Continuing Education & Professional Development
Harnessing Anxiety and Aggression in Family Therapy through Creativity & Play
Overview: Promoting change with families identified as neglectful, abusive and violent triggers anxiety and aggression within the family and among professionals. Creating and directing situations that elicit tenderness and caring help family members discover different ways to cope with their longtime hurt and anger. It also helps professionals contaminate their own negative thoughts and feelings that fuel an emotional withdrawal from the family and colleagues. This presentation uses lecture, video taped examples and discussions interspersed with impromptu role plays to show how to construct action oriented scenarios where family members and professionals experience one another in more safe, secure and nurturing ways.
Objectives: Participants will: 1) see the predictable interpersonal sequence that maintains severe symptoms; 2) recognize ways to activate the family to experiment with obscured strengths & untapped resources; 3) understand how the family and professionals “runaway” from the therapy contract; and 4) appreciate how the commitment to the relationship contains the runaway and promotes change.
Method(s) of Instruction: This presentation uses lecture accompanied by Power point slides (with handouts available to participants), video taped examples and discussions interspersed with impromptu role plays to show how to construct action oriented scenarios where family members and professionals experience one another in more safe, secure and nurturing ways.
Fee: $125
CE Contact Hours: 5
Date: Tuesday, February, 19, 2008
Time: 9:30am–3:30pm
Instructor(s): Dr. Steven Simms
Steven Simms, PhD is family therapist and a licensed psychologist in Media, PA, as well as a senior faculty member of Philadelphia Child and Family Training Center. He consults and teaches family therapy to local, national and international groups. He has authored and co-authored scientific and clinical papers in pediatric oncology, pediatric psychology, and family therapy.