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Training to be a Practitioner
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In 1986, after a solid grounding from 10 years in therapy as a client and getting my Master's Degree in Social Work, I attended a residential training program, offered by a team of experts and pioneers from across the country. This multi-modal program, called "The Ark" (because it lasted 40 days and nights!), was based in primal therapy and offered a solid grounding in a variety of techniques to access, release and heal deep feelings, and integrate those changes back into real life.
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Opening my Private Practice
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In 1986, with a Master's Degree under my belt and with the training I had received in the Ark, I started a part-time private practice in Houston. For many years I worked with and trained with some of the top therapists in the world.
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Credentials and Further Training
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I was an LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker) in Texas 1981-1998. When I moved to California in 1996 to train, I chose not to pursue a California license - for two reasons. One is that it would take so long to get California licensing because my experience in Texas would, for the most part, not be accepted in California. Second, and most importantly, is that it is an illusion that having a license is meaningful for the kind of work I do. There is no therapeutic specialty that covers pre- and perinatal psychology. Even if I had a license (no matter what kind), to do the work that I do would be operating outside the scope of that license which is, in and of itself, a violation of most licenses. This work is very powerful and is a new paradigm in emotional work, but there is not yet a certification for competence in pre- and perinatal work.
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In addition to the training described above, I have had extensive experience with primal therapy, Jungian Sandplay and training in Gestalt, dreamwork, expressive arts (including writing and mandala drawing), movement and music, meditation, tantra, guided visualization, Access and more. As a staff member of The Ark until 1996, I got to work intensively with clients under the supervision of expert therapists. In Houston I ran groups (on-going as well as with special themes including dreams, sexual abuse and birth trauma) and have seen individual clients since 1986.
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I was a Board Member of the International Primal Association 1987-1999 and served for 7 years as its Newsletter Editor. I chaired four international conferences and have served on the steering committee for the 1997 and 1999 APPPAH Congresses. For two years (1999-2000), I served as Newsletter Editor for APPPAH (Association for Pre- and Perinatal Psychology and Health).
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For those concerned by warnings about "dangerous practitioners" by Arthur Janov and the Primal Institute, see this historical overview that negates Janov's claim of being the founder of primal therapy.
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My Work Now
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I trained with William Emerson, Ph.D., where I got to work with some of the top therapists in the country who are part of developing exciting new treatment methods for adults and infants. I was blessed to work closely with Dr. Emerson on his publications and training materials, and to teach part of his curriculum under the auspices of Emerson Training Seminars. 
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From 1988 to 2001, I also co-lead weekend therapy intensives in Michigan. Now I have a private practice in Houston, and I teach, offer trainings/workshops and present at conferences around the country.

What They Say About Terry
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Here are some of the comments from people who’ve worked with me.
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Terry Larimore is an excellent source of information about the sensitivity of children - before, during and after birth. Her insights into prevention and treatment of trauma open new doorways for health within the birth and psychotherapeutic communities, as well as related professions such as chiropractic, osteopathy, massage, cranial sacral and special education.
- Bev Edelman, M.A., Psychotherapist in Houston
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Terry Larimore has been a colleague of mine for almost 20years and is a gifted lecturer and workshop presenter. The material she presents - distinguishing between shock and trauma - is a vital and essential teaching for all psychotherapeutic modalities.
- Michael Hoyland-Young, MA, Expressive Arts Therapist in Toronto
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Terry has a gift - creating a holistic framework of facts and information to support what we as birthworkers and parents have known all along. She weaves together the intuitive and the practical, deepening our understanding and empathy for the babies and parents we care for.
- Mary Ceallaigh, B.A., Doula and Birth Activist with the California Assoc. of Midwives
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Terry Larimore is an excellent therapist and an exceptional teacher. Her ability to synthesize and articulate material is outstanding, her talks are provocative and interesting, and I give her my highest recommendation. Don’t miss an opportunity to hear her speak or do personal work with her.
- William Emerson, Ph.D., Renowned pioneer in Pre- and Perinatal Psychology
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Terry Larimore presents in a compassionate, accessible and passionate manner a growing body of knowledge that every birthworker should be acquainted with: the effects of pre- and perinatal shock and trauma on both mother and child. Therapeutic acknowledgment for healing and prevention through a gentler, more respectful birthing paradigm would lead to change beyond our present hopes.
- Julei Busch, Shiatsu practitioner and Partner Birth Passages: Support Services for the Childbearing Year
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This is important information for anyone working with pregnant and birthing women, babies and children; it will help us become better practitioners and parents and help us to understand our own experiences better.
- Cordelia Hanna, B.A., C.C.E., C.B.A., Director, Midwifery Childbirth Awareness Project of California Association of Midwives
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I trust Terry without hesitation. Her warmth, sensitivity and deep caring shine from her and make her work wonderfully healing. She is a gifted teacher and therapist.
- Mary Pinniger, M.A., Certified Integrative Body Psychotherapist in Vancouver
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Terry Larimore is a great presenter. She is easy to follow with excellent clarity, knowledge of her subject, and humor. I have found her talks to be unusually informative and entertaining. Terry has been working with prenatal and birth issues for more than 25 years personally and more than 13 years as a therapist. She was a lead therapist at the Ark Training Program and led workshops at my center several times a year.
- Barbara Bryan, Director of the Primal Integration Center of Michigan, four-term past president of the IPA

About Emotional Shock & Trauma

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