These workshops explore field-tested and evidence-based approaches for providing teens developmentally appropriate, effective therapy. Packed with practical strategies, stories from the field, and a bit of inspiration, the workshops include topics such as fostering therapeutic alliance, practical strategies for facilitating change, and creative approaches to counseling teens.
Offerings include:
- Reframing Resistance: Maybe teens aren’t stubborn, oppositional, or in denial
- Cultivating Rapport: Building transformative therapeutic alliances with teens
- Change Happens: Helping teens move from ambivalence to action
- Change Is in the Cards: Resolving ambivalence one game at a time
- Behavioral Addictions in Teens
Descriptions can be found below. These trainings provide 3 general CEUs each and are typically scheduled to include one 15-minute break. They can be presented in-person or online. For more details or to schedule a workshop, contact me today.
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.
CULTIVATING RAPPORT: BUILDING TRANSFORMATIVE THERAPEUTIC ALLIANCES WITH TEENS
Building therapeutic alliance can seem daunting to many clinicians, especially when working with hard-to-engage teens. However, studies show effective therapeutic alliances are absolutely essential for engagement, retention, and positive outcomes.
We’ll start this workshop by exploring the importance of developing effective alliances and identifying common reasons teens can be resistant to treatment. Then, we’ll develop practical skills for overcoming those obstacles by increasing our trustworthiness, nurturing connectedness, and embodying empathy. Along the way, we’ll explore the role of self-disclosure, field-tested strategies for engaging teens with insecure attachment styles, and more.
Learning Objective 1: Attendees will review evidence regarding the importance of therapeutic alliance, identify common reasons teens are often reluctant to engage in treatment, and examine relevant developmental considerations.
Learning Objective 2: Attendees will explore the role of therapist trustworthiness, identify behaviors that demonstrate trustworthiness, and examine the role of self-disclosure in cultivating rapport with teen participants.
Learning Objective 3: Attendees will develop and practice at least five practical skills to increase the willingness of teens to engage in counseling services.
CHANGE HAPPENS: HELPING TEENS MOVE FROM AMBIVALENCE TO ACTION
Change is a process, not an event. Many 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 , trans-theoretical 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.
CHANGE IS IN THE CARDS: RESOLVING AMBIVALENCE ONCE GAME AT A TIME
Adolescents in therapy are often ambivalent. In other words, they believe change is necessary, but also want to maintain the status quo. As helpers, we can become frustrated by these stalemates… or embrace them as opportunities to explore a wide variety of therapy themes.
In this highly interactive workshop, we’ll explore several therapy-appropriate card games — plus a few other favorite games — that help adolescents break their stalemates and engage in the process of change, as well as improve engagement, develop critical thinking skills, and practice emotion regulation. Along the way, we’ll deepen our understanding of the Stages of Change model, consider relevant developmental factors, and explore why change might just be in the cards.
Due to the highly interactive nature of this workshop, it’s only offered in-person.
Learning Objective 1: Attendees will deepen their working knowledge of the Stages of Change model, the role of ambivalence, and developmental factors related to fostering change in teen clients.
Learning Objective 2: Attendees will identify several therapy-appropriate card and board games, as well as useful strategies for effectively integrating these games into clinical settings.
Learning Objective 3: Attendees will examine several practical, field-tested strategies for engaging and effectively resolving ambivalence in adolescent clients.
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. Then, we’ll explore several field-tested strategies for helping teens recognize problems, resolve ambivalence, and leave their behavioral addictions behind.
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 identify specific, field-tested and evidence-based strategies useful in helping teens start moving away from problematic behaviors such as excessive gaming, pornography use, and social media.