Expired Family Therapy with High Risk Adolescents [Online]

Although high risk behaviors on the part of adolescents do not necessarily begin with problems in the family, persistent and unresolved crises precipitate worry, anger and ultimately rifts within the family system. The conflict and relational drift that ensues then engenders more high risk behavior on the part of the teen and in turn, more conflict.

In this workshop, we will review specific techniques for working with both the dynamics that develop as worry and alarm about an adolescent’s behavior takes over the relationships in a family, and also the dynamics that may be underlying the crisis – and all this while at the same time seeking resolution of the crisis behavior.

Topics covered will include, substance mis-use, school failure, depression and other emotional struggles. Special attention will also be given to the struggles and contribution of parents in the conflict with their children. Here it is important to balance compassion and understanding of the stress that parents are often under, with an ability to speak with parents about making changes in the way they are working with their children.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify family dynamics that contribute to adolescent high risk behavior
• Understand techniques for addressing high risk behavior with adolescents using a relational frame
• Understand techniques for talking with parents about their children using a relational and non-blaming frame

Presenter:

Michael Davidovits, PhD, LCSW, is a teaching faculty member at the Ackerman Institute. He is also lecturer in the Narrative Medicine Program at Columbia University, and a clinical supervisor in the Family Medicine Residency Program at the Columbia University School of Medicine. Dr. Davidovits regularly offers trainings and workshops on conducting family therapy with adolescents and as well as the on the use of narrative medicine interventions in primary care settings. He maintains a psychotherapy practice in Manhattan.