Staying Centered While Going to the Extremes: Working with Teenagers in Group Therapy

Registration Opens March 17

Facilitated by: Kristen Wicke, LPC, CGP and Monrovia Van Hoose, LCSW, CGP

Event Description:

If you provide therapy to adolescents, or if you have considered serving this population but felt hesitant, this institute is for you. Teenagers in our community are experiencing a heightened incidence of mental health issues. Many factors contribute to the rise, including the pandemic, adverse effects of social media, backlash to expanding acceptance of diversity in gender and sexuality, proliferation of substance use, and social isolation.  In this institute, we will address the benefits and challenges of providing group therapy to teenagers, along with special concerns of which the clinician should be aware.  This training will have a brief didactic component, but the weekend will be a primarily experiential group process. Using the collective wisdom and experience of participants, we will work through common themes and issues when leading adolescent groups. At the end of the weekend we will debrief and have a question and answer session about the group process.   

About the Presenters: 

Monrovia specialized in tweens, teens, and young adults from 2007 – 2022. Through trial, error, and lots of training, she learned how to navigate parents, risky behaviors, and the wild, wonderful changes that facilitate the emergence from childhood into adult independence. She is now branching out into the role of trainer and teacher for therapists who feel called to work with this exhilarating cohort of humans.

Kristen has been providing group therapy to adolescents since 2016.  She enjoys the blazing world of adolescence with all of its impulsiveness and vehement loving and hating.  She has pieced together an approach to working with teenagers in groups from regular consultation and trainings through the American Group Psychotherapy Association, Austin Group Psychotherapy Society and the Center for Group Studies. Noting the lack of specific training on working with adolescents in ongoing interpersonal process groups, Kristen seeks to fill this gap and inspire more therapists to start their own teen groups.

What Are Group Institutes?

Institutes are a highly experiential form of small group teaching led by experienced instructors. They are intended to develop therapy skills relevant to leading groups. They often offer a chance to explore a particular theme in greater depth or to experience a different theoretical approach. Institutes are primarily designed for mental health professionals who have clinical psychotherapy experience. While institutes are not therapy, they are process-oriented and it is expected that they may stir feelings spanning the whole range of human experience. Members agree to attend the entire group, to participate actively, and to respect the confidentiality of the other members. The secure environment of these small groups allows for rich cognitive and deep emotional learning about group process and oneself, not to mention a chance for personal and professional renewal.

Schedule:

Friday April 28th 2:00-5:00 pm

2:00 Introductions and opening remarks

3:15 Break

3:30 Process group

5:00 End

Saturday April 29th 9:00 am- 4:00 pm

9:00 Opening exercise

10:00 Break

10:15 Process group

11:45 Lunch break

1:15 Process group

2:45 Break

3:00 Reflective discussion / Q&A

3:45 Survey

4:00 End

Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

1. Identify the developmental tasks of adolescence.

2. Learn techniques for building rapport with teens and bridging between teens in group therapy.

3. Discuss ways of communicating with parents – when to include them, when to set boundaries with them, how to manage triangulation and induction between parent(s), the client, and the clinician.

4. Explore common transference and countertransference experiences when working with teens.

5. Ethics – discuss ways to navigate risky behaviors, especially in regards to involving parents and/or breaking confidentiality.

8 CEUs available for social workers, LPCs, LMFTs, and psychologists.