No Such Thing As a Bad Kid:
Transforming Troubled Youth Using Strength-Based Practices

Location:  Billerica, MA - Courtyard by Marriott, Billerica

Need help managing out of control kids? Want to learn how to keep your cool? Angry and resistant behaviors pose significant challenges for parents and professionals. How do we best respond to youth with emotional and behavioral problems?

Strength-based practice is an exceptionally positive and hope-inspiring approach to helping troubled children, adolescents and their families that focuses on strength building rather than flaw-fixing. This workshop will highlight the key principles and a wide variety of practical techniques of this life-changing approach to guiding high-risk youth, ages 5-18.

You will learn the power of a positive attitude from both a neurological and psychological perspective; strength-based communication principles and techniques -- including reframing, solution-focused questions, and motivational metaphors; de-escalation strategies, self-esteem building activities; how to help inflexible and explosive young people; why, how, and when to use incentives; respectful limit setting; and a host of creative cognitive-behavioral strategies including rhythmic self-talk and externalizing and naming negative behaviors. Workshop participants will:

• Obtain an array of verbal interventions to inspire youth to maximize inherent strengths
• Examine creative, practical, evidence-based cognitive-behavioral strategies
• Develop techniques to prevent problem behavior
• Identify two major pitfalls to appropriately managing your personal feelings and actions and how to avoid them

The interventions utilized in this model can be applied in residential, foster care, and adoption programs; in homes; and in schools to decrease anger and defiance while reinforcing self-control and cooperation. Workshop format includes lecture, video clips, case examples and group exercises.

Instructor:

Charlie Appelstein, M.S.W., an inspirational and motivational presenter, trains and consults nationally and internationally for treatment facilities, public, private, and special education schools, foster care programs, parent groups, and mentoring programs. He is the author of three books: No Such Thing as a Bad Kid: Understanding and Responding to the Challenging Behavior of Troubled Children and Youth, The Gus Chronicles: Reflections from an Abused Kid, and The Gus Chronicles II. Mr. Appelstein is known for his passionate, humorous and lively style.