I offer several workshops focused on understanding and addressing substance-related concerns and behavioral addictions in teens. They include:
- Putting the Pieces Together: Teens, trauma, and substance use disorders
- Behavioral Addictions in Teens
- Untangling the Rainbow: Understanding and addresisng substance-related problems in queer teens
- From Ambivalence to Action: Fostering change in teens with substance use disorders
Descriptions can be found below. For more details or to schedule a workshop, contact me today.
PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER: TEENS, TRAUMA, AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS
Studies show an extremely strong connection between substance-related issues and trauma exposure, especially in teens. Unfortunately, in many treatment settings this connection goes unnoticed and unaddressed, which can result in endless cycles of maladaptive behaviors, multiple treatment failures, escalating substance use, and ever-increasing stuckness.
In this highly interactive presentation, we’ll explore practical, effective steps to change this, by examining ways trauma exposure and substance use exacerbate each other, increasing our understanding of the resulting stuckness, and identifying field-tested strategies for helping trauma-exposed teens get unstuck.
Learning Objective 1: Attendees will increase their understanding of trauma impacts among teens, the use of substances as an attempt to mitigate these impacts, and ways trauma exposure and substance use often exacerbate each others.
Learning Objective 2: Attendees will identify the difference between trauma-informed and trauma-specific treatment approaches, effective field-tested strategies for both, and the ethical importance of practicing within one’s scope of competence.
Learning Objective 3: Attendees will explore several field-tested clinical skills for quickly creating rapport, fostering change among reluctant youth, and applying the Stages of Change when working with trauma-exposed substance-using teens.
My most popular half-day workshop, Putting the Pieces Together runs three hours. It can be scheduled for online or in-person.
BEHAVIORAL ADDICTIONS IN TEENS
Behavioral addictions — such as excessive gaming, problematic pornography use, and online gambling — have been on the rise since the pandemic, especially among teens. Unfortunately, very few counselors have any training or practical experience treating them. This highly interactive presentation will help change that.
We’ll start by identifying common behavioral addictions in teens, exploring reasons they develop, examining the role of dopamine, and more. Next, we’ll apply this information by taking a deeper look at problematic pornography use, with attention given to the unique challenges of addressing this behavioral addiction in teens.
Along the way, we consider a variety of important ideas, field-tested interventions, and practical considerations for addressing behavioral addictions in teens.
Learning Objective 1: Attendees will develop a working definition of behavioral addiction. This will include identifying examples common among teens, exploring the role of dopamine, and considering various factors that contribute to some behaviors becoming addictive.
Learning Objective 2: Attendees will apply this new knowledge by exploring problematic pornography use, among teens, including prevalence, challenges unique to addressing the topic with teen, and practical ideas for managing personal biases and discomfort.
Learning Objective 1: Attendees will engage in an in-depth case study to apply this new new information to actual clinical situations.
This workshop runs three hours. It can be scheduled for online or in-person.
UNTANGLING THE RAINBOW: UNDERSTANDING AND ADDRESSING SUBSTANCE-RELATED PROBLEMS IN QUEER TEENS
Evidence shows that queer teens engage in disproportionately high rates of substance use — often using substances as a maladaptive coping mechanism to numb social isolation, identity-related trauma, gender dysphoria, and family rejection. We’ll start this highly interactive presentation by exploring how these challenges lead to increased substance use—and considering ways to navigate sometimes unchangeable external challenges.
Addressing substance use in queer teens can feel intimidating for many therapists. After all, most mental health professionals have little training or experience treating substance-related concerns. With that in mind, in this presentation we’ll examine practical strategies for addressing substance use with queer teens — including field-tested strategies for starting this conversation, resolving ambivalence, and addressing the functionality of use.
Along the way, we’ll also identify ideas for providing trauma-informed, affirming care to the queer teens who find their way to our offices and other clinical spaces.
Learning Objective 1: Attendees will identify risk factors leading to increased substance-related concerns among queer teens, including gender dysphoria, social isolation, and family rejection.
Learning Objective 2: Attendees will deepen their understanding of ways identity-related trauma can impact queer teens and other marginalized groups.
Learning Objective 3: Attendees will explore several field-tested strategies for addressing substance use, resolving ambivalence, and providing affirming care to queer teen clients.
This workshop runs three hours. It can be scheduled for online or in-person.
FROM AMBIVALENCE TO ACTION: FOSTERING CHANGE IN TEENS WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS
Change is a process, not an event. Many substance using teens enter counseling with minimal commitment to this process. Instead, they seem resistant, stubborn, or in denial. Our goal as professional helpers isn’t to talk them into action — that wouldn’t work anyway — but to help them resolve their ambivalence about change, find their own motivation, and start moving forward. If we can make the process fun, even better!
We’ll start this workshop by examining core ideas from Motivational Interviewing and the Stages of Change model — two evidence-based approaches for facilitating transformative change. Then we’ll explore stage-specific interventions, strategies for integrating change-talk into every session, and field-tested ideas for facilitating change with teens. Along the way, we’ll examine developmental considerations, review the neuroscience of it all, and laugh a little.
Learning Objective 1: Attendees will develop a working knowledge of the Stages of Change. This includes developmentally appropriate, field-tested strategies for intervening at each stage.
Learning Objective 2: Attendees will review core concepts from Motivational Interviewing, with an emphasis on developmentally useful application of these concepts when counseling teens.
Learning Objective 3: Attendees will explore relevant ideas from neuroscience, including strategies for making new learning “sticky” and the importance of fun when facilitating change.
This workshop runs three hours. Due to it’s highly interactive nature, it is offered in-person only.