October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and to acknowledge the importance of this issue and raise awareness about the signs of abuse and ways to stop it, Ashlie and Gilbert talk with the Townsend Institute's own Dr. Shelley Coleman. Not only is Dr. Coleman a Licensed Professional Counselor with specialty certifications in Emotionally Focused Therapy and Somatic Experiencing, but she is also a domestic violence survivor herself. Listen in as she shares her own experience and expertise in this extremely important topic. Episode Warning: We recognize the topic of domestic violence may be difficult for some listeners. If you or someone you know is suffering from domestic violence or its effects, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. About Dr. Coleman Dr. Shelley Coleman is a Licensed Professional Counselor in West Virginia and holds specialty certifications in Emotionally Focused Therapy and Somatic Experiencing. She is an assistant professor for the Townsend Institute at Concordia University in Irvine, California. Dr. Coleman has been teaching at the Townsend Institute since 2017. She has taught most of the course in the program and is the SME for Foundations in Marriage and Family Counseling and Human Growth and Development. Dr. Coleman was introduced to Dr. Townsend’s model in 2011 during a yearlong training for counselors with Dr. Townsend in Indiana. She continues to integrate the Townsend Model into her work clinically as well as in the classroom. As an Emotionally Focused Therapist and Supervisor, Dr. Coleman provides couples and family counseling using Dr. Sue Johnson’s model of EFT and EFFT. This is widely considered the gold standard for couple and family counseling. As a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, she uses the work of Dr. Peter Levine for trauma healing work. Again, Dr. Levine’s work is considered a gold standard modality and works with the central nervous system to help the body renegotiate trauma and provide long lasting healing. Dr. Coleman owns her own private practice, Valley Counseling and Consulting in Teays Valley, WV. Here she offers counseling and coaching with a variety of populations, both in- person and via telehealth. Her specialties include couple and family counseling, trauma healing, as well as depression, anxiety, and intimate partner violence recovery. Dr. Coleman also offers supervision in Emotionally Focused Therapy as a certified EFT Supervisor and consultation in Somatic Experiencing.
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The Townsend Institute at Concordia University Irvine offers fully accredited online graduate degrees and professional certificates in three content areas: Organizational Leadership, Executive Coaching and Consulting, and Counseling. Experience transformational education that operates at the crossroads of competence, character, and connection through the Townsend Institute’s life-changing counseling and leadership programs. To find out more, visit our website at www.cui.edu/townsend.
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Episode music is "Psalm 1 (That Man)" featuring Tommy Walker, Ben Lange, & Kip Fox, produced by The Songwriter Initiative of The Center for Worship Leadership at Concordia University Irvine.
