Behavioral Issues and Approaches that Help with Difficult Behaviors. Adapting Homes and Therapies: ATFT Modules 8 & 9

ATFT Modules 8 & 9 3.5 CES

These workshops were recorded as part of the ATFT Certificate program, but therapists will find them very useful as stand alone learning sessions.

These videos are joined, since they are best seen in a back-to-back manner.

Behavioral Issue and Approaches that Help with Difficult Behaviors Behavioral problems are what bring the majority of families into treatment. Once in treatment, families often complain that therapists do not provide help with children’s behaviors. Therapists make a good point that many behavioral problems have complex roots that will take time to address. This video teaches behavioral techniques within the context of treating trauma, building better self-regulation, and healthier attachments. The responsibilities of parents are addressed, as well.

We will cover an array of activities in this module! Many of the techniques are directly aimed at curbing behavioral problems--while continuing to nurture and convey respect for everyone. Our success often hinges on knowing child-friendly approaches to convey complicated concepts. The approaches taught will help kids who may have difficulty with executive functioning or who are too young for abstraction. The activities that we will go over will help to keep the sessions fresh and engaging.

Mike and Kristin Berry include their perspectives in working with behavioral problems as they parent children with complex issues. Their approaches tend to be uniquely informed by sensitivity to their children’s sensory issues and traumas.

Adapting Homes and Therapies

Many of the children and teens who had trauma in their early years will have problems with executive functioning. (They tend to be impulsive, have limited working memory, have trouble generalizing information to new situations, struggle with organization or seeing things in categories, have difficulty initiating tasks or getting started on projects, and have a hard time paying attention when it takes an effort.) This video describes how best to adapt the home and therapy to help children and teens to make friends with their brains. We will also discuss some research that shows factors that help to develop executive functioning.

Reflections and Application of Learning for Behavioral Issues segment:

In this video we saw a range of activities and approaches. Which of these approaches would fit best into your workplace, and with which children? How much time would it take for you to get the materials together? Think of how you would introduce the activity/materials to a child and their parents. Most children feel a sense of accomplishment when working with you on activities. Sharing that enjoyment, and later reflecting on it with them, will help them to feel a sense of mastery. How will you include targeted activities in your therapy, if you are not already doing so?

Mike and Kristin Berry spent ample time discussing accommodations in their home. They demonstrate trauma-informed parenting. What are some of your ideas for implementing their suggestions as you advise parents?

When parents have authoritarian perspectives, they may become harsh and punitive when using techniques with children. Which of the techniques that you learned today would you consider not sharing with such parents? Script how you would discuss a parent’s role in providing a safe, regulated home. How would you approach the discussion around overstimulating homes so that parents are motivated to structure their homes?

Therapists lean towards either being too permissive or too rigid at times. How do you lean? What triggers you to align with either the parent or child? How will you notice when you are responding to your own issues and not to what is best for this family? Write down a few signs that alert you to your loss of perspective and your plan will be to regain perspective.

Reflection/Application of Learning for Adapting Homes and Therapy:

Life is much harder for children and teens who have executive dysfunction. How will you help the people with whom you work to develop healthy self-esteem? Think of some ways that you will discuss their worth. How will you coach parents to revise expectations? Parenting children/teens with executive dysfunction means that parents are working extra hard. Take a few minutes to write down or practice scripting aloud how to talk about the extra work that will be required of parents. What do successful parents do to bring out the best in their homes or families?

Thank of your therapy practice. How will you adapt your work so that children/teens are able to remember and to apply what you cover in therapy?