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March 7th – March 14th, 2025
We are thrilled to invite mental health providers of all specialties and backgrounds to our exclusive destination CE retreat in breathtaking Bali, Indonesia. This unique retreat not only offers the chance to earn valuable continuing education credits but also provides an unparalleled opportunity to rejuvenate and practice self-care in a serene and inspiring environment.
Join us for a transformative experience that will enrich both your professional and personal well-being. Incredible Speakers, Including internationally Know Dr. Sandra Paulsen as Keynote Speaker.
The Ayung Resort Ubud is a unique, luxurious blend of natural surroundings, an eclectic art collection and traditional Balinese hospitality excellence, nestled in the lush tropical rain forest along the banks of the Ayung River – Bali’s most sacred and important waterway. We are thrilled to invite mental health providers of all specialties and backgrounds to our exclusive destination CE retreat in breathtaking Bali, Indonesia. This unique retreat offers the chance to earn valuable continuing education credits and an unparalleled opportunity to rejuvenate and practice self-care in a serene and inspiring environment. Join us for a transformative experience that will enrich both your professional and personal well-being.
Arilda Surridge, MA, LMFT (Host/Event Organizer/Speaker/Presenter): is a Hispanic-Bilingual mental health professional with extensive experience and specializations. She is a Certified EMDR Therapist, an EMDRIA Approved Consultant, and an EMDRIA Advanced Credit Provider. Arilda also finds great value in Co-Facilitating EMDR Basic Trainings. Additionally, Arilda is an approved Clinical Supervisor, a trainer and continuing education provider, and a Level 3 trained therapist in Gottman Couples Therapy. Arilda’s expertise encompasses a broad range of mental health issues, with a particular focus on trauma, anxiety, depression, and couples therapy. She brings a specialized understanding to her work with early trauma, complex PTSD, and recent and ongoing traumatic stress. Her skills extend to addressing trauma and treating affairs within couples, as well as providing therapy for other mental health providers. Arilda, is also skilled in creating therapy intensives/retreats for clients to incorporate an integrative/holistic approach to their treatment. Additionally, Arilda has organized local and destination Wellness Retreats for Couples, Individuals, and mental health professionals, promoting the importance of integrative care.
Sandra Paulsen, Ph.D. (Keynote Speaker), is an international instructor, author, and illustrator known for her work with EMDR in complex trauma, including structural and somatic dissociation, and trauma held in implicit memory. She pioneered the protocol for using EMDR with highly dissociative individuals, emphasizing the importance of screening for dissociation before administering EMDR. Since 1993, Sandra has trained thousands of mental health professionals in these specialized procedures. Her recent work includes “The Beauty and Burden of Autism: An Illustrated Guide and Workbook” (2024) and the upcoming “Indigenous Trauma and Dissociation: Healers, Psychotherapies, and the Drum.” She coedited “The Neurobiology and Treatment of Traumatic Dissociation: Toward an Embodied Self” and authored several guides, including “Looking Through the Eyes of Trauma” and “When There Are No Words.” Sandra is a Fellow of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation. She resides in a log house on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle, Washington, where she conducts intensive three-day treatments. More information can be found on her website: www.paulsenpsychology.com.
LaReesa Hooper, LMFT, LADC (Speaker/Presenter): is the founder of Therapeace Counseling in St. Paul, MN.
She graduated from Adler Graduate School in 2014 with an emphasis on Marriage and Family Therapy and holds a certificate in Co-occurring Disorders. LaReesa has extensive experience working in community mental health, county mental health, and school-based mental health services, with a focus on serving BIPOC and underserved communities.
In addition to running her practice, LaReesa carries a small caseload, providing personalized care to her clients. She has a particular special interest and specialized training in narcissism and narcissistic abuse, trauma, and chemical dependency. As an advocate for mental health awareness, LaReesa is a guest speaker on various programs, including podcasts and Minnesota Public Radio (MPR). Her diverse background and dedicated approach make her a compassionate and knowledgeable therapist committed to supporting her clients’ mental health and well-being.
Shanelle Wenell, LMFT (Speaker/Presenter): has been working as a mental health provider since 2015 but in the field of mental health since 2002. She graduated from Adler Graduate School in 2015 and is a Licensed Associate Marriage and Family Therapist. Shanelle’s love for animals brought her into an unconventional path into the field of therapy through Equine Assisted Psychotherapy working with first responders, veterans, and homeless youth. Since then, Shanelle has taken a profound commitment to helping BIPOC individuals and families navigate the aftermath of complex trauma. With a specialized focus on supporting victims and their families affected by gun violence and fatality, domestic violence, narcissistic abuse, sex trafficking, and other crimes. Shanelle provides compassionate and evidence-based therapeutic care. Her approach integrates trauma-informed practices such as brain spotting, attachment and ensuring a safe and supportive environment for healing and recovery. Dedicated to empowering and educating her clients, Shanelle works diligently to restore hope, resilience, relational connection and well-being in those who have experienced profound adversity.
Vanessa Vann, LCSW (Speaker/Presenter): has more than 20 years of experience helping individuals, couples and families overcome life’s hurdles and feel fulfilled. She has a passion for helping individuals overcome PTSD, CPTSD, developmental, religious, other specific trauma and vicarious trauma for first responders and other helping professionals. She have experience working with neurodivergent individuals, borderline, narcissistic and anti-social personalities, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, OCD, phobias, eating disorders, addiction, disassociation and chronic pain.
She specialize in working with those who have found therapy unhelpful in the past. Additionally, she is passionate about LGBTQ+ and gender identity issues. A lot of her past experience includes working in public behavioral health and crisis intervention. Working on a mobile acute crisis team and in an acute inpatient setting gave me a passion for mental health advocacy and awareness. She has a very laid-back approach and believe there is no single route to healing, and therefore tailor treatment to the needs of each individual/couple/family. She uses a straightforward client centered approach to help you identify goals and strategies to achieve them.
Karin Franziska Hudson, MA, PsyD (Speaker/Presenter), is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in California who originally immigrated from Salzburg, Austria, as an AMI-trained Montessori Teacher. Her deep connection to nature and animals, especially horses, influenced her 20-year teaching career, where she developed programs offering wilderness experiences, equine therapy, and vision quests for children and adults. Karin played a key role in creating a Montessori “Erdkinder Program” (Children of the Earth) in Austria and California. Inspired by a personal conversation with Viktor Frankl, she transitioned to psychology, focusing on the existential-humanistic approach and Ecopsychology. For 25 years, Karin worked in community mental health with marginalized groups and the severely mentally ill, providing crisis intervention, conservatorship evaluations, and nature-based programs. She also collaborated with Native American Tribes on healing through nature. Now in private practice, Karin’s trauma-informed approach integrates attachment theory, neuropsychology, and holistic health, emphasizing the healing power of nature in a post-COVID world.
Shannon Price is a LMFT (Speaker/Presenter): with over 20 years’ experience in the field of mental health and 12 years’ experience in teaching and education. As the owner and co-founder of three successful group practice clinics, Shannon has dedicated her career to helping individuals, couples, and adolescents navigate their journey towards healing and growth. Shannon has extensive training and certification in DBT and EMDR, was well as licensure in four states. Her primary focus areas include: trauma, personality disorders, anxiety, depression and issues around school choice and accommodations. Shannon’s experience extends beyond her practice as she is also a WA State and AAMFT Approved Supervisor; mentoring future and pre-licensed therapists in their pursuit of licensure, mentorship and private practice/entrepreneurship skills. In addition, she also trains alongside two therapy dogs, using animal-assisted therapy to create a safe and comforting environment for her clients. Shannon’s love for animals doesn’t stop there, as she is also a paw parent to four lovable doggos. When she’s not busy helping others, Shannon enjoys exploring new places with her family, as she is also a proud wife and mother of two teens and one young college-age kiddo.
Amita Ghosh, M.S., M.Ed., LPCC (Speaker/Presenter): is a licensed professional across multiple states, specializing in individual and couple’s therapy. Originally from India, Amita has helped many second-generation Asian clients navigate challenging family relationships successfully. Currently she works with individuals managing anxiety, stress and trauma, and couples navigating relationship conflicts. Throughout her career, she has served in diverse roles, currently she is the owner of Resolve Counseling and Consulting, LLC, which she started in 2010. In the past she has worked as an eating disorder therapist specializing in Binge Eating Disorder (BED), a community mental health therapist, and an adjunct professor, shaping the next generation of counselors. Alongside her extensive counseling background, she holds certifications in various therapeutic modalities. Amita is trained in EMDR, Safe and Sound Protocol-based on Polyvagal Theory, Gottman Method Level 3, Gottman’s Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and Mindful Eating. Additionally, Amita is a 200-level yoga teacher with advanced training in Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy, Yoga for Mood Management, and Yin Yoga.
Melissa Perry, MA/P., LPC, LCPC (Speaker/Presenter), is a licensed clinical psychotherapist with over 20 years of experience in behavioral health. Specializing in anxiety, mood disorders, trauma, and burnout, particularly among first responders and medical professionals, Melissa has made a significant impact on countless lives. Her career spans inpatient mental health facilities, community nonprofits, military settings, and private practice. Melissa’s approach is rooted in empathy, creating a safe space for clients to explore their experiences. She utilizes a variety of therapeutic modalities, including ACT, DBT, EMDR, and psychedelic and somatic practices, tailoring each journey to meet her clients’ unique needs. Her work in the psychedelic space over the past five years reflects her holistic approach, addressing not just symptoms but empowering clients to reclaim their narratives. Melissa is passionate about breaking the stigma surrounding mental health and advocates for the rights and needs of all. Through workshops, retreats, and seminars, she inspires personal growth and resilience, fostering a culture of healing within communities.
Emily Reiner, LPC, LCMHC, RPT (Speaker/Presenter): Is a professional counselor, Air Force veteran, and author with a passion for exploring all things wellness. Emily began her counseling career in 2018 and has spent the following years exploring how “wellness” shows up in people’s lives. As a Registered Play Therapist, she saw firsthand how life experiences play a role in how people show up in the world, how they interact in relationships, how they construct their identity, and how they experience “wellness”, even in the earliest years of life. Emily’s continued work with clients all across the age spectrum showed that these experiences continue to shape us as we navigate our lives. She work with her clients to help them discover their whole self, have compassion and nurture their tender pieces, and make space for joy by capitalizing on the integrative tapestry of wellness. Emily’s work emphasizes compassion and the integration of diverse elements of wellness to create a fulfilling and balanced life.”
Reserve your spot today for our upcoming retreat in Bali. We have several activities and speaking sessions planned so you can make your educational experience fun!