training & speaking
I offer engaging Training and Speaking services focused on trauma-informed care, human sexuality, and provider well-being. Trainings like Self-Care Planning for Service Providers and Sex Ed for Professionals support care teams with practical, relevant tools. As a speaker, I bring energy and expertise to keynotes, podcasts, and media on topics like trauma, healthy relationships, and culturally competent care. Custom content is always an option—let’s connect.
Trauma-Informed Self-Care Planning for Service Providers
Many healers and caretakers are drawn to our work because of our own history of needing to be cared for. We experience trauma and seek to use it for good, serving others in similar experiences. Counter-transference, or the effect of a client on the service provider, can hinder progress for the client, re-traumatize the provider, and lead to unethical behavior--and fast. But what if we can also use it to transform our care models and strengthen the therapeutic alliance?
Attendees will learn to recognize counter-transference, burnout, vicarious trauma, and secondary trauma, map their own history and explore the effects on their current practice, and build a sustainable self-care plan for increase their own mental health and ability to serve their clients for the long haul.
SEX ED FOR SERVICE PROFESSIONALS
I’ll give away my opening line to this presentation: Raise your hand if you are a sex educator. Spoiler alert: everyone’s hands should be raised! If you are doing the work of walking alongside other people as a case manager, therapist, teacher, or other “helping” professional, the way you communicate about sexuality is teaching those with whom you work.
This workshop examines our language around human sexuality, and approaches the topic from a trauma-sensitive perspective. You will learn the basic “101” information on sexual health: anatomy, contraception, pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), local reproductive health laws, and a deep exploration of topics that impact your client population directly.
Available as a two hour class or a four hour half-day workshop with more interactive learning and time for discussion, this is seek&summon’s most requested training. Many clients choose to pair this training with a consultation to evaluate the efficacy of current sexual health information their agency is relying on, health questionnaires being used by the agency, and other related concerns.
Need something that seems to be in my wheelhouse, but don't see a training listed here?
Mary Margaret is not only an ethically sound, incredibly smart individual, but also hard working, team focused, thoughtful, hilarious and a warm person. She's the kind of person you want on your team because you know they will make even the most difficult and arduous task both interesting and fun. I'm not going to tell you how to run your program, but it'd be a miss not to work with Mary-Margaret. In the words of Forrest Gump, 'That's all I've got to say about that'. Hire Mary-Margaret, you won't regret it. Time in her presence is time well spent.”
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Shannon Brasovan, CYO/owner, Practice Indie
After spending my childhood performing in local and regional theatre, I enjoy the energy of a crowd, and merging that with my passion for education that leads to change. I am available as a lecturer, podcast guest, expert interview for media outlets, and for keynote addresses. Below are a few common topics on which I am asked to speak:
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Human Sexuality
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Healthy Relationships
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Intimate Partner Violence
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Childhood Grief and Trauma
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Culturally Competent Social Delivery
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Self-care and Burn-out Prevention
PUBLIC SPEAKING
Mary Margaret learned on the job when she started in customer service, with what little scattered training we had to offer at GrubHub at the time. She not only excelled, but saw the problem and fixed it on her own - she developed our first training curriculum so the next to join her team would be set up for success. With little support over a few months, the time it took to onboard new members shrank from weeks to hours, churn in her department sank to an all time low, and I can honestly say it refined the overall service in a way I didn't even anticipate. Whether she's training the trainers or training the field directly, the structure and framework she provides is invaluable."
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Cat de Merode, former Technical Project Manager at Grubhub; currently serves as Vice President of Product for Fixer