Workshops
Free monthly workshops
for couples & individuals.
Online, open to anyone, led by our California telehealth clinicians. Practical tools you can bring back to your relationship the same week. No pressure, no upsell, we use these as a way to teach, connect, and give back.
What's next
Previously held Friday, August 28, 2026.
Borrowing Each Other's Calm: How Couples Steady the Nervous System
Most couples conflict is less about the topic and more about what each nervous system is doing in the moment. In this 60-minute workshop, Jalyse draws on Deb Dana's clinical work with Polyvagal Theory and Peter Levine's somatic approach to trauma in Waking the Tiger to show couples how they co-regulate and co-escalate each other. You'll learn the three nervous-system states and why real connection only happens from the settled one, how the body reads safety or danger below awareness, the small cues of tone and posture that help a partner soften, and why "just calm down" backfires. This is educational, not therapy, and you'll leave with a shared language and a first practice to try at home. Inspired by the work of Peter Levine and Deb Dana; not affiliated with or endorsed by either.
What we'll cover
- Co-regulation: how partners steady or unsettle each other's nervous systems
- The three nervous-system states, and why connection needs the settled one
- Neuroception: how the body reads safety or danger before the mind catches up
- The safety cues you send without realizing it, through tone, eyes, and posture
- Why "just calm down" backfires, and what helps instead
- Levine's reframe: a big reaction to a small trigger is often old survival energy
Good fit for
- Couples who keep landing in the same escalation or shutdown
- Partners who want to feel safer and more connected, not only communicate better
- Anyone new to the nervous-system lens on relationships
Led by Jalyse Stewart, Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT) #153712 · Supervised by Christina Mathieson, LMFT #115093 at My Mental Climb.
RSVP on ZoomWant to be notified about future workshops? Follow the Meetup group.
We hold each topic twice, usually about a month apart, before rotating to a new topic. The next one is shaped by what attendees ask for. Suggest a topic on Meetup.
About the series
Why we host these.
Therapy is not always the first step, for a lot of couples and individuals, coming to a free workshop is. You get a sense of how we teach, what we care about, and whether we're the kind of clinicians you'd want in a room with your relationship.
Each workshop is 60 minutes. We lead with a specific topic (trauma responses, conflict escalation, connection rituals, attachment patterns), walk through the clinical framework, and give you practical tools you can use that week. Questions are welcome.
We hold each workshop topic twice, roughly a month apart, before rotating to a new topic. The next topic is shaped by what attendees are asking about. If there's something you'd like us to cover, tell us on the Meetup group or on your consult.
Workshops are hosted through the Get Connected for Couples Workshop Meetup group. Joining the group is the best way to be notified about new workshops, we announce new topics there first.
Free to attend. Open to couples, individuals, clinicians, and anyone wanting to understand their relationships more deeply.
Past workshops
Where we've been.
Also held Friday, June 19, 2026.
Underneath the Resentment: Attachment Wounds, Blame, and the Way Back to Each Other
Led by Michelle Cortez
Resentment isn't really about the fight you had on Tuesday. It's what builds when attachment wounds get triggered enough times, emotional labor stays unequal, and defensiveness replaces vulnerability. Michelle walks through what's actually underneath chronic resentment, and how to move toward repair without rewriting your history or pretending the wound wasn't real.
Topics covered
- —Unequal emotional labor and how it builds resentment over time
- —Attachment wounds and what triggers them in long-term partnership
- —Chronic defensiveness, and why vulnerability stops feeling safe
- —Moving from blame to vulnerability: owning your own role in the cycle
- —The "you caused this, you fix it" stance, and why it keeps couples stuck
- —Shelving resentment without forgetting, suppressing, or letting it thrive
- —Triggers don't rewrite history: one moment vs. the long story of the relationship
Also held Thursday, April 30, 2026.
It's Not Just the Fight: How Trauma Shows Up in Your Relationship
Led by Jalyse Stewart
The four trauma responses (fight, flight, freeze, fawn) and how they drive conflict cycles between partners. Practical tools for emotional safety, regulation, and repair.
Topics covered
- —Why your biggest fights are rarely about the surface issue
- —The four trauma responses (fight, flight, freeze, fawn) between partners
- —Attachment patterns and recurring conflict cycles
- —Emotional safety in conflict
- —Practical regulation and repair strategies
Also held Wednesday, February 25, 2026.
Managing Conflict Without Losing Each Other
Led by Michelle Cortez
A skills-based workshop on conflict escalation, nervous system regulation, and post-disagreement repair. Not about avoiding conflict, about moving through it without harming the relationship.
Topics covered
- —Recognizing escalation signs early
- —Understanding anger and reactivity cycles
- —De-escalation tools for nervous system regulation
- —Disrupting recurring conflict patterns
- —Setting realistic conflict expectations
- —Post-disagreement repair techniques
Also held Sunday, December 14, 2025.
Connected Conversations for Couples
Led by Christina Mathieson
Practical tools, guided exercises, and a shared roadmap for staying connected, even when life gets messy or busy.
Topics covered
- —Communication patterns and clarity
- —Conflict navigation and resolution
- —Shared emotional language
- —Connection rituals and intentional planning
- —Emotional safety and mutual support
Stay in the loop
Two ways to stay connected.
Join the Meetup group
Get notified when new workshops are scheduled. Free to join, no commitment.
Join on MeetupWant 1:1 work?
If a workshop topic resonated and you want to go deeper, a free 15-minute consult is a no-pressure next step.
Book free consult