The Touchstone Institute

06/04/2026

As EMDR clinicians, we have been trained to treat trauma that happens to our clients, but what about when the source of our client's trauma is systemic oppression and harm experienced because of who they are?

Join Mark Nickerson for his upcoming workshop to learn how to address culturally-based trauma into your EMDR practice:

📖 Addressing Social Identity, Cultural Trauma, and Current Societal Adversity within EMDR Therapy: Experiential Learning
🗓️ June 23 & 30
🔗 https://f.mtr.cool/vvoybrlhny

06/02/2026

We're excited to announce that Touchstone Founder & Director, Mara Tesler Stein, will be offering her course, "EMDR Approaches to Perinatal Experiences" as a guest instructor at EMDR Training & Distance Learning on June 22 and 29!

Learn more at https://f.mtr.cool/dhpghoxnts

06/01/2026

Client's don't arrive to therapy sessions as blank slates.
They come with a history of how their culture has been seen, named, or erased.

Learn EMDR methods (including G-TEP) to explore social identity, reprocess societal adversity, and dismantle prejudice in Mark Nickerson's two-part experiential workshop:

📖 Addressing Social Identity, Cultural Trauma, & Current Societal Adversity within EMDR Therapy
🗓️ Part 1: June 23 | Part 2: June 30
🔗 Register today at https://bit.ly/EMDR-ID-Live

05/29/2026

OCD and perfectionism are not the same, but the two are often used interchangeably in conversation.

Learn how perfectionism distorts perinatal realities and how to support clients in overcoming perfectionist beliefs with Marcuetta Sims:

📖 Peace from Perfectionism: Breaking Perfection's Grip on Parents
▶️ On-demand
🔗 Start today at https://bit.ly/perfectionism-ondemand

05/28/2026

For many perinatal clients, rage shows up not just as an emotion, but as a survival strategy when needs go unmet and expectations are violated.

Explore what drives maternal rage and how to respond with clinical clarity and compassion:
📖 Maternal Rage: Implications & Interventions
🗓️ June 1
🔗 Register at https://bit.ly/maternal-rage

What you’ll learn:
✅ How to recognize key triggers and patterns of maternal rage
✅ The Stages of Maternal Rage framework for assessment
✅ Evidence-based cognitive and somatic interventions
✅ Strategies for reducing shame and increasing support

05/27/2026

Mark Nickerson has received such fantastic feedback on his workshops!

Clinicians have shared how his framework and expertise have deepened their understanding of social and cultural trauma.

Enroll today to learn how to strengthen your culturally responsive practice:

📖 Addressing Social Identity, Cultural Trauma, and Current Societal Adversity within EMDR Therapy: Experiential Learning
🗓️ June 23 & 30
🔗 https://bit.ly/EMDR-ID-Live

05/26/2026

“It feels like drowning and exploding at the same time.”

That’s how one client described maternal rage to Nicole McNelis. And it changed the way she understood what so many parents are carrying.

This clip offers a glimpse into what shows up in session - and how we can meet it with care.

📖 Maternal Rage: Implications & Interventions
🗓️ June 1, 2026
🔗 Learn more and register at https://bit.ly/maternal-rage

05/25/2026

In June, we’re naming two forces that shape our clients’ distress in the therapy space but rarely get direct attention: maternal rage, and the impact of social identity, cultural trauma, and societal adversity across all clients:

🗓️ June 1: Maternal Rage: Implications & Interventions
🗓️ June 23 & 30: Addressing Social Identity, Cultural Trauma, & Current Societal Adversity within EMDR Therapy

Enroll today at https://bit.ly/touchstone-trainings

05/22/2026

Thank you to Therapist Network member, Hilary Waller, for shedding light on the application of EMDR for the perinatal population!

"When applied with attunement and flexibility, EMDR therapy provides a compassionate pathway for healing during a uniquely vulnerable stage of life." - Hilary Waller, LPC

Hilary Waller, EMDRIA member, shares a case example of promoting maternal mental health with EMDR therapy.

05/21/2026

Maternal rage might seem sudden, but it rarely is.

When needs and expectations are unmet, it creates tension. That sense of being on edge builds until anger either erupts or is tamped down. What happens next often depends on the support we have and the stories we've been told about anger.

Rage isn't a flaw, it's a signal that something needs to change.

Learn more with Nicole McNelis in her upcoming course:
📖 Maternal Rage: Implications & Interventions
🗓️ June 1
🔗 Enroll today at https://bit.ly/maternal-rage