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A Return to Connection: A Tasting Menu for Tired Therapists

CE Hours 1.5 Therapist burnout Therapeutic presence Grounding practices Clinician self-care

About this course

You spend six, seven, sometimes nine hours a day listening. A Return to Connection is a short course for the therapist who gives that gift all day and has been running on empty.

Dr. Paul Browde, a psychiatrist and couples guide practicing in New York City for 30 years, shares the practices that carried him through his own exhaustion: clearing the bowl of your listening before a session, a one-minute reset between clients, listening for a client’s parts instead of their whole tangled story, and crossing the bridge into another person’s world without your theories on your back.

Eight brief modules, two guided practices you can keep and reuse, and a short reflection prompt after each module. About 90 minutes all told, designed to be taken in sips. 1.5 CE credits available on completion of the course and post-test.

Learning Objectives

  • Identify external and internal obstacles to clinical listening and apply a brief pre-session practice (the bowl of listening) and a one-minute between-session reset to restore therapeutic presence.
  • Describe the three invisible connectors (relational space, bridge, encounter) and apply the host, visitor, and neighborhood metaphors to de-escalate conflict and deepen connection in clinical work with couples and individuals.
  • Explain the parts-based (IFS-informed) and inner-healer models of the person, and implement at least two brief evidence-informed restorative practices (grounding, one-pointed attention, gratitude or kindness practice) to reduce burnout symptoms.

Learning Levels

  • Beginner
  • Intermediate

Target Audience

Primary: Psychologists, clinical social workers, licensed professional counselors, and marriage and family therapists in active practice. Secondary: Psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, coaches, and wellness educators in mental-health-adjacent roles. No prerequisite knowledge required.

Course Instructor(s)

  • Paul Browde, MD

    Dr. Paul Browde is a psychiatrist and couples guide. Born in South Africa, he has practiced in New York City for 30 years. He trained in MDMA-assisted psychotherapy and in Internal Family Systems, and he built this course out of years of conversations with exhausted colleagues. He’s one of them.

Disclosure

DISCLOSURE OF RELEVANT FINANCIAL RELATIONSHIPS CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity ― including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests). The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity’s planners, faculty, and the reviewer: PLANNERS AND REVIEWER The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships. FACULTY The faculty of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

References

  • Buber, M. (1970). I and thou (W. Kaufmann, Trans.). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 57.
  • Cregg, D. R., & Cheavens, J. S. (2021). Gratitude interventions: Effective self-help? A meta-analysis of the impact on symptoms of depression and anxiety. Journal of Happiness Studies, 22, 413-445. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-020-00236-6
  • Curry, O. S., Rowland, L. A., Van Lissa, C. J., Zlotowitz, S., McAlaney, J., & Whitehouse, H. (2018). Happy to help? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of performing acts of kindness on the well-being of the actor. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 76, 320–329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2018.02.014
  • Geller, S. (2021). Cultivating online therapeutic presence: Strengthening therapeutic relationships in teletherapy sessions. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 34(3–4), 687–703. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2020.1787348
  • Geller, S. M., Greenberg, L. S., & Watson, J. C. (2010). Therapist and client perceptions of therapeutic presence: the development of a measure. Psychotherapy Research, 20(5), 599–610. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2010.495957
  • Hodgdon, H. B., Anderson, F. G., Southwell, E., Hrubec, W., & Schwartz, R. (2022). Internal family systems (IFS) therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among survivors of multiple childhood trauma: A pilot effectiveness study. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 31(1), 22-43. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2021.2013375
  • Mitchell, J. M., Ot’alora G, M., van der Kolk, B., Shannon, S., Bogenschutz, M., Gelfand, Y., Paleos, C., Nicholas, C. R., Quevedo, S., Balliett, B., Hamilton, S., Mithoefer, M., Kleiman, S., Parker-Guilbert, K., Tzarfaty, K., Harrison, C., de Boer, A., Doblin, R., Yazar-Klosinski, B., & MAPP2 Study Collaborator Group. (2023). MDMA-assisted therapy for moderate to severe PTSD: A randomized, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial. Nature Medicine, 29(10), 2473-2480. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02565-4
  • Mitchell, J. M., Bogenschutz, M., Lilienstein, A., Harrison, C., Kleiman, S., Parker-Guilbert, K., Ot'alora, G. M., Garas, W., Paleos, C., Gorman, I., Nicholas, C., Mithoefer, M., Carlin, S., Poulter, B., Mithoefer, A., Quevedo, S., Wells, G., Sukhpreet, S. K., van der Kolk, B., Tzarfaty, K., Amiaz, R., Worthy, R., Shannon, S., Woolley, J. D., Marta, C., Gelfand, Y., Hapke, E., Amar, S., Wallach, Y., Brown, R., Hamilton, S., Wang, J. B., Coker, A., Matthews, R., de Boer, A., Yazar-Kolinski, B., Emerson, A., & Doblin, R. (2023). MDMA-assisted therapy for severe PTSD: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study. Focus, 21(3), 315-328. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-021-01336-3
  • Ondrejková, N., & Halamová, J. (2022). Prevalence of compassion fatigue among helping professions and relationship to compassion for others, self-compassion and self-criticism. Health & Social Care in the Community, 30(5), 1680-1694. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13741
  • Salvado, M., Marques, D. L., Pires, I. M., & Silva, N. M. (2021). Mindfulness-based interventions to reduce burnout in primary healthcare professionals: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Healthcare, 9(10), 1342. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9101342
  • Schwartz, R. C., & Sweezy, M. (2020). Internal family systems therapy (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
  • Van Hoy, A., & Rzeszutek, M. (2022). Burnout and psychological wellbeing among psychotherapists: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 928191. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.928191

CE Process Info

Content

  • Opening: why this course, and two things to know
    2 parts
    • Opening: why this course, and two things to know
    • Reflection Workbook (PDF)
  • Welcome to the tasting menu
    1 parts
    • Welcome to the tasting menu
  • Part 1 · The bowl of listening
    1 parts
    • The bowl of listening
  • Part 1 · One thing at a time
    1 parts
    • One thing at a time
  • Part 1 · The minute between sessions
    1 parts
    • The minute between sessions
  • Part 1 · Guided practice: grounding
    1 parts
    • Guided practice: grounding
  • Part 2 · Crossing the bridge
    1 parts
    • Crossing the bridge
  • Part 2 · The three connectors and three metaphors (recap)
    1 parts
    • The three connectors and three metaphors (recap)
  • Part 2 · The garlic, not the onion: listening for parts
    1 parts
    • The garlic, not the onion: listening for parts
  • Part 2 · The inner healer
    1 parts
    • The inner healer
  • Part 3 · The order of the teaspoon
    1 parts
    • The order of the teaspoon
  • Part 3 · Guided practice: a gratitude body scan
    1 parts
    • Guided practice: a gratitude body scan
  • Joint Accreditation

    Joint Accreditation (JA)

    In support of improving patient care, CE Learning Systems is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

  • American Psychological Association (APA)

    Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.

  • New York Education Department's State Board for Social Work (NYEDSW)

    CE Learning Systems, LLC  (d/b/a impactce.com) is 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. #0060.

  • New York Education Department Board of Creative Arts Therapy (NYSEDCAT)

    CE Learning Systems, LLC  (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board of Creative Arts Therapy as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed creative arts therapists. #CAT-0008

  • New York Education Department for Licensed Mental Health Counselors (NYSEDLMHC)

    CE Learning Systems, LLC  (d/b/a impactce.com) is 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-0072.

  • New York Education Department Board for Licensed Psychoanalysts (NYSEDLP)

    CE Learning Systems, LLC  (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychoanalysts as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychoanalysts. #P-0031.

  • New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology (NYEDPSY)

    CE Learning Systems, LLC  (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists. #PSY-0016.

  • New York Education Department's State Board for Marriage and Family Therapy (NYEDMFT)

    CE Learning Systems, LLC  (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Marriage and Family Therapy as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists. #MFT-0045.

A Return to Connection: A Tasting Menu for Tired Therapists
You Have Completed This course
$79
You are enrolled
  • CE Hours
    1.5
  • Type
    Self-Paced
  • Publication Date
    Oct 13th, 2026

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