Understanding System-Involved Youth & Families Dealing with Addiction Issues

Dr. Lisa Cohen Bennett

Training Description

This training is designed to provide those who support system involved youth behavior management strategies for working with these youth and families when one or more family members are dealing with addiction. Through exploring statistics, impact on children, teens and parents while using lecture, discussion and handouts, participants will learn best practice strategies.

Learning Objectives

● Participants will be able to identify at least 3 current statistics for drug and alcohol usage by system involved youth and their parents in the United States.

● Participants will be able to identify 2 generational impacts of parental substance usage on system involved youth.

● Participants will be able to explain 2 best practice strategies for effectively supporting system involved youth and families who have family members dealing with addiction.

Agenda 

9:30 – 10:00am Introduction and Review of Severe Emotional Disturbance

· Welcome & Introduction of instructor, students/class objectives

· Overview: Severe Emotional Disturbance Template:

   o Trauma along developmental stages

   o Trauma along separation and attachment milestones

   o Trauma interfering with grief and loss

   o External stressors for families of origin

   o How differences affect emotional disturbance

   o The abuse spectrum

   o Biologic/Neurologic/Physiologic changes due to trauma

10:00 - 11:00am  Review research statistics for parental and youth usage in the U.S.

· Addiction is, in part, genetic - meaning one has the propensity to become addicted if one or both parents are addicts OR if grandparents are or were.

· Share statistics of drug and alcohol abuse in the US

· Opioid overdose by state

· What research is saying about overdoses during COVID-19

11:00 - 11:30am  Begin discussion of how parental addiction can affect youth in family

· Share generational continuum:

   o parental addiction behaviors

   o child feelings related to parental behaviors

   o child behaviors

11:30 - 12:00pm  BREAK (CE hours will not be offered for this time)

12:00 - 12:30pm  Continue discussion of continuum

· Discuss above article including:

   o how common is substance abuse in families

   o how does parental abuse affect child development

   o how to help children with addicted parents

   o family treatment

12:30 - 1:30pm Treatment Options for Children and Parents

· Help parents understand how what their parents did affected their current situation and choices

· Look at how their current parenting patterns are perpetuating the generation addiction cycle

· Help youth understand the impact of parenting and addiction on them

· Help empower youth in their current and future choices

1:30 - 2pm  Case examples and questions from students

Meet Our Trainer

DR. BENNETT has been training Foster Parents, Probation Officers, Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Social Workers, Teachers and Group Home Staff around the country and in the San Francisco Bay Area for twenty years. She has worked in a variety of settings with Severely Emotionally Disturbed Youth and Families including Residential Treatment, Hospital, Juvenile Hall, Runaway Shelter and County Mental Health for over thirty years. Dr. Bennett also currently has a private practice in Lafayette, CA where she specializes in trauma.

This course meets the qualifications for (4) 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.