About Therapist Training Group

Here’s the thing—we believe all therapists, no matter their background, should have access to the best training that brings together liberatory frameworks and evidence-based modalities to get to the root of trauma.

The reality? Social workers are trained to see the big picture—systems of oppression, generational trauma, the ways injustice impacts mental health. But many don’t get in-depth training in the actual therapeutic modalities that help people heal. Meanwhile, counselors and family therapists are trained in those modalities but don’t always get the education on systemic oppression that shapes the struggles their clients are bringing into the room.

We started Therapist Training Group because we want to change that. We believe that all therapists deserve to be equally trained in both clinical skills and systemic awareness—not just to be “better therapists” in a traditional sense, but to actually help people heal in a way that honors their full lived experience.

So, we do things differently. Our trainings bridge the gap between deep, trauma-focused clinical work (like EMDR and IFS) and an understanding of race, gender, class, fatphobia, ableism, and all the other systemic forces that impact mental health. Because we can’t fully help people heal if we don’t see the full picture.

We want to build a world where therapists don’t have to choose between knowing how to navigate oppression and knowing how to do effective therapy. We’re here to make sure you get both—because when therapists are truly equipped, our clients and our communities benefit.

Therapists often joke about how they meet in supervision groups, but for Amanda Steed and Kathleen Chandler, that’s exactly how it happened. They met while working at the same group practice, both navigating the joys and struggles of early-career therapy work. Somewhere between case consults, deep existential chats about healing, and laughing at inappropriate times, they realized they shared something rare—a deep commitment to making trauma training better and a friendship built on humor, honesty, and a whole lot of respect.

Amanda, a Texan at heart, is a mom, a fierce friend, and someone who genuinely believes in making the world better for everyone. She’s passionate about OCD treatment, spiritual trauma, and teaching therapists how to get really good at what they do. She’s also deeply committed to using her own privileges to uplift others and push for equity in the world. She cares about this work because she knows that when therapists are trained well, clients get the healing they deserve.

Kathleen is a lesbian, Indigenous woman who built her career around making sure the people she cares about most—her community—have access to good therapy. She’s passionate about liberatory therapy, perinatal mental health, and LGBTQIA+ therapy because she’s seen firsthand how oppressive systems impact mental health. She believes therapists should be trained in both the clinical skills that help people heal and the systems that harm them, because you can’t do trauma work without understanding the world people are surviving in.

So here they are, creating the kind of training they wish they’d had—for therapists who want to do deep, transformative work in a world that needs it. And if you ever catch them in conversation, you can bet there’s a weird little song jingle and some dark humor in there somewhere.

Right now, we’re hard at work getting Therapist Training Group credentialed through EMDRIA and NASW for CEs, so we can offer high-quality, liberatory, and evidence-based trainings. We’re planning to launch our first trainings in Summer 2025—stay tuned!

In the meantime, both Amanda Steed and Kathleen Chandler continue to provide EMDR consultation for therapists through their private practices.

Both Amanda and Kathleen are:
✔ EMDRIA-Approved EMDR Consultants
✔ IFS Level 2 Trained
✔ Trained in ACT and ICBT

If you're looking for EMDR consultation, you can find their individual websites below to book a session.