Working With Emotional Avoidance in Therapy (2 CEU's)

CLINICAL SKILLS & INTERVENTIONS

Working With Emotional Avoidance in Therapy 2 CEUs

Overview:

Emotional avoidance is a common and often overlooked process that contributes to the maintenance of many clinical concerns, including anxiety, depression, trauma-related symptoms, and relational difficulties. Clients may avoid emotions through behaviors such as distraction, over-intellectualizing, substance use, or withdrawal, which can provide short-term relief but reinforce long-term distress. Without recognizing and addressing avoidance patterns, clinicians may find that clients gain insight but struggle to create meaningful emotional or behavioral change.

In this presentation, Dr. Zairys Feliz, Ph.D., LCSW, will guide participants in identifying and effectively working with emotional avoidance in clinical practice. Attendees will explore how avoidance develops, how it is reinforced over time, and how it presents across different client populations. The course will address strategies for helping clients safely approach avoided emotions, increase tolerance for discomfort, and reduce reliance on maladaptive coping mechanisms. Emphasis will be placed on pacing, building emotional awareness, and using practical, evidence-informed interventions to support gradual exposure to internal experiences. Participants will leave with tools to move beyond surface-level work and help clients engage more fully with their emotional experiences in a safe and sustainable way.

Objectives:

• Identify common forms of emotional avoidance and how they present in clinical work.

• Explain the mechanisms that maintain avoidance and its impact on treatment outcomes.

• Apply practical strategies to help clients safely approach and process avoided emotions.

Scope and Limitations Disclosure

This course provides licensed mental health professionals with an overview of working with emotional avoidance in therapy. Participants will learn to recognize avoidance patterns and apply evidence-informed strategies to support emotional engagement. While techniques such as exposure and emotion-focused interventions are introduced, this training does not provide certification in specialized modalities and is not a substitute for advanced training in trauma-focused or exposure-based therapies. Attendees are expected to apply the material within their professional scope of practice, ethical guidelines, and clinical judgment.

Financial and Commercial Disclosure

The presenter has no relevant financial relationships or conflicts of interest to disclose. Any references to therapeutic models, interventions, or resources are provided solely for educational purposes. Participants are not required to purchase any additional materials to complete this course.

Refund Policy – Pre-Recorded (Self-Study) CE Courses

All purchases of pre-recorded (self-study) CE courses are subject to this refund policy. By enrolling, you agree to these terms. Participants who have not accessed any portion of the course may request a full refund within 7 days of purchase. Once a course has been accessed, streamed, or downloaded, refunds are no longer available due to immediate access to course materials. Refunds will also not be issued to participants who do not complete the course, fail the required post-test, or do not meet participation requirements, as certificates are only awarded upon successful completion. If you experience verified technical issues that prevent access, we will make reasonable efforts to resolve the problem; if it cannot be resolved, a full or partial refund may be issued. If you believe the course did not meet its stated learning objectives, you may submit a written complaint within 7 days of completion for review, and a partial or full refund may be granted at our discretion. All course purchases are non-transferable and may not be shared, resold, or assigned to another individual.