SITT Central/Fundamentals of Trauma-Informed Care and Recovery

  • $299 or 2 monthly payments of $150

Fundamentals of Trauma-Informed Care and Recovery

  • Course
  • 26 Lessons

This video course, nearly 9 hours in length, presents the fundamentals of trauma impact, trauma-informed care, and an overview of the path to trauma recovery. Suitable for anyone in a helping profession, this course is also the prerequisite for the Story-Informed Trauma Training for therapists and others seeking to learn the SITT model and pursue SITT certification.

The SITT Core Training

In our modern, post-COVID-19 pandemic world, trauma-informed care is at the heart of effective clinical care to today’s generations. That’s why we are so pleased to offer training for anyone on the caregiving spectrum. No matter if you are a mental health professional, counselor, pastor, or peer support specialist, trauma is becoming more and more prevalent and shows up so many more of our caring conversations

Even so, few graduate programs provide specific training on working with trauma and its impact. The result is that often the indicators of traumatic experiences and their impact go overlooked, and subsequently, treatment fails to address the real roots of the client’s presenting issues, providing no real lasting change.

This training will give you the fundamental skills and tools you need to ensure your counseling or ministry is effectively trauma-informed.

What you can expect to learn:

  • A strong trauma-informed foundation for effective trauma recovery.

  • What qualifies as a traumatic event.

  • Why trauma impacts overall functioning and why clients react to trauma differently.

  • How to assess trauma in people’s stories and the impact on daily functioning.

  • How trauma can lead to PTSD, which impacts long-term recovery.

  • The ten essential impact areas in trauma recovery.

  • The impact of trans-generational and epigenetic trauma.

  • How people attempt to resolve trauma in unhealthy ways.

  • Strategies to help people resolve trauma in healthy ways.

  • Why knowing our stories is the best way to healing and recovery.

The SITT Journey starts here.

The Fundamentals of Trauma-Informed Care & Recovery is the prerequisite that allows you to begin the SITT Core training.

The Core Training is what you need to practice as a SITT-Certified therapist or trauma mentor.

Module 1 – Intro, Stage 1 & 2 (Live in January, On-Demand Always)
Module 2 – Stages 3-5 (Live in April, On-Demand Always)
Module 3 – Stages 6-9 (Live in August, On-Demand Always)

Byron Kehler, M.S.

Trainer

Byron Kehler, M.S.

Founder and Designer of Story-Informed Trauma Therapy

Byron Kehler, M.S. is a Trauma Therapist in private practice in Milwaukie, Oregon. He has worked with survivors of physical, sexual, emotional, mental, and spiritual abuse for over 40 years. Byron has been certified by the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress and is certified in EMDR with a specialization in Dissociative Disorders.

He is the author and developer of Story-Informed Trauma Therapy (SITT) for recovery from early childhood trauma. This research-based model has been taught to mental health therapists in agencies in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina, and has been proven effective in reducing PTSD symptoms for trauma survivors.

Byron brings extensive knowledge, understanding, sensitivity, compassion, practicality, and even humor to his presentations.

Course Contents

Before You Start

Before you start the training, review each of the following orientation steps.

1️⃣ Download the Slide Deck Notes Packet
2️⃣ Read this Orientation
Preview
3️⃣ Course License

Training Material

1. Introduction (12:37)
2. When clients drag trauma behind them. (19:39)
3. How trauma changes us. (34:28)
4. Trauma creates Holes & Piles. (19:39)
5. Present trauma activates past trauma. (42:51)
6. Brief therapy rationale for Christians. (06:00)
7. How do we heal? (21:08)
8. PTSD, Part 1 (36:37)
9. PTSD, Part 2 (29:24)
10. Epigenetics & Transgenerational Trauma. (32:09)
11. Trauma Impact Categories. (17:17)
12. Comorbidities & the ACE study. (24:14)
13. The impact of culture-wide trauma. (24:01)
14. Post-Traumatic Growth. (49:28)
15. How we can promote Post-Traumatic Growth. (40:59)
16. Trauma resolution indicators. (16:32)
17. The impact of trauma on faith and spirituality. (15:40)
18. The impact of trauma on self-esteem. (11:37)
19. Why Story-Informed Trauma Therapy (SITT)? (31:54)
20. The 9 SITT stages. (21:37)
21. Q&A about SITT and final words. (16:22)

Completion, Next Steps & CEs

1️⃣ Request CE Hours
2️⃣ Consider Taking Module 1 of the Core Training

FAQs

Common questions about this training.

How does the Fundamentals fit with the SITT Core training?How does the Modular Training Process work?

The SITT Core training is the training sequence that lays out the 9-stage Story-Informed Trauma Therapy process for therapists and trauma mentors. The Fundamentals of Trauma-Informed Care is the prerequisite to begin the Core Training. The Fundamentals is also appropriate for any helping professional who wants to understand the impact of trauma on the folks they serve.

Can I get a discount?

We offer a $50 discount to graduate students, therapy interns, and seminarians. Fill out the form at the following link to request this discount.

What are the CE hours listed?

This training is approved for 8.5 CE Hours.

Story-Informed Trauma Therapy has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 7664). These credits are available to practitioners. Specific details about Credits are listed on the information pages for each training. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Story-Informed Trauma Therapy is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

How would I get the listed CE hours?

Each training is rated for a number of possible NBCC Credits based on the length of the teaching hours in that training. At the close of the training, you will have the opportunity to opt in to get credits. On-Demand courses will all include guidance for requesting CEs. This process includes filling out an evaluation, taking a content quiz, and then paying a $40 service fee. Upon completing these steps, you will receive a dated certificate indicating your course completion and the number of NBCC credits you've received.

I used to have access to this course. Can you help me?

Absolutely. Until March of 2026, this course lived on the Teachable platform. If you bought the course in the past, that's where you had access. We migrated all SITT courses and workshops to the Podia platform. At the time, we sent out individual emails to everyone who had bought a course on Teachable to give them a link to migrate to the new platform, but you may have missed that. No problem. We have a record of all past purchases. Just email admin@storyinformed.com. Include your name, the email address you registered with, and the course you need access to. Once we verify your past purchase, we will send you a link to claim access here.

Can I share this course with my spouse, small group, clients, colleagues or others?

This course is licensed for personal use only. Your purchase grants you - and only you - access to the material contained here. The one exception: if you have a spouse or partner, they are welcome to watch alongside you.

Please do not share your login credentials, screen-record sessions, or show this course content to groups, classes, or any audience beyond yourself.

For mental health professionals: We're glad you're here - but your license does not extend to your clients. Showing this course in a therapeutic context, whether in session or as assigned homework, requires that your clients purchase their own individual license.

If you work in a clinical group practice or institutional setting and would like broader access, please reach out to us about an institutional license, which we are happy to arrange. Thank you for honoring these terms - they help us keep creating resources like this one.