Louisiana Group Psychotherapy Society
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Fall 2025 Institute

Saturday October 4, 2025  8:00am - 5:30pm 


Location: The Cook Hotel and Conference Center at LSU

3848 West Lakeshore Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808


Presenter: Jessica Gibson, LPC-S, NCC, CFRC


Presentation Title: From Talking to Doing: Experiential Methods in Group Psychotherapy


CEUs: 7.25 hours

  • Social Workers: This program is pending approval for 7.25 Clinical hours of continuing education credit by the LSU School of Social Work as authorized by the Louisiana State Board of Social Work Examiners.
  • Psychologists: As an affiliate of the American Group Psychotherapy Association, LGPS is an approved continuing education sponsor for Louisiana licensees.
  • Counselors: This program is pending approval for 7.25 continuing education clock hours by the Louisiana Counseling Association as authorized by the Louisiana Professional Counseling Licensing Board of Examiners.

RegistrationWhat to ExpectSponsorship
Louisiana Group Psychotherapy Society

About the Institute

This dynamic, interactive presentation explores the power of experiential techniques in group psychotherapy, offering participants an opportunity to move beyond traditional talk therapy into embodied, action-based methods that foster deeper connection, insight, and healing. Drawing from psychodrama, gestalt, somatic, and trauma-informed approaches, the session will examine how experiential interventions can enhance emotional expression, promote group cohesion, and surface unconscious patterns.

Jessica Gibson, LPC-S, NCC, CFRC

Jessica is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor in Louisiana and an LPC licensed across Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, and Wyoming. She is a National Certified Counselor (NCC), and the co-owner and founder of Counseling and Recovery Group. Jessica also serves as Clinical Director for the Acadiana Veteran Alliance’s HEAL Program and HEAL Center. With over 10 years of clinical experience, she specializes in experiential, trauma-informed psychotherapy for adults, with an emphasis on group work, crisis response, and high-conflict relational patterns.


In her telehealth-based practice, she provides individual and group therapy, LPC supervision, clinical consultation, and program development. She is trained in EMDR, psychodrama, and is a Certified First Responder Counselor (CFRC). Jessica also facilitates experiential consultation groups and offers CEU trainings that integrate real-world application with grounded clinical frameworks.


For LGPS 2025, Jessica brings a dynamic and embodied approach to group therapy, blending structure with spontaneity to foster connection, safety, and growth. Her work reflects a deep commitment to integrating trauma-responsive care into group settings, with a focus on presence, peer process, and practical tools clinicians can take back to their practice.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  • Describe the theoretical foundations of experiential methods in group psychotherapy, including relevant models (e.g., psychodrama, Gestalt, somatic and expressive therapies).
  • Differentiate experiential techniques from traditional cognitive-verbal approaches in terms of process, purpose, and clinical impact.
  • Identify at least three experiential interventions that promote emotional expression, insight, or interpersonal learning within a therapy group.


  • Apply trauma-informed principles and ethical considerations (e.g., consent, emotional safety, group dynamics) when implementing experiential strategies.
  • Engage in and reflect on small breakout group experiences using selected experiential techniques, with attention to emotional safety, group process, and facilitator role.
  • Evaluate the appropriateness of experiential interventions based on group composition, stage of development, and clinical goals.

Schedule

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2025

8:00 - 8:30  Coffee & Registration

8:30 -10:15  Introduction of Concepts

10:15 - 10:30  Discussion & Debrief 

10:30 - 10:45  Break 

10:45 - 12:00  Small Experiential Group #1 

12:00 - 1:15  Lunch & Sponsor Panel

1:15 - 2:15  Demonstration Group

2:15 - 3:00  Discussion & Debrief

3:00 - 3:15  Break

3:15 - 4:30  Small Experiential Group #2

4:30 - 5:00  Integration of Concepts

5:00-5:30 - Group as a Whole


*Schedule subject to change



2025 Fall Institute Experiential Group Leaders

Rebekah Daugereaux, LPC-S, LAC & Peyton Corwin, M.S., PLPC

Beka is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC), and co-owner of Counseling and Recovery Group (CRG). She specializes in experiential work, bringing people into the moment to explore connection, vulnerability, and growth. Known for her ability to tune into emotions and help others find words for what feels hard to express, Beka creates spaces that are safe, real, and engaging. With a direct yet compassionate style, she brings authenticity, warmth, and humor to group work, guiding participants toward deeper self-awareness and resilience.


Peyton is a counselor at Counseling and Recovery Group (CRG). She works with individuals (12+), couples, families, and groups, with a special focus on populations facing high conflict such as first responders, active duty military, veterans, law enforcement, and families navigating crisis, trauma, or separation. Peyton takes an integrative approach to counseling, drawing from person-centered, internal family systems (IFS), CBT/DBT, and mindfulness-based methods to help clients deepen awareness, build resilience, and foster connection.


August Boyd, LCSW-BACS

August Boyd, LCSW-BACS is the Clinical Director of Imagine Recovery in New Orleans, Louisiana. Imagine Recovery is a renowned treatment facility that specializes in treating adults with substance misuse and co-occurring disorders. August is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Board Approved Clinical Supervisor. She has developed programs that integrate a range of techniques and theoretical designs that focus on treating the whole person. She provides a variety of clinical services such as individual, group, and family treatment, as well as biopsychosocial and other diagnostic assessments. Further, August has extensive training and experience utilizing Dialectical Behavioral Therapy with populations challenged by substance use, emotional dysregulation, suicidal and parasuicidal behaviors. August is a certified Mind-Body Medicine Practitioner and facilitates weekly mind-body skills groups.


Anwar Francis, LCSW

Anwar Francis, LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and group therapist. He has worked in community-based and inpatient settings, and currently works in private practice. In addition to private practice he is a member of LGPS and the American Group Psychotherapy Association, and has received training from both organizations.


He works with individuals, couples and groups who are struggling with depression, anxiety, stress, trauma, and relationship issues. He uses an existential-humanistic approach that emphasizes experiential learning and helps clients to find meaning and purpose in their lives.


His approach is focused on more than just healing what hurts. Ultimately, the goal is to help people create better lives for themselves. Lives that are freer and more authentic.


Gregory L Greer, MSW, LMSW, LAC, CGP

Gregory Greer is the Director of Clinical Services at Red Hill Recovery - sister facility to Palmetto where he worked for eight years. He is a clinical member of American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA) as a Certified Group Psychotherapist (CGP), Licensed Addictions Counselor (LAC) and Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW). Greg is certified with Activation Breathwork, Level One Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), and is a certified trainer with Souldrama facilitating three-day weekend workshops for training counselors and those in recovery seeking spiritual direction from codependent relationships and attachments. Workshops are coordinated through his private practice, Voices of Recovery, LLC. And Gregory is currently seeking his PhD in Quantum Metaphysics with a focus on relationships.


Micha Matherne, LCSW

Micha is a therapist who creates safe, experiential spaces for healing and growth. Her work integrates systemic and relational perspectives, with a focus on uncovering shame-based patterns and fostering authentic connection. She has training in experiential therapy and psychodrama, which shape the way she guides clients and clinicians through the group experience. 


Shannon E. Smith, LPC-S, NCC


 


 



 

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Louisiana Group Psychotherapy Society

P.O. Box 83005, Baton Rouge, LA 70884

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