Training Certification for all Civilian Professionals
Presenter: Alan Richardson
A proactive, group-based approach to restoring identity, agency, and psychological cohesion in military personnel.
About the Program
Reclaiming Therapy is an innovative, early-intervention model designed to trained professionals to work with civilians impacted by shared distress, invasion or natural disasters.
Developed during large-scale Ukrainian online support groups, the approach shifts away from pathology-focused treatments and instead focuses on immediate restoration of identity, agency, and belonging following trauma or operational stress.
The program is supported by Professor Richard Tedeschi and the Boulder Crest Foundation, offering additional certification in Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG).
Why Reclaiming Therapy?
When a community is impacted by shared distress and overwhelming threats to life and property, individual will tend to become quiet and withdraw in order to manage the psychological overwhelm and numb automatic response to survive and mange the situation. This shock sets a pattern for further isolation and internalisation of distress. Overtime, there is a need to share the experience and develop a new normal function and a more resilient sense of Self. Unlike traditional models that treat symptoms in isolation, Reclaiming Therapy:
- Strengthens psychological resilience before distress becomes entrenched
- Restores identity and agency disrupted by traumatic or high-risk environments
- Builds cohesive, supportive group communities—online or in person
- Prevents isolation by creating shared understanding and collective healing.
Training Focus Areas
Psychological Buoyancy
Skills and exercises that help participants stabilise distress, increase emotional regulation, and access core strengths even in high-pressure contexts.
Post-Traumatic Growth
Understanding PTG theory and its practical application in military settings, including training supported by the Boulder Crest Foundation.
Neuropsychotherapy Insights
Applying neuroscience—particularly limbic and frontal lobe functioning—to help individuals regain safety, control, and agency.
Group Identity & Belonging
Creating safe, structured group environments that promote connection, peer support, and collective transformation.
Military-Specific Sensitivity
Addressing rank dynamics, combat and non-combat stressors, leadership impacts, and the unspoken realities of operational life.
Reclaiming Therapy vs Current Evidence-based Modalities
Comparative analysis: Of Reclaiming Therapy with evidence-based treatments
Visible & Hidden Injuries
Tyranny of ‘Normality’ is the capacity to negotiate the ‘new normal’ is important in developing belonging between all family & friends & understanding the Hero’s Journey:
The Three Pillars of Practice
• Reclaiming the Body: somatic safety, grounding, interoception
• Reclaiming the Voice: narrative restoration and reintegration of the trauma story
• Reclaiming Connection: rebuilding belonging, boundaries, and community
Who This Training Is For
• Allied mental health professionals working with serving members or veterans
Outcomes
Participants will learn to:
• Deliver group-based early interventions that prevent fragmentation and isolation
• Support service members in reclaiming identity, meaning, and agency
• Integrate PTG principles into clinical practice
• Apply structured techniques that strengthen resilience, cohesion, and post-traumatic transformation