FSG Group Day 2

Day 2 takes you deeper into the heart of facilitating Finding Solid Ground groups. 

We’ll begin by sharpening core facilitation strategies—how to gently encourage participation, reduce avoidance, and create a space where group members feel empowered to show up authentically.

You’ll also receive materials developed by the Harvard McLean team specifically for enhancing FSG groups, expanding your toolkit for supporting healing and regulation.

By the end of Day 2, you’ll have practical, compassionate strategies for managing complexity, fostering safety, and helping clients build emotional resilience—tools that will elevate your work with trauma survivors in any setting.

Building Emotional and Cognitive Skills, Enhancing Self-compassion and Safety

Day 2 focuses on the deeper emotional and cognitive skills that help clients move toward greater safety, self-compassion, and resilience. You’ll strengthen your group facilitation abilities while learning how to effectively address avoidance, encourage participation, and support meaningful engagement.

Topics include:

  • Screening participants and navigating practical considerations

  • Introducing crisis planning and reinforcing safety

  • Handling risk, self-harm concerns, and intense emotional reactions

  • Supporting clients who struggle to give up unsafe coping behaviors

  • Managing group dynamics such as silence, ruptures, and dropouts

  • Working with varying levels of dissociation

  • Responding when clients switch dissociative self-states

The day includes role plays, demonstrations, and breakout practice so you can apply new skills in real time. You’ll also receive specialized materials developed by the Harvard McLean team to enrich your FSG groups.

We’ll explore how FSG translates across outpatient, inpatient, and virtual environments and discuss emerging adaptations, including work with adolescents.

The day concludes with planning and guidance for integrating FSG into your organization—plus next steps toward certification and implementation.

Learning Objectives

  • Apply strategies to manage FSG group dilemmas.

  • Discuss ways to integrate FSG into group contexts.

  • Identify how to screen possible FSG groups and other practical issues.

  • Discuss ways to foster hope and resilience in groups.

  • Demonstrate ways to manage when clients in group are reluctant to “give up” unsafe and risky behaviors.

About the instructor

Bethany Brand, Ph.D.

Dr. Brand is Emerita Psychology Professor at Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. She has over 30 years of experience in researching, assessing, and treating the impact of psychological trauma with a specialization in dissociation. Dr. Brand has been honored with the endowed Martha E. Mitten Professorship as well as teaching, research and clinical awards including the Outstanding Contribution to the Science of Trauma Psychology from the American Psychological Association. She is Associate Editor of the Journal of Trauma & Dissociation. Dr. Brand has served on national and international task forces that developed guidelines for the assessment and treatment of trauma-related disorders. She has published over 130 peer reviewed papers and three research-based books about assessing and treating dissociation, The Concise Guide to Assessing and Treating Trauma-Related Dissociation, Finding Solid Ground: Overcoming Obstacles in Trauma Treatment and The Finding Solid Ground Program Workbook. Dr. Brand is the Principal Investigator on the largest treatment outcome studies to date of dissociative disorders (the TOP DD studies). She has delivered hundreds of clinical and research presentations at national and international conferences. In addition to treating patients in her private practice, Dr. Brand serves as a forensic expert in trauma-related cases including state, federal and capital cases and an international Supreme Court case.

Ruth Lanius, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Lanius is a Psychiatry Professor and Harris-Woodman Chair at Western University of Canada, where she is the director of the Clinical Research Program for PTSD. Ruth has over 25 years of clinical and research experience with trauma-related disorders. She established the Traumatic Stress Service at London Health Sciences Center, a program that specializes in the treatment of psychological trauma. Ruth has received numerous research and teaching awards, including the Banting Award for Military Health Research. She has published over 200 research articles and book chapters focusing on brain adaptations to psychological trauma and novel adjunct treatments for PTSD. Ruth regularly lectures on the topic of psychological trauma both nationally and internationally. Ruth has co-authored four books: The Effects of Early Life Trauma on Health and Disease: The Hidden Epidemic, Healing the Traumatized Self: Consciousness, Neuroscience, Treatment, and Finding Solid Ground (textbook and workbook). Ruth is a passionate clinician scientist who endeavours to understand the first-person experience of traumatized individuals throughout treatment and how it relates to brain functioning.

Hygge Schielke, Ph.D.

Hygge Schielke, Ph.D. is the Trauma Services Development Lead for Homewood Health.  Dr. Schielke specializes in the assessment and treatment of trauma-related and dissociative disorders and the development of cultures that demonstrate trauma-informed collaboration.  Dr. Schielke's research is focused on improving understandings of how to be of meaningful help in each of these areas.

Continuing Education Credits

6.5 CE credits available

  • Bridgepoint Psychology Center (BPC) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

  • You must be in attendance for the full program to recieve CE credit. Partial credit will not be available.

  • BPC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

  • Please check with your governing board to verify your continuing education license requirements.

  • For additional information regarding CEs, email: [email protected]

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