Course info

In this course, we will explore the multifaceted process of developing effective clinical approaches for working with children and families in community-based clinics, agencies, or practice. Combining biopsychosocial, family systems, and trauma lenses, we will look at the impact that environmental contexts have on individuals' abilities, as well as those of entire families, to maximize their relational resources. We will take particular care in exploring the impact that multi-generational trauma (due to various forms of historical and ongoing oppressions) and the social identity of the therapist can have on the efficacy of treatment. Therapeutic collaboration will be a thematic constant throughout the course, as will be identifying approaches in assessment, treatment-planning, and in-the-room interventions that increase a sense of client agency and decrease the risk of pathologizing. Affect regulation, interpersonal neurobiology, and family systems theories will guide the direction of our work—particularly in terms of what brings clients into treatment in the first place. Finally, this course will provide multiple opportunities to practice moving clinical conversations away from the problem-saturated stories that are often one of the leading challenges of working in community-based mental health settings. Expect an interactive class that will utilize case studies and experiential exercises, and will have us all learning skills to effectively work with children and their families in community settings.