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  You are invited!

  SBCPA Presents:  Somatic Psychotherapy in our Current Day: Traversing the Realms of Spirituality, Science, and Chaos

  Presenter: Anahita Navab Holden, Ph.D., SEP

Anahita finds herself at home in the integration of somatic psychotherapy, yoga, and meditation practices. She is a clinical psychologist and has a private practice in Santa Barbara. She obtained her Ph.D. from UC Santa Barbara and specializes in supporting individuals who have experienced trauma, as well as those who are neurodivergent. Anahita is certified as a Somatic Experiencing® and EMDR practitioner, as well as a Mindful Self-Compassion and yoga instructor. She also enjoys guiding Buddhist meditation and sound meditation in the community. Her passion is to interweave contemplative psychotherapy and somatic approaches to assist individuals in their psycho-spiritual journeys.

• Course Outline
  
  1.    Experiential practice of Somatic Experiencing® and AF-EMDR techniques (20 minutes)
  2.    Overview of somatic psychotherapy, and review of Somatic Experiencing® and AF-EMDR theories and modalities (40 minutes)
  3.    Review of research examining effectiveness of Somatic Experiencing® and EMDR (20 minutes)
  4.  Q & A (10 minutes)

  
  Topic:  

  In the midst of our world’s ongoing state of turbulence, the field of somatic psychotherapy increasingly provides a profoundly valuable resource to us on both an individual and collective level. This training will provide an overview of somatic modalities and their utilization to enhance nervous system regulation. We will go into depth on two modalities, Somatic Experiencing® (SE) and Attachment-Focused EMDR (AF-EMDR). We will explore the ways in which such techniques increase neurophysiological capacity, the evidence base supporting this to date, and specific somatic techniques to bring to your clinical work. Lastly, we will explore the potency of these techniques to evoke deep spiritual experiences through the processing of trauma, which arguably might be our greatest need for healing on a collective level.

   Learning Objectives:

  1. Attendees will be able to provide explanation of one proposed neurophysiological effect of Somatic Experiencing® or AF-EMDR treatment techniques on the human nervous system.
  2. Attendees will be able to describe two facets of research to date studying the effectiveness of Somatic Experiencing® and EMDR in various clinical populations.
  3.  Attendees will be able to name three specific Somatic Experiencing® techniques and one AF-EMDR technique that they can utilize with clients for the purposes of nervous system resourcing and regulation.

  
  Continuing Education:

  CPA is co-sponsoring with Santa Barbara County Psychological Association (SBCPA). The California Psychological Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. CPA maintains responsibility for this program and its contents.

  Important Notice:

  Those who attend the workshop will receive (1.5) continuing education credits. Please note that APA CE rules require that we give credit only to those who attend the entire workshop. Those arriving more than 15 minutes after the start time or leaving before the workshop is completed will not receive CE credits.

   

  Please Note: This salon will be held via Zoom.

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SBCPA HOLIDAY PARTY!  LET'S CELEBRATE A WONDERFUL YEAR TOGETHER

December 12  5-7 pm

2314 Anacapa Street Santa Barbara 93105

Appetizers and Refreshments will be provided

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  You are invited!

  SBCPA Presents:  An Introduction to Neurofeedback and Electrical Stimulation for Clinicians

  Presenter: Michael Villanueva, Ph.D. 

Dr. Michael Villanueva is a licensed clinical psychologist and director of the Alpha Theta Center in Santa Barbara, where he integrates EEG, neurofeedback, and high-definition transcranial electrical stimulation to support cognitive health and emotional regulation. Earlier in his career, he served as an NIH-funded investigator studying motivational interviewing with Pueblo tribal communities, work that deepened his appreciation for rhythm, resonance, and communication as foundations of change. During a combat deployment, he applied EEG-based interventions in high-stress military settings, expanding his focus on self-regulation and resilience under extreme conditions. With more than a decade bridging clinical psychology and computational neuroscience, Dr. Villanueva collaborated with researchers at UC San Diego's Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience to translate discoveries in brain synchrony and temporal dynamics into practical interventions linking neural health, emotion, and the lived rhythms of daily life.

• Course Outline
  
  1.    Introduction - Why Regulation Matters (10 minutes)
  2.    Feedback as a Universal Learning Principle (10 minutes)
  3.    Reading the Brain's Timing: EEC Made Understandable (10 minutes)
  4.    The Physics Beneath Psychology (10 minutes)
  5.    Neurofeedback - The Brain Noticing Itself (15 minutes)
  6.     Function of Electrical Stimulation - Entrainment of the Brain's Timing Networks (10 minutes)
  7.    Continuity and Self-Regulation (10 minutes)
  8.    Integrating Brain-Based Tools into Clinical Practice (10 minutes)
  9. Ethical and Practical Considerations  (5 minutes)
  
  

  
  Topic:  

  Neurofeedback opens a temporal window through which the brain perceives its own rhythms, transforming observation into self-correction and stabilizing the coherence that supports focus, emotional steadiness, and resilience. Using clinical language, this workshop shows how rhythmic and non-rhythmic activity underlies regulation and how feedback fosters efficiency rather than "enhancement" across common presentations.  Dr. Villanueva demonstrates that neurofeedback and low-intensity electrical stimulation extend principles therapists already use to help systems sense themselves and adapt, clarifying what neurofeedback is, its limits, and when referral is appropriate.

   Learning Objectives:

  1. Describe two ways how neurofeedback reflects the brain's natural capacity for self-regulation rather than enhancement or control.
  2. Explain one relationship between rhythmic or non-rhythmic brain activity and its influence on attention, mood, or emotional balance, using accessible clinical language.
  3.  Identify one psychotherapy situation in which referral for neurofeedback or low-intensity electrical stimulation may appropriately support treatment goals.

  
  Continuing Education:

  CPA is co-sponsoring with Santa Barbara County Psychological Association (SBCPA). The California Psychological Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. CPA maintains responsibility for this program and its contents.

  Important Notice:

  Those who attend the workshop will receive (1.5) continuing education credits. Please note that APA CE rules require that we give credit only to those who attend the entire workshop. Those arriving more than 15 minutes after the start time or leaving before the workshop is completed will not receive CE credits.

   

  Please Note: This salon will be held via Zoom.

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