Growing & Moving With Our Grief
Includes the Grief Retreat on December 5-7 and training 7-9th. Must attend both for CEs.
Join The LIGHT Movement for our grief and trauma-informed training, led by grief psychotherapist with 25+ years of experience and yoga teacher, Amy Pickett-Williams; author, psychotherapist, and yoga teacher/therapist of 40+years, Joann Lutz. This 20-hour training is for people interested in learning about the science and tools of somatic (mind-body) healing from trauma and grief.
Though this will be supportive for individuals of all professions, it is our understanding that this training will count as CE (continuing education) credits for licensed counselors, marriage & family therapists, educators, teachers, occupational therapists, and physical therapists. All participants will receive a certificate. We are offering CEs for psychologists and social workers for an additional $100. If you’re in need of CEs, we recommend double-checking with your board to ensure you receive credits. Yoga teachers can also receive credit through Yoga Alliance.
Objectives
Learn the Science of Grief, Trauma, and Burnout
Introduction and Application of Somatic Tools.
Integration of Social Justice into Somatic Practices.
Recommended Readings
Meet Your Instructors
Amy Pickett-Williams, LCSW, RYT-200, has been providing grief psychotherapy for over 25 years, working with all types of loss, including parents who have experienced the death of a child. She brings a somatic-based (mind-body-spirit) perspective to her practice. As a yoga teacher, she believes these tools need to be accessible to all people to support healing and growth from their grief and trauma. Try out one of her donation-based LIGHT yoga classes!
Joann Lutz, LICSW, C-IAYT, E-RYT, YACEP, author, psychotherapist, and yoga therapist/teacher, is a pioneer in the application of nervous-system informed, trauma-sensitive yoga to mental health care. Her book, Trauma Healing in the Yoga Zone, is being praised by international leaders in yoga therapy and trauma studies. She brings over forty years of yoga teaching experience to the program.
Dr. Katie Mattei, a Clinical Psychologist with 30+ years of experience, specializes in trauma, child loss, burn injuries, and professional burnout. A Columbia and University of Denver alum, she consults for schools, speaks nationally, and integrates somatic healing to support resilience in healthcare providers, first responders, and trauma
survivors.
Cost and Booking
20-Hour Somatic Healing Training: Growing with our Grief
Pricing
Register for the 20-Hour Training in 2 steps:
Step 1: Register for the 20-Hour Training
This step will add you to the participant list for the training.
Please note: To finalize your registration, you’ll also need to complete Step 2 — booking and payment through the La Foret Retreat website
Step 2: Complete Your Booking
This step will take you to the La Foret Conference & Retreat Center website, where you’ll finalize your registration and submit your payment.
The full 200 hr program: Become a trauma and grief-informed yoga teacher with 200 hours of training and add on 100 hours of CEs. You’ll learn somatic practices, nervous system science, and embodied tools to support growing with grief and healing trauma.
In-Person Schedule
Virtual Schedule
Weekly Sessions – Wednesdays 6-8:30 PM (MT)
Weekend Sessions – Sat. 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM & Sun. 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM (MT)
Meet Your Instructors
Pooja Mamadapalli is a trauma-informed yoga teacher, Indian classical dancer, and emerging psychologist specializing in the integration of yoga philosophy with Western psychology. She recently earned her MA in International Disaster Psychology from the University of Denver and brings experience working with underserved communities in both India and the U.S. Her work weaves together mindfulness, movement, yoga philosophy, and psychology to support collective healing, with a focus on culturally rooted care, intergenerational trauma, and community resilience.
Cost and Booking
Pricing
Virtual Training
In-Person Training
Register for the Virtual Training
This step adds you to the participant list for the training, and registers you for the Virtual Training (Registration for the In-person training is a separate step.)
Register for the In-Person Training
Register for the in-person training at La Foret.
Discounts:
Students who have booked their spot in our 20 or 40-hour training will receive a discount for Reiki Level 1 & 2 with Spiritual Educator, Lisa Guyman.
In this Reiki 1 and 2 online workshop, students will learn:
Please contact Lisa Guyman for additional assistance.
This training is designed for certified yoga teachers and therapists who feel called to hold space for others in their grief – not just with compassion, but with skill, structure, and confidence.
Offered by the Center for Somatic Grieving, this training goes far beyond trauma-informed yoga. It builds on your 200- or 300-hour YTT and equips you to teach a structured, somatic-based curriculum that helps others navigate grief and transformation. You’ll learn how to hold safe, compassionate space, listen deeply, reflect skillfully, and guide students through their healing journey.
This training empowers you to become a confident group facilitator rooted in presence and authenticity. Along the way, you’ll be supported by a like-hearted community of Mindful Grieving Facilitators who are walking the path with you.
Learn the art of deep listening, group facilitation, and embodied presence – while undergoing your own journey of healing and transformation.
Join us and become a grounded, heart-centered guide for those navigating grief.
If you register for both this training and our Yoga Teacher Training, you will receive a 10% discount on both.
For more information, please visit the Center for Somatic Grieving website or contact Wendy at wendy@centerforsomaticgrieving.com
Meet Your Instructor
Wendy Black Stern, C-IAYT, PRYT, E-RYT, is a yoga therapist, educator and grief support pioneer with over 25 years of experience. She is a certified Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapist, yoga teacher, Reiki practitioner, and group facilitator, drawing inspiration from Ram Dass and the Phoenix Rising methodology.
After the death of her son Noah, Wendy founded the Grief Support Network, a nonprofit offering somatic, community-based support for grief. She later created the Center for Somatic Grieving to expand this work through somatic grief retreats, Mindful Grieving programs, individual sessions, and professional trainings.
Her signature program, the Mindful Grieving Yoga Therapy Teacher Training, equips yoga professionals with a grief-focused, somatic curriculum to support others through loss and personal transformation.
Wendy’s approach blends mindful movement, reflective practices, and the art of deep listening and reflection to help people heal, grow, and transform through their experiences fo loss. She lives in Boulder, CO, and finds inspiration in nature, travel, music, and heartfelt connection.
