Professional Speaking
Since 2014, I have been a professional speaker in various spaces including universities, group therapy practices, and conferences. I am dedicated to bringing a grounded, accessible, and deeply human conversation into these spaces. I often speak to communities, organizations, clinicians, professionals, and students who want a better understanding of grief, therapeutic models, relational healing, and mental health care. I’ve been told that my passion for the topics I speak on brings an exciting energy to my audience, and I show up authentically, with warmth, clarity, and relatability.
Below you will find my signature topics as a professional speaker, which can be tailored for mental health professionals, workplaces, organizations, schools, and conferences.
Some examples of where I have professionally spoken:
The University of Missouri
The University of Texas, Austin
Towson University
Capital Area Parkinson's Society
Indeed
California Department of Tax and Fee Administration
Bond Collective
If you are interested in booking me for an event, workshop, or training, I would love to connect.
Use the link below to reach out, share your vision, and start a conversation.
Signature topics
USING EMDR TO TREAT TRAUMA
GRIEF IN THE WORKPLACE
HOW TO TELL YOUR STORY
CHRONIC ILLNESS
KETAMINE-ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPY
IMPORTANCE OF MENTAL HEALTH
HOW TRAUMA AFFECTS THE BRAIN
EATING DISORDERS
GRIEF/LOSS
RESILIENCY
Some Kind Words
Arielle led an excellent Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy training for our team. She is deeply knowledgeable and clearly experienced, yet she presents the material in a way that feels accessible, grounded, and easy to understand. I appreciated how thoughtful and approachable she was, and how practical the training felt for real clinical work. Our team walked away feeling informed, supported, and confident, and I would wholeheartedly recommend Arielle to anyone seeking KAP training.
— Katy Manganella, Austin City Counseling
Working with Arielle was such a joy. She told a difficult, potentially alienating story with such grace and power that it absolutely captured our audience. Arielle caught my attention and ended up on the TEDx stage because the way she tells her story encourages her audience to relate to a topic that is often cloaked in stigma and shame. She’s turned her unique experience into an opportunity for us all to learn and grow.
— Steve Moraco, TEDx Curator
As a professor of social work teaching a trauma interventions course, I requested that Arielle teach two guest lectures to my MSW students: one on Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) and another on Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Although I am technically equipped to teach these subjects, Arielle is a leading expert with substantive clinical experience in these areas, and I knew that my students could best learn from her advanced skillsets. Over the course of two 2-hour lectures and days, Arielle virtually taught my students about these complex trauma interventions in an accessible and relevant way, combining humor, wit, and deep, valuable knowledge. Both myself and my students learned a lot from Arielle and value both her personal and professional talents in delivering clinical content in a way that is easily understood and digestible. She was highly praised by my students and I recommend her for anyone seeking a compassionate and talented clinician or trainer. Thank you, Arielle!
— Dr. D. Williams, LCSW, CFLE
Reframing Grief: From Destruction to Resilience
TEDx Colorado Springs
No matter the depth of our experience with grief, it is a multifaceted response that we are all guaranteed to share at one point or another. Arielle shares her emotional and personal story of how her grief manifested after an unthinkable loss. Her words show that through destruction, resilience is born. Arielle is a clinical social worker, published writer, and professional speaker. She specializes in grief and trauma work in her professional practice after personally surviving a traumatic illness and shortly after, the sudden death of her partner. Arielle started a chapter of a support group called GRASP, that helps surviving loved ones of those who have died from alcohol or drugs. Arielle’s vulnerability is felt with her raw and honest tone when speaking about grief. Her hope is that through sharing her story, others can find their own bravery and resilience in the midst of tragedy. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.
PODCASTS & APPEARANCES
Episode 22: Hero
Episode 66: Beyond Our Trauma
The Effectiveness of Using EMDR in Trauma Treatment
Episode 8, Season 5: Grief, Loss, & Trauma
Using a Relational Model in Grief and Trauma Work
Episode 96: How to Get Through Grief + Loss
Episode 22: Interview Episode: Arielle Sokol-Ward