In this session you will meet Jayda, a young mother who is battling feelings of inadequacy as the parent of a toddler. Jayda is struggling to balance life’s responsibilities while experiencing loss and loneliness following the incarceration of her partner Trevor.

In this webinar, you will meet Penny and her adopted mother, Jan, who are in an emergency session with Dr. Ford. Penny was sent home from school for assaulting another child.

In this webinar, viewers will meet Kate and her daughter, Dani, who are in their first therapy session with Dr. Saltzman. This session takes place one year after the sudden and traumatic loss of Jim, their husband and father. Dr. Saltzman helps both Kate and Dani to express their feelings and concerns and explore how they are dealing differently with their shared loss. As they work through the session, Dr. Saltzman helps Kate and Dani to start finding common ground and developing a plan to move forward.

Jordyn, who disclosed sexual exploitation in a previous session has continued to see her therapist to address her symptoms of distress which include depression and PTSD. During this session Jordyn is joined by her father Jimmy who has his own trauma history related to combat exposure. Despite notable progress in both Jordyn’s and Jimmy’s respective individual treatment, tensions are growing at home that are related to the upcoming court proceedings and trial for the man who exploited Jordyn. To address the mounting tensions at home, the therapist decides to focus on communication. In this family session, secrets are revealed and the therapist is challenged to repair the rift between father and daughter caused by the information disclosed.

Understanding the intersection of complex trauma, development, and culture creates a foundation for effective case planning, treatment, and intervention. This therapeutic session shares strategies for identifying the developmental and cultural needs of an immigrant client, and recognizing facilitators and barriers for healing from complex trauma. Lessons from this session support culturally-responsive approaches for developing therapeutic bonds and promoting effective practices to engage family members.

Often, adolescents may feel heard but not listened to in their family environment. This may be especially true in families with a history of trauma and/or family violence. This webinar will demonstrate approaches therapists can take to help adolescents feel more invested in the family therapy process. During this session, presenters will highlight critical decision points as they relate to trauma and explore them from various perspectives, including that of the therapist and family members.

In this webinar, a mother and her teenage daughter who have experienced severe family violence by an ex-husband/father in the past become embroiled in an intense verbal argument that escalates into sudden physical violence. Their therapist attempts to mediate the disagreement while not siding with either mother or daughter, and then must help the mother recover from shock and dissociation while simultaneously helping the daughter not run away and stay present in the room. Mother and daughter go through a complex series of emotional reactions (anger, fear, guilt, shame, grief) with the help of the therapist, and are able to make the shift from experiencing a flashback of violence to reconnecting with one another based on their core relationship.

Often, adolescents may feel heard but not listened to in their family environment. This may be especially true in families with a history of trauma and/or family violence. This webinar will demonstrate approaches therapists can take to help adolescents feel more invested in the family therapy process. During this session, presenters will highlight critical decision points as they relate to trauma and explore them from various perspectives, including that of the therapist and family members.

Debbie is a 10-year-old multiracial girl who lives with her 27 year old African American mother Sharon. Sharon has struggled for years with substance abuse. The family lived for several years in a shared space which was quite chaotic. During this time, Debbie often would be with other children in the building for many hours at a time without adult supervision. Many adults would come in and out of the building, and Debbie often did not see her mother, sometimes, for days. During this session Sharon begins to dissociate and the therapist must now find away to comfort Debbie while supporting Sharon.

In this Webinar you will meet Joshua, a 15-year-old who has been in and out of DCF care and foster homes his whole life. Recently he was arrested for attempt of armed robbery. In this session, the therapist was asked by DCF to work on strengthening the relationship between Joshua and his father to see if he could move in and live with his father’s family in the future.

Focuses on a family that is required to seek therapy after the parents get in a physical altercation while intoxicated. During a family therapy session with their teenage children, a father learns from his wife that she is questioning her gender identity. This discovery challenges the co-therapy team to balance the needs of each family member during the heated confrontation that follows. The team must find a way to keep the family emotionally safe as the father—feeling betrayed and confused—reacts in anger.

Michael (12-years old) and Trisha (16-years-old) live with their mother Monica in a single-parent household. Five years ago, their father Neil was incarcerated after violently attacking and nearly killing Monica while the children were upstairs in their bedrooms. Michael and Trisha seem resilient, doing well emotionally, in school, and with peers, but Monica developed panic attacks and nightmares. Monica began therapy with Dr. Taylor two years ago, and her PTSD symptoms had largely resolved until she learned a couple of weeks ago that her ex-husband was going to get released from prison within the next month. Monica and Dr. Taylor jointly decided it would be helpful for the children to learn of their father’s imminent release in a family session with Dr. Taylor, the children’s first meeting with Dr. Taylor.