Leading Social Skills Groups with At-Risk Youth and Families (In Person or Virtual)

Christine Highet

Training Description

Training will address the following guiding questions for participants: How do we connect with ourselves? With system involved youth and families? With others who support system involved youth and families? Training will provide best practices and processes for leading social skills groups with youth who are at high risk for system involvement, as well as youth who are already part of child welfare or juvenile justice systems. And finally, what are key strategies and ideas for doing this all online?

Learning Objective

● Identify and explain 3 examples of positive relationships and connections with at-risk/system involved youth and families.

● Identify at least 2 key steps needed to lead a social skills group with at-risk/system involved youth: before, during, and after.

● Identify 3 specific strategies for leading social skills groups online with at-risk/system involved youth.

Agenda 

9:30- 9:40am  Introductions 

9:40 – 9:45am  Guiding Questions

9:45- 10:00am  “I am and I am” Activity 

10:00-10:15am  Building Connections 

10:15-10:45am  Social Skills Groups (Getting started; Before; During; After) 

10:45-11:00am  Leading Groups Online 

11:00-11:15am  Challenges

11:15- 11:30am  Closing

Meet Our Trainer

Chrissy Highet (LCSW/PPSC) is a school social worker at Manzanita Community School in OUSD. She came to this role after working in elementary and middle school education for ten years, as a Spanish immersion teacher and then as a Clinical Intervention Specialist with Seneca Family of Agencies. Chrissy has led trainings for staff and families on a large range of subjects including trauma informed education, restorative justice, self care, coordination of student services, crisis response, and family and student engagement. She is originally from the east coast and currently lives in the Bay with her husband and her therapy dog, Revi, who also works at MCS. 

This course meets the qualifications for (2) BBS CE hours for LCSWs, LMFTs, LPCCs, and LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences & is provided by Fred Finch Youth Center, CAMFT Provider #045295.