PM Session 4: Meet our Presenter
PM Session 4: Meet our Presenter
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Title: Where Healing finds a voice: Integrating Expressive Practices in Trauma Informed Care
Title: Where Healing finds a voice: Integrating Expressive Practices in Trauma Informed Care
Description:
Many individuals and communities navigating adversity—whether related to systemic inequities, personal trauma, or intergenerational experiences—benefit from therapeutic approaches that foster reflection, connection, and restoration. This 75 minute session of continuing education workshop introduces clinicians to the use of expressive arts and narrative-based interventions to support clients in reconnecting with cultural identity, lived experience, and internal sources of resilience.
Participants will explore how sensory-based writing and poetry can be integrated into clinical practice as tools for enhancing emotional expression, meaning-making, and trauma-informed care. The workshop will highlight the role of cultural humility and culturally responsive practices in facilitating client engagement and promoting a sense of belonging.
Through guided experiential exercises, attendees will engage in reflective writing practices to better understand how these interventions may be applied with diverse client populations. Participants will also observe a facilitated panel demonstration in which poems are shared and reflected upon, modeling techniques for fostering connection, validating client experiences, and supporting narrative integration in a therapeutic setting.
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to describe the clinical benefits of expressive arts interventions, identify strategies for incorporating culturally grounded narrative practices into therapy, and apply reflective writing techniques to support client resilience and identity development.
Learning Objectives:
Identify at least two clinical benefits of expressive arts and narrative-based interventions in trauma-informed care.
Describe how culturally responsive writing practices can support client identity, resilience, and meaning-making.
Apply at least one evidence based writing or poetry-based intervention suitable for use in clinical practice while maintaining psychological safety.
Gloria Robles, MA, AMFT
Gloria Robles, MA, AMFT
Gloria Robles, MA, is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist currently serving as a Child Therapist at El Centro de Amistad, located in the San Fernando Valley. Gloria has provided services to the birth-to-five population and has experience working with individuals and families across the lifespan, from early childhood through adulthood in multiple settings, including homes, schools, and community health clinics.
Gloria draws from person-centered and trauma-informed approaches, adapting her work to align with community needs. Her foundations in reflective practice and dyadic work support being intentional, attuned, and present in the therapeutic spaces. She is certified in Parent-Child Psychotherapy, trained in Infant Massage, and is currently a participant in the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Program.
As a mother, daughter of parents who immigrated from Guatemala, and first-generation student in her family, Gloria has a passion for learning about the diverse experiences and stories in the community. Gloria’s roots shape her commitment to honoring each person’s lived experience, cultural identity, and the systems that have influenced their story. She strives to create a space where others feel genuinely seen, understood, and respected within the context of your relationships, culture, and community.
She is deeply committed to walking alongside individuals and families as they recognize their inherent strengths, heal within connection, and build on the resilience already present in their lives. Through her clinical work, Gloria strives to contribute to stronger families and more connected communities—spaces where empowerment is nurtured, voices are honored, and growth is supported across generations.
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