Workshop Description:

Working with adolescents presenting with problematic behaviors can frustrating for the clinicians. Teens with problematic behaviors are often described as “manipulative,” “selfish,” or “stubborn” by others. Can a clinician tell the difference when the problematic behaviors are willful or conduct behaviors instead of behaviors stemming from emotional dysregulation or results trauma? How the problematic behaviors are conceptualize d will have significant impact upon the treatment and effectiveness of the interventions.

This workshop will help clinicians conceptualize the problematic behavior through a DBT framework and effectively assess clients’ problematic behaviors. Discussion topics will include overlapping drivers for behavior, the struggles of uneven development, as well as inconsistent risk and protective factors. Participants will also examine competing therapeutic priorities and other factors that are impacting the adolescent’s ability to effectively engage in treatment. Participants will also learn helpful strategies and practical treatment techniques rooted in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy that can be implemented in their practice.

Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

1. Describe problematic behaviors in a DBT framework

2. Identify differences between emotional dysregulation vs willful/conduct behaviors

3. Describe adolescent developmental challenges to consider

4. Identify risk factors and protective factors for youth

5. Describe hierarchy of symptoms and difficulties to address when working with adolescents presenting with “high risk” behavior

6. Describe strategies to assess, engage, and treat adolescents and families

7. Engage in specific strategies that incorporate DBT skills to improve therapeutic impact when working with adolescents and their families.

Continuing Education Credit:

1 contact hour for counselors approved by NBCC

1 core hour for social workers approved by GSCSW Approval #080820

1 related hour for MFTs