I offer several workshops focused on both trauma-specific and trauma-aware approaches for working specifically with adolescents. They include:
- Treating Trauma in Teens: Core concepts, meaningful metaphors, and field-tested strategies
- Putting the Pieces Together: Teens, trauma, and substance use disorders
- One in Six: Understanding and addressing sexual trauma in adolescent males
- Holy Therapy, Batman! The use of superhero narratives when counseling trauma-impacted adolescents
Descriptions can be found below. For more details or to schedule a workshop, contact me today.
TREATING TRAUMA IN TEENS: CORE CONCEPTS, MEANINGFUL METAPHORS, AND FIELD-TESTED STRATEGIES
Two-thirds of Americans experience some form of trauma by age 16. If left untreated, this can lead to a variety of emotional, behavioral, and developmental concerns for teens, including increased mental health challenges, substance-related issues, school failures, and a variety of behavioral concerns.
In this highly interactive daylong training, we’ll examine useful ways to conceptualize trauma among teens, identify the active ingredients for successful trauma therapy, and explore core clinical strategies unique to treating trauma in teens. Inspired by motivational interviewing, narrative therapy and the latest trauma research, these strategies are sure to increase engagement and improve treatment outcomes.
Learning Objective 1: Attendees will deepen their understanding of common trauma impacts, with a focus on how these impacts affect important developmental tasks among teen survivors.
Learning Objective 2: Attendees will identify the four Active Ingredients of effective trauma therapy. They will also explore developmentally appropriate strategies related to each Active Ingredient.
Learning Objective 3: Attendees will examine a variety of vivid field-tested metaphors that help reinforce important trauma concepts, the use of parts work with teen survivors, and other field-tested strategies for working with teen survivors.
Learning Objective 4: Attendees will examine Surviving Mode, the idea that teen survivors often engage in maladaptive coping strategies developed in an effort to manage trauma impacts and related distress. Attendees will also consider practical ideas f
This full day workshop is typically scheduled to run 9:00am to 4:30pm, with an hour lunch and two 15-minute breaks. Due it’s highly interactive design, it’s offered in-person only.
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.
ONE IN SIX: UNDERSTANDING AND ADDRESSING SEXUAL TRAUMA IN ADOLESCENT MALES
One in six American 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 wide variety of emotional, behavioral, and developmental concerns, including various mental health challenges, substance-related problems, school failures, and other lifelong concerns. This presentation will help develop skills and understanding to change this.
We’ll start by identifying common trauma impacts, exploring ways the Guy Code exacerbates these impacts, and examining important considerations specific to addressing sexual trauma in adolescent males. Along the way, we’ll identify the active ingredients and clinical competencies necessary for all successful trauma interventions. Inspired by motivational interviewing, narrative therapy, and trauma-informed approaches, these strategies are 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 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. They will also identify several practical, field-tested strategies for addressing the Guy Code, increasing engagement, and improving treatment outcomes.
This workshop runs three hours. It can be scheduled for online or in-person.
HOLY THERAPY, BATMAN! THE USE OF SUPERHERO NARRATIVES WHEN COUNSELING TRAUMA-IMPACTED ADOLESCENTS
In this presentation, we’ll examine the use of superhero narratives and metaphors when counseling trauma-impacted adolescents. We’ll explore ideas to increase engagement, build therapeutic alliance, and transform life stories. We’ll also consider the use of superhero imagery to address several challenging trauma-related topics, including grief, moral injury, and what happens if we take off our masks.
Along the way, we’ll consider core concepts from narrative therapy, a variety of evidence-based counseling approaches, and various field-tested strategies to help make trauma therapy accessible, engaging, and effective. Even if you have no idea who Bruce, Dick, Wanda, or Five are, this presentation will give you concrete ideas for transforming therapy with your adolescent clients.
Learning Objective 1: Attendees will explore several specific superhero metaphors appropriate for use with trauma-impacted adolescents, including exploring grief, moral injury, identify formation, and existential anxiety.
Learning Objective 2: Attendees will be able to identify practical strategies for introducing and integrating superhero metaphors into counseling sessions.
Learning Objective 3: Attendees will examine the role of nerd culture and fandoms in helping adolescent clients build therapeutic alliance, develop self-efficacy, and create community.
This workshop runs three hours. It can be scheduled for online or in-person.
TRAUMA INFORMED MINDFULNESS
Description coming soon.
This workshop runs three hours. Due it’s highly interactive design, it’s offered in-person only.