Description:

Both hoarding and food issues are often viewed and treated as character flaws and willful behavior that continues despite negative consequences. Neuroscience is now demonstrating that some of the most challenging behaviors, like food issues and hoarding, are biologically based fear responses more related to fear-based dysregulation than intractable behavior. Those attempting to assist people engaging in hoarding or struggling with food issues can often fall into a cycle of frustration and power struggle, resulting in lose/lose outcomes. Together we will examine how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and compounding adverse toxic stressors (CATS) create repeated experiences of loneliness, rejection, or lack of control over one’s belongings or even one’s ability to access basic needs like food. These experiences disrupt the “felt safety” needed for the attachment and regulation centers of the brain to work pro-socially resulting in the hoarding of food and objects and other food related challenges. Setting power struggles aside, we will place these behaviors into the context that drives them and engage brain-based interventions to help people feel safe enough to identify and connect with safe people and interactions instead of possessions and food.  

IN PERSON ONLY-Child Focus Training Center
MUST ATTEND FULL TRAINING. PARTIAL CREDIT WILL NOT BE GIVEN.

Upon completion of each session participants will be able to:

1.     Explore traditional and emerging neuroscience-based understanding of chronic, challenging behaviors like hoarding and food issues. 

2.     Identify the context and drivers of the hoarding and food issues, so strategies can be more effective at addressing the root of these challenging behaviors. 

3.      Help people reconnect their dopamine reward systems with safe interactions instead of objects and food. 

4.      Practice a collaborative, non-adversarial approach to addressing the chronic, challenging behaviors of hoarding and food issues.  

Presenters:

Mary Vicario LPCC-S, CTS

Mary Vicario is a licensed professional clinical counselor supervisor (LPCC –S) and a certified trauma specialist with over 35 years of experience working as an educator, counselor, clinical director, and consultant with individuals, families, organizations, and systems. She trains nationally and internationally translating the latest research on the neuroscience of trauma and resilience into interventions for all ages and ability levels. Mary is a proud participant in multiple grants to further develop and link trauma informed and resilience-based care across systems and communities. She is honored to provide Trauma Responsive Care Certification through the Tristate Trauma Network for anyone working with trauma survivors.  Mary can be reached at www.findinghopeconsulting.com

Dr. Veronica R. Barrios, Ph.D.

Dr. Veronica R. Barrios is a Queer, Latinx, interpersonal violence scholar. She is an Assistant Professor at Miami University where she instructs courses on Culturally Informed Practice and Interpersonal Violence. Her work is grounded in intersectionality theory, discussing issues around the absence of and need for diversity, practices that limit and create equity, and the need for radical inclusion. Specifically, Dr. Barrios investigates the culture of nondisclosure of violence. Her scholarship is used to conduct trainings for local and national audiences (i.e. practitioners, researchers, educators) on the topics of cultural and trauma responsive strategies for working with individuals across the lifespan.