Engaging Caregivers as Partners in Supporting System-Involved Youth When They Have Little Time

Robert Dousa

Training Description

One of the most significant challenges for those supporting system involved youth is to effectively engage youth and families and help them build constructive, transformational behaviors that are sustainable and lead to healthy community engagement and improved outcomes for system-involved youth. In this training, we will explore how to enhance our capacity to support the caregivers of system-involved youth by exploring how to utilize pertinent caregiver engagement techniques that build the framework for ongoing engagement and redirection of the caregiver’s energy towards theirs and their children’s emotional development and wellbeing, as well as fosters their resilience and ability to heal from traumatic events. Practicing and sharing the methods outlined by this workshop will allow us to deepen our effectiveness with system-involved youth and their families by improving the practice of how we empower system-involved youth and families and support them towards healthier lifestyles.

Learning Objectives

● Identify at least 1 energy management approach that fosters the alliance with system-involved youth and their caregivers.

● Explain how to meet caregivers where they are at and identify at least 2 strategies for redirecting system-involved youth and their caregivers’ energy towards behavioral change that strengthens their own protective factors and the ability to change problematic behaviors.

● Identify at least 2 processes that enhance their ability to apply caregiver engagement strategies within efforts to support system-involved youth & their caregivers towards improved resilience & healing.

Agenda

10:00-10:05am  Sign-in and Introduction

10:05-10:15am  Exploring the effect of multiplying energy management approaches that foster the alliance with a diverse group of system-involved youth and their caregivers

10:15-10:30am  Practice and roleplay multiplying our own energy management approaches

10:30-10:45am  Learn Rapport Building Caregiver Engagement Strategies and how they work to redirect a diverse group of system-involved youth’s and their caregivers’ energy towards behavioral changes that strengthen their own protective factors and help change problematic behaviors

10:45-11:00am  Practice and roleplay rapport building caregiver engagement strategies

11:00-11:15am  Explore trauma healing Motivational Interviewing processes that enhance the application of caregiver engagement strategies with a diverse group of system-involved youth and their caregivers and supports improved outcomes which will foster their resilience and help them heal from traumatic events

11:15-11:30am  Practice and roleplay trauma healing Motivational Interviewing processes that enhance the application of caregiver engagement strategies and support system-involved youth and their caregivers towards improved resilience and healing from traumatic events

11:30-11:45am  Explore coaching points for caregiver engagement strategies

11:45am-12:00pm Questions & Answers, Wrap-up

Meet Our Trainer

Mr. Robert Dousa is the founding Managing General Partner of Independent Strengths Building Consulting. This business includes: Individual Anger Management & Addictive Behavior Recovery Coaching, Conducting training of: Situational Leadership/Strengths-Based Life Skills Coaching, Brief Intervention & Motivational Interviewing, Drug, Anger Management, & Family interventions, Neuroscience-Based Leadership & Rapport Building, & Organizational Prevention Strategy Consultation, & Mandated Reporter Training for CA. Mr. Robert Dousa's has retired from the Marin County Office of Education Safe Schools Department and is now providing individual life coaching, intervention coach training, and consulting to those supporting system involved youth. Prior to retirement, he developed the majority of his practice from his work as the Program Manager for the Oakland Unified School District’s Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drugs Intervention program from 2005 to 2021. Prior to that, he served as a substance abuse counselor in school districts in Alameda County, CA from 2000 to 2005.

This course meets the qualifications for (2.0) 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.