A Relational Approach to Supporting Young Children Who Are Emotionally Vulnerable

Friday, January 31st, 2020, 9:00am-12:00pm, Mercer County Behavioral Health,
Mercer County, PA

Early childhood experiences shape the architecture of the developing brain and lay the foundations of sound mental health. Disruptions to this developmental process can impair a child’s capacities for learning and for relating to others — with lifelong implications. Too often, however, emotionally vulnerable children are not identified and are misunderstood. They do not receive the developmentally-informed intervention and support they and their families need. This workshop identifies what to look for as signs of emotional vulnerability and/or resilience in young children, as well as signs of problems in the parent-child attachment relationship. Parent-child interactions are identified that support the building of emotional competence and those that can undermine it. Implications for interventions are provided.

Objectives
As a result of attending this training, participants will be able to:

Describe an infant/early childhood mental health perspective for understanding young children’s behavior
Identify signs that a young child is emotionally vulnerable and needs extra support
Describe the role of parent-child attachment in emotional development
Identify fragile parent-child relationships and strategies for strengthening them

Frequently Asked Questions
Visit our FBMHS Policies & FAQs for additional information regarding the CFBT online learning center, accommodations for disabilities, reporting problems with the course, instructions for viewing webinars, etc.

Introduction to Addictive Behaviors

Wednesday November 6, 2019, 9:00am-12:00pm & 1:00pm-4:00pm
Catholic Charities, Harrisburg, PA

This workshop will provide an overview of the foundational concepts of addictions. In this workshop, participants will analyze the relationship between trauma, high-risk behaviors and addictions. Participants will learn to define addiction. Behavioral warning signs and subsequent symptoms will be explored. Participants will survey current substance and behavioral addictions as determined by the DSM V. This survey will include substance abuse, sexual addiction, food addiction, and gambling. Course will explore differences and similarities, current trends, and evidence-based practices used in treatment. Participants will utilize knowledge throughout workshop to review a case study.

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of the workshop, participants should be able to:

Analyze the relationship between trauma, high-risk behaviors and addictions.
Define addition and describe the difference between substance and behavioral “process” addictions.
Describe different behavioral warning signs of addictions.
Discuss the current prevalence of various addictions.
Demonstrate use of skills that will be helpful in developing evidenced based treatment interventions.
Utilized information presented to identify warning signs of addiction, links to trauma and treatment possibilities for a case study

Dr. Nicole G. Johnson, has over 18 years of experience working in the behavioral health care system in Philadelphia and surrounding counties. Dr. Nicole has earned a Bachelors’ degree in Psychology, Masters of Education degree in Counseling Psychology (Temple University) and a Doctoral degree in Counselor Education and Supervision (Regent University). She has also earned a certificate in Spiritual and Faith Based Counseling.

Dr. Johnson is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor, Certified Co-Occurring Disorder Professional Diplomate and holds a counseling competency in Problem Gambling. Nicole is also a Certified Prepare/Enrich Premarital & Marital Counselor. Nicole is a certified trainer in Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) for the State of Pennsylvania Bureau of Autism Services. Finally, Nicole is a Certified Master Trainer for QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Curriculum, and a Certified Mental Health First Aid Instructor for both the Youth, Adult, Public Service and Higher Education Curricula.

Currently, she serves as Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Clinical Development in the Community and Trauma Counseling Program at Thomas Jefferson University. She is also the President (2019-2020) of the Greater Philadelphia Area Counseling Association (GPACA), a division of the Pennsylvania Counseling Association. Nicole owns NGJohnson Counseling & Consulting LLC, a firm which trains, consults with Community and Faith Based Organization across several states and provides clinical supervision for professionals preparing to obtain their license as a professional counselor in Pennsylvania.

Frequently Asked Questions

Visit our FBMHS Policies & FAQs for additional information regarding the CFBT online learning center, accommodations for disabilities, reporting problems with the course, instructions for viewing webinars, etc.

Recognizing and Treating Authoritarian Families

Wednesday, 11/13/19, 8:30am-12:30pm, Venango County Human Services, Franklin, PA

Authoritarian families are focused on maintaining order, control, and compliance. Coercion, bullying, abuse, and violence are common in these families. This workshop provides an eco-systemic framework for understanding these families, the caregivers who head them, and the types of problems they typically encounter with their children. Common traps therapists make when working with these families are identified, as are strategies for avoiding them. Strategies are provided for introducing more softness into interactions between caregivers and their children and cultivating more tolerance for dissent in the family.

Objectives:
As a result of attending this educational activity, participants will be able to:

Identify the structural characteristics of authoritarian families
Identify authoritarian parenting patterns and their impacts on children
Describe coercive interactional patterns and their relationship to family violence
Describe strategies for helping caregivers in authoritarian families tolerate dissent and provide more emotional support to their children

Engaging with Clients from a Bottom-Up Approach

Wednesday June 19th, 2019, 8:30am-12:00pm & 1:00pm-3:30pm, Catholic Charities, Harrisburg, PA

This workshop is a continuation of Enhancing the Trauma-Informed Narrative, a workshop delivered in March 2019. The main goal of this workshop is to help participants apply the core trauma concepts introduced in this previous workshop to a case study. An integrated approach to trauma treatment is presented that builds on the core principles of Bloom’s Sanctuary Model, Perry’s Neuro-Sequential Model of Therapeutics, and Herman’s Stages of Trauma Recovery. Focus is given to techniques and strategies for establishing safety and stability with clients impacted by traumatic exposure and traumatic responses. The workshop applies Herman’s three stages of trauma recovery to engage participants in didactic and experiential learning that promotes healing with this population. Using case-based learning, Bloom’s SELF (safety, emotion, loss/letting go, future) and Perry’s 3-R (regulate-relate-reason) frameworks are utilized to assist participants in developing and critiquing treatment objectives and goals. Throughout, participants are challenged to ensure that the language they use is healing-centered and not pathology oriented.

Objectives
As a result of attending this training, participants will be able to:

1. Apply core trauma concepts to a child trauma case study
2. Describe the differences between a top-down and a bottom-up approach to child trauma treatment
3. Identify the three stages of trauma recovery
4. Match different brain states to each stage of trauma recovery
5. Critique a treatment plan from a neurobiology-of-trauma perspective
6. Create a treatment plan for a child case study using a bottom-up approach

Recognizing Enmeshment in Families

Friday, April 12th, 2018, 8:30am-12:30pm, Mercer County Behavioral Health, Mercer County, PA

The focus of this workshop is the role that the family structure plays in shaping children’s development of social-emotional competencies and their response to treatment. Enmeshment is one of four structural patterns associated with serious emotional disturbance. Enmeshment is often subtle and very difficult for clinicians to see. When it is missed and not addressed, children and adolescents may not be as responsive to standard interventions. This workshop describes the characteristics of enmeshment. Treatment guidelines are highlighted, as well as common clinical traps therapists are likely to encounter when working with enmeshed relational patters.

Objectives
By attending this training, participants will be able to:

Explain how enmeshed relationship patterns shape children’s social-emotional competencies
Recognize the markers of enmeshment
Identify the primary focus of treatment when working with enmeshment
Describe common clinical traps when working with enmeshment