Working with Traumatized Youth: A Flexible Model for Conceptualization, Treatment, and Recovery

• • Explain the effects of trauma on behavior and the brain
• • Apply a flexible conceptual framework that is more sensitive to unique client needs and the interventions that would best meet them
• • Utilize a variety of treatment exercises and grounding, self-soothing, and endorphin-releasing activities to help youth develop emotional regulation skills
• • Incorporate techniques from the Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy model and other evidence-based models, using the 3-stage model of trauma treatment
• • Describe how to apply play-based and verbal approaches to completing the trauma narrative

An Alternative to Inflexible Treatment Approaches
Professionals who treat or work with traumatized youth often find it challenging to keep up with the explosion of trauma-related research and clinical literature that has emerged in recent years – especially in neuroscience. They must also contend with trainings that focus on the use of a specific type of intervention and do not consider the unique circumstances and needs of clients and their families.

Dr. Robert Lusk offers something different. In this seminar, you will learn how psychological trauma (including complex trauma) affects youth of different ages, how trauma and related problems are diagnosed, and how brain changes that result from trauma cause youth to experience various problems. Dr. Lusk guides you through the dynamics of a flexible, evidence-based framework for the widely accepted 3-stage model of trauma work. Explore the essential areas that must be addressed before completing trauma processing, and understand how to use evidence-based grounding, self-soothing, and endorphin releasing techniques. Finally, discover how to conduct a trauma narrative with youth, and the components necessary for healthy reconnection. Case examples will illustrate how this model can be applied to different types of traumatized youth.