These full day workshops explore a variety of field-tested and evidence-based approaches for providing teens developmentally appropriate, effective, and transformative therapy. Packed with practical strategies, stories from the field, and a bit of inspiration, the workshops explore topics such as fostering therapeutic alliance, facilitating change, and more.
Offerings include:
- Treating Trauma in Teens: Core Concepts, Meaningful Metaphors, and Field-Tested Strategies
- Behind the Mask: Trauma and Depression in Adolescent Males
- Mindfulness with Teens: Field Tested Strategies for Increasing Presence, Intention, and Non-Judgment
- Change Happens: Clinical Applications of Experiential Learning
Descriptions can be found below. These trainings provide 6 general CEUs each and are typically scheduled 9:00am to 4:30pm, with one hour-long lunch break and two 15-minute break. For more details or to schedule a presentation, contact me today.
TREATING TRAUMA IN TEENS: CORE CONCEPTS, MEANINGFUL METAPHORS, AND FIELD-TESTED STRATEGIES
Two-thirds of all Americans experience some form of trauma by age 16. If left untreated, this often leads to a variety of emotional, behavioral, and developmental concerns — including increased mental health challenges, substance-related issues, school failures, and more.
In the first half of this highly interactive workshop, we’ll examine useful ways to conceptualize trauma among teens, identify the active ingredients for successful trauma therapy, and explore core clinical strategies for understanding and treating trauma in teens. Inspired by motivational interviewing, narrative therapy and the latest trauma research, these strategies are sure to increase engagement and improve treatment outcomes.
Teens impacted by trauma are doing the best they can with limited resources and skills to manage hyper-vigilance, intrusive thoughts, and other trauma impacts. We can think of this as Surviving Mode. In the second half of this workshop, we’ll look at proven strategies to help teens move beyond Surviving Mode — including ideas for widening their windows of tolerance, engaging in trauma-informed mindfulness, and addressing even the most intrusive thoughts.
BEHIND THE MASK: TRAUMA AND DEPRESSION IN ADOLESCENT MALES
Trauma exposure and depression are common among adolescent males. Unfortunately, these young men frequently go undiagnosed and untreated, often because they don’t exhibit typical diagnostic criteria. Instead — after a lifetime being told boys don’t cry — they appear angry, oppositional, self-destructive, or simply numb. They hide behind these masks, pushing away the world and hoping nobody notices they’re actually sad, lonely, vulnerable boys.
In this workshop, we’ll develop the knowledge and skills to look behind those masks and effectively address the trauma and depression that hides underneath. We’ll do this by the increasing our understanding of the Guy Code, exploring the Stuckness that often results, and identifying field-tested strategies for helping these young men start moving forward. Since this often includes Big Questions about death, meaninglessness, and isolation, we’ll also consider strategies for exploring the existential themes often hidden behind their masks.
MINDFULNESS WITH TEENS: FIELD TESTED STRATEGIES FOR INCREASING INTENTION, PRESENCE, AND NON-JUDGMENT
Research shows that practicing mindfulness can be extremely helpful to those challenged by depression, anxiety, ADHD, substance use disorders, and more. In fact, mindfulness is an essential component of evidence-based practices such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
However, the abstract nature of mindfulness can make it challenging to teach in ways that are meaningful and translate into the daily lives of many teen clients. In fact, those clients who would find mindfulness the most difficult to practice — due to significant impulse control issues, extreme hyper-vigilance, or chronic chaos-making behaviors — are generally the ones who would most benefit from it!
Our task as helpers, then, is to present mindfulness in ways that are concrete, accessible and provide obvious value. This workshop will focus on strategies for doing just that. Along the way, we’ll also develop a deeper understanding of mindfulness, review the evidence supporting clinical applications of mindfulness, and develop practical skills for integrating mindfulness into our own work as professional helpers.
Workshop attendees can expect to:
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- Review evidence supporting the use of mindfulness with teens.
- Develop practical skills for integrating mindfulness into both individual and group sessions.
- Explore specific strategies for integrating mindfulness into the treatment of depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, and impulsive behaviors.
- Consider the importance of trauma aware approaches to mindfulness and identify specific strategies that help make mindfulness more trauma-informed.
- Engage in over a dozen field-tested treatment-appropriate activities that help make mindfulness concrete, accessible, and effective when working with teens.
CHANGE HAPPENS: CLINICAL APPLICATIONS OF EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
Description coming soon.