These trainings run 90 minutes each and are designed to be presented online or in-person. They’re excellent options for keynotes, staff meetings, or lunch-and-learn trainings. Offerings include:
- Reframing Resistance: Maybe Teens Aren’t Resistant, Stubborn, or In Denial
- Engaging Avoidant Teens: An Attachment Based Approach to Building Therapeutic Alliance
- Putting the Pieces Together: Teens, Trauma, and Substance Use Disorders
- One in Six: Understanding and Treating Sexual Trauma in Adolescent Males
Workshop descriptions are below.
REFRAMING RESISTANCE: MAYBE TEENS AREN’T STUBBORN, OPPOSITIONAL, OR IN DENIAL
Many teen clients seem unwilling, unengaged, or uninterested in therapy. That doesn’t mean they’re resistant, though. It means they don’t want to talk about their feelings with a stranger, learn shrink-wrapped coping skills, or identify measurable treatment goals. What teen would?
We’ll reframe this so-called resistance from developmental, attachment, and trauma-informed perspectives — to help us look beyond their initial reluctance and engage teen clients more effectively. Sometimes, that’s all it takes for the reluctance to disappear. Other times, we discover clients are stuck. In other words, they’re trapped in ineffective patterns of thinking and doing. We’ll explore that Stuckness, identify common exacerbating factors, and consider field-tested ideas for helping teens get unstuck.
Want more? This presentation is also offered in a three hour format, for a deeper exploration of the topics covered.
ENGAGING AVOIDANT TEENS: AN ATTACHMENT BASED APPROACH TO BUILDING THERAPEUTIC ALLIANCE
Avoidantly attached teens are often labeled resistant or oppositional. They’re likely to seem highly independent, defensive, or dismissive. They’re also likely to engage in treatment interfering behaviors, be suspicious of empathy, and consider helpers to be adversaries. Building effective therapeutic alliances with these teens can seem daunting to even the most seasoned counselor, yet is absolutely essential!
We’ll start this workshop by deepening our understanding of avoidant attachment style, especially among teens. Next, we’ll explore practical skills for increasing our trustworthiness, nurturing connectedness, and embodying empathy. Along the way, we’ll consider the role of self-disclosure, identify strategies for maintaining therapeutic presence, and explore other ways to become a much needed secure base for these teen clients.
Want more? Check out Cultivating Rapport, a three-hour workshop which provides a more in-depth exploration of therapeutic alliance with teens.
PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER: TEENS, TRAUMA, AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS
Studies show a strong connection between substance-related problems and trauma exposure. Unfortunately, in many treatment settings this connection goes unnoticed and unaddressed – resulting in endless cycles of maladaptive behaviors, multiple treatment failures, and ever-increasing stuckness.
In this highly interactive workshop, we’ll explore ways trauma exposure and substance use disorders exacerbate each other, increase our understanding of the stuckness this can lead to, and identify practical strategies for helping trauma-exposed clients get unstuck.
ONE IN SIX: UNDERSTANDING AND TREATING SEXUAL TRAUMA IN ADOLESCENT MALES
One in six males experience some form of sexual trauma, most before entering adulthood. Frequently, these experiences are dismissed, minimized, or ignored – by both the young man and the world in general. This can lead to a variety of emotional, behavioral, and developmental, including mental health challenges, substance-related issues, school failures, and other concerns.
We’ll start by deepening our knowledge of common trauma impacts, consider ways the Guy Code exacerbates these impact, and identify other developmental considerations. Then, we’ll identify the active ingredients for successful trauma therapy and explore a variety of field-tested approaches for working specifically with adolescent male survivors. Inspired by motivational interviewing, narrative therapy, and trauma-informed approaches, these strategies will increase engagement, improve treatment outcomes, and start the process of healing.