203 & 303 - The Dos and Don’ts of Working with Children: Bringing Together Creativity and Problem Solving

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When doing therapy with children, we don’t often think of creativity and problem solving as equal partners. But when struggling families arrive at your office, it’s the immediate blending of these two components that allows the family to move quickly from being overwhelmed to engaged, and from feeling confused to having a more targeted focus. This workshop will help clinicians clarify the new skills clients need to change entrenched patterns that reinforce their children’s problems. You’ll discover how to:

• Use the three frames of flexibility, parts, and action to identify salient problems, teach skills, and set goals with families
• Demonstrate the mind-body connection to children in order to interrupt common somatic symptoms like GI issues, sleep problems, and headaches
• Create assignments for families that develop flexibility, action, and emotional management
• Avoid the common therapeutic pitfalls that can unintentionally reinforce anxiety and depression in families and children