The Tree and The Well – Therapist Training

A learning community/community of practice

More information…

Here are the specific components and learning objectives that will guide your journey through this transformative year-long training:

This year-long training is designed to help practitioners develop and grow in their roles, with a focus on integrating the “sweet spot” of Western clinical therapy and cultural/spiritual healing. Participants will join a community of learners committed to blending the best practices from modern Western methods and traditional cultural medicines. 

Sessions will be held twice a month, each lasting 2 hours, in an interactive format that includes engaging group discussions, personal reflection exercises, skill-building workshops, and detailed case consultations. 

The training will cover eight core topic areas, explored across 24 sessions over the year. This equates to 48 hours of practice and learning, ensuring depth and comprehensive engagement with each topic.

To include:

• Foster a thriving and supportive community of therapists.
• Create a dedicated space to learn, practice, and consult, emphasizing self-mastery as a healing practitioner and cultivating meaningful professional relationships.
• Application of multiple methods of assessment and approaches to particular issues and client populations.
• Address ethical and boundary issues regarding this work.
• Define and develop the therapists’/practitioners’ role in models used.
• Strive for harmony both internally and in relationships, with a focus on understanding and navigating the intersubjective field.
• Develop reflective practices, such as guided relaxation, body awareness, mindfulness meditation, compassion exercises, and the creative and ritual arts, integrated into every session to ensure hands-on experiential learning.
• Paying attention to both depth and energy, exploring tangible and intangible aspects of the healing process.
• Case consultation and supervision, incorporating modalities such as psychodynamic approaches, somatic experiencing, cultural competency frameworks, and mindfulness-based practices.
• Additionally, participants will receive tailored supervision and earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) to enhance their professional expertise and credentials.

In summary, this program offers a holistic and integral approach to professional development. By combining diverse therapeutic methods, cultural frameworks, and reflective practices, participants will not only deepen their clinical skills but also foster personal growth. This training is designed to empower practitioners to navigate the complexities of human healing with confidence, empathy, and cultural sensitivity, while building a vibrant community of like-minded professionals.

Who…

---

Dr. Cara Carlson, LICSW – Spiritual Seeker, Community Elder, and Integral Therapist

Dr. Cara Carlson, LICSW, Ph.D., is a spiritual seeker, grandmother, and a transformative leader in the fields of mental health and cultural healing. She has dedicated her life to exploring pathways to healing, repair, and connection within relationships and across cultures. Profoundly impacted by the suffering of those close to her from an early age, Dr. Carlson has followed a lifelong path to understand the intricacies of healing. Guided by the Great Mystery, her journey has led her to study and integrate diverse cultural, spiritual, and therapeutic traditions, shaping a practice that bridges modern methods with ancient wisdom.

Dr. Carlson credits the Cultural Wellness Center and its community of elders and practitioners for shaping her understanding of healing, self-study and community building. As a cultural guide, she bridges the gap between traditional wisdom and Western contemporary therapeutic practices, helping clients and trainees benefit from a holistic and informed perspective. She completed a nine-year apprenticeship at the Cultural Wellness Center, where she was initiated as a community wise woman in 2007. Dr. Carlson’s approach uniquely combines the Cultural Wellness Approach, nearly four decades of social work expertise, advanced training including a Ph.D. in transpersonal psychology and an MSW. Over her career, she has supervised hundreds of practitioners and clinical trainees, blending evidence-based clinical methods with time-honored wisdom traditions.

As the founder of Anam Cara Therapies, PLLC, and the clinical director of BeechWood, Inc., for 14 years, Dr. Carlson has consistently brought innovation and compassion to her work in community mental health. She has served as full-time faculty member at St. Catherine University/University of St. Thomas School of Social Work from 2008-2012 and contributed over a decade to the National Association of Social Workers Ethics Board in her state. Dr. Carlson’s areas of expertise include ethics, trauma-informed care, dual and multiple relationships and family and community healing processes.

An EMDR-trained therapist, MCBT trainer, and certified yoga instructor specializing in trauma and yoga for osteoporosis, Dr. Carlson integrates somatic, mindfulness-based, and creative approaches into her work. She is also a teacher in the sacred feminine tradition, cofounder of Cauldron Studies, and a student of the Diamond Approach, a spiritual realization path. Her commitment to the liberation of all souls begins with her personal journey and extends to the clients, families, and communities she serves.

Dr. Carlson is the visionary creator and facilitator of Tree and the Well, an immersive year-long integrative training program for clinicians, therapists, and mental health practitioners. This program embodies her dedication to cultivating culturally responsive and spiritually enriched therapeutic practices. Through reflective exercises, ritual arts, and cultural frameworks, Dr. Carlson invites participants to deepen their therapeutic skills, navigate ethical complexities, and develop a profound understanding of the healing process.

In her role as a teacher and guide, Dr. Carlson embodies the values of curiosity, self-mastery, and shared growth. Dr. Carlson invites practitioners to explore the tangible and intangible dimensions of healing, embrace the dual roles of student and teacher, and co-create transformative communities dedicated to collective well-being. If you are ready to embark on a journey of professional and personal growth, Dr. Carlson welcomes you to join this vibrant network of practitioners and engage in meaningful, culturally responsive work.

Dr. Felicia Washington Sy

Her clients include the Minnesota Department of Health Safe Harbor program, The Federal Bureau of Investigation Citizen’s Academy, The Federal Reserve Bank, and Allianz Life. She is also a DEI consultant at The Family Development Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

She championed diversity efforts as the Executive Director of RECLAIM, a mental health center for LGBTQ+ youth, and advised the Minnesota Commissioner of Health about health disparities in marginalized groups as a Governor-appointed member of the Health Equity and Advisory Leadership (HEAL) Council.

As an educator and trainer, Dr. Sy taught diversity and inclusion at St. Cloud State University, the College of St. Benedict, St. Thomas University, St. Catherine University, and the University of Denver.

Her public lectures include:

• Intersectional Allyship for Helping Professionals

• Decentering Whiteness: Healing from Institutionalized Oppression in Health Care Delivery Systems

• Trans Competent Care for Helping Professionals

• Culturally Responsive Care with Transgender Youth

• Contemporary Race Relations in the U.S.

• Seeing You Seeing Me for the First Time: An Introduction to Diversity Issues,

• Toe the White Line: Blacks at Predominately White Institutions of Higher Learning, Challenges, and Protocols for Promoting Success

Dr. Sy is a licensed independent clinical social worker and former adjunct assistant professor at the University of Saint Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota. A practicing Buddhist for 15 years, she combines mindfulness-based social work practice and intercultural theory to train practitioners to work with diverse populations across the Twin Cities Metropolitan area. She is a Clouds in Water Zen Meditation Center member in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where as part of a team, she co-facilitates the BIPOC sitting group.  Dr. Sy holds a Diversity and Inclusion certification from Cornell University. 

---

Flyer, 2025.