About the Course
Work more effectively with children navigating trauma and dissociation.
This practical, clinically grounded training helps you understand dissociation as a protective survival response—not pathology—drawing from Structural Dissociation, IFS, and attachment-based approaches.
Learn to recognize the behavioral, physiological, and relational signs of dissociative states in children and adolescents, differentiate trauma memory types, and understand how chronic survival states shape development.
Walk away with immediately usable, play-based interventions—including mapping, sandtray work, and parts identification—to build safety and co-consciousness.
Plus, gain clear strategies to help caregivers support regulation and better understand their child’s adaptations.
Your Instructors
Lindy Swimm, LCSW
Thistle Newcomb, LPC
Lindy has over thirty years’ experience working with individuals, adolescents, children, and families. She specializes in attachment and trauma modalities that are well researched in their effectiveness to treat and mitigate mental health concerns. An Integrative Child-Parent approach is available for Attachment and Trauma needs for families and children. Also, individualized expressive therapy interventions such as art, sand tray, play therapy, and music are incorporated into therapy sessions. Lindy is a certified EMDR therapist. EMDR treatment is a highly effective treatment offered to assist in resolving complex conditions such as developmental trauma, PTSD, complicated grief and loss, and foster care and adoption issues. Specialties include relational problems, grief, and loss, treating victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, family therapy, dissociative behaviors in children and adolescents, families in the foster care system, and pre and post-adoption support services.
Thistle Newcomb has been working with families in the mental health field since 1996 and has specifically focused on children, adolescents, and families. She has extensive experience in settings including residential crisis shelter, domestic foster care/adoption social services, intensive in-home counseling, outpatient private practice, supervision of LPC Residents, and a trainer/presenter to the community. Thistle is trained in several modalities such as EMDR, trauma, Parts Work, Somatic Interventions, and is well versed in Complex Developmental Trauma for clients aged infants to grandparents. Specific interests include emotional regulation, resolving trauma, grief/loss, family dynamics, the impact of trauma on developing brains, and stress reduction. Thistle is a Licensed Professional Counselor, an EMDRIA Approved Basic Trainer, an EMDR Approved Consultant, and has been certified as an Expert Witness in Trauma in the 16th District Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court system in Virginia. She has conducted multiple trainings on a variety of trauma treatment focused topics for audiences ranging from beginners to advanced.
​In addition to being a founding partner of Riverbend Counseling Group, Thistle is also a Trainer and LPC Resident Supervisor at Riverbend Integrative Trauma Treatment.