S2E3: The Safety Team - Trauma Recovery: Therapeutic Empowerment Self Defense as an Integrated Approach Toward Healing and Violence Prevention

On this episode of Disrupting the Dominoes, Arlene chats with Dr. Christine DiBlasio and Nancy Keller, leaders of The Safety Team. The Safety Team, Inc., is a 501(c)3 Vermont nonprofit organization dedicated to the safety, empowerment, resiliency, and well-being of women. Part of their work is their revolutionary TESD program, which utilizes the fundamentals of Empowerment Self Defense and therapeutic healing practices as an integrated approach to healing and violence prevention. In this episode, they discuss the program and the importance of physical movement and somatics in providing a holistic approach to therapy and healing. In all of The Safety Team's program offerings, participants find their voice, learn practical skills, reclaim a sense of power and control, heal from trauma, develop resilience, and as a result, reduce their risk of assault. Dr. DiBlasio is a strong believer in empowering individuals through knowledge and skills. 

Christine DiBlasio, Ph.D. is the founder and director of Stone House Associates, a large outpatient mental health practice in Vermont. As a licensed psychologist, she has provided psychotherapy services for survivors of interpersonal violence, trauma, and sexual assault for over 30 years, and has mentored generations of college interns. Dr. DiBlasio is also the co-founder and president of The Safety Team, a non-profit organization whose mission is to prevent violence, foster resilience, heal trauma and build safe communities. Dr. DiBlasio was recently named USA Today’s Vermont's Woman of the Year in recognition of her innovative work in the field of trauma recovery for survivors of interpersonal or sexual violence. 

 Nancy Keller (she/her), MEd, CAS, is a licensed public school educator serving the children and families of a small urban school district in Vermont. With expertise in curriculum development and instruction, she has created classroom-based and school-wide programs for physical activity. These programs were designed to address the movement needs of those children who have experienced trauma and were built upon her background in the martial arts (4th-degree black belt in Kempo-Jujitsu and 2nd-degree purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu). Nancy is also a co-founder, board member, and lead instructor for The Safety Team, a non-profit organization whose mission is to prevent violence, foster resilience, heal trauma, and build safe communities. For over 20 years, she has offered after-school programs in the martial arts, as well as taught community-based workshops on empowerment self-defense (ESD) at colleges, middle and high schools, and other community settings.