Julie Stirpe completes Phase II of training in NMT

Earlier this week, Principal Psychotherapist Julie Stirpe received confirmation from the ChildTrauma Academy that she has successfully completed her accreditation in phase 2 of the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics. NMT, as an approach to psychotherapy, is defined by its use of neurological techniques to assess key developmental areas of the brain such as cognitive functioning, sensory integration and relational health.

The value of NMT in our psychotherapeutic practice at JSA is far reaching, particularly in the assessment of children in the care system and for pre and post adoption. Not a form of therapy itself, the NMT allows us to assess the impact of developmental trauma upon the developing brain and nervous system of our clients. You can read more about it here in our designated disambiguation.

Julie has been involved with the ChildTrauma Academy for some time now. The CTA are a professional body and academic fellowship pioneering trauma-informed models of care around the world. Having made widespread changes in mental health and education services in the United States and Canada, they are now gaining increasing influence in Europe too. This is made possible, in part, through the establishment of dedicated NMT ‘sites’ that can provide the foundations necessary to proliferate this valuable framework of assessment and trauma-informed practice.

Julie attended the CTA’s international symposium in Banff in 2018 and completed her phase 1 in 2019, which enabled her to conduct NMT assessments. After another year of extended study, practice and participation in international peer mentorship, she has now achieved the phase 2. This extended qualification will now enable her to train others to achieve the phase 1.

Our plan at this moment in time is to upskill other members of our team with NMT assessment training and continue to develop JSA to become one such NMT site, from which we can provide training for delegates from outside the company. This would make JSA one of an extremely limited number of these sites in the UK. As such, it is a business development outcome that we’ve been excited about reaching for a very long time.