Transforming Trauma The Complex Trauma Training Center

Telling our story––to a trusted friend, a therapist, or ourselves––is a continuous unfolding. Each layer shed is an opportunity to re-engage with the past and assess its significance on the present. If the subject matter includes trauma, the process of exposure requires extra care.
On this episode of Transforming Trauma, host Emily Ruth is joined by the inimitable writer and writing coach Jeanette LeBlanc. The pair explore what it means to "write your way through" trauma by examining the narratives we create.
About Jeanette LeBlanc:
Jeanette LeBlanc is a writer, self-published author, teacher, and motivational speaker. She guides humans seeking permission to stop seeking permission along their journeys to increased sovereignty, truth, and bravery, using their stories of lived experiences as vehicles to expand into authenticity, courage, and expression. As a facilitator, coach, and guide, she has directly led over 800 brave humans (thousands more via her social media presence) on the journey toward a life of exploration and fulfillment. Jeanette, queer and single mama to two delightfully unruly grown daughters, is the author of You Are Not Too Much | Love Notes On Heartache, Redemption, and Reclamation.
Learn More:
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JeanetteLeBlancArt on Etsy
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To read the full show notes and discover more resources, visit https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com/transformingtrauma
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The Complex Trauma Training Center:
https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com
View upcoming trainings:
https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com/schedule/
The Complex Trauma Training Center (CTTC) is a professional organization providing clinical training, education, consultation, and mentorship for psychotherapists and mental health professionals working with individuals and communities impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Complex Trauma (C-PTSD).
CTTC provides NARM® Therapist and NARM® Master Therapist Training programs, as well as ongoing monthly groups in support of those learning NARM. CTTC offers a depth-oriented professional community for those seeking a supportive network of therapists focused on three levels of shared human experience: personal, interpersonal & transpersonal. 
The Transforming Trauma podcast embodies the spirit of CTTC – best described by its three keywords: depth, connection, and heart - and offers guidance to those interested in effective, transformational trauma-informed care.
We want to connect with you!
Facebook @complextraumatrainingcenter
YouTube
Instagram @cttc_training
 

All parents face challenges. Black fathers, however, navigate a unique combination of social and intrapersonal pressures, often without the benefit of culturally nuanced support. That’s changing as more Black fathers, some of whom are also mental health clinicians, educators, or adjacent professionals, speak out about their experiences, create networks of knowledgeable care, and inspire others to seek counseling.
Emily Ruth welcomes award-winning counselor, educator, researcher, and author Dr. Michael Hannon to expand on the themes featured in his book Black Fathering and Mental Health: Black Fathers’ Narratives on Raising Their Children Across the Family Life Cycle. Michael hopes his work will invite mental health practitioners to get curious about the traumas that Black fathers experience and be intentional about the kind of help they wish to embody. 
About Dr. Michael Hannon:
Dr. Michael Hannon is an award-winning counselor educator and researcher, a practicing counselor, and an author. He is an Associate Professor of Counseling at Montclair State University, a mental health counselor at The Center for MARCUS, and the co-founder of the non-profit organization, Greater Expectations Teaching and Advocacy Center, with his wife, Dr. LaChan (pronounced La-Shon) Hannon.
He is the author of over 30 publications and has been cited over 500 times. His 2022 edited book, Black Fathering and Mental Health, and overall research about the mental health of Black men and fathers has been highlighted in a range of media outlets, including National Public Radio, New York Times, Autism Speaks, Thrive Global, Huffington Post, Waymaker Journal, and Black Enterprise.
Learn More:
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To read the full show notes and discover more resources, visit https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com/transformingtrauma
***
The Complex Trauma Training Center:
https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com
View upcoming trainings:
https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com/schedule/
The Complex Trauma Training Center (CTTC) is a professional organization providing clinical training, education, consultation, and mentorship for psychotherapists and mental health professionals working with individuals and communities impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Complex Trauma (C-PTSD).
CTTC provides NARM® Therapist and NARM® Master Therapist Training programs, as well as ongoing monthly groups in support of those learning NARM. CTTC offers a depth-oriented professional community for those seeking a supportive network of therapists focused on three levels of shared human experience: personal, interpersonal & transpersonal. 
The Transforming Trauma podcast embodies the spirit of CTTC – best described by its three keywords: depth, connection, and heart - and offers guidance to those interested in effective, transformational trauma-informed care.
We want to connect with you!
Facebook @complextraumatrainingcenter
YouTube
Instagram @cttc_training
 

On this episode of Transforming Trauma, host Emily Ruth welcomes back trauma bond expert and author Nadine Macaluso, LMFT, Ph.D., to introduce her latest book, Run Like Hell, A Therapist’s Guide To Recognizing, Escaping, Healing From Trauma Bonds.
The pair also discuss the markers of a trauma-bonded relationship and how to use NARM to address the complex PTSD that routinely develops as a result of these abusive unions. 
About Nadine Macaluso:
At age twenty-two, Nadine Macaluso married Jordan Belfort, the nefarious stockbroker portrayed in the Hollywood blockbuster “The Wolf of Wall Street”. Their marriage began as a fairytale, but once they were bonded, Jordan’s “mask” began to slip, and acts of infidelity, narcissistic abuse, insatiable greed, and uncontrollable drug addiction became Nadine’s nightmare.
The horrific relationship inspired Nadine to become a psychotherapist specializing in narcissistic abuse, trauma bonds, and Complex-PTSD. Her private practice quickly flooded with clients, predominantly women, recounting an all-too-familiar story of abuse with a pathological partner. Perhaps this scenario resonates with you.
In Run Like Hell, Nadine brings you her personal experience and years of expertise to explain the mental health of the narcissistic pathological lover, the traits of people who are the perfect “victims” of these PLs, how you can leave a trauma bond safely, and how you can heal.
Learn More: 
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Facebook
To read the full show notes and discover more resources, visit https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com/transformingtrauma
***
The Complex Trauma Training Center:
https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com
View upcoming trainings:
https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com/schedule/
The Complex Trauma Training Center (CTTC) is a professional organization providing clinical training, education, consultation, and mentorship for psychotherapists and mental health professionals working with individuals and communities impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Complex Trauma (C-PTSD).
CTTC provides NARM® Therapist and NARM® Master Therapist Training programs, as well as ongoing monthly groups in support of those learning NARM. CTTC offers a depth-oriented professional community for those seeking a supportive network of therapists focused on three levels of shared human experience: personal, interpersonal & transpersonal. 
The Transforming Trauma podcast embodies the spirit of CTTC – best described by its three keywords: depth, connection, and heart - and offers guidance to those interested in effective, transformational trauma-informed care.
We want to connect with you!
Facebook @complextraumatrainingcenter
YouTube
Instagram @cttc_training
 

The "goal" of incarceration varies depending on who you ask. Whether you consider prison fair retribution for engaging in criminal activity or an opportunity at redemption, most people agree that the punitive nature of the US criminal justice system neither rehabilitates nor curbs recidivism rates. 
Emily Ruth invites Christine Marallen to share her extensive insight into the criminal justice rehabilitative process. Christine is a certified prison chaplain, and as the Chief Strategy Officer for Damascus, she created and facilitated the Damascus Trauma Reentry Program inside numerous correctional facilities around Ohio.
The pair also explore the link between incarcerated populations and those who score at intermediate or high risk on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) evaluations, as well as the role that NARM plays in Christine's work.
About Christine Marallen: 
Working with the incarcerated since 2002, Christine Marallen is the former Director of Prison Ministries for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, a position she left in 2019 to further build Damascus—a non-profit reentry and staffing organization founded in 2015. As the Chief Strategy Officer for Damascus, Christine facilitates the Damascus Trauma Reentry Program inside numerous correctional facilities around Ohio—a curriculum she created after a decade talking with individuals who struggled to understand what drove their decisions that led them to incarceration.
Christine has lived throughout the U.S. while working with USA Today Newspaper in various sales and marketing management roles from 1988 to 2002. She holds a B.A. in English from Miami University, an M.S. in Criminal Justice, and an M.A. in Theology from Xavier University. She is a certified prison/jail chaplain, a member of the Cincinnati Enquirer Editorial Board, and past President of the American Catholic Correctional Chaplains Association. From 2006 to 2018, Christine taught Criminal Justice at Xavier University and has taken hundreds of undergraduate students into Ohio prisons to learn alongside incarcerated students in the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, based out of Temple University. Christine is a NARM-Informed Professional and excited to apply the model to the curriculum and work she does.
Christine currently resides in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her Damascus Trauma Reentry Curriculum can be facilitated in any correctional facility.
To read the full show notes and discover more resources, visit https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com/transformingtrauma
***
The Complex Trauma Training Center:
https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com
View upcoming trainings:
https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com/schedule/
The Complex Trauma Training Center (CTTC) is a professional organization providing clinical training, education, consultation, and mentorship for psychotherapists and mental health professionals working with individuals and communities impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Complex Trauma (C-PTSD).
CTTC provides NARM® Therapist and NARM® Master Therapist Training programs, as well as ongoing monthly groups in support of those learning NARM. CTTC offers a depth-oriented professional community for those seeking a supportive network of therapists focused on three levels of shared human experience: personal, interpersonal & transpersonal. 
The Transforming Trauma podcast embodies the spirit of CTTC – best described by its three keywords: depth, connection, and heart - and offers guidance to those interested in effective, transformational trauma-informed care.
We want to connect with you!
Facebook @complextraumatrainingcenter
YouTube
Instagram @cttc_training
 

Without early-stage therapeutic intervention, many at-risk youth face a higher likelihood of becoming adult inmates within the ill-equipped and wildly expensive US prison system. Two advocates, operating at opposite ends of the institutional spectrum, believe that change is possible, especially when we extend trauma-informed support to the youngest and most vulnerable members of our society. 
In this episode of Transforming Trauma, host Emily Ruth welcomes David and Katya Dow to provide their observations regarding trauma care deficiencies within the juvenile and criminal justice ecosystem.
About David R. Dow and Katya Dow:
David R. Dow is the Cullen Professor at the University of Houston Law Center. He and his wife, Katya Dow, established the Juvenile and Children's Advocacy Project in 2014. Katya will complete her M.A. in counseling psychology from NYU in December.
Learn more: 
Website
To read the full show notes and discover more resources, visit https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com/transformingtrauma
***
The Complex Trauma Training Center:
https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com
View upcoming trainings:
https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com/schedule/
The Complex Trauma Training Center (CTTC) is a professional organization providing clinical training, education, consultation, and mentorship for psychotherapists and mental health professionals working with individuals and communities impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Complex Trauma (C-PTSD).
CTTC provides NARM® Therapist and NARM® Master Therapist Training programs, as well as ongoing monthly groups in support of those learning NARM. CTTC offers a depth-oriented professional community for those seeking a supportive network of therapists focused on three levels of shared human experience: personal, interpersonal & transpersonal. 
The Transforming Trauma podcast embodies the spirit of CTTC – best described by its three keywords: depth, connection, and heart - and offers guidance to those interested in effective, transformational trauma-informed care.
We want to connect with you!
Facebook @complextraumatrainingcenter
YouTube
Instagram @cttc_training
 

Context is crucial to understanding the challenges faced by those in recovery from complex trauma perpetuated by religious leaders and authoritarian systems of spirituality. That’s especially true regarding former members of Black Christian communities where the church represents more than just a home for shared worship. 
In this episode of Transforming Trauma, Emily Ruth invites Vanessa R. Brooks, MA, a doctoral candidate studying the efficacy of mental health training intervention for African American clergy, to reflect on her experiences in and out of the Black church. The pair also discuss the stigma and disparities that marginalized communities must navigate to access culturally competent mental health resources. 
About Vanessa Brooks:
Vanessa R. Brooks, MA, is a Doctoral Candidate completing a research study on mental health & the Black Church and the lack of evidence-based mental health counseling methods that can be integrated with biblical counseling.
Learn More:
Website
YouTube
TikTok
Facebook
To read the full show notes and discover more resources, visit https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com/transformingtrauma
***
The Complex Trauma Training Center:
https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com
View upcoming trainings:
https://complextraumatrainingcenter.com/schedule/
The Complex Trauma Training Center (CTTC) is a professional organization providing clinical training, education, consultation, and mentorship for psychotherapists and mental health professionals working with individuals and communities impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Complex Trauma (C-PTSD).
CTTC provides NARM® Therapist and NARM® Master Therapist Training programs, as well as ongoing monthly groups in support of those learning NARM. CTTC offers a depth-oriented professional community for those seeking a supportive network of therapists focused on three levels of shared human experience: personal, interpersonal & transpersonal. 
The Transforming Trauma podcast embodies the spirit of CTTC – best described by its three keywords: depth, connection, and heart - and offers guidance to those interested in effective, transformational trauma-informed care.
We want to connect with you!
Facebook @complextraumatrainingcenter
YouTube
Instagram @cttc_training