Innovative Approaches to Therapy for Young People Who Sexually Abuse
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Young people with a history of sexually harmful behaviors tend to display a striking lack of self-regulation and relationship-building skills. In this workshop, the presenters first explore two treatment approaches: Dialectical Behavior Therapy and multi-sensory interventions employed in recreational therapy. They then introduce workshop participants to a suite of interventions that are based on those approaches and can be used to infuse group-based and individual therapy sessions with effective, applicable, and fun lessons that build clients’ awareness of their bodies, emotions, thoughts, and urges and teaches them how to practice safe touch, consent, healthy sexuality, and interpersonal boundaries.
Key topics include:
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills
- Recreational Therapy
- Understanding trauma symptoms
- Building on strengths
- Building awareness of one’s body, emotion, thoughts, and urges
- Self-regulation skills
In this workshop, the presenters emphasize that treatment can be an enjoyable experience and gently invite participants to try out the interventions being presented.
1) Explain core skills in building relationships and self-regulation.
2) Create a treatment plan that moves beyond the “session” and into everyday life.
3) Create interventions centered on client strengths.
4) Design dynamic and individualized treatment.
5) Explain barriers to effective treatment engagement.
Audience
This training is for professionals working with people who have experienced complex trauma as well as people who have perpetrated abuse. Professionals who will benefit from this training include social workers, psychologists, clinical counselors, and interested paraprofessionals.
Content Level
Disclosure
Continuing Education Approval
American Psychological Association (APA)
Safer Society Foundation, Inc. is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Safer Society Foundation, Inc. maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Who's Presenting
Anette Birgersson
Anette Birgersson, is a licensed psychotherapist with over 20 years of experience working with children and adolescents with trauma, neuropsychiatric diagnoses, and harmful sexual behaviors. Anette is trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Prolonged Exposure, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and Emotional Regulation Group Therapy. She is also a certified TF-CBT trainer. Anette is well-known in her home country of Sweden for developing culturally appropriate programming for treating youth who have sexually abused and young children. After almost two decades of work in this area, Anette opened her own company, Skills Clinic, which has led to her conducting training and supervision all over Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, and the United States. Anette is a NAPN Advisory Board member and sits on several committees for the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA: USA).
Christin Santiago, CTRS
Christin Santiago is a Recreational Therapist working with youth who have experienced trauma, neuropsychiatric issues and harmful sexual behaviors. Currently the Executive Director of the Skills Clinic in Sweden and the USA, Christin has developed many innovative therapeutic activities and programs that assist youth to develop internal emotional and trauma-management skills through activity and movement.
Internationally renowned, Christin has trained and supervised across America, Europe, Scandinavia, Australia and the UK. She has played a major coaching role in the Special Olympics, being chosen as the 2016 Coach of the Year for Special Olympics of Massachusetts. In 2018, Christin was selected as Head Athletics Coach to participate in the National USA Special Olympics Games in Seattle, Washington. In 2019, she was inducted into the Special Olympics Hall of Fame.
Christin has been an Advisory Board Member of the National Adolescent Perpetration Network (NAPN) for many years.