Lessons of the Shamans, Curanderos and Faith Healers

NASW-VT Virtual Workshop

Title: Lessons of the Shamans, Curanderos and Faith Healers: The Four Universal Components of Therapy and Healing

Date: Thursday, October 16, 2025
Time: 8:45 am - 12:00 pm

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3 Formal CEs approved by NASW VT

The psychotherapy and counseling that social workers practice today is only one of many approaches to the universal human need for healing. There are many kinds of practitioners throughout the world that offer paths to healing: social workers, psychiatrists, shamans, witch doctors, psychics, priests, ministers, rabbis, faith healers, life coaches, etc., etc., etc. And just as there are many types of “healers” there are just as many approaches to “healing”. The modern psychotherapy of our profession is in fact only one approach of many to healing. Thousands of therapeutic/helping techniques have evolved over the centuries, but no specific technique of treatment – psychoanalysis, EMDR, dialectical behavior therapy, etc., has been shown to be a universally successful approach.

The context of treatment – the Four Universal Components – can determine the success or failure of any helping relationship or practice approach.

This workshop will cover the following topics:

• Modern psychotherapy and counseling as one of many approaches to healing and helping; examples of effective helping by indigenous healers, religious helpers and healers, and even psychics.
• The Four Universal Components of effective helping:
  • Shared world view, (called by one researcher The Principle of Rumpelstiltskin), is a component of cultural competence specifically relating to the naming of disorders and treatment approaches o Empathy and positive emotional connection between helper and client
  • Heightened expectations of the client, (what one researcher calledThe Edifice Complex); and
  • Techniques that are culturally appropriate and acceptable to the client, whether clinical, religious, or magical; special emphasis on the important role of the theatrical placebo in treatment planning
• Applying these universal components of healing to current social work practice:
  • the practice posture of the individual social worker;
  • the universal components in corporate-managed social work practice and large institutions;
  • the universal components and online social work practice.

The goal of this workshop is to connect important anthropological insights with equally important clinical research around the common ground of helping and healing. The possible result: effective, ethical and culturally competent practice, that combines science with art, empathy and human connection to any healing effort.

Participants in this program will

• Describe the four universal, cross-cultural components of the context of healing and clinical practice in all cultures.
• Explain the implementation of these universal components in their practice posture, especially in view of the “industrialization” of clinical practice; in particular, moving beyond the DSM in diagnostic endeavors
• Discuss the ways that cross-cultural awareness, sensitivity and empathy are clinically and ethically an essential factor in choosing approaches and technique, and even in a decision about clinician competence to proceed with a treatment

About the Presenter:

Jacob D. Stone, LSW, ACSW, (Ret.), formerly on the faculty at the Marywood University School of Social Work in Pennsylvania and the social work program of the University of Alaska (Fairbanks), is retired after a half-century of practice as a direct service provider, nonprofit executive, consultant, field instructor, and teacher and trainer. He served for many years as chair of the ethics committee of NASW-PA, and during the past twenty years he has focused his work and study on professional ethics, providing training and consultation on ethics through NASW and diverse other settings. Jacob moved from Pennsylvania to Vermont six years ago, and in retirement has continued to provide training and ethics round table discussions through NASW-VT.

The zoom link and any handouts will be emailed to you prior to the workshop

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