Attuned to Attachment: Understanding Developmental Trauma, Early Attachment, and Attunement in the Therapy Room CE Webinar for therapists, counselors, psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists

 
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Attuned to Attachment: Understanding Developmental Trauma, Early Attachment, and Attunement in the Therapy Room - 5 hours


To access the discount form for registering for multiple workshops or participants, please click here.

When & Where:

  • Date: Friday, August 14, 2026
  • Time: 11:00am - 5:00pm Eastern Time
  • CE Hours Included: 5 (please see below for details)
  • Location: Live Interactive Webinar ("Synchronous") on Zoom
  • Investment: $120 before Friday, July 31st at 5:00pm Eastern Time, $135 after
  • Presented by: Ashley Tolleson, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, RPT, CPCS and Terris Hagan, LPC, RPT, CPDPE, CPCS (see bio below)
  • Workshop Recording: A recording of this workshop is available to review for 60 days after the presentation. However, participants must attend live to receive the "Synchronous" CE Certificate.
  • Instruction Level: Intermediate
  • Target Audience: Psychologists, Counselors, Social Workers, Marriage & Family Therapists

Learning Objectives:

After completing this workshop in its entirety, you will be able to:

  • Assess the key factors of attunement.
  • Discuss basic attachment theory as it relates to children’s relationships and development.
  • Outline the four main attachment styles.
  • Discuss the implications of developmental trauma on early attachment.
  • Assess the role of attunement in the therapeutic relationship.
  • Demonstrate ways clinicians can promote healthy attachment for their clients.

Workshop Description:

Decades of research have shown that the relationship between client and therapist is the strongest predictor of the outcome in therapy, wherein the stronger the alliance, the better the therapy outcome. To cultivate this connection, clinicians need to explore their clients' attachment patterns and childhood experiences with caregivers, including traumatic events and attachment wounds. This information can help the therapist better understand the role of early attachment in shaping their clients' self-concept, coping patterns, and capacity for secure relationships, ultimately serving as a guide for the course of treatment.

Drawing from attachment theory and developmental psychology, this workshop will help to unravel the intricacies of attachment patterns, shedding light on how these early relational dynamics reverberate throughout our clients' lifespans. We will share essential insights into fostering secure attachments with clients through the use of attunement - the cornerstone of therapeutic rapport and healing. Therapists will learn how to create a reparative, relational space for clients of all ages to allow for transformative change. Lastly, case studies and discussions will allow participants to practice conceptualizing clients through a trauma-informed lens and assessing attachment styles.

Workshop Agenda:

  • Foundations of Attachment Theory (45 mins)
    • Definitions and contributors to attachment theory
    • Identify and differentiate the four major attachment styles
    • Explore how early attachment impacts future emotional and relational functioning
  • Developmental Trauma and the Impact on the Brain (45 mins)
    • Define developmental trauma and identify types (acute, chronic, complex)
    • Explain the stress response system and how trauma impacts brain development
    • Identify seven domains of impairment in children exposed to complex trauma
  • Clinical Manifestations & Assessment of Attachment Disruptions (75 mins)
    • Describe how trauma presents in children and teens (behaviors, diagnoses)
    • Discuss clinical implications across the lifespan
    • Identify questions to include in intake assessments for developmental and family history
  • Attunement in Therapy: Children, Teens, and Adults (60 mins)
    • Role of attunement and misattunement in therapy
    • Identify observable signs of attachment disruptions in the therapy room
    • Discuss therapist behaviors that promote attunement
  • Therapeutic Interventions & Case Applications (75 mins)
    • Describe models of trauma-informed therapy and appropriate therapeutic interventions
    • Discuss verbal and nonverbal therapist language to promote safety and connection
    • Apply concepts to case examples

Presented by:

Ashley Tolleson, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, RPT, CPCS

Dr. Ashley Tolleson is a Board-Certified Licensed Professional Counselor and the Founder of Tolleson Counseling Center in Marietta, GA. She holds a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Practice and specializes in trauma-informed and creative approaches to counseling children, teens, and adults, with a focus on anxiety, stress management, trauma, and neurodiversity. Dr. Tolleson’s expertise extends to supporting high-achieving girls and women in overcoming burnout and challenging perfectionism. Her passion for these areas is reflected in her workshops on stress management and burnout prevention, which she delivers to cross-disciplinary associations, including her role as a mental health consultant for the Georgia Veterinary Medical Association.
In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Tolleson is a Certified Professional Counselor Supervisor and a Registered Play Therapist™ with extensive training in trauma-informed care and Play Therapy. She has supervised both mental health and school counselors-in-training and frequently guest lectures in counseling graduate programs nationwide. Dr. Tolleson's published work on creativity in counseling has been presented at national and international conferences. In 2017, she was recognized as an Emerging Leader in the counseling profession by the Association for Creativity in Counseling.

Terris Hagan, LPC, RPT, CPDPE, CPCS

Terris Hagan is the founder of Roots to Stillness Counseling, a private practice in Marietta, Georgia, where her clinical work focuses on children, teens, and their caregivers, informed by developmental and relational frameworks.

Terris holds a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Georgia State University and is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Registered Play Therapist™, Certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator, and Clinical Professional Counselor Supervisor. She specializes in play therapy, expressive arts, and trauma-informed care, supporting clients navigating anxiety, trauma, emotion regulation, self-esteem, life transitions, and neurodiversity. She is especially drawn to working with children who have big hearts and big feelings, striving to create a nurturing environment where those feelings can be explored and expressed safely.

In addition to her clinical work, Terris provides clinical supervision to counselors working toward licensure and enjoys sharing her passion for play therapy and relational work through trainings for schools, organizations, and mental health professionals. She also guest lectures for counseling graduate programs and values opportunities to support and mentor emerging clinicians.

Workshop Schedule (Eastern Time):

  • 10:30am - 11:00am | Sign-In and Welcome
  • 11:00am - 12:30pm | Session
  • 12:30pm - 12:40pm | Break
  • 12:40pm - 1:55pm | Session
  • 1:55pm - 2:35pm | Lunch Break
  • 2:35pm - 3:35pm | Session
  • 3:35pm - 3:45pm | Break
  • 3:45pm - 5:00pm | Session
  • 5:00pm | Continuing Education Certificates Available

5 CE Hours Included - Details by License Type Below:

  • PSYCHOLOGISTS: The Knowledge Tree, A Summit Professional Education Company is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Knowledge Tree, A Summit Professional Education Company maintains responsibility for this program and its content. For more detailed information on the current CE ruling in Georgia, or if you are licensed in another state or country, please click here.
  • COUNSELORS: The Knowledge Tree, A Summit Professional Education Company has been approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) as an Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP), ACEP No. 7153. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. The Knowledge Tree, A Summit Professional Education Company is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Please click here for more detailed information.
  • SOCIAL WORKERS: The Knowledge Tree, a Summit Professional Education Company, provider #2470, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 1/14/2026-1/14/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 5 clinical continuing education credits. Please click here for more detailed information.
  • MARRIAGE & FAMILY THERAPISTS: TKT has applied for approval for this workshop through the Georgia Association for Marriage & Family Therapy (GAMFT). If you are licensed in another state or country, please click here for more detailed information.

Registration: To register for individual workshops, you may use our online payment option, or to pay by check you may print and complete the Registration Form and mail or fax it to our office. The registration form is available on our website: www.theknowledgetree.org. Registration is permitted until the time the workshop begins, unless otherwise specified.

Multiple Workshop Special: There is a 10% Discount with registration for two workshops. There is a 15% Discount with registrations for three or four workshops. There is a 20% Discount with registration for five or more workshops.

Refund/Cancellation Policy: If you can no longer attend a workshop you have registered for, you can either receive a credit for another workshop or receive a refund if you are within the refund policy period. Refunds will be given for cancellations received at least five days prior to the workshop. More information about refund/cancellation can be found here.

Attendance Policy: 100% attendance and completion of a course evaluation is required at any CE program in order to receive credit for that CE program. No partial credit is given. Certificates of completion will be available in each attendee’s account once the broadcast has ended and the course evaluation completed.

ADA Requests: We will make every effort to accommodate any reasonable ADA request. Please call or email us at least two weeks prior to the event. Payment and registration are required to fulfill an ADA request.

No Conflict Policy: Neither The Knowledge Tree nor its speakers have received any commercial support for this program or its contents and will not receive any commercial support prior to or during this program. 

System Requirements: Live Interactive Webinars are facilitated via Zoom. System requirements for the Zoom platform are linked at our FAQ page.

We are an approved vendor for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for easy reimbursement of educational expenses for VA employees.


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For information about our Continuing Education Workshops, please contact our Customer Service team at:

404.913.2005

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The Knowledge Tree, a Summit Professional Education Company, offers courses that provide continuing education hours as required by many national, state and local licensing boards and holds Approved Continuing Education Provider/Sponsor status with professional organizations including APA and NBCC. Each licensee should check our detailed CE information page and ensure courses taken meet their specific state board requirements.