Clinical Conversation

When Your Past Meets Your Practice: Working with Childhood Wounds as a Clinician

Guest: Yunetta Spring Smith, LPC-MHSP, NCC
Live: Wednesday, April 1st, 2026, from 1 pm - 2 pm Central
On-Demand: Available one week after the live event

Therapists don’t walk into the room as blank slates. Our own childhood wounds, nervous system adaptations, and survival strategies come with us, quietly shaping how we see our clients, hold boundaries, tolerate distress, and conceptualize “the problem.” Sometimes that history deepens our attunement. Sometimes it pulls us off center.
Join us for a free, clinically honest, shame-free Clinical Conversation with trauma therapist, EMDR Consultant and Trainer, and international speaker Yunetta Spring Smith. We’ll explore how your past and your practice intersect, and how to work with that reality in a way that supports both you and your clients.

In this conversation, we'll explore:

How childhood wounds live in the nervous system and quietly show up in clinical relationships, even when you “know better.”
Common ways unexamined history shapes our work: case conceptualization, boundaries, countertransference, people-pleasing, rescuing, rigidity, and burnout
Shifting from shame to curiosity so you can notice your own patterns without collapsing into “I’m a bad therapist.”
Anti-oppressive, trauma-informed lenses for understanding your survival strategies in context, not in isolation
Practical, in-the-moment practices to ground yourself when your stuff gets stirred up in session
Sustainable ways to keep doing this work without abandoning yourself or reenacting old roles in the therapy room

This is not about “fixing” yourself before you can be useful. It’s about telling the truth about how human you already are, and learning to work with that, instead of against it.

Deb Dana pYunetta Spring Smith at Trauma Therapist Instituteresenting Polyvagal-Informed Therapy in Complex Cases for Trauma Therapist Institute

These Conversations Are Always Free to Attend

Honest. Raw. Clinically useful.
Bring your questions, your clinical stuck points, or just the part of you that wonders, “Is this mine or is this my client’s?”
You’re welcome as you are, whether you’re actively unpacking your own history, just starting to notice patterns, or feeling burned out and unsure where to begin.

Every Clinical Conversation is offered at no cost, because learning, growing, and staying connected to the trauma‑informed community shouldn’t be behind a paywall. Whether you join us live or catch the replay, these sessions are our gift to you.
No catch. No credit card. Just smart, practical, relevant conversations to help you keep growing in your work with trauma.
Replay will be available for 7 days after the live event so you can watch (or rewatch) on your own time.

About Guest, Yunetta Spring Smith, LPC-MHSP, NCC

Deb Dana preYunetta Spring Smith at Trauma Therapist Institutesenting Polyvagal-Informed Therapy in Complex Cases for Trauma Therapist Institute

Yunetta Spring Smith is a licensed counselor, EMDR Consultant and Trainer, and international speaker who supports clinicians in understanding how their own lived experiences shape their clinical work. Drawing from trauma-informed, nervous system–based, and anti-oppressive frameworks, she helps therapists recognize childhood wounds with compassion rather than shame. Her work centers on increasing self-awareness, clinical attunement, and sustainable healing for both clinicians and the clients they serve.

Visit Yunetta's Website

This isn’t a webinar. It’s a real conversation. Honest. Raw. Clinically useful.

Save your spot for free + get the replay sent to your inbox available for 60 days!