HopeForward Community Trainings
Accessible, Evidence-Informed Professional Development for Iowa Mental Health Providers
At New Hope Healing, we have a deep commitment to being part of our community in meaningful and tangible ways. To support therapists and behavioral health professionals, we recognized the need to bridge the gap created by the often high cost of quality professional training and ongoing growth.
With these values in mind, our team created HopeForward Community Trainings—a space for high-quality, collaborative learning designed specifically for mental health and behavioral health providers throughout Iowa.
Practical, Engaging, Evidence-Informed Trainings
Our trainings are intentionally designed to be practical, engaging, and evidence informed. Participants leave with tools and strategies they can immediately apply in their clinical work, supporting both professional confidence and client care.
HopeForward trainings emphasize connection, collaboration, and real-world application—because learning is most impactful when it is shared and relevant.
Professional Growth Without Financial Barriers
Accessibility and affordability are central to our mission. We are committed to ensuring that mental health providers can participate in high-quality training opportunities without financial barriers limiting access.
By offering affordable trainings, we aim to strengthen the mental health workforce across Iowa while honoring the investment providers make in their ongoing development.
Training That Gives Back to Iowa Communities
All proceeds from HopeForward Community Trainings directly support mental health services for children in schools and community settings throughout Iowa—especially those who have little or no access to insurance.
Your participation helps expand access to care for some of our most vulnerable community members, creating a ripple effect of healing beyond the training room.
Learn, Connect, and Make a Meaningful Impact
By joining a HopeForward Community Training, you will:
Advance your professional skills
Connect with fellow mental health and behavioral health providers
Support access to mental health care for children in Iowa schools
Together, we are investing in providers, strengthening communities, and making mental health care more accessible where it is needed most.
May
Borderline Personality Disorder
Demystifying Diagnosis and Treatment
May 30 9:00 Am - 4:00 PM - VIRTUAL and In-Person in Ft. Madison, Iowa
5.5 CEUS
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is one of the most frequently misunderstood and misdiagnosed conditions in mental health. This engaging full-day training is designed to help clinicians build clarity, confidence, and practical skills when working with clients experiencing BPD.
Participants will explore the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for BPD, learn how to differentiate BPD from commonly confused diagnoses such as Bipolar Disorder, Complex PTSD, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and Histrionic Personality Disorder, and deepen their understanding of the biopsychosocial factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of BPD.
The training also provides a practical overview of evidence-based treatments, including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), STEPPS, Mentalization-Based Therapy (MBT), and Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP). Clinicians will gain real-world strategies for navigating therapeutic challenges, strengthening the therapeutic alliance, and supporting meaningful change for clients living with BPD.
Through discussion, case examples, and clinically applicable tools, participants will leave with greater diagnostic accuracy, increased treatment confidence, and practical approaches they can immediately apply in their clinical work.
Participants will learn to:
Identify DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder
Distinguish BPD from commonly misdiagnosed conditions
Understand the biopsychosocial mechanisms underlying BPD
Apply evidence-based treatment approaches for BPD
Strengthen therapeutic relationships and manage common clinical challenges
This training is ideal for therapists, counselors, social workers, psychologists, and graduate students seeking deeper understanding and effective treatment strategies for working with individuals diagnosed with BPD.
Meet the Presenter:
Abby Womack, LMHC, is a fully licensed mental health clinician at New Hope Healing in Ft. Madison Iowa and a Certified Dialectical Behavior Therapist (C-DBT). She specializes in working with individuals experiencing personality disorders, substance use and addictive behaviors, and also offers Christian counseling for clients who wish to incorporate faith into their therapeutic work.
Abby has a passion for supporting adolescents and adults and enjoys incorporating creative, art-based interventions into in-person sessions to enhance emotional expression and engagement. She works with clients ages 12 and older and provides services both in person in Fort Madison, Iowa, and via telehealth.
Her clinical focus on personality disorders and DBT-informed care brings a practical, compassionate perspective to understanding and effectively treating Borderline Personality Disorder.
June
This foundations-level IFS training is designed to help clinicians experience the model as an integrated, relational process rather than a set of isolated concepts. Participants will review and deepen the core concepts of Self, protective parts, the 6 Fs, and the healing steps—seeing how these elements work together in real clinical time.
Through expanded video examples and live or modeled demonstrations, participants will observe how therapists apply the 6 Fs to build trust with managers and firefighters, recognize and work with self-like parts and therapist parts, and support systems in staying regulated and resourced.
The training places a strong emphasis on direct access work, offering guidance and practice for engaging protectors without bypassing their concerns or rushing the healing process.
Participants will also be introduced to legacy burdens and learn how intergenerational patterns may influence protective roles. Throughout the training, there will be opportunities to observe and practice new learning.
If you have never learned about IFS before, but are ready to take the leap, you are still welcome to join this training. To prepare, please watch this free 90-minute introduction to IFS.
Meet the Presenter
Alyce Messer, LCSW-S is a dedicated therapist committed to supporting other clinicians in understanding and facilitating healing from trauma. She integrates attachment principles, relational neuroscience, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) to conceptualize symptoms through an adaptive, rather than pathological, lens. Alyce emphasizes growth, resilience, and Self-led healing, helping therapists work compassionately with protective parts, relational dynamics, and legacy burdens.
Drawing on her expertise in IFS, EMDR, and attachment-informed approaches, Alyce’s trainings offer a clear, relational framework for understanding how internal systems organize and how early relationships shape protective strategies. Her teaching focuses on practical application, consent, clinical pacing, and curiosity—equipping clinicians with language, tools, and experiential guidance they can use directly in session.
All proceeds from HopeForward Community Trainings directly support mental health services for children in schools and community settings throughout Iowa—especially those who have little or no access to insurance.
IFS Foundations: Working With Protectors & Healing Steps
This training is designed for clinicians who are deepening their IFS journey and want a supportive and immersive experience working with protectors and the healing steps.
JUne 17 9:00 AM - 4 PM & June 18 9 AM - 12 PM - VIRTUAL
8.25 CEUS
JULY
Trauma Assessment and TreATMENT
Assessing, conceptualizing and treating trauma across the lifespan
July 30 & 31 9-5PM - Virtual
13 CEUS
Join internationally respected trauma psychologist Daphne Fatter, Ph.D. for a comprehensive, practice-focused two-day training designed to deepen clinicians’ confidence in assessing, conceptualizing, and treating trauma across the lifespan. With a blend of didactic teaching, case examples, and hands-on practice, this training provides a full toolkit for working with PTSD, Complex PTSD, dissociation, and the neurobiological impacts of traumatic stress.
Participants will learn to:
• Use evidence-based assessment tools for adults and children
• Differentiate PTSD, C-PTSD, developmental trauma, and dissociation
• Understand how traumatic stress affects the brain and informs treatment planning
• Apply the three-phase trauma treatment model with clinical confidence
• Identify and regulate hyperarousal, hypoarousal, and dissociative states
• Utilize stabilization tools including somatic, relational, sensory, and mindfulness-based interventions
• Assess readiness for trauma processing and communicate realistic expectations
• Integrate cultural humility and systemic trauma considerations
• Select effective, evidence-based trauma treatments for diverse clients
Meet the Trainer:
Daphne Fatter, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist, author, and international speaker dedicated to providing education on integrative trauma-informed therapies. She is also Certified in EMDR and an EMDRIA Approved Consultant. She has received extensive training in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and in Internal Family Systems therapy. Dr. Fatter is the author of Integrating Internal Family Systems (IFS) into EMDR (2026).
Dr. Fatter was awarded her doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the Pennsylvania State University. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Clinical Psychology at the Trauma Center, under the direct supervision of the author of The Body Keeps The Score, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, MD. She is the former Military Sexual Trauma Coordinator at the Fort Worth Veteran Affairs Outpatient Clinic. She speaks to mental health clinicians internationally providing engaging continuing education on nuances on trauma treatment from her seasoned clinical experience treating PTSD, complex trauma and complicated grief.
All proceeds from HopeForward Community Trainings directly support mental health services for children in schools and community settings throughout Iowa—especially those who have little or no access to insurance.
August
INtro to sandtray
Aug 12-13 9 - 4 PM - Raccoon River Lodge, West Des Moines
12 CEUS
Day 1: Foundations and applications of sandtray therapy
This workshop comprehensively introduces sandtray play therapy, covering its history, foundational principles, and practical applications. Participants will explore the differences between sandtray and sand play therapy, learn about the materials needed for effective sandtray work, and develop skills for working with children and adults. The training emphasizes hands-on learning, including role-play scenarios, group activities, and case study analysis to deepen understanding of therapeutic processes. Special attention will be given to recognizing common themes in sandtray therapy, understanding developmental considerations for children and special populations, and exploring non-directive play therapy principles. The workshop also highlights the latest sandtray research, focusing on how sandtray therapy promotes emotional regulation and trauma healing. By the end, participants will feel equipped to incorporate sandtray techniques into individual, group, and family therapy settings.
Day 2: The Neuroscience of Sandtray Play Therapy
This advanced workshop delves into the neuroscience underpinning sandtray therapy within the play therapy setting. Participants will explore how engaging in sandtray therapy activates neural pathways that support emotional regulation, trauma processing, and brain integration. The training will examine the brain's response to sensory-rich environments, symbolic play, and the relational aspects of sandtray work, offering insights into its profound therapeutic impact. This workshop equips therapists to apply sandtray therapy more effectively with clients across diverse age groups and needs by connecting brain science to practical techniques.
About the Presenter:
Kim Feeney, Play Therapist, LISW, RPT, brings her unique balance of experience, expertise, and training to help you achieve your clinical goals. Kim has is a a Licensed Independent Social Worker (2013) and a Registered Play Therapist (2014). She is advanced certified in Adlerian play therapy, a certified EMDR therapist, an Internationally credentialed sandtray therapist provider, a certified Synergetic Play Therapist, a registered clinician with the Association for Training on Trauma and Attachment in Children, and a certified AutPlay provider. You can learn more about Kim at her website.
All proceeds from HopeForward Community Trainings directly support mental health services for children in schools and community settings throughout Iowa—especially those who have little or no access to insurance.