The Brief Family Mirror Seminar with an Emphasis on Family Relationships & Trauma: A 5-Session Seminar

Pamela Parkinson, Ph.D., LCSW

*This is a 5-week training and attendance is required for all 5 sessions. The sessions will be held from 2:00-5:00pm on 10/1/24, 10/8/24, 10/22/24, 10/29/24, and 11/5/24.

Training Description

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

Learning Objective

Participants will be able to:

· Explain how Pain in the Heart (PITH) healing questions reflect systemic concepts including emotional boundaries, attachment, and 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 for system-involved youth and families despite these family relational traumas.

Agenda

Week 1:

2:00 – 2:15PM  Sign In and welcome

2:15 – 2:30PM  Review of what mirror work looks like

2:30 – 2:45PM  Remote implications and how to navigate these

2:45 – 3:00PM  Benefits of live mirror observation

3:00 – 3:15PM  Review of the research on in-vivo training with coaching

3:15 – 3:30PM  BREAK (CE hours will not be offered for this time)

3:30 – 4:00PM  Small group work to Identify the 4 PITH Questions, and related family systems concepts

4:00 – 4:15PM  Some basic tenets of family relational work which can be applied with SIY & families

4:15 – 4:45PM  Strategies to invite the family to participate in a “live” Zoom Session +“paired practice”

4:45 – 5:00PM  Reminders of how to build a family tree, assignment of a reading for next week, check out

Week 2:

2:00 – 2:15PM  Sign In and welcome

2:15 – 2:30PM  Follow-up questions regarding structure of the training

2:30 – 2:45PM  Discussion of article assigned from last week

2:45 – 3:00PM  Sharing of topics from Mad in America assignment

3:00 – 3:30PM  Case presentation, and Questions & Answers related to the presentation

3:30 – 3:45PM  BREAK (CE hours will not be offered for this time)

3:45 – 4:00PM  Application of the PITH Questions to the SIY that was presented

4:00 – 4:30PM  Walk through of Zoom techniques; Practice how this works using role play

4:30 – 4:45PM  Troubleshooting of issues before bringing SIY & their family for the next 3 weeks.

4:45 – 5:00PM  Wrap-up & check out

Weeks 3 - 5 (CE Hours will not be offered on these dates):

2:00 – 2:30PM  Sign-in and brief family tree/timeline presentation of the family who is coming in for the strength-based mirror consultation today.

2:30 – 3:30PM  Observation via the Zoom remote one-way mirror of the family meeting that is occurring.

3:30 – 4:00PM  Strength-based reflection team feedback for the family while they get to “watch us” through the Zoom one-way mirror.

4:00 – 4:30PM  Family response to the feedback and suggested “tasks” for the family to try over the next week if they are willing to.

4:30 – 5:00PM  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. Dr. Parkinson has spent most of her career working with system involved youth in our Continuum of Care (foster care, juvenile justice, mental health and the kids struggling in our school systems). She is a certified PCOMS evidence-based practice trainer. Pamela currently works as a child/family consultant to CBO’s in the Bay Area and has worked in level 14 residential, 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.