I’ve presented over 100 times at international, national, and regional conferences. These shorter presentations are some of the most popular of those. They run about 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.
- Reframing Resistance: Maybe teens aren’t stubborn, oppositional, or in denial
- 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
- Behavioral Addictions In Teens
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?
In this workshop, we’ll reframe this so-called resistance from developmental, attachment, and trauma-informed perspectives — to help us look beyond this initial reluctance, engage teen clients more effectively, and help them get unstuck. Packed with practical strategies, stories from the field, and a bit of inspiration, this workshop is sure to transform your clinical work with teens.
Learning Objective 1: Attendees will examine resistance among teens using developmental, attachment, and trauma lenses. This includes identifying ways these lenses are useful for reframing treatment reluctance among teen clients, as well as practical strategies for improving engagement, willingness, and treatment outcomes.
Learning Objective 2: Attendees will explore the idea of Stuckness, including common exacerbating factors such as stalled identity development, developmental debt, and minority stress.
Learning Objective 3: Attendees will review current research related to treatment reluctance among teens, the importance of trauma-informed strategies, and the role of therapeutic alliance when working with this population.
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 — resulting in endless cycles of maladaptive behaviors, multiple treatment failures, and ever-increasing stuckness.
This highly interactive presentation offers practical, effective steps to change this –by exploring ways trauma exposure and substance use disorders exacerbate each other, increasing our understanding of the stuckness this can lead to, and identifying practical strategies for helping trauma-exposed teens get unstuck.
Learning Objective 1: Attendees will increase their understanding of trauma impacts, substance use disorders, and the connection between them., especially among teens.
Learning Objective 2: Attendees will identify the difference between trauma-informed and trauma-specific treatment approaches, and explore appropriate field-tested strategies within their scope of competence.
Learning Objective 3: Attendees will develop practical skills for creating rapport, fostering change, and helping clients get unstuck.
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 will 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 avoidant 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 challenges, 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.
BEHAVIORAL ADDICTIONS AMONG TEENS
Behavioral addictions — such as excessive gaming, problematic porn use, and online gambling — have been on the rise since the pandemic, especially among teens. Unfortunately, very few counselors have any training or experience treating 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 field-tested strategies for helping teens recognize problems, resolve ambivalence, and make change.
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 identify specific strategies useful is helping teens start moving away from problematic behaviors such as gaming, pornography use, and social media.