Two-night retreat
Friday 19 to Sunday 21 March 2027
Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon
We are very excited to announce that registrations are now open for the
Courage to Connect
Group Retreat Program
Healing Complex Trauma Through Connection and Relationships.
Connect · Heal · Thrive
Wednesday evenings from 3 February 2027, followed by a two-night retreat on 19–21 March.
Many people who have experienced complex trauma long to feel close to others, yet relationships can also feel difficult, unsafe or exhausting. You may find yourself wanting connection while simultaneously pulling away. You may struggle to trust, let your guard down, communicate your needs, manage conflict, or feel truly understood.
Courage to Connect is a small, carefully facilitated therapeutic group designed to help you explore these patterns in a safe and supportive environment, and to experience new ways of relating to others.
Key dates
Six weekly sessions on Wednesday evenings, 6–8pm, at Abundant Life Clinical Psychology, 1357 Logan Road, Mt Gravatt.
- Wed3FebSession 1
- Wed10FebSession 2
- Wed17FebSession 3
- Wed24FebSession 4
- Wed3MarSession 5
- Wed10MarSession 6
Debrief session
Wednesday 31 March 2027, 6–8pm
One further group session after the retreat
How the program runs
The program is six 2-hour group sessions held weekly, followed by a two-night weekend retreat in the beautiful Gold Coast Hinterland. The retreat includes further group sessions, and plenty of time to experience peace and stillness as well as connection with the rest of the group.
To help you relax, you will have your own private cabin with ensuite, a relaxing massage, and home cooked lunches and dinners.
What you can expect
An outline of the group program.
- A small, confidential group
Limited to 10 participants.
- A structured environment
Everyone is encouraged to participate at a pace that feels manageable.
- Psychoeducation
Practical information to help you understand trauma, relationships and your own responses.
- Deeper insight
In-depth feedback about your own personality and patterns within relationships, based on the thorough set of questionnaires you complete at the start.
- Experiential exercises
Opportunities to notice what happens within you and between you and others, rather than simply talking about it.
- Grounded in clinical psychology research
All of the content within the course is based on empirical evidence and research.
- Reflection and feedback
Time to consider your experiences and receive respectful feedback from the group.
- A focus on connection
The therapeutic relationship between group members is central to the work.
- Relaxation and stillness
The retreat is an opportunity to step away from the demands of daily life and to be still and quiet. You will be pampered with massage, nourishing food, nature, and a relaxation class for body and mind.
Why a group?
Our earliest relationships shape the ways we learn to connect with other people.
When those relationships have involved trauma, inconsistency, rejection, criticism or a lack of emotional safety, we can carry these experiences into our adult relationships, often without realising it.
A therapeutic group offers something individual therapy cannot fully replicate: the opportunity to notice and work with relationship patterns as they happen, in real time.
Within the group, you can begin to:
Recognise patterns in the way you relate to others
Understand how your past experiences influence your relationships today
Receive thoughtful, respectful feedback from others
Practise expressing yourself, setting boundaries and responding differently
Experience being seen and accepted without having to hide parts of yourself
Develop greater confidence in creating safe and fulfilling relationships
The aim is not simply to talk about relationships.It is to experience a different kind of relationship, and practise taking that experience into your life outside the group.
What we will explore
Understanding complex trauma
Learn how experiences of trauma can influence emotions, relationships, beliefs, nervous-system responses and patterns of behaviour.
Coping skills
You will learn emotional regulation skills, distress tolerance strategies, and other ways to effectively manage painful thoughts and feelings.
The interpersonal process
Together, we will pay attention to what is happening between group members. You may begin to notice familiar relationship patterns emerging and have the opportunity to explore them safely.
Real-time feedback
The group provides a unique opportunity to hear how others experience you, while also learning how your responses affect the people around you.
Effective interpersonal skills
Develop practical skills for communication, boundaries, emotional regulation, conflict and building trust.
Understanding your internal parts
Explore the different parts of yourself that may have developed to protect you, cope with difficult experiences, or help you navigate relationships.
Group EMDR
During the retreat, there will be opportunities to engage in EMDR using a structured, trauma-informed group intervention: G-TEP (Group Traumatic Episode Protocol). This can be used to support healing and integration, through the safe processing of traumatic memories that continue to negatively affect you.
A space to practise something new
You don't need to arrive knowing how to connect.
You don't need to have relationships figured out.
You don't need to be perfectly comfortable in a group.
The group is a place to slow down, become curious about yourself, and experiment with new ways of relating.
With careful facilitation, the group becomes a place where you can practise being more open, communicating more honestly, receiving feedback, repairing misunderstandings and discovering that connection can be safe.
The Courage to Connect journey
Understand
Learn how trauma and early relationships can shape the way you connect.
Notice
Become aware of your patterns, protective responses and internal parts.
Explore
Bring curiosity to what happens within you and between you and others.
Practise
Experiment with new ways of communicating, connecting and responding.
Connect
Build greater capacity for safe, authentic and fulfilling relationships.
From connection within the group to connection in your life.
The hope is that the relationships and skills developed within the group become a foundation for healthier, more connected relationships beyond it.
Courage to Connect is an invitation to take the next step, with support, curiosity and courage.
Is Courage to Connect right for you?
This group may be worth exploring if you:
Have experienced complex or developmental trauma
Often feel lonely or disconnected from others
Find relationships difficult despite wanting meaningful connection
Have difficulty trusting or letting people get close
Notice recurring patterns in your relationships
Struggle with boundaries, conflict or communicating your needs
Want to understand yourself more deeply in relationship with others
Are ready to gently practise new ways of relating
A suitability and screening process will help determine whether this group is an appropriate fit for you.
Meet your facilitator
Rachael Ambler
Clinical Psychologist | EMDR Consultant
Rachael Ambler is a clinical psychologist with more than 25 years of clinical experience and is an EMDR consultant. She is also the current convenor of the APS EMDR Special Interest Group.
Rachael is Director of Abundant Life Clinical Psychology, a private practice in Brisbane, and she has been developing and facilitating private therapeutic groups since 2010.
She believes strongly in the unique capacity of a group of people to provide connection, acceptance and transformation. Courage to Connect grew from Rachael's experience of seeing many clients who deeply long for connection and belonging, while simultaneously finding it difficult to develop relationships that feel safe, reciprocal and fulfilling. This group has been specifically developed to address that gap.
Fees
$630
With a Mental Health Care Plan
$1330
Paying privately
Take the next step towards more connected, fulfilling relationships.
Registrations are now open. Complete the online form to register your interest in the group.
Register online