Workshops for Mental Health Professionals

Upcoming Speaking Engagements

Organize a workshop for your agency or training event. For topics, rates and availability contact Liana: (Tel) 416-575-7836 (Email) lianalowenstein@gmail.com

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Workshop Descriptions

Introduction to Play Therapy

This workshop will introduce participants to the theory and practice of play therapy. The training will cover various issues including the history of play therapy and the major models of play therapy, the therapeutic powers of play, the therapeutic relationship, phases of therapy, themes in children’s play, and limit setting. Participants will also learn how to set up a playroom and how to select appropriate toys and materials. Play therapy techniques, including games, art, puppetry, and sand tray will be presented. Selected research studies supporting the effectiveness of play therapy will also be presented. Experiential exercises and activity demonstrations will be incorporated into this workshop.

Learning Objectives:

1. Define play therapy and the difference between play and play therapy.
2. Summarize the history and major theoretical models of play therapy, including the pioneers, major components, role of the therapist, and empirical support.
3. Identify the value and therapeutic powers of play therapy.
4. Identify how to set up a play-room and how to select toys and materials to facilitate therapeutic growth.
5. Describe basic themes in children's play and how to tie them to children's life experiences.
6. Describe the use of therapeutic games, art, puppets, and sand tray in play therapy sessions.
7. Cite recent research studies supporting the effectiveness of play therapy.

Creative Interventions for Troubled Children & Families

This very practical training will present creative engagement, assessment, and treatment interventions to make individual, group, and family sessions meaningful and effective. Innovative treatment activities will be presented to address issues such as anger management, social skills, stress reduction, and self-esteem. Techniques to address challenging client behavior will also be highlighted.

Learning Objectives:

1. Use at least 3 interventions to engage clients in counseling.
2. Use the presenter’s model for assessing children and families.
3. Use many new treatment techniques in individual, group, and family therapy sessions.

Creative Interventions for Sexually Abused and Traumatized Children

This workshop is designed to familiarize participants with an innovative model for working with sexually abused and traumatized children. The presenter will provide participants with creative, structured assessment and treatment interventions. This will include interventions that can be used in individual or group therapy sessions with preschool, latency and adolescent victims of sexual abuse. A brief overview of trauma research will be provided. Next, the presenter will provide participants with a step-by-step demonstration of the trauma assessment model. The second half of the workshop will focus on treatment interventions, including activities to address the following issues: Identifying and coping with feelings, dealing with sensory triggers, offender enticement strategies, family and community support, post-disclosure response, self-blame, healthy sexuality, and self-esteem.

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain some of the trauma effects on sexually abused children.
2. Use the presenter’s model for assessing sexually abused children.
3. Develop treatment goals for sexually abused children
4. Use many new and innovative treatment techniques with sexually abused and traumatized children.

Creative Interventions for Bereaved Children and Children of Divorce

This dynamic workshop will present an innovative model for working with bereaved children and children of divorce. Structured assessment and treatment techniques will be illustrated for use in individual, group, and family therapy. Participants will come away with many innovative techniques. Although the focus will be on loss, interventions can be adapted for use with a variety of other populations.

Learning Objectives:

1. Define grief, traumatic grief, and disenfranchised grief.
2. Articulate the continuum of parent-child relationships after separation and divorce.
3. Identify factors that mediate the child's experience of loss.
4. Use the presenter’s model for assessing bereaved children and children of divorce.
5. Apply many new and innovative techniques to the treatment of bereaved children and children of divorce.

Engagement, Assessment and Treatment Planning

Therapy is most effective when clients are engaged with the therapist and when treatment is based on a comprehensive assessment. This workshop will present creative activities to facilitate rapport-building, and will outline a step-by-step model for assessing children with a wide variety of presenting issues. Creative, activities will be presented to assess the following domains: (1) Presenting problems; (2) Symptoms and Coping strategies; (3) Family and community relationships; and (4) Sensory triggers. Several techniques for assessing families will also be presented. The key steps for developing a treatment plan will be outlined, and a sample treatment plan will be presented. Guidelines for writing assessment reports and making treatment recommendations to caregivers will be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

1. Apply several innovative techniques to engage children and families in therapy.
2. Implement an innovative model for assessing children and families.
3. Identify key steps for developing a treatment plan.

Creative Family Therapy Techniques

The use of creative, play-based techniques in family therapy provides a medium for all members to participate in sessions, and facilitates family relatedness. Through this dynamic workshop, participants will learn a number of innovative techniques to engage, assess, and treat families. This will include art, games, puppets, and stories. The advantages of using creative techniques with families will be outlined, and tips for overcoming challenges in playful family therapy will be discussed. Videos and live demonstrations will be used to illustrate techniques.

Learning Objectives:

1. List three benefits to using creative, play-based techniques in family therapy.
2. Describe two common challenges in family therapy and identify strategies to overcome these challenges.
3. Utilize many new and creative techniques in therapy sessions with families.

Creative TF-CBT Techniques for Traumatized Children

Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is an empirically-supported psychotherapy model for treating traumatized children and adolescents. The effectiveness of the approach is enhanced by integrating creative, developmentally appropriate interventions so children will engage in treatment. TF-CBT is a components-based approach. The treatment components are: Psychoeducation, Relaxation, Affective modulation, Cognitive processing, Trauma narrative, In vivo mastery, Conjoint child-parent sessions, and Enhancing safety. Creative therapeutic techniques will be presented for each of the eight treatment components. Therapeutic games, art, stories, and other engaging activities will be presented for use with traumatized children and youth of all ages. Strategies for overcoming common challenges in therapy will also be presented. Workshop participants will come away with many new and innovative techniques and strategies to add to their existing repertoire. Note: This workshop is for mental health professionals who have completed the two-day introductory course on TF-CBT with an approved TF-CBT trainer.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe and utilize creative interventions for each of the eight treatment components of TF-CBT.
2. Use TF-CBT to treat a range of childhood traumas including sexual abuse, domestic violence, traumatic grief, car accidents, natural disasters.
3. Identify strategies for overcoming common challenges in TF-CBT.

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