The Brief Family Mirror Seminar with an Emphasis on Family Relationships and Trauma: A Four Session Seminar

Pamela Parkinson, Ph.D., LCSW

*This is a four-week training and attendance is required for all four sessions. The sessions will be held on the following Tuesdays 2/16/23, 2/23/23, 3/2/23, 3/9/23 from 12:30-3:30pm.

Training Description

This training teaches how to understand family dynamics from a relational perspective that will allow us to develop case plans for our system-involved youth using a strength-based lens with the Pain in the Heart Healing (PITH) Questions. These questions were developed specifically to utilize evidence-based elements from structural and attachment-based family theories in an applied way for kids in our continuum of care who have experienced multiple serious trauma and attachment ruptures in their lives. We will explore the link between past trauma, current feelings about the past trauma, and the fear of what might happen in the future. Since our kids are acting out these traumas in their behavioral symptoms, it is important to be able to understand these from their perspective so that we can more easily respond to the healing necessary to increase positive outcomes using evidence-informed principles. This training is for anyone who is working with our youth in ANY capacity.

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

· Explain how PITH questions reflect systemic concepts including emotional boundaries, attachment and, of course, trauma.

· Apply at least two concepts learned to better understand the ineffective family relational patterns, attachment ruptures, and the interaction of stressors in a family’s life on these patterns.

· Identify at least 2 ways that we can help to facilitate the improvement of outcomes despite these family relational traumas.

Agenda 

Week One:

12:30PM –12:40PM  Sign In and welcome

12:40PM – 1:30PM  Review of what mirror work looks like and remote implications.

1:30PM – 1:45PM  Review of the benefits of live mirror observation and research on in-vivo training with coaching

1:45PM – 2:00PM  BREAK (CE Hours will not be offered for this time)

2:00PM – 2:30PM  Small group work to Identify the 4 PITH Questions and the family systems concepts to which they are related.

2:30PM –3:30PM  Paired practice on how to invite the family to participate in a “live” Zoom session.

Week Two:

12:30PM – 12:40PM  Sign In and welcome

12:40PM – 1:00PM  Follow-up questions regarding structure of the training.

1:00PM – 2:00PM  Case presentation and application of the PITH Questions.

2:00PM – 2:15PM  BREAK (CE Hours will not be offered for this time)

2:15PM – 3:20PM  Walk through of Zoom techniques as we role play the case presentation family

3:20PM – 3:30 PM  End and check out

Weeks 3 & 4 (CE Hours will not be offered on these dates):

12:30PM – 1:00PM  Sign-in and brief family tree/timeline presentation of the family who is coming in for the strength-based mirror consultation today.

1:00PM – 2:00PM  Observation via the Zoom remote one-way mirror of the family meeting that is occurring.

2:00PM – 2:30PM  Strength-based reflection team feedback for the family while they get to “watch us” through the Zoom one-way mirror.

2:30PM – 3:00PM  Family response to the feedback and suggested “tasks” for the family to try over the next week if they are willing to.

3:00PM – 3:30PM  Family leaves and team debriefs the dynamics of what occurred and why and next steps to help the family continue their progress!

Meet Our Trainer

Pamela Parkinson, PhD, LCSW, is a clinical psychologist and clinical social worker, whose specialty area is working with youth and their families being served by our continuums of care with an emphasis on the importance of family engagement and the healing of traumatic attachment ruptures. Dr. Parkinson is also a certified Partners for Change Outcome Management Systems (PCOMS) evidence-based practice trainer. She currently works as a child/family consultant to Community Based Organizations (CBO’s) in the Bay Area and Pamela has worked in level 14 residential, Non-Public Schools (NPS), hospitals, and a variety of community-based settings including outpatient clinics, schools, diversion, kinship, etc.

This course meets the qualifications for (5.5) 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.