Workshop overview

Emotions are at the heart of counselling practice, yet working with intense emotions—whether in clients or ourselves—is not always easy. Many practitioners find that their formal training provided limited depth in this crucial area.

This interactive three-hour workshop, facilitated by Dr. Ruth Lawson-McConnell, offers a structured and attachment-based approach to working with emotions using Gordon Neufeld’s 5-Step Model. Drawing from attachment theory, emotion regulation research, trauma science, and neuro-psychotherapy, this session will equip you with practical strategies for co-regulating emotions with clients and deepening therapeutic engagement.

Who is this for?

This workshop is for counsellors, psychologists and mental health professionals who want to learn more about an integrative framework for understanding emotions and their role in psychological healing. It is not suitable for students.

What you will learn

1. An introduction to Neufeld’s 5-Step Mode of working with emotions from an attachment-based development perspective, with practical examples of application in a therapeutic setting.

2. Key insights from recent research from affective sciences and emotion regulation research to enhance your client support strategies.

3. Self-care strategies for counsellors to reduce the risk of burnout, emotional numbing, and compassion fatigue, due to prolonged exposure to client’s intense emotional responses.

Terms & conditions

This webinar will be recorded and a link to the recording sent out to everyone who has bought a ticket.

If you need to cancel, refunds (less the Humanitix fee) are available up to 7 days prior to the event. After that, no refund will be given. However, ticket transfers to another attendee are possible. Please contact us on pdmanager@nzac.org.nz to discuss.

About the presenter

Dr. Ruth Lawson-McConnell (she/her) has over 32 years of counselling experience in Scotland, Canada, and New Zealand. She was a senior lecturer (BCOUNS at Laidlaw College) and is now in in private practice. Dr. Lawson-McConnell is a Professional Associate of the Neufeld Institute, one of the few practitioners qualified to train others in Gordon Neufeld’s approach. Beyond counselling, she provides parenting consultations, clinical supervision, professional development training, and conference presentations. Known for her deep expertise, engaging teaching style, and compassionate approach, Dr. Lawson-McConnell brings a wealth of knowledge and practical insight to this workshop.

To learn more, visit: www.ruthmcconnell.com