Welcome: Dr. Kristin Velazquez Kenefick Joins SEI as Director of Training and Faculty Relations
“All of my professional experience has been dedicated to the healing of trauma. I am most excited about bringing to SEI my skills in building bridges between groups, developing collaborative relationships, and introducing more of the world to Somatic Experiencing, a truly remarkable tool for healing trauma.” - Dr. Kenefick
SEI is very excited to welcome Dr. Kenefick and extremely pleased to have someone of her professional and academic caliber to join and strengthen our professional team at SEI, according to Marv Tuttle, executive director. “We had almost 150 applicants and took that down to 4 finalists. An 11-person team of faculty, assistants, coordinators, board, and staff interviewed the finalists. Dr. Kenefick’s academic, social service, and private practice experience, combined with her love of somatic experiencing and her active involvement in the SE community, will serve her well as she begins this pivotal global position for SEI.”
We’ll have a more in-depth interview with Dr. Kenefick in a future issue of SE Today.
International SE Community:
We’re expanding and are very grateful for the ever-growing interest in assisting and providing sessions for the Three-Year Professional Training Program. Please click the link below to read about new application procedures.
SEI is thrilled to announce our newest faculty member: Magna Su-Chen Tung from Taiwan. Magna is a first-generation Taiwanese whose connection to her Chinese heritage has brought her a deeper understanding of generational trauma work. She holds a master’s degree in counseling and is a body-oriented psychotherapist. She has trained in breath energy work, meditation, inner-child work, family constellation, and PTSD therapy. Magna completed her SE training in 2011.
Today Magna operates a private practice in Taipei, Taiwan and has continued to share SE and her trauma work throughout Taiwan and China for many years. She is honored to have the privilege to teach SE in her native language: Mandarin. We are looking forward to embracing Magna’s work as an SE Faculty member as she strives to shed light on the cultural differences in trauma healing work.
How Do I Apply to Join the Faculty Track at SEI?
We’ve posted new deadlines for Faculty Track Applications as well as an overview of the application process.
Congratulations and welcome back to SEI’s Communications Coordinator Amanda Lormand! Amanda, her partner Marshall, and their two boys welcomed Maisel Dulcinea to the family on February 2, 2021. Amanda has returned from maternity leave and is excited to dive into exciting new projects. “I have a lot of wonderful things planned for the SEI community and I’m thrilled to be able to finally dig in and bring these new ideas to fruition.”
SEI In the News
“After a crisis event, it’s usually three weeks to six weeks later that it actually starts to occur to people what even happened,” says Amie Leigh, director of public health initiatives at Somatic Experiencing Institute (SEI). Amie was interviewed for this article in Boulder Weekly about trauma after the shooting in Boulder:
This new movie, available for 7 days of viewing and discussion on a donation basis, features Dr. Peter Levine, Dr. Stephen Porges, and other leading experts in the field of trauma and relationships.
The National Institute of Mental Health is honoring Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month with a livestream event: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder with Barbara Rothbaum, Ph.D., ABPP. Dr. Rothbaum will discuss PTSD signs, symptoms, treatments, research on PTSD, and more! The event will take place June 17, 2021 from 2pm - 2:30 pm ET.
Our learning and knowledge library has a wealth of valuable, timely webinars from leaders in the SE field. All are free for members to stream through the membership portal. To take advantage of this learning library, join SEI.
Parenting and Parenthood During Crisis: Supporting Parents In Raising Resilient Children Through Difficult Times
POSTPONED TO JULY 9 12pm - 1:30pm MST
The next SE Community Conversations will feature experts who will discuss parenting through crisis. Parenting in today’s world can be a challenge. Somatic Experiencing is a powerful modality, not only to support children’s innate resilience but also to help parents regulate themselves in times of crisis.
In every SE Conversation series, you can count on some lively discussion, some tips and tools, and some group exercises. The insights and perspectives on this topic of parenting through crisis, the challenges, opportunities, and specific issues prevalent in this area all promise to be more worthwhile than ever, worldwide. We have a particular focus on neurobiological methods of resolving and supporting people in crisis, in this case, parents, children, and teens.
In honor of the precious lives lost from COVID-19, the Grieving Tree Project is offering a virtual grieving space from June 6 to June 13, remotely broadcasting around the Grieving Tree from the Lambert campus of Pacifica Graduate Institute in California. Due to the nature of the pandemic, most families could not bid farewell to their loved ones fully. As a collective spirit, we invite you to this event for tending to your suffering and loss while sharing hearts through collective mourning.
The virtual Grieving Tree is facilitated by Heesun Kim, advanced SE student.
Somatic Experiencing International is dedicated to supporting trauma resolution and reliance through culturally responsive professional training and education, research, and outreach around the globe.
