PAWNY Spring Conference - "Chaos To Connection: Supporting Healing from Disorganized Attachment"

Time: 8:45 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Location: Reikart Ballroom at Jazzboline - 5010 Main St, Amherst, NY

Speaker: Presented by Diane Poole Heller, PhD

Diane Poole Heller PhD is an internationally recognized speaker, author and expert in the field of attachment theory and trauma resolution. Her signature healing modality is a multilevel training on adult attachment, DARe (Dynamic Attachment Re-patterning experience), that provides tools for healing from trauma and creating more fulfilling relationships. As senior faculty for SEI (Somatic Experiencing Institute®), Diane studied with Dr. Peter Levine and has taught Somatic Experiencing® trauma work internationally for over 35 years. Dr. Heller is author of The Power of Attachment: How to Create Deep and Lasting Intimate Relationships, Crash Course, and Healing Your Attachment Wounds. Her film, “Surviving Columbine,” supported community healing after the Columbine High School shootings.

Conference Summary:

This program equips therapists with the skills and sensitivity needed to help clients transform the confusion and fear of disorganized attachment into pathways of safety, trust, and connection. Through a blend of theory, experiential learning, and practical interventions, participants will learn how to recognize the unique challenges of disorganized attachment, regulate the nervous system, and create a therapeutic relationship that fosters stability and repair. Therapists will leave with tools to guide clients in moving from fragmentation to coherence—supporting a gradual shift from chaos into relational connection.

Instructional Level: Introductory

Target Audience:

Psychologists, social workers, mental health counselors, marriage & family therapists, creative art therapists, and other mental health professionals.

Statement of Sponsorship:

NYSED Social Work Contact Hours: Offered in collaboration with the UB School of Social Work Office of Continuing Education; recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0001. 6 live in-person contact hours are approved.

NYSED Mental Health Counselor Contact Hours: Offered in collaboration with the UB School of SocialWork Office of Continuing Education; recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors #MHC-0008. 6 live in-person contact hours are approved.

NYSED Marriage and Family Therapist Contact Hours: Offered in collaboration with the UB School of Social Work Office of Continuing Education; recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0007. 6 live in-person contact hours are approved.

NYSED Creative Arts Therapist Contact Hours: Offered in collaboration with the UB School of Social Work Office of Continuing Education; recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed creative arts therapists #CAT-0003. 6 live in-person contact hours are approved.

NYSED Psychology Contact Hours: Offered in collaboration with the UB School of Social Work Office of Continuing Education; recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0062. 6 live in-person contact hours are approved.

CE Credits: 6 CE

Conference Objectives:

At the completion of this training, participants will be able to:

1. Identify key characteristics and clinical presentations of disorganized attachment in clients.
2. Describe and compare therapeutic strategies that support regulation, safety, and connection for individuals with disorganized attachment.
3. Demonstrate and utilize practical interventions to repair attachment injuries and foster secure relational experiences in therapeutic practice.

Conference Schedule:

• 8:45 - 9:30 - Sign-In Registration & Breakfast (included)
• 9:30 - 11:00 - Foundations of Disorganized Attachment
• 11:00 - 11:15 - Break
• 11:15 - 12:30 - Healing Strategies, Clinical Challenges, and Corrective Experiences
• 12:30 - 1:30 - Lunch Buffet (included)
• 1:30 - 3:00 - Disorganized Adaptation Demo and Debrief
• 3:00 - 3:15 - Break
• 3:15 - 5:00 - Encapsulated Child and Disorganized Adaptation Demo

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If you are a psychologist or psychology doctoral student but not currently a PAWNY Member, you can register for membership on the PAWNY website prior to event registration.