Information on the Various Specialties of

Lois Ehrmann, PhD, LPC, NCC, DCC

I have extensive training in the areas listed below.  I have provided just a minimum of basic information but you can click on the various links provided for more in depth information.  Happy Exploring!

Internal Family Systems (IFS)


This is a model of therapy developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, Family Therapist, that conceptualizes an individual as having many parts or aspects within. What I really appreciate about IFS is the assumption that all  human beings are made up of parts that help us to function and survive and something else that is far bigger than our parts that has healing qualities. In IFS the something else is called the Self but other models have identified this as Buddha nature, Christ Consciousness, Divine Spark, etc. The IFS model postulates that having parts and a Self are normal!! The only difference between those of us who operate seamlessly in day to day functioning and those of us who struggle day to day is that the folks that stuggle do so because their external environments have been so harsh that their parts have had to take on extreme roles. You can imagine how healing it can be for a person with a lot of trauma to hear that, "there is nothing within you that is wrong or sick but rather it is what happened on the outside of you that resulted in your struggle."  


I have completed Levels 1, 2, and 3 of Internal Family Systems Training and have attended two Somatic IFS week long Training retreats. In addition I have served as a Program Assistant in a Level 1 program and in numerous Somatic IFS retreats and formal trainings. I have co-facilitated IFS Introductory weekends and retreats since 2008.  I am a certified IFS Therapist through the IFS Institute.


You can read and learn more about the IFS Model by going to the following links and click on the videos on the side to watch the founder of IFS, Richard Schwartz present on the topic!


The IFS-Institute


http://integral-options.blogspot.com/2011/01/jay-earley-phd-introduction-to-internal.html

http://www.wingedheart.org/




Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing  (EMDR)

EMDR is a set of strategies that is used within a comprehensive phase based approach of trauma informed treatment and is very effective in assisting individuals struggling with trauma to recover. Developed serendipitously by Francene Shapiro PhD EMDR has been empirically validated for the treatment of PTSD.  You can click on the following links to find out more information about this unique treatment option for people struggling with traumatic events in their lives.


I was trained in EMDR and became a certified EMDR Clinician (EMDRIA) in 2008 and 2009. In 2012 I became a certified EMDR Consultant in order to assist other clinicians trained in this method of treatment to gain professional proficiency and certification.


 Click on the videos as well to find out more information too!

Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing International Association (EMDRIA)

 

The EMDR Institute

 

EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Program









 



 

Attachment Focused Family Therapy

Attachment "is the deep and enduring connection established between a child and caregiver in the first several years of life.  This connection profoundly influences every component of the human condition - mind, body emotions, relationships and values."

~From Attachment Trauma and Healing:  Understanding and treating Attachment Disorder in Children and their Families by Terry Levy & Michael Orlans


Safe and Ethical Attachment Therapy


The Association for the Treatment and Training for Attachment in Children (ATTACh) is a national organization that advocates for children who have attachment difficulties.  ATTACh also has a great deal of information about the topic and about safe, ethical, and responsible treatment for this population.  I was a Registered Clinician with ATTACh.  This means that the protocols I use in attachment focused treatment with children and families are non-coercive, responsible, and ethical.  Please click on the link below to find out more about attachment and the ATTACh organization.


http://www.ATTACh.org


I am also a certified Attachment Focused Family Therapist and a Consultant in this type of therapy.


Here also are some videos on attachment treatment as well!
















Counselor Self Awareness and Development

Professional Healers are in a unique position in the work force. Their jobs also require that they use the vehicle of themselves in the healing of their clients. That means that they are called in a special way to make sure that their own self awareness and integrity is optimal.  The use of Internal Family Systems and other self awareness strategies have been shown to be especially helpful in assisting the "person of the therapist". If you are a professional who could use some mentoring, guidance and burn out prevention assistance please consider the clinical consultation option discribed on this website.


Here are some interesting thoughts and resources for you to look at and explore. Below are also some videos on mindfulness practices for social workers (and other professional healers too!)


The Person of the Therapist


Clinical Supervision as Experience is Gained

 

 

 

 

Starting and Managing a Human Services Organization

 

Lois has had the pleasure of opening up and managing a number of human services organizations making her quite knowledgeable about how to do it right and with integrity.  She mentors and consults with professional healers as they take steps on their own professional journeys!!  She loves to see people thrive, grow, blossom and glow...

 

 

Business Development History

 

1989-1991- Sole Proprietor Private Practice "Lois Ehrmann MA, LPC, CAC"

Developed this practice and all the various aspects of it such as  the clinical work, billing and organizing, reviewing and signing contractual agreements    

 

1990-2010- Counseling Alternatives Group
Initially a partnership,  over the 20 years we were active, we built this practice up from four partners into a corporation that provided drug and alcohol and mental health services to children, adolescents, adults and families. I served the corporation in the capacity of Administrator, Clinical Director, Marketing Activities,  Contractual Agreements, Quality Assurance, all in addition to the clinical caseload I also carried here.  In 2010 the four partners sold this practice to Crossroads Counseling because three of us semi-retired and I felt prompted to start a holistic trauma informed outpatient treatment center called CHOICES.        

 

2009-2021- The Individual and Family CHOICES Program

Out of my own professional and personal journey, I felt prompted to research, develop, foster, empower, promote and birth an outpatient therapy program that was trauma informed and that offered cutting edge trauma treatment in a respectful and caring community. This agency is in the process of transitioning within the framework of a larger agency. More information on this will be available soon. As of September 2021 I transitioned out of face to face therapy with children and families at CHOICES. I have entered semi-retirement and continue to work with a small number of adults in my online private practice.

 

2010-2020- Wise Heart Leadership Initiative

This was a collaborative partnership that was started be Bruce Hersey MSW LCSW and myself focused on bringing cutting edge Internal Family Systems trainings and workshops to the Central PA area. I became the sole owner in 2015 and then as I headed toward the sunset of my career became focused on doing more internet based consultation, training and writing as well as training around the globe. I ended this program in 2021.

  

August 2013-Present- E-Counseling and Consultation Services

As I move toward the sunset of my career I have developed and started this program so that I can provide services regardless of where on the globe I am located. 

 

As I have created the various programs above I have found some answers and pathways through the Servant Leadership literature and model as well as other management practices such as Open Book Management and employee empowerment.  Below are some links that explain these concepts.

 

Servant Leadership  

https://www.greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/

http://www.butler.edu/volunteer/resources/principles-of-servant-leadership/

http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/live/g1481/build/g1481.pdf

 

Open Book Management

http://www.openbookmanagement.com/

http://www.nceo.org/articles/open-book-management

http://www.economist.com/node/13809344

 

Team Work and Employee Empowerment

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/employee-empowerment-culture-14062.html

 http://asq.org/learn-about-quality/employee-involvement/overview/overview.html