During interaction with one another and with the therapists, family members often experience frequent fluctuations in their comfort level. There is often significant anxiety. To be most effective, it is critical that therapists attune to and track these fluctuations in family member emotional states. When family members feel therapists are in sync with them, the alliance becomes stronger, and they become more open to trying to connect and relate differently in sessions. When therapists notice family member emotional states, they are better able to foster positive interactions between family members and reduce blame and judgment. The main goal of these workshops is to help therapists understand the concepts of anxiety, negative emotional states, and emotional regulation, and how they show themselves in family relationships. In cases presented for case consultation, Dr. Pollack draws on her training in Emotionally Focused therapy and attachment theory to help therapists look beneath family member behavioral presentations, identify underlying emotional states, and help family members to practice connecting more authentically. Therapists will be asked to reflect on their own emotions and reactions toward family members. Guidance is provided on how this personal awareness can be used to move the therapy forward.

As a result of participating in these clinicals, therapists will be able to:

1. Formulate a systemic, contextual explanation of the problems and use it to guide sessions.
2. Expand the family’s experience of the possible by setting up and facilitating pattern-transforming enactments.
3. Attune to family members for fluctuations in anxiety levels during family interactions that signal a need for more support.
4. Attune to fluctuations in one’s own emotions in sessions and how this shapes interactions with family members
5. Identify emotion-based strategies for establishing an empathic connection between caregivers and their children

This clinical series counts toward required annual training hours in Family Based Mental Health Services, but is not currently available for CE credit.

Agenda
8:30am-11:00am: Objectives 1-3
11:00am-11:15am: Break
11:15am-1:00pm: Objectives 4-5

This is an intermediate level course. The target audience is behavioral health professionals working within an Ecosystemic Family Therapy Model. This is a live synchronous distance learning activity conducted in real time, allowing for simultaneous participation of participants and instructors from different locations.

Frequently Asked Questions
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