Families in Crisis: Empowering Parents with Strategies To Help the High Risk Adolescent

Let’s face it; therapists who specialize in working with teens and their parents know all too well the out-of-control teens being brought in for therapy by parents who have been riding the roller coaster with them.  Whether the teen has a substance abuse problem, exhibits reckless/angry and defiant behavior, is failing out of school and has lost all motivation to achieve positive goals, is disrespectful to those around them, or has an eating disorder; family and parents can be a part of the problem as well at the solution.

This class will expand the therapist’s range of interventions that can empower parents and focus on how to disrupt the aggressive and emotional dilemmas of teenagers. This class will include guidelines to help professionals set clear goals; assist in helping parents’ set limits, help teens in crisis reclaim their childhoods, and dilute the crisis so that underlying family dynamics can be addressed.

**As a part of this workshop, we will view and discuss the documentary “Someday Melissa”, the true story of a 19 year old who lost her life to an eating disorder and also battled with depression and addictive behaviors that profoundly affected her self-esteem, academic success, friendships and her family.

Learning Objectives:
(Clinicians will be able to complete the following objectives after taking this class and viewing the documentary “Someday Melissa”)

1. Assess any level of immediate danger.
2. Assess and intervene in family patterns that support aggression and other serious symptoms.
3. Implement specific interventions to help parents regain their parental role in the family.
4. Explore and implement methods for engaging teens in decision making when possible.
5. Help teens let go of self-destructive behaviors.

View our calendar and register for classes by clicking here.

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