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Live Webinar

Two Worlds Under One Roof: Understanding the Client and Therapist Experience in Treatment Facilities

Stephanie Emde, PsyD
Drew Powell
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Information

Date & Time

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  • Identify at least five environmental factors that create experiential differences in treatment facilities.

  • Explain how structure and policy may be perceived as control or punishment by clients.

  • Recognize how trauma history amplifies reactions to facility rules.

  • Differentiate therapeutic boundaries from institutional authority.

  • Apply strategies to reduce power-based resistance and increase relational safety.

  • Demonstrate effective rupture repair within structured treatment settings.

Educational Goal

The educational goal is to explore the gap between how clinicians and clients experience treatment environments, highlighting how structure, policies, and safety protocols can feel supportive to providers but restrictive or vulnerable to clients. It offers practical insight into reducing shame, resistance, and power struggles by improving awareness of how these dynamics shape the therapeutic relationship.

Description

In treatment facilities, clinicians and clients operate within the same environment—but often experience it in profoundly different ways. Therapists experience structure, policy, clinical responsibility, and risk management. Clients experience surveillance, vulnerability, loss of autonomy, and emotional exposure. This training examines the experiential gap between providers and residents in structured care settings. Participants will learn how environmental structure, program rules, documentation requirements, and safety protocols shape the therapeutic relationship—and how to reduce unintended shame, resistance, and power struggles. The course integrates principles from: Person-Centered Therapy, Trauma-Informed Care, Attachment Theory, Systems Theory, and Motivational Interviewing.

Target Audience

  • Addiction Professional
  • Counselor
  • Marriage & Family Therapist
  • Psychologist
  • Social Worker

Presenters

Stephanie Emde, PsyD
Dr. Stephanie Emde, PsyD, is an accomplished clinical leader specializing in addiction treatment, with a primary emphasis on sex addiction. She currently serves as the Chief Growth Officer at Valiant Living, where she previously held the role of Executive Director of Clinical Services and played a key role in shaping the organization’s current clinical curriculum. Dr. Emde’s extensive background includes serving as Clinical Director at Gentle Path at The Meadows for three years, Assistant Clinical Director at Whiteside Manor in California, and Clinical Supervisor for American Addiction Centers. She began her career in San Diego working in crisis centers and at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, gaining early experience with complex trauma and high-acuity populations. Highly trained in evidence-based and trauma-informed modalities, Dr. Emde has completed advanced training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) through the Beck Institute, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) through EMDRIA, Certified Sex Addiction Therapy (CSAT) training through IITAP, and Post-Induction Therapy (PIT) through The Meadows. She is also recognized for her expertise in curriculum development within the fields of addiction and trauma. Dr. Emde holds a Doctorate in Clinical Forensic Psychology (PsyD) and is a committed advocate for innovative, research-driven, and compassionate approaches to addiction and mental health treatment.
Drew Powell
Drew Powell, is a marketing strategist, storyteller, Certified Enneagram Coach (CEC), PSAT – Candidate, and recovery advocate based in Nashville, TN. He serves as National Director of Marketing & Alumni for Valiant Living, where he helps lead brand strategy, partnerships, and communication for complex behavioral health programs. Drew brings over two decades of experience in leadership, ministry, and business, paired with a deep personal understanding of addiction, recovery, and healing. After spending 20 years in church and nonprofit leadership, Drew’s own recovery journey through treatment reshaped how he approaches work, purpose, and people. Today, he is passionate about building systems, stories, and communities focused on bringing families back together. He also hosts the Valiant Living Podcast, where he shares honest conversations around recovery, leadership, and hope. Drew has been married to his wife, Jamie, for almost 25 years, and together they have four children and one Rottweiler.

Financially Sponsored By

  • Valiant Living