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09-211b
Treating Childhood Anxiety Disorders
Edward H. Plimpton, Ph.D.
NOT AVAILABLE
This seminar will provide an overview of anxiety disorders seen in childhood and how a combination of narrative and cognitive behavior therapy can be used in the treatment of these conditions. The relative interaction of biological variables and environmental variables will be reviewed with a consideration of research with nonhuman primates.
The issue of how to diagnose conditions such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Selective Mutism, Separation Anxiety and Social Phobia will be considered along with common problem of comorbid conditions such as Bipolar Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Case examples will be provided to illustrate how to implement a treatment plan.
Faculty: Edward H. Plimpton, Ph.D. – Clinical psychologist, Children’s Clinic, Cutchins Programs for Children and Families, Northampton, MA. Private practice, Northampton, MA. Author and lecturer in a wide range of topics related to children, adolescents and parent guidance/family therapy.
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09-212b
A Family Therapy Approach to Divorce and Remarriage
Charlotte Spiegelman, L.C.S.W.
NOT AVAILABLE
This workshop will look at divorce and remarriage as crises leading to reconfigurations rather than to endings of family relationships. It will provide a systemic model for helping families negotiate change while maintaining connections. Practical clinical techniques will be taught using case material brought by presenter and participants.
Faculty: Charlotte Spiegelman, L.C.S.W. – Private Practice, Los Angeles, Adjunct Faculty: Smith College School for Social Work, University of Southern California School of Social Work, Southern California Counseling Center.
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09-213b
Helping the Traumatized Child in the Classroom
Bonnie L. Atkins, L.I.C.S.W.
Alice Barber, M.S., L.M.H.C., A.T.R.-B.C.
For the traumatized child, the tasks of cognitive and social/emotional learning in a school environment can be overwhelming. For the school staff, understanding the complex needs of and providing the supports necessary for this child to grow and learn successfully can be challenging. This course is designed specifically for school-based therapists and for therapists who provide consultation to classrooms. Included in this course is an overview of childhood trauma, how trauma visibly and invisibly manifests within the classroom, how trauma impacts the body and brain (and therefore the learning) of the child, and how teachers and other staff can ease the school day, both physically and emotionally, for this child. Special attention will also be given to the position of the school-based therapist and his or her role as teacher of the teachers around this important topic.
Faculty:
Bonnie L. Atkins, L.I.C.S.W. - Clinical Associate, James Levine and Associates, South Hadley and Westfield, MA; Psychotherapist, Behavioral Health Network, Holyoke, MA; Co-Coordinator, Smith College School for Social Work Community Internship Program, Northampton, MA; Volunteer, Aditus, Inc., East Longmeadow, MA.
Alice Barber, M.S., L.M.H.C., A.T.R.-B.C. - Clinician, James Levine and Associates, P.C., Westfield, MA; former Clinician Mt. Tom Mental Health Center, Holyoke, MA.
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09-214b
Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation
Laurie Kabb, L.C.S.W.
NOT AVAILABLE
Young children and their families are coming to the attention of the mental health field earlier and more frequently than in years past. The wisdom of investment in this population has been well established by the fields of social service, education, public health, mental health and economics. Consequently, public and private sources are funding early childhood mental health consultation services to human services, child care, early intervention programs, preschools, and mental health agencies.
In this seminar we will explore different models of infant and early childhood mental health consultation and the range of approaches in different settings serving infants and young children. Participants will learn and discuss effective ways to initiate work in these settings, including building relationships specific to the programs, developing realistic contracts, helping staff build their capacity for working with young children and families, and monitoring and evaluating the consultation relationship. They will examine the role of the consultant in promoting positive relationships in the context of culturally sensitive practice. The seminar will address the essential components of effective consultation including the value of inclusion, reflective practice, relationship based work, strengths based orientation, the importance of identifying and working with parallel process, and sustainability. Participants will discuss the challenges encountered in the consultation process and learn some strategies to address these challenges, including interventions responsive to systemic issues that arise in the work. The seminar will address consultant self-assessment and professional development in this complex multi-disciplinary field. Finally, participants will learn ways to establish and maintain a support network for consultants.
Faculty: Laurie Kabb, L.C.S.W. teaches the Integrative Seminar for students in the Master’s in Child Development Program. Director of Prevention Initiative for the Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Project at Erikson Institute. Consultant for the Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership’s ECMHC Project. She maintains a private practice in clinical social work in Chicago.
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09-221b
From Security to Disorganization: Attachment in Child Therapy across the Clinical Spectrum
Karen Zilberstein, M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W.
Research on attachment has proliferated in the past few years, making it one of the leading theories for understanding developmental psychopathology and its treatment. While individuals with secure attachments tend to have the best developmental outcomes, including the best responses to treatment, those with the poorest attachments show the greatest rates of psychopathology and can be extremely difficult to treat. This seminar provides an overview of attachment theory and research, including an in-depth look at attachment relationships and how they influence both brain and general development. It explores how attachments form, the different types of attachments and their presentations at different ages, the clinical assessment of attachment and the interaction of attachment with various other problems - such as trauma and learning disabilities. Using this knowledge of attachment as a foundation, the course will explore the implications of attachment theory for a range of child therapeutic decisions such as clinical modalities and therapeutic interventions.
Faculty: Karen Rothblatt Zilberstein, M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W. -Adjunct Instructor, Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, MA; Private Practice, Northampton, MA; Presenter, Camp To Belong, NASW Biennial Symposium, Child and Family Services, The Children’s Clinic and Northampton Public Schools. Author of numerous journal publications.
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09-222b
Strengthening Stepfamilies: A Developmental Journey
Elizabeth Einstein, M.A., L.M.F.T.
NOT AVAILABLE
In spite of the high remarriage divorce rates, stepfamilies can succeed - when professionals who work with them understand the realities of stepfamily living. Your awareness of how stepfamilies differ in development, structure and process will make you more effective in working with this complex family system and its inherent challenges. During this fast-paced and creative day, participants learn a “trail map” to guide families through their challenging developmental path. The course is based in family systems and developmental theory and consists of four learning components: The Stepfamily Journey—Not for Wimps; Teenage Trouble Spots for Stepkids; Bonds, Boundaries & Stumbling Blocks; and using Satir’s process Model of Change to work with stepfamilies. Each teaching block includes an experiential component to lock in the learning.
Faculty: Elizabeth Einstein, M.A., L.M.F.T. is a Marriage and Family Therapist, author, workshop presenter and one of America’s leaders in the dynamics of stepfamily relationships. Her books and educational materials have been used throughout the country by single- parents, remarried couples and professionals who help stepfamilies resolve their challenges. Her newest book, Strengthening Your Stepfamily (Impact Publishers), was released in 2006. In March 2007, she co-authored Active Parenting for Stepfamilies, a video-based “teach out of the box” educational program with Dr. Michael Popkin. It won a national Telly Award for excellence. Ms. Einstein was the founding editor of Stepfamily Bulletin and served on the first Board of Directors of the Stepfamily Association of America, now the National Stepfamily Resource Center.
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09-223b
Autism Spectrum Disorders and Cumulative Traumatic Experience:
Do Contemporary Biopsychosocial Interventions Adequately Address the Diverse Needs of Autistic Children?
Joseph Smith, Ph.D., L.C.S.W.-R., C.A.S.A.C.
NOT AVAILABLE
Autism and related developmental disorders are challenging conditions for individuals and their families. Clinicians, teachers and caregivers may not be aware of the increasing demands/expectations that are placed on these children in various contexts. It is suggested that these children often develop symptoms that are similar to individuals who have experienced trauma. In an effort to acquire the best possible treatments for autism, do we fail to notice the day to day experiences of these children/youth? Is it possible that our present initiatives may be contributing in maladaptive ways? This presentation will critically review historical and contemporary strategies for treating autism. It will address the complexity of autism as a medical, psychological and social disorder requiring specialized intervention during critical periods. It will consider the relationship between ASD disorders and trauma. Finally, it will address ways in which social work practitioners can assess for and concurrently address trauma in the treatment of ASD disorders.
Faculty: Joseph L. Smith, Ph.D., L.C.S.W.-R., C.A.S.A.C. - Research Advisor and Adjunct Instructor, Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, MA; Social Science Department Coordinator, Professor and Chemical Dependency Studies Program Chair, Tompkins Cortland Community College, Dryden, NY; Clinical Social Worker and Coordinator, Enable, Syracuse; NY. Clinical Social Worker, St. Joseph’s Hospital Psychiatric Outpatient Services, Syracuse, NY; Author and presenter.
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09-224b
The Legacy of Developmental Trauma:
Treating Complex Trauma in Adolescents and Families
Martha B. Straus, Ph.D.
Many adolescents seen in treatment have endured complex trauma. Its impact registers on every level from the cellular to the societal. The children are affected neurologically, cognitively, physically, emotionally, behaviorally, socially, and spiritually. They suffer from the cumulative legacy of insecure and unstable attachments, domestic violence, abuse, neglect, multiple placements, and all of the attendant losses along the way, and are usually our most anxious, terrified, defiant, complicated–and mystifying–clients. Caring for them can also be overwhelming. Family members (and other caregivers) frequently suffer from vicarious traumatization or retraumatization while trying to contain and support them, adding another challenging layer of impact. By the time these adolescents reach adulthood, many systems are likely to have intervened to try to help them. But current expenditures for special education, healthcare, therapy and social services appear to be insufficient to stem the full gamut of negative physical and psychosocial outcomes including pregnancy, substance abuse, juvenile delinquency charges, mental health problems, school dropping out and serious chronic and acute medical problems. Complex trauma fills our hospitals and our jails; untreated, it is likely to be passed along to the next generation.
In this highly practical workshop, Dr. Straus will describe the impact and legacy of developmental trauma on adolescents and families, and offer dozens of effective interventions that you’ll be able to take to the office right away. We will also examine the cumulative and synergistic effects of fostering resilience in the face of great vulnerability. At the end of the course, you’ll know about: building teams that can offer multiple attachment relationships, improving executive functioning, reducing anxiety, unmasking agendas, devising joyful consequences (and using “time-in”), regulating affect, decreasing dissociative coping, fostering competencies and social skills, and developing coherent narratives. Through lecture and case examples, Dr. Straus will give you reasons to be hopeful, and confidence that you can help.
Faculty: Martha Straus, Ph.D. is a professor in the Department of Clinical Psychology at Antioch University New England Graduate School in Keene, New Hampshire, and adjunct instructor in psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical School. She maintains a small private practice in Brattleboro, VT and consults to schools, social service agencies and courts. Dr. Straus is the author of numerous articles and four books including No-Talk Therapy for Children and Adolescents, and more recently, Adolescent Girls in Crisis: Intervention and Hope. Dr. Straus trains and conducts workshops internationally.
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09-225b
Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Children and Adolescents
Margaret Miller, Ed.D.
Clinicians who treat children and adolescents often worry that they lack the particular skills and knowledge to treat children who have been sexually abused or have witnessed domestic violence. While therapists usually know more than they think they do, there are particular clinical issues and symptoms that this population presents, whether they fit the diagnostic criteria for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or not, that need particular attention. Not only are these children struggling with the psychological impact of abuse and/or violence but their daily lives are often turned upside down. This course will discuss in detail the various stressors that these children face, that are unique to the trauma they have survived, including talking with the police, the involvement of child protective services, and the court process. We will explore the similarities and differences between these two populations, their psychological issues, behavioral difficulties, symptoms, family dynamics and the physiological impact of trauma. Following a stage model of treatment, we will look at assessment questions, treatment strategies, activities that can be used at each stage of treatment, theoretical models including non-directive vs. directed play therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy and the use of group treatment. Specific attention will be paid to supporting and helping non-offending caretakers, whose response to the child victim is pivotal in the child’s recovery.
Faculty: Margaret Miller, Ed.D. - Psychologist, Private Practice, Northampton, MA; Clinical Director, Family Advocacy Center, Springfield, MA; Staff Psychologist, Franklin Clinical Associates and Family Counseling Center, Greenfield, MA; Staff Psychologist, South Shore Mental Health Center, Quincy, MA; Experienced guidance counselor, consultant and researcher.
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09-231b
Narrative Approaches in Family Therapy
Beth Prullage, L.I.C.S.W.
NOT AVAILABLE
In this workshop, participants will be introduced to Narrative Therapy, a theoretical perspective popularized in the 1990s that has been applied to work with families, individuals and groups. Participants will observe a demonstration interview, will practice narrative techniques in small groups, and will discuss the application of the ideas to their own work with clients. The instructor will also provide practice examples from her own work with diverse populations in a range of clinical settings.
Faculty: Beth Prullage, L.I.C.S.W. has studied with Michael White and the Dulwich Centre teaching faculty, Adelaide, Australia; Post-Graduate Diploma in Narrative Therapy in 2003.
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09-232b
Play Therapy with Children
Alice Barber, M.S., L.M.H.C., A.T.R.-B.C.
Play has long been recognized as a primary way in which children express emotions, try on different roles, experiment with big ideas and tell stories. It is the language they speak eloquently. It is also the language that we, as therapists, must continue to learn to understand. The focus of this seminar is on the use of play in therapeutic relationships with children and adolescents. Beginning with the history of play within the context of psychotherapy and current theoretical models, this course will be both experiential and didactic in its presentation. The developmental stages of children’s play, themes and stages within a play therapy relationship, specific play therapy techniques and therapeutic limit-setting by the clinician will be discussed. Attention will also be given to distinctions between directive and non-directive play therapy, environmental and material concerns, and the diagnostic implications of children who do not engage in imaginative play. Specific case studies will be examined and time will be available for case consultation by participants.
Faculty: Alice Barber, M.S., L.M.H.C., A.T.R.-B.C. - Clinician, James Levine and Associates, P.C., Westfield, MA; former Clinician Mt. Tom Mental Health Center, Holyoke, MA.
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09-233b
Working with Difficult Adolescents: Advanced Treatment Strategies from an Object Relations and Relational Perspective
Susan Bliss, Ph.D., L.C.S.W.
NOT AVAILABLE
This seminar is geared toward practitioners who are interested in further developing their theoretical grounding as well as refining intervention strategies with difficult adolescents. The seminar will begin with a review of object relations theorists including Winnicott, Klein, Kernberg and Fairbairn and understanding their contributions as they relate specifically to adolescents. We will also touch on the writing of several Relational theorists such as Aron, Wachtel, and Renick, again applying their thinking to work with adolescents. Using theory as a foundation, we will re-examine the meaning of adolescent behaviors such as eating disorders, substance abuse, self-mutilation, and suicide. Case material from the instructor and participants will be used to focus on strategies for understanding the communications of adolescents and working with resistance, transference and countertransference, and projective processes in the treatment situation. There will be special consideration given to understanding borderline and narcissistic personality disorders in adolescence and the difficult treatment challenges they present, such as denigrating the therapist, silence, missed appointments, and dangerous acting-out between sessions.
Faculty: Susan Bliss, Ph.D., L.C.S.W. - Adjunct instructor Southern CT State University. Private practice, Ridgefield, CT. Former Senior Clinical Lecturer in Social Work, Adolescent Department, Tavistock Centre, London, UK. Former Psychotherapist, American Psychotherapy Associates, London, UK. Author.
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09-234b
Emerging Adults Living at Home: The New American Family Paradigm
Martha Straus, Ph.D.
NOT AVAILABLE
Twenty five million young adults in the U.S. between 20 and 34 reside at home. These emerging adults and their parents, across bounds of race, class, and geography, are struggling to manage a changing world of expectations within and beyond the family, offering unique challenges and opportunities for therapeutic support. In this course, we will consider the perfect storm of psychological, social, systemic, economic, and cultural factors that have led to a paradigm shift, redefining family relationships, the developmental transition to adulthood-and even what it means to be an adult. We will critically examine the assumptions underlying traditional psychological thought that hold--to the detriment of these young adults and their families-that separation and individuation must be the gold standard of parenting. Through a developmental-attachment lens, we will explore the new paradigm of “bungee families:” emerging adults and their Boomer parents, mutually connected and living together--usually through some combination of choice and necessity. Within this compassionate (and evidence-based) model of lifespan interdependence, we will consider assessment and treatment strategies for the range of young adult “bungees”: impoverished but successful in other dimensions, immature, emotionally struggling, temporarily regrouping, transitioning for a year or two, parenting, caring for others-including, sometimes, their parents-- substance addicted, or chronically physically or psychologically unwell. We will also discuss strategies for assisting the comparably diverse and often bewildered population of new “bungee” parents--and grandparents.
Faculty: Martha Straus, Ph.D. - is a professor in the Department of Clinical Psychology at Antioch University New England Graduate School in Keene, New Hampshire, and adjunct instructor in psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical School. She maintains a small private practice in Brattleboro, VT and consults to schools, social service agencies and courts. Dr. Straus is the author of numerous articles and four books including No-Talk Therapy for Children and Adolescents, and more recently, Adolescent Girls in Crisis: Intervention and Hope. Dr. Straus trains and conducts workshops internationally.
Click here for learning objectives and bibliography
09-235b
Parenting Coordinators:
Social Work in the Judicial System
TBA
NOT AVAILABLE
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Weekend A: June 13-15, 2009 >
Weekend B: June 18-20, 2009 >
Weekend C: July 16-18, 2009>
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All Seminars
Evolving Theories
(Weekend A):
June 11-13, 2009
Children/Adolescents
(Weekend B):
June 18-20, 2009
Current Trends
(Weekend C):
July 16-18, 2009
Summer Seminar
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