NAMI Ask the Expert: Understanding Stress, Distress and Trauma OD005

An on-demand video and transcript of the presentation are available here [opens in new tab].

About The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. They are an alliance of more than 650 local Affiliates and 49 State organizations who work in your community to raise awareness and provide support and education to people with mental illness and their loved ones. Through awareness, advocacy and education, NAMI is committed to building stronger communities and a better future for everyone affected by mental illness.

Course Summary

Practice Level: Intermediate

This course, based on the Ask the Expert webinar series by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), explores stress, trauma, and resilience. It explains how stress impacts the brain, introduces the concepts of neuroplasticity and resilience, and illustrates the effects of trauma on long-term functioning.

The course, with an intended audience of social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and counselors, then presents practical strategies for building and improving one’s stress response. The course presents science-based, practical approaches that support healing.

Course Format

This course contains a practice test and an on-demand video (with a slide deck of the presentation). When you’re ready, purchase the course by clicking the “Add To Cart” or “Enroll” button. This will let you take the test, complete the course evaluation and receive your certificate for CE credits.

Learning Objectives

1. Explain the brain processes underlying the experience of stress and neuroplasticity.
2. Recognize the role of predictability, moderation, and control in resilience.

Course Syllabus

• Regulatory Systems of the Brain as They Relate to Stress
• Stress Responses and State-Dependent Functioning
• Resilience and Regulation
• Practices That Support Healing

Current References

Algaidi, S. A. (2025). Chronic stress-induced neuroplasticity in the prefrontal cortex: Structural, functional, and molecular mechanisms from development to aging. Brain Research, 1851, 149461. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2025.14946 [opens in new tab]

Ameli, R., Sinaii, N., West, C. P., et al. (2020). Effect of a brief mindfulness-based program on stress in health care professionals at a US biomedical research hospital: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Network Open, 3(8), e2013424. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.13424 [opens in new tab]

Cohodes, E. M., Sisk, L. M., Keding, T. J., Mandell, J. D., Notti, M. E., & Gee, D. G. (2023). Characterizing experiential elements of early-life stress and sensitivity to diurnal cortisol slopes: The roles of controllability and predictability. Development and Psychopathology, 35(5), 2288–2301. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579423000822 [opens in new tab]

Ebben, M. R. (2024). The impact of vestibular stimulation on sleep and respiration in humans. Current Sleep Medicine Reports, 10, 226–231. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40675-024-00289-6 [opens in new tab]

Guidi, J., Lucente, M., Sonino, N., & Fava, G. A. (2020). Allostatic load and its impact on health: A systematic review. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 90(1), 11–27.  https://doi.org/10.1159/000510696 [opens in new tab]

Juster, R.-P., & Misiak, B. (2023). Advancing the allostatic load model: From theory to therapy. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 154, 106289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106289 [opens in new tab]

Lugenbühl, J. F., Viho, E. M. G., Binder, E. B., & Daskalakis, N. P. (2025). Stress molecular signaling in interaction with cognition. Biological Psychiatry, 97(4), 349–358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.09.023 [opens in new tab]

Ren, B., Yuan, Q., Cha, S., Liu, S., Zhang, J., & Guo, G. (2025). Maladaptive neuroplasticity under stress: Insights into neuronal and synaptic changes in the prefrontal cortex. Molecular Neurobiology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-025-05152-5 [opens in new tab]

Subramaniam, A., Eberhard-Moscicka, A. K., Ertl, M., & Mast, F. W. (2023). Rocking devices and the role of vestibular stimulation on sleep—A systematic review. Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, 7(4), 40. https://doi.org/10.3390/ctn7040040 [opens in new tab]

Vila, J. (2021). Social support and longevity: Meta-analysis-based evidence and psychobiological mechanisms. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 717164. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.717164 [opens in new tab]

Instructors

Bruce D. Perry, M.D., PhD

Bruce D. Perry, M.D., PhD is the Principal of the Neurosequential Network and an Adjunct Professor at the School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria Australia.  Over the last thirty years, Dr. Perry has been an active teacher, clinician and researcher in children’s mental health and the neurosciences holding a variety of academic positions. His work on the impact of abuse, neglect and trauma on the developing brain has impacted clinical practice, programs and policy across the world. Dr. Perry is the author, with Maia Szalavitz, of The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog, a bestselling book based on his work with maltreated children and Born For Love: Why Empathy is Essential and Endangered. Dr. Perry’s most recent book is What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing (2021).

M. Lys Hunt, MSW, LICSW

M. Lys Hunt, MSW, LICSW is the Mental Health Program Director for CE4Less and has been practicing social work for over 25 years and is licensed in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. She earned her Master’s Degree from the Boston University School of Social Work and completed a post graduate fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital. Her clinical work specializes in the areas of mental health and child and family welfare. She has been a consultant and planner of continuing education for social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and counselors for over 18 years.

Accreditation Approval Statements

CE4Less.com is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. CE4Less.com maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

CE4Less.com, provider #1115, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 8/8/24-8/8/27.

Social workers completing this course receive 1 clinical continuing education credit.

This course has been approved by CE4Less.com, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #91345, CE4Less.com is responsible for all aspects of the programing.

We are committed to providing our learners with unbiased information. CE4Less never accepts commercial support and our authors have no significant financial or other conflicts of interest pertaining to the material.