During this course of instruction, participants will learn about the neurophysiological processes that govern our emotional, cognitive, and physical responses to the world around us. At the end of this course, participants will have a better understanding of themselves, their peers, and the public at large. Students will be better equipped to function effectively in crisis and peer support situations. They will possess the understanding and knowledge to work with vs. against their own biology, and as a result, will be able to help others see the importance of doing the same. Understanding and normalizing an experience within ourselves is the first step towards regaining power over it. Without that critical first step it is very difficult for someone to find the hope, and the “want to”, to move towards achieving the neurophysiological rebalancing that is needed to feel and think in a congruent way.
Presenter: Brian Simmons, MA, LPC, CH, EMDR Provider, Certified Hypnotherapist, Certified Family Trauma Professional, Certified Clinical Trauma Specialist – Sex Trafficking
Brian Simmons is the owner and therapist at New Solutions Counseling, PLLC
Brian Simmons obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science & History from Southern Methodist University and a Master of Arts degree in Professional Counseling from Amberton University. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Certified Hypnotherapist with specialized training in pain management and 7th Path self- hypnosis. Mr. Simmons is an EMDR provider with specialized training in Feeling State Addiction and headache/migraine protocols. He is also a certified EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) practitioner and a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. He has been a Licensed Peace Officer in Texas for 15 years beginning his career with the Dallas Police Department in 2000. The majority of his tenure there was spend working on a Street Crime Enforcement Squad as a Uniformed Deployment Officer working interdiction and pattern-based crimes in high risk areas for narcotics, prostitution, property crimes, & crimes against persons. After leaving the Dallas PD in 2004, Mr. Simmons moved to rural East Texas and continued his law enforcement career as a Deputy Sheriff with the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office. He was promoted to Sergeant in 2005 and Lieutenant in 2010. He holds a Master Peace Officer’s License, is a Certified Field Training Officer, a Certified Hostage Negotiator, Certified in Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), Certified Mental Health Peace Officer, trained in Forensic Hypnosis, and is a Certified TCOLE Instructor. Mr. Simmons created the Kaufman Country Crisis Response Team to bridge the gap between mental health consumers and law enforcement. Mr. Simmons completed his counseling practicum hours at Burning Tree Ranch, a residential dual diagnosis substance abuse rehabilitation treatment center specializing in treating prior treatment failure cases. He also interned at the North Texas Suicide & Crisis Center providing stabilization and crisis counseling. Post graduate hours were obtained at Safe Haven of Tarrant County facilitating Batterer Intervention Prevention Program (BIPP) groups. Mr. Simmons now works in private practice treating clients with various clinical issues and specializing in traumatic stress disorders. For four years, he also co-facilitated sex offender treatment groups. Mr. Simmons was a contract provider for Valiant Hearts (formerly We Are Cherished), a non-profit Christian organization. Valiant Hearts works to rescue women and children from sex trafficking, both locally and internationally, while providing women in the DFW area with the assistance needed to exit the sex industry. In 2016, he accepted the role of Director of Clinical Care for the organization designing curriculum, overseeing case management, and coordinating outsourced services. Mr. Simmons is involved in the fight against global sex trafficking. Along with his wife, Mr. Simmons has traveled to Iraq assisting refugees and the rescue networks. They are currently in the process of designing, implementing, and overseeing a trauma treatment program for men, women, and children that have been trafficked, tortured, or recruited as soldiers by traffickers both domestically and internationally. Mr. Simmons is also a Certified Family Trauma Professional and a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional – Sex Trafficking. Together with his wife, Dr. Stephanie Thurston-Simmons, he cowrote and instructs the only certification training course of it’s kind available on human sex trafficking, training professionals & paraprofessionals both domestically and internationally. Mr. Simmons and his wife, Dr. Thurston-Simmons, also provide trauma trainings and support for First Responders and families and have a passion for treating the traumas that First Responders experience.
