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 Steed, LCSW-S, is a trainer, consultant, and supervisor and co-founder of the Therapist Training Group. Her approach to training is grounded in a commitment to liberation and equity — she believes effective clinical education can't be separated from an honest reckoning with the systems that shape our clients' lives and our own. Clinically, she specializes in complex trauma, OCD, spiritual abuse recovery, ADHD, and codependency recovery, and holds advanced training and consultant designations in both EMDR and IFS. She brings warmth, directness, and deep respect for the clinicians she works with into every training and consultation space she holds.

Kathleen Chandler, LICSW is a trainer, consultant, and co-founder of the Therapist Training Group — and a self-described therapy nerd who gets genuinely excited about brain science. As a neurodiverse, Indigenous lesbian woman, she brings both lived experience and deep clinical passion to the work of training therapists who want to do better. She specializes in trauma, the latest neuroscience, and neurodiversity, and weaves an anti-oppressive, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ affirming lens through everything she teaches — because she believes healing doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and the systems that harm our clients are real and worth naming. Kathleen brings warmth, humor, and a whole lot of heart into every training and consultation space she holds.

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.

Therapist Training Group is an EMDRIA approved CE provider.

We’re planning to launch our first trainings in Summer 2026—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.