Tomorrow's Rainbow

Childhood Grief & Loss

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Teachers, therapists and counselors are often the first line of defense for a grieving child, yet there is little information on how to support grieving children.  In Broward County alone, 20,000 children are grieving the loss of a parent.  Participants will benefit from learning new skills that can be utilized for children, adolescents and adults for any type of change or loss.  Children in the community will benefit from an increased knowledge base from service professionals.  By increasing awareness & understanding of grief & loss, child-serving individuals and agencies will be empowered to provide support that will reduce the need for clinical, judicial & institutional interventions.  Cultural awareness and difference during the training will be reviewed.

 

The Other Side of Grief: Divorce, Incarceration & Removal

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Grief and loss resulting from divorce, incarceration and removal can alter a child or teen's trajectory - leading to emotional, behavioral, scholastic and legal issues.  Participants will engage in a hands-on, interactive workshop that teaches how to support youth dealing with grief and loss due to divorce, incarceration and removal.  Participants will receive an art-based journal and activities to address alternatively bereaved youth.  Cultural differences will be processed as they relate to grief & loss, art & play, and talking about death with children.

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Compassion Fatigue & Vicarious Trauma

 

This interactive, art-based workshop leads participants through identifying internal and external resources and needs to reduce compassion fatigue & vicarious trauma. Mental health professionals, victim advocates, teachers, doctors, lawyers, para-legals, nurses & other professions that provide support and guidance during difficult times often suffer from compassion fatigue & vicarious trauma.  Our community benefits from the reduction of compassion fatigue & vicarious trauma in our serving professionals by ensuring that providers maintain the high level of care they provide to their clients. Participants will leave with a better understanding of their needs and inner resources in addressing their compassion fatigue & vicarious trauma.  Participants will participate in a culturally sensitive discussion on ways to address stress, distress, compassion fatigue & vicarious trauma. 

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Supporting Grief In Your Setting: Advanced Training

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Children & teens in a variety of settings have experienced grief and loss which has often resulted in out of home removal, scholastic decline, legal involvement, and emotional and behavioral interventions.  Grieving children need to be supported through these difficult times.  While therapy is helpful, grief requires a different model of services in order to facilitate the bereavement process.  This three-day intensive trains therapists, counselors, group home staff and other service providers to create a supportive environment at their specific program.  Cultural awareness and differences will be reviewed.

 

From the Horse's Mouth: Equine Assisted Learning to

Grow & Strengthen Therapeutic Interactions

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Equine Assisted Psychotherapy & Learning is an up and coming treatment modality.  Clinicians will leave with an understanding of ethics, practices and certifications that will ensure safety & growth.  Participants will learn through experiential equine assisted learning activities on building and strengthening skills and techniques to address difficult clinical issues.  In addition, they will leave with the knowledge of how they can add equine assisted services to their existing practice to create an innovative, effective therapeutic result. 

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Let's Not Talk - Experiential Activities for Family Therapy 

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Family therapy sessions are often rife with disagreements, conflict and tension.  By engaging in experiential activities, practitioners are able to bypass conflict and work towards resolution by having fun. Talking can often lead to arguing, which hinders effective services.  Practitioners need a toolbox filled with activities, games and ideas that will engage families in deeper processing of issues in a non-judgmental and safe manner.  When families laugh and play together, healing can occur.  The training is based on best practice services and an understanding of various types of family systems.  Adults often engage children in therapy services to make changes, however change does not occur in a vacuum.  By engaging a family together in experiential activities, greater growth and resilience occurs. Cultural differences will be processed as they relate to family systems, roles in the family, and resistance to engaging in play or games. 

 

Trauma & Children: Sand Tray Therapy

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Therapists often struggle to understand the inner life of their clients.  Sand tray Therapy services reveal the inner workings of client’s thoughts, feelings and identity.  This training focuses on creating a safe, non-threatening atmosphere for healing utilizing sand tray therapy techniques to elicit the trauma story.  Clients who have experienced trauma in their lives often have difficulty processing and expressing the overwhelming thoughts and feelings associated with the traumatic event.  Sand tray can provide a therapeutic avenue to address these treatment issues.  Deep issues, including trauma and loss, can be processed through this technique. Therapists will be able to use this technique to safely and effectively process trauma.  Cultural differences will be processed as they relate to trauma, family systems and sand tray therapy techniques.

 

Yikes! I Have a Child On My Caseload!

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Art and play are the language of childhood.  Learn how to engage children in age appropriate, interesting activities that will increase involvement and growth in services.  This hands-on, interactive training engages therapists in learning new techniques and activities for young children.  Participants will leave with an understanding of art and play therapy activities that increase rapport, processing, treatment goals and termination. Children, adolescents and adults frequently have difficulty expressing themselves verbally, however by using art and play based activities, they can fully engage in the therapeutic process.  Cultural differences in regards to explaining the role of art & play to guardians will be addressed. A culturally sensitive discussion on the role of children in the family and how therapy services are perceived will be addressed.

 

Art Therapy Techniques for Difficult to Engage Clients

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Art therapy techniques allow therapists to engage clients in age appropriate, interesting activities that will increase involvement and participation in services. This art-based, interactive training involves therapists in learning new techniques and activities for difficult to engage children, teens and adults.  Participants will leave with an understanding of art therapy activities that increase rapport, processing treatment goals and termination.

 

Addiction and Recovery: In Color

Teen substance abuse affects scholastic, familial and societal success.  By engaging teens in experiential art making, insight into core issues resulting in their addiction is highlighted and addressed.  As cited by the Office of Adolescent Health, 39% of Florida adolescents have used marijuana and 37% have used alcohol.  The number of adolescents with substance abuse issues in the state of Florida is staggering.  The prevalence of prescription medication, cheap street drugs, and drug culture all increase the risk for youth to engage in substance abuse.  Participants will learn art therapy techniques to help involve adolescents in addressing core issues that fuel substance abuse.