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CLINICIAN TESTIMONIALS ON THE TRAINING PROGRAM |
I had read "Therapy and the Postpartum Women" when it first came out and found it to be the best clinical book I had read. Sitting across from Karen Kleiman for a day and a half, while being able to interact with her and have her respond to my thoughts and questions was truly remarkable. The format of this learning experience was intimate and mirrored the warm connection that Karen seeks with her patients. She was able to covey all that the postpartum woman needs to heal. Karen is a master therapist, undoubtedly. But what I was also able to see is that she is truly an artist. She works magic with her patients and from this experience, I could see why and how. It is a qualitatively whole different experience when you learn first hand from someone who has found perfectly what it is they were destined to do in life. This makes the learning so more profound. [The training] encouraged me to grow and to continue on the path of professional development that I have been on. It has also validated for me that aside from the importance of my credentials and knowledge base that I offer my patients, my person and my own experience with motherhood and mothering is what pulls it all together for my patients. This aspect pulls from the deepest part of me. I feel as though I just gave myself a wonderful treat! Dr. Denise Tompkins I have provided therapy for the past 12 years and I have been frustrated with recent workshops as the information did not meet my needs for advanced clinical training. I wanted to enhance my clinical skills and repertoire. Last year I made the decision to specialize my therapy practice to working with pregnant and postpartum women facing the unique mental health challenges related to this phase of a woman’s life. I was clear about my training needs, but I was concerned that I would once again be frustrated in my efforts to have these needs met. I made the decision to attend Karen Kleiman's and it was a wonderful decision. I must be honest, I was concerned about the cost and my related expenses of a flight and hotel accommodations, however, I wholeheartedly feel the training was worth it! The training not only met, but exceeded my expectations. What made this training different was the small group size, the richness of clinical information and Karen’s willingness to share her therapeutic techniques. I was fortunate to be one of only three women in my training session which provided a very intimate learning environment. The session was filled with theory but also the practical skills of doing this work. Karen had each of the participants complete an extensive application process to determine our clinical background, experience and learning goals from this training. I believe this allowed Karen to tailor the training to our needs and to ensure that our needs were met. This is something that is impossible to do in a large workshop. Although this may be difficult to articulate, Karen herself, made the experience exceptional. She is an amazing woman who is passionate and committed to the needs of her clients. She has a relaxed, warm and engaging style which is wonderfully conducive to learning in a small group format – in a word she is ?real.? She clearly and directly shared what is needed to do this work and she provided many "gems" of specific clinical strategies which make a tremendous impact upon the women she works with. She allowed us the opportunity to crawl into her head and heart to understand what it is to do this work and what is needed to do it well. To me, that was something very special. I feel very strongly that the training program at The Postpartum Stress Center stands in a class of its own and is highly recommended for any clinician working in this field. Mary Joan Brinson, MSW Understanding the issue from the expert threw a lot of light on the subject. Also exposed gaps in the system and where more education and awareness could possibly help millions of women. Karen, thank you for your invaluable wisdom and knowlegde that you shared with the participants. Rachel Mathew, MSW,LCSW It was a pleasure and priviledge of course to meet Karen. It was also extremely helpful to train on-site at a seasoned and established specialty psychotherapy private practice. Heidi Sommer McAlister, MSEd, LPC Being able to see how Karen uses her own style and approach to provide therapy was the most helpful... I felt excited and validated that my own therapeutic style would be helpful to clients. I felt like I came away with a better understanding of PPD and a plethora of specific strategies. Regina Kitterman Keefe, APRN-PMH Karen is definitely an expert in this area of study. She has so much to offer in terms of information and life experience. She draws you into her world of dealing effectively with postpartum depression patients with insight and compassion. She not only gave us information but she gave us inspiration. She was excellent!! I see the passion of Karen for this practice and it is energizing. Also all of the other ladies there were all saying the same thing...we have a desire to meet this need in our community and we want to be well prepared. I feel a new energy to continue to learn all that I can and to develop a program that will be effective in the lives of the women in my community. Thanks Karen for a great experience. Keep doing what you are doing. You brought us together and helped us to see PPD in a way that books and reading could not do. Your expertise is evident but your heart for people is absolutely amazing. Ann M. Sweet, NP-C The course was a wonderful balance of inspirational and informative. As a therapist I came away feeling like I would be able to provide more effective support to women and their partners in my psychotherapy practice. As a mother I came away feeling validated. I appreciated the opportunity to sit in a room with a small group of women who happened to be both practitioners and mothers. This group experience was also a powerful teacher and reminder of what a gift it can be to share one's experience of mothering in a safe, non-judgmental space. I really appreciated the intimacy of learning and sharing that was created by Karen, the format and the small number of participants. I can't imagine a teacher with a greater wealth of information on this topic. It was very rich and inspiring. Dawn Lesneski, MA Personally, the course brought up many feelings for me about the birth of my son and the very tender time following his birth. Professionally, I feel motivated and even more excited to narrow my focus and try to help postpartum women. I highly recommend this training - it is informative, nurturing and motivational. The energy and warmth Karen brings to the field are essential and the depth of her experience is humbling. In addition, I was impressed not only with Karen but with the group of women assembled. Perri Shaw Borish, LSW This course has "revved up my engines!" I am very eager to begin my clinical work, marketing endeavors and education of symptom identification and screening tools for healthcare providers. The instructor was clearly an expert on this area of study. Her passion for the field of Postpartum Depression was as compelling as her compassion for the women she treats. Thanks for an inspirational day. Karen Brenner, LICSW This course has helped me to gain a greater appreciation for the struggle that women with PPD encounter and how important the role of a therapist is in providing support, guidance, and hope. I also really appreciated the opportunity to connect with an outstanding group of women who are so committed to healing women and treating PPD. Karen is both passionate and knowledgable about PPD, and her compassion for these women is demonstrated in her training as well as her writing. I really enjoyed her wisdom about marketing her practice in this area, which gave me the confidence to move forward in my own practice focusing on PPD. Jennifer Hanych, Ph.D. This course exceeded my expectations. I knew I would leave well informed, but I didn't know I would feel so inspired and committed to this work. I found the marketing primer to be extremely empowering and motivating. Karen is is more than an expert. She is a visionary in the field and a mentor to clinicians. anonymous I have been wanting to move into working with mothers & families post-partum for some time & didn't know where to really begin. This offered the opportunity to get grounded in theory & practice before taking the plunge. This course offered an opportunity to more formally think about the dramatic change in my life as I became a mother & in the life of my family as we moved into this stage. It gives me hope that I, too can work with this population in my practice & feel confident calling myself "expert". Kathryn Snyder, MA I left the training feeling even more driven and passionate about helping treat and prevent PPD. Personally it was great to connect with other professionals that felt were equally as interested in this specialty. Kathleen M. Elleo, LCSW It was very helpful to have the experience and expertise of not only Karen but other therapists.The small group setting works very well for this topic. Nancy B. Mahoney, LPCMH The experience was one of confidence-building for me. Being fairly new to practice, the two days were extremely helpful in reinforcing my choice to focus my practice on this population. Judith Weisel, MSW, LSW I definitely feel more confidence in treating these new mothers now. Personally, I feel that there is a real need to provide relief to these women and all too often their needs fall on deaf ears. I would like to help them find their voice. I love the small group setting! Melissa Hubsher Freedman, Ph.D I left the course having confidence in my "expert" self (thanks to Karen's confidence in us!) and feeling empowered to help women at risk for and experiencing Postpartum Depression. The course has sparked my interest in learning more. I felt as though I has received 8 hours of clinical supervision. I was awesome to be able to share about our own pratices, learn from others, and ask questions. The format was perfect. Kathy James, LCSW The experience exceeded my expectations. Kathy Wilson, MSW I took this course to help me in my role as coordinator of our hospital's postpartum depression screening program, and to learn skills necessary to facillitate a successful support group. I think that it is such a positive step in the right direction that NJ passed a law that all moms must be screened and educated on PPD, and I want to make our hospital very successful in helping moms recognize PPD and seek treatment when necessary. anonymous There is no doubt that the small group format is by far more valuable than one that is larger. Karen was able to address our specific questions and concerns while still remaining true to the essence of the training. I would come back yearly for this. Sharon Berg, Ph.D. It more than met my expectations! The small group format, as well as the diversity of the backgrounds of the participants really enhanced the already well planned program. I truly believe that there were aspects of the program that met the needs of not only the novice clinician, but the seasoned therapist. anonymous The small group format supports a dialogue which is perfect for a more advanced training. It helped me think deeper... to delve under the surface of the information. It was just what I needed. anonymous Small group format is extremely useful for subjects that are this directly relevant to the work participants are doing. Many in this field, and certainly in this specific subject manner, thrive in the personal connection with others. Just as we emphasize the importance of this with our clients, I so greatly appreciate the opportunity to 'practice what we preach' among colleagues in a training setting. Valerie McManus, MSW This course went beyond my expectations, by adding a spirit of learning that transcended traditional trainings due to it's personal nature.The practical, real life experiences of Karen and the rest of the group in treating women suffering from PPD was the best. Also, Saturday morning's course on practice-how-to's was AMAZINGLY helpful-thank you so much! Jessica Foley "I grasped the concept of the "magic" and can't wait to start utilizing it with PPD clients. I also got a ton of usable information to help me navigate through the early days with a client. I feel prepared to begin this in my practice and that is invaluable." Jill Huges This course was the answer when I asked myself, "How can I create the practice I want?" It answered not only my theoretical and treatment planning questions, it also answered my practical questions about how to get a practice specializing in PPD and related issues off the ground. I read the descriptors on line and it was exactly what I was looking for... [it] has given me the specific information and treatment planning skills to confidently begin to work in the area of PPD. In addition I got to experience some of the most amazing women and was privileged to share some special moments as we trained together and discussed our own experiences around mothering. Tara W. Fritsch, M.A.M.F.T The information on evaluation, assessment and treatment were great. I had clients scheduled for the day after the training. I was able to use Karen's graphic description of the course of recovery (ups and downs, but an overall upward progression) with my clients that day. The wife felt validated, and the husband began to understand that maybe she was getting better. I love - and plan to use - the bracelets. I love the idea of a transitional object that also helps to stop negative thoughts. Brilliant!! I know that it will be a process for me to truly understand what I have gained from my experience in Philadelphia. It will take some time to digest and then integrate it into my own practice. My hope is to internalize Karen's voice and be able to bring her passion, understanding and empathy to my clients in California. I feel ready to pursue what I think I can be successful at. I am so passionate about this area; the course not only confirmed I'm on the right path but it gave me confidence . Karen truly has something magic because I left feeling better about both my personal and professional self. I actually didn't want it to end. I've never said that about any training! Karen is undeniably an expert in this field, the ease to which she is able to use her skills, her personality and her insight in her treatments is remarkable! |
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I found the individual case discussions to be the most helpful part of this training. The basic concepts and factual information we discussed in the first part of the course really became clear when applied to specific clinical scenarios. The small group format allowed for discussion and reciprocal conversation with the instructor that could never be accomplished in a large group. With a small group, the instructor was able to tailor the amount of time spent on specific agenda items based on the interest and experience of the group. Another advantage of the small group was the opportunity to learn from the other participants, who represented a range of backgrounds and practice settings. anonymous |
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My interest in working with new moms/dads navigating the transition to parenthood and related emotional hurdles led me to the course. I wanted to learn from the best how to work with PPD and other related presentations and my research kept leading me to Karen! I was impressed by Karen's academic/clinical work as well as her obvious business knowledge about marketing a niche practice. I feel so fortunate to have received this training from the best. Karen was both incredibly knowledgeable and accessible- a great combination. anonymous |
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Karen, I was skeptical when you described all of the benefits of taking this small group training, and now I find that everything you said about it was absolutely true. anonymous |
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