasting healing and better relationships
  • Rewrite toxic core beliefs about love, self-worth, rejection and identity
  • Repair attachment injuries driving reactivity, avoidance, dependency, and relationship struggles
  • Processes grief for the childhood they never had, clearing the way for self-trust and emotional freedom
  • Set healthy boundaries and reduce their exposure to toxic relationships
  • Build clients self-compassion and reparent themselves

This training gives you the clinical toolkit you need to break clients free from lifelong 
patterns of fear, shame, and disconnection.

PLUS, you’ll earn a displayable certificate of completion and digital badge to let clients know you’ve trained with a recognized expert. 
So don’t wait. Purchase now.
 

This event is not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with the IFS Institute and does not qualify for IFS Institute credits or certification.

Credit

Program Information

Planning Committee Disclosure - No relevant relationships

All members of the PESI, Inc. planning committee have provided disclosures of financial relationships with ineligible organizations and any relevant non-financial relationships prior to planning content for this activity. None of the committee members had relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies or other potentially biasing relationships to disclose to learners.  For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.



Canada Credit - CE Information Coming Soon

Continuing education credit information is coming soon for this non-interactive self-study package.

CEs may be available for select professions, as listed in the target audience. Hours will be dependent on the actual recording time. Please check with your state licensing board or organization for specific requirements. 

There may be an additional fee for CE certificates. Please contact our Customer Service at 1-800-844-8260 for more details. 

**Materials that are included in this course may include interventions and modalities that are beyond the authorized practice of your profession. As a licensed professional, you are responsible for reviewing the scope of practice, including activities that are defined in law as beyond the boundaries of practice in accordance with and in compliance with your professions standards.



Speaker

Ellen Biros, LCSW, C-PD's Profile

Ellen Biros, LCSW, C-PD Related seminars and products


Ellen Biros, LCSW, C-PD, has over 25 years of experience working with individuals struggling with trauma, anxiety, substance abuse, depression, domestic violence, and personality disorders. She’s a Certified Personality Disorder Treatment Provider (C-PD) and specializes in working with survivors of narcissistic abuse and other manipulative personality disorders. Ms. Biros has trained thousands of therapists on a variety of issues including emotional manipulation, personality disorders, and covert abuse. She’s an adjunct faculty member at The University of Phoenix in the School of Social Work and was formerly an adjunct at Tulane’s University’s School of Social Work. Ms. Biros is the author of Recovering from Narcissistic Mothers: A Daughters Workbook.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Ellen Biros maintains a private practice and has employment relationships with UMass Global and the University of Phoenix. She receives royalties as a published author. Ellen Biros receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Ellen Biros is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, the Georgia Society of Clinical Social Workers, and the American Clinical Social Work Association.


Additional Info

Program Information

Please Note

This product is not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with the IFS Institute and does not qualify for IFS Institute credits or certification.


Access for Self-Study (Non-Interactive)

Access never expires for this product.


Questions?

Visit our FAQ page at https://www.pesicanada.ca/faq or contact us at https://www.pesicanada.ca/contact-us.


Objectives

  1. Identify the concept of the inner child and its relationship to treatment.     
  2. Analyze the relationship between core abandonment beliefs and early maladaptive abandonment/instability schemas in adult individuals.     
  3. Evaluate the impact of parental abandonment on the development of shame and self-blame in clients.    
  4. Identify how attachment insecurity negatively affects relationship satisfaction and stability.
  5. Distinguish how trauma response types present in clinical settings.     
  6. Evaluate the impact of impaired sense of self on client identity formation and symptom presentation.   
  7. Utilize cognitive strategies to reframe negative thought patterns, beliefs and behaviors related to the fear of abandonment and self-worth.  
  8. Apply DBT strategies to help clients address difficulties in handling interpersonal relationships.
  9. Utilize graded exposure and desensitization to reduce abandonment-related anxieties.
  10. Integrate IFS therapy strategies into treatment of clients with a history of childhood trauma.
  11. Apply reparenting interventions in the treatment of attachment wounds.
  12. Utilize breathing and somatic interventions clients can use when they are in acute distress.

Outline

 

Principles of Attachment and Inner Child Development

  • Overview of attachment theory (Bowlby, Ainsworth, Main)
  • Early relational trauma and its effect and role in shaping the nervous system
  • Polyvagal theory and attachment security
  • Mapping childhood experiences to adult relational patterns

The Inner Child as a Clinical Construct

  • Differentiate the adaptive, wounded, and functional inner child
  • Role of parental mirroring and emotional attunement
  • Development milestones and unmet needs
  • Exercises: Inner Child Dialogue and Needs Inventory

Formation of Core Beliefs and Identity

  • How core beliefs form from early experiences
  • Shame, guilt and the defectiveness schema
  • Identity and self-image in attachment context
  • Experiential: Timeline of Emotional Development

Differentiate Trauma Types and Their Psychological Footprint

  • Define abandonment as a core wound
  • Acute, chronic, and complex trauma distinctions
  • Emotional neglect vs. overt abandonment
  • The abandonment wound: psychological and neurobiological correlates

Personality Development and Attachment Adaptations

  • Avoidant, anxious, and disorganized attachment patterns
  • Coping styles: hyperactivation vs. deactivation strategies
  • Defense mechanisms: idealization, devaluation, and withdrawal
  • Case vignette analysis

Adult Relationship Patterns and Barriers

  • Fear of intimacy vs. fear of loss
  • Trauma bonding and codependency
  • Grief and loss in relational disconnection

 

Clinical and Behavioral Indicators of Abandonment Trauma

  • Emotional dysregulation and relational volatility
  • Somatic symptoms and attachment-related anxiety
  • Dissociative reactions and emotional flashbacks
  • Attachment related behaviors in adults

Cultural and Contextual Considerations

  • Intergenerational trauma and cultural scripts around abandonment
  • Gendered and societal influences on attachment expression
  • Multicultural perspectives on belonging and self-worth

The Abandonment Trauma Treatment Toolbox

  • CBT and DBT interventions
    • Cognitive restructuring and schema reframing
    • Emotion regulation, mindfulness, and distress tolerance
    • Cognitive distortions: rejection sensitivity, personalization, catastrophizing
  • Attachment-Focused and Parts-Oriented Interventions
    • Schema Therapy: Healing the defectiveness schema
    • Inner child repair through IFS and Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST) work
    • Self-compassion and reparenting practices
    • Boundaries, trust, and interpersonal effectiveness skills
    • Experiential: “Reparenting Letter” and Safe Place Visualization
  • Somatic and Exposure-Based Approaches
    • Graded exposure for abandonment triggers
    • Breathwork, grounding, and body-based stabilization
    • Desensitization and emotional regulation sequencing
  • Research, Risks, and Treatment Limitations for Techniques

The Therapist’s Role in Healing Abandonment Trauma

  • Countertransference awareness and empathic containment
  • Manage rescue fantasies and client dependency
  • Strategies for emotional boundaries and vicarious trauma
  • Reflective supervision and self-care integration plan

Target Audience

  • Counselors
  • Social Workers
  • Marriage & Family Therapists
  • Psychologists
  • Physicians
  • Case Managers
  • Addiction Counselors
  • Nurses
  • Other Mental Health Professionals

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