Fall Talks on Trauma & Imagination
This fall, Dr. Haen is participating in three programs that bring together several longstanding areas of his work, including resilience following mass trauma, the role of imagination in psychotherapy, and creative approaches to trauma treatment.
On September 9, Dr. Haen participated in “25 Years: Promoting Resilience in the Face of Tragedy” as part of the Voices Center for Resilience 25th Annual Remembrance Symposium in New York City. He joined Ali W. Rothrock and Amy O’Neill-Gregorian for the panel, one of three days of programming marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The symposium brought together victims’ families, responders, survivors, providers, and other members of the 9/11 community to address the long-term impact of the attacks and the ongoing needs of those affected.
On October 17, Dr. Haen will deliver the Luminary Lecture “Metaphor & Imagination in Trauma Treatment: Engaging the Imagined Body” for the International Institute for Trauma Studies (IITS) in Ukraine. Housed within the Graduate Psychology Program at the State Pedagogical University in Vinnytsia, IITS provides trauma-focused education and clinical training for Ukrainian mental health professionals responding to the psychological consequences of war and communal trauma. Its monthly Luminary Lecture Series brings together international experts to address current research and clinical practices in trauma treatment, with presentations offered online with live English/Ukrainian translation.
On October 19, Dr. Haen will present “Fostering Imagination in Therapy with Children and Adolescents” at the MASOC Virtual Conference, Principles to Practice: Applying Whole-Child Approaches to PSB Intervention and Prevention. The 90-minute workshop draws on research from cognitive neuroscience and developmental psychology linking imagination with the development of emotion regulation and executive functioning. It will explore imagination as a potential transtheoretical mechanism of change and offer practical ways of fostering imaginative processes in clinical work with children and adolescents. The conference is designed for clinicians and other professionals working with young people engaging in problematic or harmful sexual behaviors and their caregivers.
Together, the three presentations reflect an ongoing focus on how resilience, imagination, and creative engagement can support individuals and communities living with the effects of trauma.