Upcoming Event

An Embodied Approach to working with Trauma

Sunday 8 November 2026

Clayton Hotel Silver Springs | Cork | T23 E244

8:30am – 5:30pm

Overview

Ginkgo Collective are delighted to welcome back Brendan McKiernan with an experiential workshop focusing on introducing clinicians to the need for and techniques used in an embodied approach to trauma.

There is a significant body of evidence now available which shows that the majority of individuals who present for mental health and substance abuse treatment are primarily dealing with the impact of psychological trauma both complex and specific (PTSD). Evidence from neurobiology shows that trauma impacts on areas of the brain which are sub-cortical and therefore not accessible by cognitions. There is a growing awareness of the need therefore for clinicians to have the therapeutic skills which support their clients in developing the ability to regulate their nervous systems. This workshop will give you an understanding of the need for these skills and introduction to them in practice.

Brendan McKiernan is a registered Family Therapist and Somatic Experiencing practitioner, whose work is grounded in neurobiology, in particular how trauma affects the sub-cortical brain in ways traditional cognitive therapies often miss. A certified addiction counsellor and clinical supervisor, he lectures on the Systemic Psychotherapy ProfMasters (NFQ Level 9) at UCD and spent over a decade as Director of Keltoi, an HSE residential rehabilitation facility for addiction and trauma. He specialises in equipping clinicians with the embodied skills needed to regulate the nervous system.

What’s included?

Day-long in-person workshop
Resource paper from Brendan
Slide deck to accompany the day
Certificate with 7 CPD IACP points/hours

Schedule Register

7 CPD Points Approved

Why this event matters

Trauma lives in the body, not just the mind, in a nervous system that’s learned to brace, freeze or flee long before a thought has formed. That’s why so many clients can talk fluently about what happened to them and still feel stuck. The parts of the brain holding the trauma simply aren’t reachable through conversation alone.

For many clinicians, this creates a real gap. You may be skilled in cognitive and talk-based approaches, and still find that certain clients plateau, not because the therapy is wrong, but because it’s only addressing part of the picture. An embodied approach doesn’t replace what you already do; it gives you another way in, especially for clients whose trauma is held somatically rather than narratively.

This workshop offers a rare chance to learn directly from a practitioner with decades of frontline experience, not just the theory of why embodied work matters, but an experience of the skills themselves, through demonstration and guided practice. Whether you’re new to somatic approaches or looking to deepen an existing practice, you’ll leave with a clearer understanding of the evidence, and a first felt sense of what this work actually looks like in the room.

What you will learn

Learning Outcomes

During this workshop, participants will:

Understand the reasoning for an embodied approach to trauma, including the neurobiological evidence base
Learn and begin practicing the trauma specific foundational skills for working in an embodied way, through demonstration and guided practice.
Understand why and how an embodied approach supports nervous system regulation.
Identify and discuss issues that commonly arise when applying clinical skills for working in an embodied way.

Our Speakers

Ginkgo Collective works with skilled facilitators who blend knowledge with lived experience.

Brendan McKiernan

Brendan McKiernan is a registered Family Therapist, a Somatic Experiencing practitioner and a senior assistant teacher in Somatic Experiencing (UK & Europe). His work is grounded in the latest neurobiology, focusing on how trauma impacts the sub-cortical areas of the brain that traditional “cognitive” therapies often miss.

A certified addiction counsellor, clinical supervisor and lecturer on the Systemic Psychotherapy ProfMasters (NFQ Level 9) programme at University College Dublin, Brendan spent over a decade as the Director of Keltoi, an HSE facility for residential rehabilitation for addiction and trauma. He specialises in providing clinicians, professionals and non-professionals with the embodied skills needed to regulate the nervous system, drawing on the seminal work of Peter Levine and Stephen Porges.

Who This Is For

This workshop is designed for counsellors, psychotherapists, psychologists, family therapists or health, education or caring professionals working with people presenting with trauma, complex trauma or addiction, who wish to develop embodied, nervous-system-regulation skills to complement their existing approach.

8 November 2026