Episode 25- It takes a village to help heal trauma with Dr Petria Thoresen

Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) Podcast- A Polyvagal Theory Informed Therapy

Welcome to episode 25.
Today I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr Petria Thoresen, psychologist, from STAND for CHILDREN/Stand Tū Māia based in New Zealand.

Integrated Listening Australia is the official Distributor of the SSP and Focus System for Australia and New Zealand and has been supporting STAND for a number of years. STAND began implementing the SSP in 2019 and has over 40 staff trained. They also support their community with the Focus system and IOM2 Interactive Biofeedback program.
New Zealand has experienced a number of traumas over the last few years- earthquakes, a mass shooting, pandemic lockdowns, and floods. Petria explains how STAND embeds native culture and a philosophy that it takes a village..... in supporting children and families who have experienced trauma. Their model may be a good reference for other organizations.
Some key points...listen in to find out more.

• It takes a village to help heal trauma
• Theraplay
• Music therapy as a post-SSP session to help wire in reciprocal interactions, mirroring, vocalizations, and creativity- important elements of the Social Engagement System
• Multi-model therapy to treat trauma- ISTSS best practices
• Intense therapy model for trauma
• SSP implementation refined in real time- driven by practitioner feedback
• Community heals- we are better together
• Phased sequenced approach to complex trauma
• We are "people alongside people' in healing trauma

Petria references 3 papers:
Adolescents | Free Full-Text | Trauma-Related Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors in Adolescence: A Bridge between Psychoanalysis and Neuroscience (mdpi.com)

Treatment of complex PTSD: results of the ISTSS expert clinician survey on best practices - PubMed (nih.gov)

Multimodal Therapy: A Unifying Approach to Psychotherapy | Psychology Today
Dr Petria Thöresen, PhD is a fully certified Theraplay® Therapist/Supervisor and
Trainer. Petria completed her PhD in Psychology at Canterbury University,
New Zealand. Petria has a Post Graduate degree in Teaching & Learning, Post Graduate Diploma in Science- Child and Family Psychology, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Psychological Practice and is a New Zealand Registered Psychologist.
Petria is currently working as a Therapeutic Practice Leader Pou Heke with Stand
Children’s Services ensuring the ethical and culturally safe practice of Theraplay®
as well as other interventions such as Clinical Hypnotherapy, Brainspotting, Safe & Sound Protocol and HRV Biofeedback, Neurofeedback, and Poly Vagal Therapy etc.
The daily focus of Stand Tū Māia is to provide transformative services to tamariki,
mokopuna, and whānau that Support responsive relationships, reduce sources of
stress in their lives and strengthen self-regulation and core executive skills. Stand Tū
Māia has seven sites across NZ.
She can be contacted at [e-mail]
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