Central Coast–CAMFT

Presents:

Shame: Putting It All Together:
Essential Insights for Helping Clients Heal and Thrive

Presented By: Kristine B. Jensen, LCSW # 5023

Saturday,  April 18, 2026, 9:30 am-1:00 pm 

Location:  Unitarian Universalists Church: 
2201 Lawton Ave, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

Number of CEs: 3 

We will pause after 2 hours of the presentation to enjoy food and mingling for .5 hr.  CCC-CAMFT will provide hearty snacks and coffee/tea.  If you would like to bring a tasty snack to share, please email Kim Richards at richardskimlmft@gmail.com. 

Presentation Overview:

Over the years, we’ve gained invaluable insights into shame from experts like Brené Brown, Janina Fisher, Bessel van der Kolk, and others. But how do we synthesize this knowledge into effective, actionable strategies for healing? What are the essential skills, understanding, and nuances that contribute to successful outcomes for clients suffering from this "cancer of the soul"?

In this presentation, Kristine Jensen, LCSW, author of Bruised Not Broken: Healing the Wounds of a Troubled Childhood, will answer these questions. Drawing on her extensive clinical experience and unexpected insights while writing her book, she will introduce critical elements that are often underexplored or overlooked in current trauma therapy. (Why do shame-filled clients lack empathy; what are the unconscious habits that keep clients from healing). These insights and what to do about them are key to not only helping clients heal but also empowering them to thrive.

Through theory, case studies, research outcomes, and personal stories, you will gain a deeper understanding of the often-hidden manifestations of shame in depression, social anxiety, personality disorders, and failed relationships. Additionally, you will learn how to engage your clients in their own healing process through education, exercises/reflection questions, and the vision that a brighter future is possible.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the presentation, participants will be able to:

1. Explain how shame is one of the survival strategies of the central nervous system and why knowing this is important to our clients.
   
   
2. Describe how our culture unknowingly perpetuates shame as a change agent through parenting practices, justice system, some religious tenets –and why this is misguided.
   
   
3. List 2 of the unconscious habits that keep clients from healing.
   
   
4. Describe the evidenced-based process of releasing the past (aka forgiveness) and why this could be a key ingredient for your client’s healing. 

Presentation by:

Kristine B. Jensen, LCSW

Kristine Jensen is a licensed psychotherapist in California with more than four decades of experience helping clients heal from the wounds of emotionally neglectful and abusive childhoods. Drawing on extensive clinical practice, trauma research, and her own lived experience, she offers a deeply informed and compassionate approach to treating complex developmental trauma. Her recent book, Bruised Not Broken: Healing the Shame of a Troubled Childhood, integrates this expertise into an accessible framework for both clinicians and survivors.

Kristine has presented at numerous professional conferences on topics including the identification and healing of toxic shame, as well as the diagnosis and treatment of dissociative disorders. She has also taught graduate-level clinical courses at the University of California, Davis, and California State University, Sacramento.

After retiring and relocating to the Monterey area, Kristine soon returned to practice and is active in her local community.

Grievances

While the Central Coast Chapter of CAMFT makes every effort to assure fair treatment for all participants and attempts to anticipate problems, there may be occasional issues with regard to presentations/workshops which will require intervention and/or action on the part of the board. This procedural description serves as a guideline for handling such grievances.

When a participant files a grievance and expects action on the complaint, the following actions will be taken:

1. The participant(s) will be asked to put concerns in writing (this can be in electronic form, such as an email).

1. If the grievance concerns a presenter, the content presented by the speaker, or the style of presentation, the individual filing the grievance will be asked to put their comments in written format. The Board will then pass on the comments to the speaker, assuring the confidentiality of the grieved individual.

1. If the grievance concerns a presentation/workshop offering, its content, level of presentation, or the facilities in which the workshop was offered, the Board will mediate and will be the final arbitrator. If the participant requests action, the Board will:

• provide a credit for a subsequent presentation/workshop or

• provide a partial or full refund of the presentation/workshop fee

Refund policy:

Registrants must cancel their registration within 10 days of the event to receive a refund minus a $5 administrative fee.  Exceptions can be made for 48-hour notices in case of an emergency.  If you need to cancel, please contact Event Chair, Kim Richards: richardskimlmft@gmail.com. 

Special Accommodations

If you require a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in any of our events, please contact Event Chair Kim Richards within 10 days of the upcoming event at 805.458.8063 or email Kim Richards at richardskimlmft@gmail.com.