Shame: Putting It All Together
Essential Insights for Helping Clients Heal and Thrive
Date: September 26th, 2025
Time: 9am-12:30pm, 3 CEs available
Location: Universalist Unitarian Church of the Monterey Peninsula
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.
Schedule:
Registration, Breakfast, and Announcements: 9am - 9:30 am
Education: 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Checkout and Certificates: 12:30 pm - 12: 45 pm
Learning Objectives:
At the end of the presentation, participants will be able to:
- Explain how shame is one of the survival strategies of the central nervous system and why knowing this is important to our clients.
- Describe how our culture unknowingly perpetuates shame as a change agent through parenting practices, justice system, some religious tenets –and why this is misguided.
- List 2 of the unconscious habits that keep clients from healing.
- Describe the evidenced-based process of releasing the past (aka forgiveness) and why this could be a key ingredient for your client’s healing.
Presenter Bio:
Kristine is a licensed psychotherapist in the state of California (1975) and a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional with over four decades of experience in helping individuals overcome traumatic shame. Recognized for her expertise, Kristine has presented at professional conferences on diagnosing and treating trauma related issues. Early in her career she worked at the University of Davis, School of Medicine as an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and faculty member. She has trained directly with renowned experts like the late Sue Johnson, founder of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and John Gottman (Gottman Method Couples Therapy) and studied the work of respected trauma experts.
After her first retirement from 30 years of private practice, Kristine worked as a counselor for the US Army in Germany and Okinawa. When she returned, she opened a private practice in Monterey, CA, and began researching and working on her book about chronic shame, Bruised Not Broken.
Kristine has taught graduate-level clinical classes at the University of California, Davis, and California State University, Sacramento. She has supervised interns and developed and taught intensive courses on diagnosing and treating Dissociative Disorders for fellow professionals. For fun, in response to her female clients' challenges with online dating, she developed and taught "Smart Dating for Women Over 35," which led to several marriages, lasting relationships, lots of mutual support, and plenty of fun.
When not immersed in her therapeutic work, Kristine enjoys California's central coast with her life partner and their beloved dog, Zoey. Whether she's keeping gophers out of her garden, chasing errant golf balls into the bushes, or taking walks on the beach, Kristine finds joy in life's simple pleasures. She is also a proud mother and grandmother, with one son and a grandson.
