Treating Nightmares in Therapy: What Clinicians Need to Know
Presented by Dr. Leslie Ellis
A leading expert in the use of experiential and somatic approaches for working with dreams, nightmares and the effects of trauma. She is the author of A Clinician’s Guide to Dream Therapy (Routledge, 2025). She has a PhD in Clinical Psychology with a somatic specialization, and an MA in counselling psychology with a focus on depth/Jungian approaches.
Treating Nightmares in Therapy
Dr. Leslie Ellis
11:00 AM - 3:30 PM Eastern Time
Live Online via Zoom
Introductory / Intermediate
1 YEAR access to the recording
$135 CAD + tax
$115 USD
Registration is now open
Workshop Description
Nightmares are increasingly recognized as an important clinical concern. Research has linked traumatic nightmares with elevated risk for suicide, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, cardiovascular disease, and reduced life expectancy. For this reason, it is essential for clinicians to understand nightmares not only as meaningful diagnostic information, but also as an important target for treatment.
In clinical practice, nightmares are often overlooked. While many trauma and stress-related symptoms are addressed in therapy, the nightmares themselves may remain untreated. The good news is that clinicians now have a growing body of knowledge and practical strategies for effectively working with disturbing dreams.
This workshop will explore how to assess nightmares using DSM-5-TR criteria, including how to differentiate Nightmare Disorder from parasomnias and other sleep-related conditions. Participants will also learn practical approaches for working directly with nightmares in treatment.
Dr. Ellis will demonstrate two widely used experiential practices: embodying dream elements and dreaming the dream onward. These interventions offer clinicians practical ways to help clients engage with disturbing dream material, reduce distress, and support deeper therapeutic processing.
Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
✔ Explain the value of clinical dreamwork and be able to list at least three (3) of the benefits.
✔ Describe the mechanisms of dreamwork that facilitate change.
✔ Identify at least two (2) main concerns with trauma-related nightmares.
✔ Explain at least two (2) benefits of dreaming for those who are bereaved.
✔ Describe the basic steps of treating nightmares – both Imagery Rehearsal and experiential methods.
Who should attend
✔ Psychologists, Social Workers, Psychotherapists, MFTs, LPCs, graduate-level Counselors, other mental health professionals/providers
✔ Therapists working with trauma, attachment wounds, and dissociation
✔ Therapists who would like to learn about an important but often overlooked treatment target that may contribute to trauma symptoms, anxiety, depression, sleep disruption, and elevated suicide risk.
✔ Therapists who want to learn clinical interventions to help clients reduce distress and process disturbing dream material more deeply.
The Envision Difference
100% Online via Zoom
Live Q&A with
Dr. Leslie Ellis
1 year access to the recording and materials
Certificate with CE's for home study version (watching the recording)
Practical applicable clinical learning
Workshop Schedule - Eastern Time (ET)
11:00 am - 12:30 pm
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Dreamwork in clinical practice: a lost art?
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How dreams facilitate change
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Experiential: Finding help in a dream/reverie
12:30 pm - 12:45 pm
Break
12:45 pm - 2:15 pm
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Some basic experiential dreamwork steps:
- Finding help
- Embodying dream elements
- Dreaming the dream onward
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Nightmares, trauma and the nervous system
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Nightmares and health: suicide risk, anxiety, cardiovascular, etc.
2:15 pm - 2:30 pm
Break
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
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Dreams of grief and bereavement: how they help
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Nightmare Relief protocol and other methods
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Demo and clinical examples
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Q & A and closing
Continuing Education (CE) Credits:
4 CE credits/contact hours awarded
*CE credits also available for the home study version (watching the recording)!
See our FAQ section below for more information
American Psychological Association (APA)
Envision Counselling & Consulting, Inc. is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Envision Counselling & Consulting, Inc. maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Association of Social Work Board (ASWB)
Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program.
Envision Counselling and Consulting, Inc., #1895, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 1/19/2025-1/19/2028. Social workers completing this course receive 4 clinical continuing education credits.
National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
Envision Counselling and Consulting has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7241. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Envision Counselling and Consulting is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)
Envision Counselling & Consulting, Inc. is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Envision Counselling & Consulting, Inc. maintains responsibility for the program.
Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (CCPA)
Envision Counselling & Consulting, Inc. is approved by the Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) to sponsor continuing education. This workshop is approved for 4 CEC.
NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals - Pending Approval
Please ensure to check with your individual state boards/regulatory body to verify Continuing Education Credit Hours requirements and if the workshop you are planning to take qualifies. Licensing Boards change regulations often and while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about a specific course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling.
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About Dr. Leslie Ellis
Dr. Leslie Ellis is a leading expert in the use of experiential and somatic approaches for working with dreams, nightmares and the effects of trauma. She is the author of A Clinician’s Guide to Dream Therapy (Routledge, 2025) and offers online training in embodied, experiential dreamwork and nightmare treatment. She has a PhD in Clinical Psychology with a somatic specialization, and an MA in counselling psychology with a focus on depth/Jungian approaches. She was a psychotherapist in private practice in Vancouver, BC for more than 25 years. She is a former adjunct faculty at Adler University, and past president of The International Focusing Institute, where she is currently a Certifying Coordinator. Dr. Ellis has published numerous book chapters and journal articles on the use of focusing and dreamwork in psychotherapy - most recently articles on nightmares and the nervous system, and the alarming nightmare-suicide link. A second edition of her highly respected clinical dream book was published in June 2025.