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SE Journey of Margarita Salas-Morrel

The first time I heard of SE training was in April 2000 when Isabel Correa helped bring the training to San Antonio, Texas.  The information presented was impressive and exciting.  Unfortunately, the timing to attend this wonderful training was not right for me.  I had just become the mother of a beautiful little boy.  My husband and I decided we needed to take care of our little one first.  I also prayed and asked that, when the timing was right for my family and me, I would have the chance to go to that amazing training to help promote healing in our communities.

That opportunity presented itself to me in 2005 when the SE training came to Austin, Texas thanks to Maggie Kline (our SE faculty), Joanne O’Neille (SEP), and Isabel Correa (SEP).  That is how my SE journey began.  All the skills that I have learned at all three levels of training have been critical to strengthen the effectiveness of the services I deliver as a clinical social worker to the underprivileged children and families that I serve in the inner city of Austin, Texas.

I appreciate very much FHE for their financial assistance to complete the intermediate and advanced levels of the SE training.  As a service provider in the non-profit sector with a very limited budget, I did not have all the funds to complete the training right away.  I thought I was going to drop out at the intermediate level.  Thanks to FHE and the encouragement of Joanne O’Neille (our first Austin Coordinator) and Margaret Bachicha (the teacher of the year in the school where I work), I was able to stay in the program.  Margaret and I were so moved to see how the implementation of SE skills in the school setting was a tremendous help to the traumatized children we serve.

I am so honored to have completed the advanced training and I am delighted to now help promote the SE training in Austin.  As an FHE coordinator, I am also excited to be part of Maggie Kline’s team in Texas to help promote SE skills in the school setting.  In addition, I have tremendous hope that SE training will reach Spanish speaking communities.  One of the first efforts to cultivate this is the panel  presentation with Maggie Kline about Nuestros Ninos, Nuestro Bienestar, y la Experiencia Somatica (Our Children, Our Well Being and Somatic Experiencing) in the Nuestros Voces conference in San Antonio, Texas on August 2008.

The SE training provides a unique opportunity to help develop and cultivate skills to promote healing in a natural, professional, effective, and peaceful way.  It will impact the people we serve at a personal and community level.  It will also help us grow as human beings.

 May your healing journey be full of blessings for you and those you serve.

Warmly,
Margarita