Profound growth
RUBY JO WALKER, LCSW, SEP, CHT
Founder of Post-traumatic Growth Somatic Therapy • Somatic Experiencing Practitioner • Certified Hakomi Therapist
EXPLORE OUR TEAM BIOS & TRAININGS:
Ruby Jo Walker
By the age of 16, I was determined to turn my passion for helping people into becoming a social worker. Since then, I’ve conducted more than 31,000 therapy sessions and created dozens of trauma-informed trainings shaped by my expertise as a Certified Somatic Experiencing™ Therapist, Hakomi™ Certified Therapist, and Trainer for the Polyvagal Institute.
Certified Somatic Experiencing™ Therapist
Hakomi™ Certified Therapist
Trainer for the Polyvagal Institute
As a trauma-informed therapy trainer, I like to think of myself as the holder of holders; I’ll hold your strengths and your growing edges at the same time with love and compassion. My goal is to help you move more into yourself so you can help your clients move more into themselves.
In my work as a therapist and therapy trainer, I make it okay to be an imperfect human. Whether you’re a practitioner seeking a safe learning space or a client searching for healing, I strive to honor your unique journey and hold your essential goodness in mind, no matter what’s going on. This effort is more than empathy; it’s deep presence and profound acceptance of whatever is unfolding for you in a moment. Together, we must trust that unfolding.
At the heart of my work rumbles cutting-edge principles of polyvagal theory, neurobiology, an attachment-based perspective, resilience support, and a somatic lens. The beauty of neurobiology is that your brain and body send you signals of either safety or threat, and your biology picks that up moment to moment. Together, we can work on changing these and other deep patterns.
I’ve combined all I’ve learned from these separate studies to launch Post-Traumatic Growth Somatic Therapy™. I believe that neuroscience provides us with great maps of the human experience and that these maps help people navigate and even thrive through the challenges presented in their lives.
In short, my whole life has been about looking at growth and not letting things hold me back. My work as a therapist gives back to me in meaningful ways as I continue to teach and learn how neurobiology creates compassion for profound growth. This work is satisfying. It’s nourishing. I hope the same for you as I invite you to bring your humanness. Because, like you, I’m imperfect. Together, let’s find a way toward a brighter, healthier tomorrow with the support of more self-compassion, skills, and ways of being.
BIOGRAPHY
Ruby Jo Walker, LCSW, is an author, experienced (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) trauma therapist, and trainer sought for her expertise in Polyvagal Theory—specializing in the neurobiology of trauma and resilience. She is the founder of SW Trauma Training Services where she developed Post-Traumatic Growth Somatic Therapy, a unique combination of advanced somatic therapy practices rooted in neurobiology, resilience, trauma healing, and attachment theory, using applied Polyvagal Theory. Additionally, she is certified in Somatic Experiencing and Hakomi Mindfulness Therapy.
Ruby Jo's experience in the field of trauma spans over 30 years of training a wide range of professionals from various disciplines in Polyvagal-informed trauma protocols. Her work continues to impact psychotherapists, healthcare providers, trauma support agencies, behavioral health service groups, human service agencies, and attendees at Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence conferences. She has facilitated hundreds of trainings, providing expert guidance to help individuals and organizations better understand and address the impact and treatment of trauma for improved client outcomes and effectiveness in their work.
Ruby Jo has a passion for supporting professionals and clients incorporating an understanding of neurobiology to bring about deep change and transformation. Committed to her community, Ruby Jo served in a leadership role on a statewide task force that developed supportive resources for healthcare workers in Colorado during the 2020 pandemic. She is a contributing author of a Norton Press book on Somatic Therapies edited by Dr. Stephen Porges, PhD. slated to be published in 2025. In collaboration with Norton Press, Ruby Jo will publish her first book focusing on Applied Polyvagal Theory to Trauma Treatment in late 2025 (or early 2026).
“I believe polyvagal theory and neuroscience provides us with great maps of the human experience; these maps help people navigate and even thrive through the challenges presented in their lives with non-judgement and compassion.”
Chrishana Woody
ASSOCIATE TRAINER
An enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, Chrishana “CJ” Woody graduated from New Mexico Highlands University with a degree in clinical social work. Deeply committed to her personal recovery from substance abuse, she pursued a career in substance abuse counseling with court-mandated clients.
Uninspired by the top-down approach of her therapy training in the earlier days of her career, Chrishana connected with Ruby Jo at a trauma-informed training in Farmington, New Mexico, in 2016. Chrishana found Ruby Jo’s insights on polyvagal theory to be more aligned with her personal therapy philosophies and enrolled in Ruby Jo’s trauma-informed trainings in Durango, Colorado. Chrishana received her Post-traumatic Growth Somatic Therapy certification in 2017 and her Master of Social Work in 2020.
For the past six years, Chrishana has integrated her skills and knowledge in Post-traumatic Growth Somatic Therapy into her work with clients and their unique clinical