Beyond the Diagnosis: A Holistic Framework for Treating Anxiety in Clinical Practice
Professional Development for Licensed Therapists
Friday June 12th – 2pm – 5pm
Casa De Luz, 1701 Toomey Road, Austin, Texas 78704
$60 | Three (3) Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for licensed social workers, professional counselors, marriage & family therapists*
Americans are experiencing unprecedented high levels of stress and anxiety. Many that seek treatment through conventional medicine do not experience a significant reduction in symptoms and are often labeled treatment resistant.
However, o
thers have had success and are thriving when integrative approaches are applied— including nervous system science, somatic practices, nutritional neuroscience, functional medicine and trauma-informed frameworks. These approaches, often termed ‘holistic’, reshape the way we understand and treat anxiety, chronic emotional and nervous system dysregulation.
Holistic approaches to treating mental health symptoms offer hope and sustainable mental wellness for both clients and clinicians.
Brief Overview
This professional development event uses “holistic” intentionally — not as a buzzword, but as a framework. It refers to the whole body as an interconnected system, where biology, environment, and lived experience all shape our mood, cognitive functioning, and behavior: the central elements of mental healthcare.
From this lens, symptoms are not problems to be eliminated. They are messages from the body — signals asking for attention, nurturing, and a path back to its natural state of ease. This perspective opens new possibilities for therapists: richer assessment, fresh techniques, pathways to supportive referrals and a deeper way of meeting clients who are yearning for relief.
In this presentation, we lay the groundwork for understanding anxiety through a holistic lens — examining how family of origin wounds, situational trauma, toxins, gut dysfunction, and blood sugar imbalance can all show up as anxiety, whether together or on their own. Each of our three presenters will walk through a real client case to bring these concepts to life. Registrants are also invited to submit a case for a brief review by our panel, and we’ll close with time for Q&A.
Learning Objectives
The learning objectives of our three-hour professional development event are:
- Gain foundational knowledge of holistic approaches to conceptualizing and assessing anxiety
- Understand the behavior traits of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) state and the overlap with DSM criteria for 3 different anxiety-based diagnoses
- Learn at least 5 possible root causes of anxiety
- Explore how trauma, gut challenges, blood sugar imbalance and system inflammation can each, or in combination, manifest as anxiety symptoms.
- Learn about the risks in sedating anxiety with common anxyliotics and SSRIs
- Review one assessment tool professionals can use to highlight possible root causes of chronic anxiety and referral pathways
- Practice and experience nervous system regulation with two different somatic techniques
Tickets are $60, seats are limited – reserve your seat here
Presenters
Our presenters are holistic health professionals with over 30 years of combined experience. They specialize in functional, integrative, somatic, and nutritional protocols — all grounded in evidence-based practice.
Each presenter also brings something beyond credentials: a personal health journey. Like many of their clients, they began with conventional treatments. When lasting wellness remained out of reach, they found their own path through science-based, non-conventional approaches — and that experience shapes how they work.
Cyndi Collen, LCSW-S, CIMHP, CKYT — Psychotherapist and the Clinical Director and Owner of Flourish Holistic Mental Wellness with 13+ years of experience practicing holistic, integrative, mindful, and trauma-informed care long before it became a mainstream conversation.
Cyndi’s work is rooted in a deep curiosity about how early childhood experiences, nutrition, traumatic events, and environmental toxins shape mental health. That curiosity led her to develop her own mental wellness framework — built on the foundational pillars of polyvagal and attachment theories, mindfulness-based modalities including ACT, self-compassion, and parts work, and nutrition for mental health.
She holds certifications in integrative mental health, HeartMath, and kundalini yoga, and is a board-approved social work supervisor in the state of Texas.
Brenda Gregory, MS, FDN-P, AQB-P – Functional Medicine Nutritionist with over a decade of experience supporting clients with complex health, mood, and energy challenges, Brenda blends nutrition, functional lab analysis, quantum biology, and nervous system work to help people reconnect with their bodies and feel like themselves again.
Her own healing began with autoimmunity, chronic digestive issues, and years of burnout. She learned the hard way that true wellness isn’t just about food – it’s about rhythm, repair, and safety in your system.
Brenda believes real health supports both physiology and psychology, from hormone and gut repair to emotional regulation and mental clarity. She doesn’t just treat symptoms; she addresses the underlying patterns of stress, emotions, and physiological dysregulation so the body can return to its natural state of resilience.
Vanessa Bighinatti, CFHC, EFT / TFT Practitioner – Vanessa is a nervous system coach and health advocate who healed herself from over 50 symptoms, including chronic Lyme, POTS, and gut issues. She now guides women out of chronic stress, anxiety, and dysregulation into peace, vitality, and joy. She works with clients through somatic tools, emotional guidance, and nervous system regulation.
Her specialty is EFT – Emotional Freedom Techniques, or tapping. EFT works by stimulating acupressure points while processing stress or emotional triggers, sending a direct calming signal to the amygdala, the brain’s threat center. Studies show it significantly reduces cortisol and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, making it one of the most effective and accessible tools for shifting the body out of chronic fight-or-flight and into lasting regulation.
Sign up here to reserve your seat to Rethink Anxiety
*CEUs through Mindful Wellness Center of Austin, a non-profit charitable organization devoted to improving mental health devoted to improving mental health, meet BHEC requirements, Social Worker Rulebook, Chapter 781, Subchapter C, Rule 781.501, paragraph (5)
