Adolescent self-harming behavior is on the rise and one of the most challenging presenting problems therapists will face today in their clinical practice settings. Therapists referred these clients are often intimidated by their cutting and burning behaviors, the DSM IV labels they have been given, and the army of helping professionals involved with them and their families. many of these adolescents have experienced multiple treatment failures, feel emotionally disconnected from their parents, and come from families where there may be difficulties with marital or post-divorce conflicts, invalidating family interactions, gender power imbalance issues, or family secrets. In this hands-on, practice-oriented workshop, participants will learn a collaborative, strengths-based therapy approach that capitalizes on the strengths and resources of the adolescent, family members, concerned peers, adult inspirational others, and involved helpers from larger systems to rapidly co-construct solutions
Most therapy is verbal and logical; most troubled teens are neither! Brain scans now explain why, and we need to connect with kids where they are. Adolescents respond to experiential and behavioral approaches. Successful intervention with teens includes activities engaging the body, mind, emotion and creativity to accomplish far more than talk therapy alone. Come experience several fun, interactive strategies immediately useful with teenage clients, no matter how withdrawn, hostile, or defensive they appear to be.
An interpersonal neurobiology approach to parenting helps psychotherapists promote secure attachment within families by nurturing the creation of coherent narratives of parents' early life experiences. This scientific view proposes that empathetic relationships making sense within our life stories, harmonious mental functioning and an integrated brain all mutually reinforce each other.
From a masterful storyteller, learn how to assess a client for metaphor therapy, how to tell stories that engage the client, how to make the stories metaphoric, and where to find sources for such tales. You will be guided through the step-by-step processes with illustrative case examples and simple, pragmatic exercises.
Founded upon the principles of Ericksonian Play Therapy and indigenous teachings, this workshop will provide therapists with creative tools for working with difficult or traumatized clients through StoryPiay®, a multi-cultural, heart-centered, indirective model of therapy that bypasses the quills of pathology and draws upon the natural inner resources, skills and strengths of each child, adolescent, adult or family member to generate healing, growth and change.
Children's emotional problems are increasing. Ericksonian approaches provide good psychotherapeutical processes and efficient brief therapy for young people. A neuropsychological basis supports a coherent theoretic frame which explains the origin of emotional problems and clarifies why brief Ericksonian solutions are efficient.
By tapping in on the child's natural tendency for curiosity and mastery, and utilizing the natural everyday hypnotic communication patterns within the family, it is possible to create a therapeutic "hypnotic space" within the family. The use of brief hypnotherapy from a family therapy frame can help the child/adolescent disengage from the individualistic problematic view, increasing the possibility for more lasting generative changes. Special attention will be given to the role of parents as active participants in this therapeutic process.
Few cases are as difficult for therapists as those involving the intentional harm of one family member against another. This course provides participants the fundamentals of the model for treating family injustice developed by The Family Therapist Institute Midwest and presented in the new book, Treating Families and Children in the Child Protective System: Strategies for Systemic Advocacy and Family Healing. Didactic, participant discussion and videotape examples explain the model and its application.