upcoming opportunities for consultation & continuing education
Fall 2026 Training
Live Virtual CE Program:
Clinical Ethics Beyond “Consult, Consult, Consult: Managing Professional Shame to Restore Reflective Capacity and Collaboration
Friday October 23, 2026, 2-5pm EST
3 CEs (APA & NY **)
REGISTER HERE
(Early Bird Rate $125 before 9/15, $155 regular fee)
**Note: NY State clinicians this may only count as general CEs and NOT for ethics credits, please check with your specific board requirements **)
Consultation Groups: Shame-Informed Practice
Groups forming for Fall 2026.
Interested? Fill out this form and I will be in touch.
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Launching Self-Paced Foundational Shame Course Soon!
In the 3 CE home study version of Deepening Our Connections: Leveraging Shame to Address Impasses and Improve Psychotherapy Outcomes, mental health professionals will have the opportunity to learn about the subtle yet profound role that shame plays in our therapeutic relationships and how to effectively manage it.
relational and Shame-informed practice
Becoming shame-informed has transformed the way I work with clients in allowing me to see the ways shame is lurking in moments of rupture, confusion and disconnect so I can address the shame both in myself and the client. Being an effective, relational and shame-informed therapist is not a matter of being a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ therapist – a myth both implicitly and explicitly communicated to us during our graduate education and beyond – but a matter of training, reflective capacity, and ongoing consultation.
Every time I have offered a workshop or consultation group, I ask the participant clinicians if they had any formal introduction or education in shame at any point in their professional journey. With few exceptions, the answer has been a resounding ‘no’ regardless of years in practice, type of training they received, or where they trained.
I too did not have training in shame during graduate school, not in class or during my practicums, internship or postdoctoral fellowship. I was lucky enough to have a handful of wonderful, gifted supervisors and also clients who taught me about presence, compassion, and authenticity. But shame was left out of the mix.
Why does shame matter? Isn’t a focus on attachment, connection and a strong therapeutic alliance enough?
My short answer is no, but watch the video below for my full answer and to hear me talk about the 3 pillars of shame, as a tool, a map and a guide to lead us to relational security.
offerings
Individual Consultation/Supervision: I offer ongoing or as needed consultation to mental health professionals as well as supervision. See the FAQ’s section for more information on the differences and which modality best suits your needs.
Consultation Groups: These are small groups of 3-5 clinicians. Typically each meeting is a blend of some didactic material as it relates to shame-informed practice and opportunity to work on specific shame-events in psychotherapy.
Consultation Services for Group Practices: I help group practices seeking to provide training and consultation for their clinicians. With the input of the group leader and the team, I craft focused sessions based on needs and challenges. I also offer group rates for trainings which can include follow-up consultation sessions to help the group further integrate skills and explore relevant clinical topics.
Presentations and Trainings: Many organizations benefit from learning about shame, how it impacts the relationships with those being served, and among staff and between leadership and staff. I create tailored trainings that allow for deep reflection, skill development and collaborative learning to enhance self-awareness and systems level thinking.
FAQ's
Who are your trainings and consultation groups for?
At this time, my offerings are for licensed and pre-licensed psychotherapists from all training backgrounds: psychology, psychiatry, social work, counseling and marriage and family therapy. Graduate students are also welcome to register.
If I am a [CBT, ACT, psychoanalytic, humanistic, behavioral, Gestalt…] therapist, will your trainings and groups be a good fit?
Relational and shame-informed approaches are transtheoretical! Shame doesn’t discriminate and thus it is at the core of any therapeutic rupture or impasse. As therapists, we are quite vulnerable to professional shame because we are compassionate and caring.
When we feel confused, stuck, angry or disconnected from our clients it goes directly to the heart of our identity – aren’t we supposed to be loving and caring all the time? What kind of therapist feels disdain for their clients from time to time? These feelings in us are a tag that something has shaken our professional identity and we are struggling with inadequacy and insecurity. This interferes with our ability to show up authentically regardless of our theoretical approach.
I welcome clinicians from a mix of training backgrounds. It helps the group recognize just how ubiquitous shame is and the range of approaches to address it effectively. There’s no one size fits all when it comes to shame.
Do you offer 1:1 consultation and/or supervision?
Yes! Feel welcome to reach out to me by email at keren@drkerensofer.com to schedule a call to discuss your needs.
What is the difference between supervision and consultation? Do you offer supervision for required hours for licensure?
Supervision and consultation are different. Supervision is a formal ongoing relationship that typically is required for pre-licensed or licensed professionals seeking to be independent practitioners. It requires documentation and the supervisor holds legal and ethical responsibility for the care received by the supervisee’s clients, who are also informed about the supervisory relationship. Supervisors are also usually in an evaluative role.
Consultation on the other hand is voluntary, not fulfilling a licensure or training requirement and does not require consent from one’s clients as long as the information shared for the purpose of clinical enhancement is HIPPA compliant.
My consultation groups are for licensed clinicians. If pre-licensed clinicians wish to join, we must be clear that the group is not a replacement for required supervisory hours and is not serving as supervision. I am open to entering into a supervisory agreement for 1:1 supervision with thorough discussion of my evaluative role and administrative expectations.
Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest and financial support: There is no financial support or any potential conflict of interest or commercial support related to Keren Sofer Psy.D. PC’s programs. No individuals who have the ability to control or influence the content of this program have a relevant relationship with any commercial interest, including but not limited to members of the continuing education committee, speakers, presenters, authors, and/or content reviewers.
Keren Sofer, Psy.D., is a licensed psychologist, clinical consultant, and educator based in Philadelphia, PA. She specializes in shame theory, attachment, and relational psychotherapy, providing therapy for individuals and couples nationwide via PSYPACT as well as specialized training and case consultation for mental health professionals.
Interested in clinical consultation or shame-informed therapy? Reach out to schedule a free consultation
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