He received his M.A. in General Psychology and his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from The New School (The New School for Social Research) in New York, NY. After earning his degree, Dr. Sapp worked as a supervising psychologist at the Child and Family Guidance Center in Northridge, CA, for three years before going into private practice. He has since closed his practice and now works full-time as the CEO of the Trauma Resource Institute.

TRM

TRM is an innovative, biological skills-based approach to treating trauma founded by Elaine-Miller-Karas, LCSW and Laurie Leitch, Ph.D. It integrates elements of Somatic Experiencing, Sensory Integration Theory, Solution-Focused Psychotherapy, Eugene Gendlin’s Focusing, and neuroscience to provide a research-informed intervention for trauma recovery with particular emphasis on building resiliency. The model uses a set of nine skills to help stabilize the nervous system and can be used as an effective treatment model for recovery from all levels of stress (e.g., everyday stressors, complex traumas, etc.). 

As a Senior Trainer, Dr. Sapp...

• ...has helped train clinicians and non-clinicians throughout Southern California, New York, North Carolina, and other areas of the US through live virtual trainings.

• ...traveled with Ms. Miller-Karas to London, England, where they provided a TRM Level 1 training to various clinicians and community leaders devoted to helping victims of trauma.

• ...traveled with Ms. Miller-Karas to Reykjavik, Iceland, where they provided TRM Level 1 and Level 2 trainings to various clinicians and community leaders devoted to helping victims of trauma.

CRM

Six of the nine TRM skills are considered self-care wellness skills that can be practiced daily. These six wellness skills can be taught in isolation – referred to as the Community Resiliency Model (CRM). TRI has trained clinicians and non-clinicians alike, both domestically and internationally, to help their own community members implement the CRM wellness skills in order to recover from various local disasters (e.g., earthquakes, typhoons, war/refugees, etc.).

International Experiences

• In January 2014, Dr. Sapp accompanied Ms. Miller-Karas, and two other clinicians, to Cebu City where they spent two weeks training leaders from various NGOs throughout the Philippines to teach CRM skills to members of their own communities impacted by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). 

• In January, 2015, Dr. Sapp traveled with Ms. Miller-Karas, and a team of five other clinicians/interns to Istanbul, Turkey, where they spent one week training various community leaders and clinicians to teach the CRM skills to those heavily impacted by the Syrian refugee crisis.

• In August of that same year, Dr. Sapp returned to Istanbul, Turkey, with a smaller TRI team to provide follow-up training for some of the members of that original training.

• In July, 2016, Dr. Sapp traveled to Kathmandu, Nepal, as project leader for a team of 5 clinicians/CRM skills trainers to provide a CRM follow-up training for various community leaders working with those heavily impacted by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake in April, 2015.

• In January 2017, Dr. Sapp traveled to Hamburg, Germany, with a TRI team to provide a CRM Teacher Training to groups of community members and clinicians working with refugees who have been welcomed into their cities from Syria, Afghanistan, Irag, and war-torn areas.

General Psychology
 

Human Growth and Development
 

Abnormal Psychology
 

History and Systems of Psychology

Sensation and Perception