A guided program helping teens ages 14 to 18 understand their emotions, their story, and themselves through the lens of Complex Trauma.
Meets Fridays at 8:00 PM ET ● Starts September 18, 2026 ● Group of 10 ● Applications Open
Understanding Complex Trauma with Youth
PROGRAM COST
$1,300.00 (CAD)
Payment Plans Available
PROGRAM DURATION
24 Weeks
NEXT START DATE
September 18, 2026
MEETING TIMES
Fridays at 20:00 ET
Seats are limited to 10 participants per classroom. Book an Intake Session and apply now to secure a spot.
Why Is This Program Important?
Between 60 and 70 percent of youth will experience at least one traumatic event, and rates of Complex Trauma have climbed sharply since the pandemic. Many teens are also growing up inside homes shaped by generational trauma: loss, addiction, and instability passed down without anyone naming what it is or where it came from.
Without the right language and support, this often shows up as dysregulation, shutdown, anger, anxiety, and disengagement, and it can leave a person vulnerable. This program offers something different: clear, accessible trauma education and a structured 24-meeting framework where teens learn to name and manage powerful emotions, build genuinely safe relationships, and reduce their vulnerability to exploitation. The result reaches further than the individual teen. It means safer homes, fewer crises, stronger engagement, and better outcomes for the whole family system.
Who Is This For?
This program is for teenagers aged 14 to 18. It is not limited to teens who are actively struggling or facing significant challenges; it is just as valuable for participants who simply want to understand themselves better, grow their emotional awareness, build healthier connections, and develop skills that will serve them well into adulthood. Think of it as both supportive and preventative.
For teens ages 14 to 16, we ask that they have a support person in their life who has completed the LIFT Live Online Learning program. For teens ages 17 to 18, a LIFT-graduate support person is still strongly preferred, though we may accept teens without one depending on individual readiness. This is worked through together during the intake process, so if you're unsure if qualifications are met, reach out and we'll figure it out with you.
What This Program Covers
Across 24 sessions, participants will build a foundational understanding of what Complex Trauma is, how it affects the brain, body, and relationships, and the patterns commonly associated with it. From there, the program moves into practical, everyday territory: the emotional and relational tools teenagers need going into adulthood.
Topics include:
Understanding Complex Trauma and how it affects us
Characteristics and patterns associated with Complex Trauma
The 12 Basic Needs
Navigating powerful emotions, including fear, anxiety, anger, guilt, shame, and grief
Healthy relationships and connection
Boundaries
Developing emotional awareness
Healthy coping strategies and practical tools for everyday life
Alongside the curriculum, the program offers something just as important: a consistent, safe space where participants can talk openly about what they're experiencing and feel genuinely supported while they build these skills.
What to Expect By the End
This program isn't about promising that a specific struggle will disappear. Healing from Complex Trauma is not linear, and real change tends to happen gradually, and internally, before it's visible from the outside.
By the end of the program, participants can expect to walk away with:
Greater awareness and understanding of emotions
A clearer picture of how past and present experiences shape reactions and relationships
Healthier coping skills
A stronger ability to identify and communicate needs
A better understanding of healthy relationships and boundaries
Practical tools for long after the program ends
Just as important as any single skill is the experience underneath all of it:
A safe space where participants can talk openly about what they're dealing with, and feel supported the whole way through.
Next start date: September 18, 2026.
Seats are limited to 10 participants per classroom. Book an Intake Session and apply now to secure a spot.
A Note to Parents and Guardians
Complex Trauma often begins at home, carried forward through patterns that were rarely chosen and rarely understood at the time. If you're recognizing some of these signs in your teen, this isn't a moment for blame; it's an invitation. Healing tends to go further when it isn't happening in isolation.
If you haven't already started your own work, consider working alongside your teen through LIFT Live Online Learning or LIFT Self-Study, or start with ALIGN With Your Needs and ALIGN With Your Child. A stable, informed foundation at home is one of the most meaningful things you can offer them as they go through this process.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Complex Trauma refers to the impact of repeated or prolonged exposure to difficult or unsafe experiences, often within a family system. In teens, it can show up as anxiety, anger, shutdown, difficulty with relationships, or trouble understanding their own emotions. This program helps teens understand and work with these patterns rather than being controlled by them.
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No. While it's a strong fit for teens facing real challenges, it's equally valuable for teens who want to build self-awareness, emotional skills, and healthy relationship habits before difficulties escalate. We see it as both supportive and preventative.
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Teens ages 14 to 18.
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For teens ages 14 to 16, yes, a support person who has completed LIFT Live is required. For teens ages 17 to 18, it's strongly preferred but not always required; this is assessed individually during intake.
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Fridays at 8:00 PM Eastern Time (Americas, Toronto time), beginning September 18, 2026.
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No, this is held online on our online learning platform and Zoom.
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$1,300 CAD (Canadian).
Payment plans are available.
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Groups are kept small, at 10 participants, to support genuine connection and discussion.
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Sessions cover Complex Trauma education, the 12 Basic Needs, emotional regulation, healthy relationships and boundaries, and practical coping tools, delivered through a structured 24-meeting curriculum.
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No. This is an educational and support-based program, not individual therapy or licensed counseling. It's designed to build understanding, language, and practical skills within a supportive group setting.
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You can start the application at the link below. Once submitted, our team will follow up with next steps, including intake.
Unmatched Success Rates.
How does Complex Trauma affect us, and our society at large? We’re on a quest to find out. Tim Fletcher’s RE/ACT program has a >68% recovery rate from addictions and even higher recovery rates for other areas of health including financial, legal and relational.
What is Complex Trauma?
“Trauma is not what happens to you. Trauma is what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you.” —Gabor Maté
Trauma is someone’s response to a deeply scary or harmful event that makes them unable to cope.
Complex Trauma (or C-PTSD) is defined as the response to an ongoing environment of danger where one never feels safe. This response constantly signals a stress response such as fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. It affects every aspect of a person—their bodies, relationships, brains and ability to have a spiritual connection. Tim Fletcher has identified over 85 Characteristics of Complex Trauma which may help you put the pieces together as to how it may be affecting you.
Our programs and training environments encourage participants to look at early childhood environments with a different type of lens; not only focusing on seemingly obvious, (largely traumatic) events, but on all of the pieces that may have played a role. We investigate biological, psychological, social and spiritual factors with a measure of curiosity, compassion and love. By examining the entire picture, we are able to see that several aspects of early childhood can be traumatic, resulting in shame-based identity development, unsound coping adaptations, and unhealthy relationship attachments.
We’re here to safely connect with, and explore that journey of discovery—together!