I am pleased to support fellow SSP Providers at both a personal level with individual delivery of SSP to the provider, and at a professional level to support and guide the integration of SSP into their practice.
I also give regular Q&As for Unyte-iLs and am a member of their Clinical Advisory Team for Unyte-iLs, contributing to clinical guidelines, protocols and best practices for the SSP Provider community.
Sensitive Approach: Client at the Core
I have developed a clinical model, the Sensitive Approach: Client at the Core, that I use in my work with clients, and I also now share with fellow SSP Providers in my Training and Mentoring Programme.
I have developed my Sensitive Approach: Client at the Core, over many years of in-depth work with clients, and more recently by specialising in delivering SSP to adults who experience the effects of complex trauma and chronic illness. It draws on my professional experience as a medical doctor, my keen interest in neuroscience, and personal experience of the far-reaching impact of complex trauma.
For more information, please follow the link to my Sensitive Approach website:
I also give regular Q&As for Unyte-iLs and am a member of their Clinical Advisory Team for Unyte-iLs, contributing to clinical guidelines, protocols and best practices for the SSP Provider community.
Sensitive Approach: Client at the Core
I have developed a clinical model, the Sensitive Approach: Client at the Core, that I use in my work with clients, and I also now share with fellow SSP Providers in my Training and Mentoring Programme.
I have developed my Sensitive Approach: Client at the Core, over many years of in-depth work with clients, and more recently by specialising in delivering SSP to adults who experience the effects of complex trauma and chronic illness. It draws on my professional experience as a medical doctor, my keen interest in neuroscience, and personal experience of the far-reaching impact of complex trauma.
For more information, please follow the link to my Sensitive Approach website:
Personal SSP delivery for Providers
After completing online SSP training with Unyte-iLs it can be really beneficial for providers to receive SSP themselves before they start delivering SSP to their own clients. I consider it a real privilege to work alongside colleagues in this way.
It can provide a valuable foundation for ongoing self-care to have the benefits of their own personal experience of SSP sensitively titrated to suit their own system. Having the opportunity to explore different ways to integrate shifts and incorporate changes into their personal life can have a significant positive impact on their professional work.
Professional guidance
I enjoy supporting fellow SSP providers whether new to Safe and Sound Protocol or more experienced and wanting to continue developing their practice.
My particular interest is the finding effective ways to support those experiencing the effects of trauma which i have now developed into my Sensitive Approach: the Client at the Core.
I can help you explore different ways to integrate SSP into your own practice or have a more detailed discussion about the safe and effective titration of SSP for a specific client.
Testimonial from Nöle Giulini, C-IAYT, Senior iRest® Teacher & Trainer
'Working with Dr. Liz Charles is pure joy!
With compassion and great skill Dr. Liz Charles transforms clinical research into a tender, comprehensible hands-on practice that offers her clients empathic attunement and expert guidance.
Whether it is administering the SSP protocol or inviting a fresh perspective based on her personal in-depth explorations Dr. Liz Charles radiates enthusiasm and creativity. You feel completely welcomed.
For those of us with trauma history or frayed and frightened nervous systems her presence creates a sense of safety and belonging. Working with Dr. Charles is both liberating and healing.'
'Working with Dr. Liz Charles is pure joy!
With compassion and great skill Dr. Liz Charles transforms clinical research into a tender, comprehensible hands-on practice that offers her clients empathic attunement and expert guidance.
Whether it is administering the SSP protocol or inviting a fresh perspective based on her personal in-depth explorations Dr. Liz Charles radiates enthusiasm and creativity. You feel completely welcomed.
For those of us with trauma history or frayed and frightened nervous systems her presence creates a sense of safety and belonging. Working with Dr. Charles is both liberating and healing.'
Testimonial from a psychotherapist and an experienced SSP provider London, UK
‘As a practitioner, I have found Dr. Liz exceptionally reflective in her practice and in the way she provides me with professional guidance in my client work. Liz absolutely lives by the principle of doing no harm which can only translate into clients’ sense of safety and care. I couldn’t recommend Liz enough, both as a provider and a professional guidance.
‘As a practitioner, I have found Dr. Liz exceptionally reflective in her practice and in the way she provides me with professional guidance in my client work. Liz absolutely lives by the principle of doing no harm which can only translate into clients’ sense of safety and care. I couldn’t recommend Liz enough, both as a provider and a professional guidance.
Testimonial from a psychotherapist and newly qualified SSP provider, Cape Cod, USA
‘I sought consultation from Liz Charles after my training in the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP). Her wealth of knowledge, warm, professional approach and passion for this intervention is contagious and encouraging. She is an expert who shares her experience and expertise in an accessible and generous way. I look forward to continuing my work with Liz’s support’.
‘I sought consultation from Liz Charles after my training in the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP). Her wealth of knowledge, warm, professional approach and passion for this intervention is contagious and encouraging. She is an expert who shares her experience and expertise in an accessible and generous way. I look forward to continuing my work with Liz’s support’.
From clinical social worker/psychotherapist, provider of neurofeedback, and newly qualified SSP provider, Pittsburg, US
"I reached out to Dr. Liz for mentorship as my practice began using SSP with our adult clients who have experienced developmental or complex trauma.
Her warmth, expertise, and passion for attuned care makes our time together profoundly supportive and orienting to this very potent tool. We find ourselves laughing, tearing up, moving along with Liz as we explore the terrain of the SSP, from broad theoretical strokes to specific clinical detail. She's an exceptional guide and companion in providing the SSP to vulnerable clients."
"I reached out to Dr. Liz for mentorship as my practice began using SSP with our adult clients who have experienced developmental or complex trauma.
Her warmth, expertise, and passion for attuned care makes our time together profoundly supportive and orienting to this very potent tool. We find ourselves laughing, tearing up, moving along with Liz as we explore the terrain of the SSP, from broad theoretical strokes to specific clinical detail. She's an exceptional guide and companion in providing the SSP to vulnerable clients."
Testimonial from a psychotherapist and an experienced SSP provider London, UK
"I had my first face to face SSP delivered by Dr. Liz just over 2 years ago and had a most fulfilling experience.
I started struggling a lot during the first lockdown and knew exactly what I needed which was another course of SSP with Liz. Even as a practitioner, I was sceptical about remote SSP. I contacted Dr. Liz again who was very understanding and accepting of my feelings. She took the time to give me all the information I needed; which helped me confidence to try remote SSP.
Even though Liz knew I was a SSP provider, she treated me as a client and I found this invaluable. Liz suspended all assumptions about what I might already know and worked with me as a person; providing safety before I had listened to any music. She was incredibly attuned to me and helped to make sense of my experiences. This melted my scepticism; I was able to completely trust the process, resulting in another effective experience of SSP.
Dr. Liz has also given me immense support as a SSP provider; she has combined her medical knowledge and her extensive experience with SSP to help me digest polyvagal theory for myself and apply it in my work with clients. Liz brings it all alive by use of relatable personal and professional examples. She has helped me to build a bridge between my experiences as a client and my practice as a provider, always prioritising safety, honouring the client and ourselves. Liz has a very empowering approach that takes the experience of SSP well beyond the auditory protocol to teaching strategies of self-regulation in everyday life."
"I had my first face to face SSP delivered by Dr. Liz just over 2 years ago and had a most fulfilling experience.
I started struggling a lot during the first lockdown and knew exactly what I needed which was another course of SSP with Liz. Even as a practitioner, I was sceptical about remote SSP. I contacted Dr. Liz again who was very understanding and accepting of my feelings. She took the time to give me all the information I needed; which helped me confidence to try remote SSP.
Even though Liz knew I was a SSP provider, she treated me as a client and I found this invaluable. Liz suspended all assumptions about what I might already know and worked with me as a person; providing safety before I had listened to any music. She was incredibly attuned to me and helped to make sense of my experiences. This melted my scepticism; I was able to completely trust the process, resulting in another effective experience of SSP.
Dr. Liz has also given me immense support as a SSP provider; she has combined her medical knowledge and her extensive experience with SSP to help me digest polyvagal theory for myself and apply it in my work with clients. Liz brings it all alive by use of relatable personal and professional examples. She has helped me to build a bridge between my experiences as a client and my practice as a provider, always prioritising safety, honouring the client and ourselves. Liz has a very empowering approach that takes the experience of SSP well beyond the auditory protocol to teaching strategies of self-regulation in everyday life."
Testimonial from experienced OT, TRE therapist, and newly qualified SSP provider, London, UK.
"My professional background is Occupational Therapy, I specialized in the field of Mental Health for many years before working in senior leadership roles and at national program level. However, I now run a private practice providing natural, embodied ways to support the regulation of the nervous system through Ayurvedic Abdominal Massage, TRE®️ – Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises, I trained with Dr. David Berceli the founder of TRE and I will soon offer Safe and Sound Protocol.
I completed the SSP training and the remote training sessions last year and I was struck by the training that Liz provided. It really brought the protocol to life and made the implicit, explicit, and the explicit, implicit. It was simple in one sense but so profound in another, I realized right away that I needed to first experience it, fully and completely before I would feel comfortable offering it to my clients, it also highlighted the importance of on-going support from an experienced Provider.
I had a very visceral response to the training that Liz provided and I decided to email her directly, introduce myself and ask about whether she would be my SSP provider and then mentor. I received the most wonderfully warm email back and soon after, embarked on a Polyvagal adventure with Liz.
We agreed that it was of the utmost importance that I first am a client, to experience SSP with no preconceptions, not intellectualizations, no trying to ‘be’ a provider or thinking beyond to what comes next. I have to say this was the very best decision and I would recommend this as a starting point for any professional wishing to provide SSP to clients.
Initially, in sessions, it was interesting that my nervous system response elicited a lot of movement, very much as I would experience in my own TRE®️ sessions. I had sensations of pins and needles, I had to stretch and shake my arms and legs, I would get hot flushes or big energy surges. However, over time I learned some further techniques from Liz that I was able to use to integrate the shifts. I also practiced these daily to provide much-needed scaffolding to traverse the different states of the nervous system on a daily basis. These incredibly powerful regulating techniques are something that I have since brought into sessions with clients, not as an add-on to TRE but as other resources to support regulation. As the Polyvagal Theory also informs TRE, it has been really interesting to experience the two different modalities both of which facilitate re-embodiment. Of course, a key concept in this is feeling safe and this is both true in TRE®️ and SSP, this is the gift of Liz.
Not only has my personal growth been exponential but this whole process alone has provided me with such profound insights. With the breadth and depth of Liz’s knowledge and experience and all that she brings to this process, so much commitment, compassion, and attunement, you learn so much alongside the doing, experiencing, and processing. It is hard to put it all into words.
I have a trauma history and over the past few months of SSP, I have experienced some major shifts. As a result of this, so many amazing changes have occurred in my life such as I no longer have the neck and shoulder pain I have endured for years, allergy symptoms have dissipated, the quality of my relationships have improved – others around me are more regulated as I have become more regulated, I achieved a ventral vagal state and it was glorious and I returned to my passion for creative writing. There are many more within this, some subtle, some huge, and some you can not even explain, Liz and I say 'WOW' a lot.
I feel deeply fortunate to have taken this root because I know that when I come to offer SSP to clients, I will come at it from a place of lived experience and integrity, I will be able to bring forth the richness that can only be offered by having learned from such an incredible SSP provider, and I am grateful to say, mentor as I go forward."
"My professional background is Occupational Therapy, I specialized in the field of Mental Health for many years before working in senior leadership roles and at national program level. However, I now run a private practice providing natural, embodied ways to support the regulation of the nervous system through Ayurvedic Abdominal Massage, TRE®️ – Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises, I trained with Dr. David Berceli the founder of TRE and I will soon offer Safe and Sound Protocol.
I completed the SSP training and the remote training sessions last year and I was struck by the training that Liz provided. It really brought the protocol to life and made the implicit, explicit, and the explicit, implicit. It was simple in one sense but so profound in another, I realized right away that I needed to first experience it, fully and completely before I would feel comfortable offering it to my clients, it also highlighted the importance of on-going support from an experienced Provider.
I had a very visceral response to the training that Liz provided and I decided to email her directly, introduce myself and ask about whether she would be my SSP provider and then mentor. I received the most wonderfully warm email back and soon after, embarked on a Polyvagal adventure with Liz.
We agreed that it was of the utmost importance that I first am a client, to experience SSP with no preconceptions, not intellectualizations, no trying to ‘be’ a provider or thinking beyond to what comes next. I have to say this was the very best decision and I would recommend this as a starting point for any professional wishing to provide SSP to clients.
Initially, in sessions, it was interesting that my nervous system response elicited a lot of movement, very much as I would experience in my own TRE®️ sessions. I had sensations of pins and needles, I had to stretch and shake my arms and legs, I would get hot flushes or big energy surges. However, over time I learned some further techniques from Liz that I was able to use to integrate the shifts. I also practiced these daily to provide much-needed scaffolding to traverse the different states of the nervous system on a daily basis. These incredibly powerful regulating techniques are something that I have since brought into sessions with clients, not as an add-on to TRE but as other resources to support regulation. As the Polyvagal Theory also informs TRE, it has been really interesting to experience the two different modalities both of which facilitate re-embodiment. Of course, a key concept in this is feeling safe and this is both true in TRE®️ and SSP, this is the gift of Liz.
Not only has my personal growth been exponential but this whole process alone has provided me with such profound insights. With the breadth and depth of Liz’s knowledge and experience and all that she brings to this process, so much commitment, compassion, and attunement, you learn so much alongside the doing, experiencing, and processing. It is hard to put it all into words.
I have a trauma history and over the past few months of SSP, I have experienced some major shifts. As a result of this, so many amazing changes have occurred in my life such as I no longer have the neck and shoulder pain I have endured for years, allergy symptoms have dissipated, the quality of my relationships have improved – others around me are more regulated as I have become more regulated, I achieved a ventral vagal state and it was glorious and I returned to my passion for creative writing. There are many more within this, some subtle, some huge, and some you can not even explain, Liz and I say 'WOW' a lot.
I feel deeply fortunate to have taken this root because I know that when I come to offer SSP to clients, I will come at it from a place of lived experience and integrity, I will be able to bring forth the richness that can only be offered by having learned from such an incredible SSP provider, and I am grateful to say, mentor as I go forward."