Traumatic experiences can have a profound impact on the human mind and contribute to shaping our perspective of the world and relationships. While you can’t always have immediate control of how trauma impacts you, you can control how it shapes your life over time. Interested in understanding how? At our upcoming Life in Transition Workshop, we give you tools and insights to help you build resilience. This immersive three-day retreat is focused on developing personal growth and inner strength in order to change the way we view and experience past traumas and losses.
Built on Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s “Life, Death, and Transitions” workshops, this residential-style event creates a safe space to process past and present trauma and loss. It is facilitated by Sharon Burnett, PhD, one of Dr. Kübler-Ross’s students. Dr. Burnett been holding these workshops for over three decades.
When life brings loss, the Life in Transition workshop can begin to provide you with the foundational tools, along with the protective space, you may need to care for yourself.
If you have questions about whether this event would be a fit for you, the logistics, or what to expect, our team is here. We welcome all of your questions and can answer them via email at info@westvalleycounseling.org.
Key details for Life in Transition 2024
- Who: 25 participants (space is limited so please sign up soon if you’re interested)
- Where: Lazy W Ranch in San Juan Capistrano, CA
- When: May 31 – June 2, 2024
- Cost: $1,250, which includes tuition, lodging, and all meals from Friday afternoon through Sunday lunch (we can accommodate vegan, vegetarian, and most other dietary needs)
What to expect at the workshop
This three-day workshop is designed to help participants rethink how trauma is processed while providing the opportunity to experience personal growth in a safe space.
Guided by a trauma-informed lens, the facilitators of this workshop prioritize safety at the center.
This is built in in two ways. First, prior to beginning the weekend, we clearly lay out boundaries and rules — including ones around privacy and confidentiality. Secondly, all of the staff members at the workshop are experienced in working with trauma survivors. Additionally, they are all either licensed therapists or have training specifically for the workshop.
Over the course of the three days, the staff and participants explore externalization. This is the process that allows us to work through emotions we haven’t consciously acknowledged before. The retreat intends to increase personal awareness in order to help participants come to understand how old patterns of behavior, initially developed for sheer survival, were responsible for present judgments, resentments, stress, and exhaustion. Externalizing our thoughts, feelings, and emotions helps us begin to heal.
The majority of the workshop takes place in a group setting. That said, there are alternatives if this level of exposure does not feel like a viable option for you. Our team offers teaching and tools to help the group work through unresolved feelings, alongside opportunities for one-on-one time with our therapists.
During the group portions of the workshop, we offer the opportunity to share stories as participants feel led. Even those who chose not to share often glean insights from hearing how others process their own lives in transition.
Registering for the workshop
You have two options.
First, you can print and complete this application. Bring or mail it, along with your $500 deposit, to us at the address below.
Alternatively, you can complete the application online and mail or bring your $500 deposit to us.
Either way, you can drop off or mail your deposit (and your application, if you choose the first option) to:
West Valley Counseling Center
18226 Ventura Blvd. Suite 202
Tarzana, CA 91356
Want to learn more about this upcoming workshop or you have any questions? Please don’t hesitate to contact our team at the Ventura Counseling & Wellness Center in Ventura or the West Valley Counseling Center in Tarzana.
