I’ve presented over 100 times at international, national, and regional conferences. These shorter presentations are some of the most popular of those presentations. They run 75 to 90 minutes each and can be presented online or in-person. They’re excellent options for keynotes, conference break-outs, staff meetings, or other similar events.
- Putting the Pieces Together: Teens, trauma, and substance use disorders
- Engaging Avoidant Teens: An attachment based approach to building therapeutic alliance
- One in Six: Understanding and treating sexual trauma in adolescent males
- What Are Behavioral Addictions?
Workshop descriptions are below.
PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER: TEENS, TRAUMA, AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS
Studies show a strong connection between substance-related problems 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 maladaptive use of substances 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.
ENGAGING AVOIDANT TEENS: AN ATTACHMENT BASED APPROACH TO BUILDING THERAPEUTIC ALLIANCE
Avoidantly attached teens are often labeled resistant, oppositional, or stubborn. 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 any helper an adversary. Building effective therapeutic alliances with these teens can seem daunting to even the most seasoned counselor, yet is absolutely essential.
We’ll start this presentation by deepening our understanding of avoidant attachment style, especially among teens. Then, 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 teens.
Learning Objective 1: Attendees will review core ideas from attachment theory and attachment-based therapy, with a focus on understanding avoidant attachment style in teens. They’ll also identify relevant developmental considerations and explore practical ideas for integrating this knowledge into their clinical work.
Learning Objective 2: Attendees will examine the role of therapeutic trustworthiness when working with avoidant teens, explore behaviors that demonstrate trustworthiness, and consider the role of self-disclosure in cultivating rapport with avoidant teen clients.
Learning Objective 3: Attendees will explore field-tested strategies for creating connectedness, maintaining therapeutic presence, and increasing the willingness of avoidantly attached teens to engage in counseling.
ONE IN SIX: UNDERSTANDING AND ADDRESSING SEXUAL TRAUMA IN ADOLESCENT MALES
One in six males will 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 wide variety of emotional, behavioral, and developmental concerns, such as various mental health concerns, substance-related issues, school failures, and other lifelong challenges.
We’ll start this highly interactive presentation by deepening our knowledge of common trauma impacts, identifying ways the Guy Code exacerbates these impacts, and exploring important considerations specific to addressing sexual trauma in adolescent males. Then, we’ll examine the active ingredients necessary for any successful trauma therapy and explore a variety of field-tested strategies sure to increase engagement, improve treatment outcomes, and start the process of healing.
Learning Objective 1: Attendees will deepen their knowledge of common trauma impacts — such as vigilance, intrusion, contraction, and avoidance — with a specific focus on ways these impacts commonly present among adolescent male survivors.
Learning Objective 2: Attendees will identify the active ingredients necessary for any successful trauma therapy, with a specific focus on their effective application when working with adolescent male survivors.
Learning Objective 3: Attendees will increase their understanding of the Guy Code and ways it can complicate trauma therapy for adolescent males, as well as practical, field-tested strategies for addressing the Guy Code, increasing engagement, and improving treatment outcomes.
WHAT ARE BEHAVIORAL ADDICTIONS?
Behavioral addictions — such as excessive gaming, problematic porn use, and online gambling — have been on the rise since the pandemic. Unfortunately, few counselors have much knowledge regarding them. This presentation will help change that.
We’ll start this highly interactive presentation by deepening our understanding of behavioral addictions. Then, we’ll explore reasons behavioral addictions develop, the role of dopamine, their co-morbidity with substance use, and why some substance have a heightened risk of addiction.
Learning Objective 1: Attendees will deepen their understanding of what behavioral addictions are — including developing a practical definition, exploring diagnostic criteria, and identifying common examples.
Learning Objective 2: Attendees will explore the role of dopamine in creating addictive behaviors, as well as other factors that contribute to some behaviors becoming addictive in teens.
Learning Objective 3: Attendees will explore three specific reasons some substances have heightened risk of addiction.