My work as a psychologist and educator is rooted in over two decades of navigating the complexities of human connection. Throughout my career, I have witnessed how the narratives we carry about ourselves and our relationships can either stall our growth or become the catalyst for building sturdier, more reflective lives.
I earned my doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Denver, followed by an internship and postdoctoral fellowship at Pennsylvania Hospital (University of Pennsylvania Health Care System). Having practiced across agency settings, hospitals, schools, and private practice, I strive to show up with authenticity and integrity. My goal is always to create a collaborative environment that deepens self-understanding.
My clinical approach is built on a rigorous integration of Attachment Theory, Mentalization-Based Therapy (MBT), and Relational Neurobiology. As a certified Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist (EFT) and practitioner of experiential approaches, I help individuals, couples, and families move beyond the reflexive rehash of old hurts and toward a deeper understanding of the dynamics unfolding beneath the surface.
Beyond direct clinical work, I serve as a consultant and trainer for fellow therapists, offering a collaborative approach to professional growth, case consultation, and navigating complex clinical challenges. I also consult with organizations to develop healthier workplace cultures through a relational and systemic lens.
Since 2019, my primary focus has been the therapeutic application of Shame Theory, particularly its intersection with trauma and relational ruptures. I view shame not merely as a painful affect, but as a systemic protection that often shields deeper vulnerabilities. Through my trainings, I help clinicians unpack these dynamics to foster deeper healing in their own practices.
Clinical Ethics Beyond "Consult, Consult, Consult": Managing Professional Shame to Restore Reflective Capacity and Collaboration
From maintaining appropriate boundaries to practicing within one’s area of competence, ethical conduct is foundational to mental health practice. Yet despite universal mandates to "consult, consult, consult," when ethical ambiguity arises, practitioners frequently find themselves in precarious isolation. Standard ethics courses often fail to dig into the systemic and psychological reasons why we don't pick up the phone. These barriers range from professional pressures—such as deep ambivalence about setting boundaries or a fear of being perceived by peers as uncompassionate—to personal blocks f...Read morerom our own histories.
Whether we are consciously avoiding a known ambiguity or remain unaware of potential ethical pitfalls, the common denominator is often shame. Left unacknowledged and unmanaged, shame paralyzes a clinician’s reflective capacity, triggering a range of defenses that actively block exposure, and thus the pursuit of consultation.
This course will help practitioners shift from a rigid rule-following approach that is vulnerable to failure when competing standards are at play to a dynamic, shame and relationally informed approach which allows for access to nuanced and creative solutions. Participants will learn to identify shame markers that arise in response to a range of ethical complexities inherent in clinical practice. Moving beyond standard compliance lectures, this workshop provides actionable strategies to process professional vulnerability, restore reflective capacity, and build the discernment necessary to collaborate rather than go it alone when an ethical lens is needed. Less...
Learning Objectives
- Explain shame's evolutionary and relational function as an affect that signals boundary crossings, ethical transgressions and other ways that one has violated group norms.
- Analyze ways that disavowed shame can result in a breakdown of our ethical signaling system which can lead to ethical drift, ethical violations and concealment.
- Utilize evidence-based countershaming strategies to reengage reflective capacities and self-regulate in order to manage professional shame.
- Evaluate one's readiness to pursue ethics consultation by using specific behavioral and physiological indicators to determine when reflective capacity has been adequately restored.
Learning Levels
- Intermediate
Friday, October 23, 2026
Live Interactive Webinar
02:00 PM EDT - 05:00 PM EDT
$125.00
EARN 3 CE Credit Hours
Click Here to Register
Click Here to Register
About the speaker
Keren Sofer Psy.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Agenda
Agenda
Part 1: Foundations of Shame Theory and Professional Ethics (2-3 pm)
2:00 PM – 2:30 PM | Theoretical Syntheses: The Intersection of Shame and Ethics
- Definition and evolutionary functions of shame
- Definition of professional ethics and its relation to APA Ethical Standards 2 (Competence) and 3 (Human Relations).
- Healthy shame as an ethical alarm system
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM | The Phenomenology & Manifestations of Shame Related to Ethical Dilemmas
- Conscious awareness of shame signals arising from ethical drift
- Unconscious manifestations of shame
- Defenses masking or disavowing shame through the Compass of Shame
Part 2: Shame's Impact on Reflective Functioning (3-4 pm)
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Neuropsychological basis of shame
- Shame as threat to professional identity
- Identity threat and collapsing of reflective functioning and autoregulation
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM | Shame Management Strategies through Countershaming
- Shame-Pride Continuum
- Pendulation, responsibility balance, and complexifying the narrative
Part 3: Readiness Assessment and Restoring Connection (4 -5 pm)
4:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Evaluating Clinical Readiness for Coregulation (30 mins)
- Objective somatic, cognitive, and relational indicators of managed shame
- Integrating professional pride and clarity before action
4:30 PM – 5:00 PM | Navigating Relational Space: Dynamic Ethical Consultation (30 mins)
- Executing peer review while adhering to APA Standard 4.06 (Confidentiality in Consultations)
- Discerning safe consultation spaces over rigid authority
- Cultivating self-advocacy and formulating responsive, flexible action steps
CE Information - Earn 3 CE Credit Hours
CE Approvals
Joint Accreditation
In support of improving patient care, CE Learning Systems is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
American Psychological Association
Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.
New York Education Department's State Board for Social Work
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New York Education Department for Licensed Mental Health Counselors
CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0072.
New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology
CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists. #PSY-0016.
New York Education Department's State Board for Marriage and Family Therapy
CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Marriage and Family Therapy as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists. #MFT-0045.
Disclosure
DISCLOSURE OF RELEVANT FINANCIAL RELATIONSHIPSCE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity ― including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).
The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity’s planners, faculty, and the reviewer:
PLANNERS AND REVIEWER
The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.
FACULTY
The faculty of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.