Rave Reviews of John Micsak

"John Micsak recently presented in London Ontario at a local trauma conference sponsored by the National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children. We call our group TLC London and were very excited to welcome John to our mid-sized Canadian city. John was a dynamic and riveting speaker and presented on Healing the Inside Child: Brain Based and Wellness Approaches with challenging children and Adolescents.

As a principal and a school social worker as well as both being trauma and loss consultant specialists, our number one dilemma is consulting with teachers who report " I cannot do ANYTHING with the child" or "nothing works" and often we are faced with a teacher who wants to like the child but is finding the behaviour nothing short of impossible. Parents also frequently turn to schools to find the answers to a child who seems to have lost the motivation to succeed or to seek help with parenting a child who seems unable to listen or follow a simple behaviour plan.

John Micsak reminds us that trauma changes us at a cellular level. Regulation is the key to any successful plan for success whether it is in the home or the school or community setting. With short powerful bursts of information coupled with hard-hitting videos, Micsak transmits a powerful message that any adult working with a child needs to hear. Micsak prompts us to seek answers in the brain-body-mind paradigm and capture the healing that is transferred in safe, predictable and nurturing responses.

Micsak challenges to think in a new way about time out and instead offer a reparative and healing time in or time away program. He brings new meaning to offering a child "a safe place and a safe face". Teaching parents about the value of knowing when the most powerful moments of the day are for a soothing healing intervention is only one of the many strategies Micsak teaches in a training day. I have used a variation of Micsak's 'wellness cards' with children, teaching them the value of identifying understanding their triggers to trauma and stress and helping them build their own action plan as well as being able to ask for support and help from the caring adults around them.

Micsak's message is not only passionate about 'what to do' to reach a child with "danger brain" but he also expertly guides the participant to resolve what participants should not do! Micsak's program is relationship-based and he himself provides a warm intuitive approach that allows participants to believe in the strength of every single positive human interaction.

We were enriched by his contribution to our local program and are excited about future presentations in his program."

-Barb Dorrington & Barb Dsjardins
School Social Worker and Principal

"John Micsak's workshop was recently rated as the top presentation at the Michigan Education Association for Adjudicated Youth conference in Lansing. John provides startling new developments in the area of childhood trauma, neurophsiological (body-mind) research, positive youth psychology and resiliency work with at-risk children and adolescents."

-Slate Newsletter
Michigan Federation for Children and Families

"John has outstanding hands-on experience with the most troubled youth. He provides one example after another. I took 15 pages of notes and strategies. I've never been to a training like this before. The workshop itself was a sensory experience."

-Dr. Suzyn Jacobson
Clinical Director, First Home Care, Washington, DC.

"Our residential treatment staff was able to learn and effectively implement the treatment modality, taught by John Micsak, into our everyday functioning. The modality consisted of trauma informed care, relationship based treatment, and sensory integration. These concepts were put into practice at an individual level, as well as, the group, allowing our treatment staff to significantly reduce the acting out behaviors on our specific site. The growth that took place with our students was largely due to our dedicated treatment staff and the implementation of the strategies taught by John Micsak."

-Steve Kress
Juvenile Probation Officer
Lapeer County
Office: 810-245-4849
Fax: 810-667-0271

"John Micsak is one of the most dynamic and motivational speakers to use neurobiological research with common sense to improve our clinical intervention with traumatized children and adolescents to come around in a long time! Thanks John!"

-John Mills. LMSW, ACSW
School Social Worker, Eaton Intermediate School District, Charlotte, MI

"Thank you, thank you! Best and most practical seminar I ever attended. So informative! Can't express enough gratitude, well share and spread. Off the charts, phenomenal!"

-Christina Meli
Youth Program Director, Baldwin Center, Pontiac, MI

"In my twenty five year of clinical continuing education, this workshop was the most relevant, meaningful and well balanced presentation I have participated in. John's presentation of Healing the Inside Child is a "medium rare approach" to wellness approaches and therapy for children and youth."

-David Lyke
Chief Operating Officer, Albany Park Community Center, Chicago, IL

"This is one of the best trainings I have ever attended because the information was research based, evidence based and current Not only was it fun, but it was enlightening, refreshing and reassuring. Additionally, the information was presented from heart to heart. We felt it in our souls!"

-Yvette Orr
School Social Worker, Grand Rapids Public School District, Grand Rapids, MI

"Great seminar, very progressive. This information will benefit me personally and consequently those around me... my family, my staff, my residents."

-Troy Huff
Home Coordinator, Alabama Youth Home