Engaging System-Involved Youth with Effective Rapport Building & Advanced Motivational Interviewing Techniques

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, participants will learn how to enhance our capacity to support the caregivers of system-involved youth by exploring how to use motivational interviewing (MI) techniques during the early phases of engagement and redirect their energy towards theirs and their children’s emotional development and wellbeing, as well as foster their resilience to be able 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 while supporting them towards healthier lifestyles.

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

● Identify at least 2 strategies that foster engagement & alliance with the caregivers of system-involved youth (SIY);

● Explain the philosophy of Motivational Interviewing (MI) & how it can help improve engagement and outcomes with system-involved youth & their caregivers; and

● Apply 2 “MI evoking change moment” methods to more effectively support system-involved youth & their caregivers.

Agenda

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

10:05-10:15am  Approaches that foster the alliance with system-involved youth & their caregivers

10:15-10:30am  Learn the philosophy of MI and how it works to redirect energy towards behavioral change that strengthens protective factors as a support strategy for helping individuals to change problematic behaviors.

10:30-10:45am  Learn how to apply simple “MI evoking change moment” methods to support system-involved youth and their caregivers towards personal and career success which will foster their resilience and help them heal from traumatic events.

10:45-11:00am  Explore how MI practices can be used in early phases of engagement to build rapport & redirect the system-involved youth & caregiver energy towards their desired behavioral changes

11:00-11:15am  Practice MI strategies to be used in early phases of engagement through roleplaying with colleagues.

11:15-11:30am  Practice MI practices to be used in later phases of client engagement through roleplaying with colleagues.

11:30-11:45am  Explore Coaching Points to be used to guide youth who are system involved or at high risk for system involvement to break free of reliance on drug use and compulsive behaviors

11:45am-12:00pm  Questions & Answers

Meet Our Trainer

Mr. Robert Dousa, for the past 26 years has been working on researching how to support the healing of people, especially young adults suffering from Complex Post Traumatic Disorders (CPTSD) while experiencing and receiving various healing modalities on himself and reading several alternative healing books for personal freedom from trauma. Prior to retirement from the public education system (22 years paid, 3 years volunteer) and most especially (2003-2022) as a Program Manager in the Behavioral Health Department for the Oakland Unified School District’s Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drugs Intervention program, Robert developed a strengths-based life coaching program, grant funded by the CA Dept of Education, that utilized 15 life coaches (diversity of gender, multi-ethnic, with individual hobby strengths) who utilized a variety of interventions and approaches while implementing inside Oakland schools. Currently, he offers services designed to empower young adults struggling with inner negative talk to find their own inner guiding light and individual gifts, talents, and passions in support of their future… and to also coach parents of SIY to re-establish a positive influential relationship with their children, guiding them towards healing their own inner child in the process. Currently, he is providing individual life coaching, training of intervention approaches, coaching training, and teaching to those individuals and organizations that support system involved youth.

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.