PowerPoint Presentation

Teen Talk: Training Mental Health Counselors at a Disciplinary Alternative Education ProgramEunice Lerma, Ph.D, LPC, CSCRichard J. Ricard, Ph.D, LPC-InternCourtney Heard, M.A., LPC-InternTroy Tillmon, M.S

Teen Talk Program Partnership between DAEP and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi; Department of Counseling Education & Psychology; Counseling and Training Clinic.

Students meet twice a week in same gender, small group or individual counseling sessions to discuss topics relating to teenagers of today.

These counseling sessions are conducted by counseling interns and counselor education doctoral students from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

Overall Program Objectives1. Create a positive counselor/student relationship that emphasizes the role of the counselor as a helper interested in each students overall health and wellness.

2. Mental health counselors in training will have the opportunity to work with at-risk youth while building an understanding of the school system.

3. Students will receive appropriate responsive counseling services specifically based on their needsGroup and Individual Topics Determined during the first initial meeting by the student and counselor.

Topics often include: anger managementconflict resolution coping skills date violence building healthy relationships social skills griefteam building self-efficacy/self-esteemenhancing intrinsic motivationDialectical Behavioral TherapyA goal of DBT is to enhance client coping skills and facilitate an awareness and acceptance that change is constant.

DBT aims to replace maladjusted emotional and behavioral responses to change with behaviors that will reinforce non-emotionally and behaviorally charged adaptation.

DBT is shown to be effective in treating a variety of clinical diagnoses included eating disorders, substance abuse, and emotional and behavioral problems (Feigenbaum, 2007; Nelson-Gray et al., 2006; Rakfeldt, 2005). Session 1:Group goals and guidelines; norms and individual goals; validation of membersPurposeGroup goals and guidelineNorms and ind. GoalsValidation of members

Activities Confidentiality Group normsEstablishing counseling relationshipBuilding Group Cohesiveness

Skittles Game RedWhat is your favorite color?

OrangeIf you can travel anywhere where would you go?

YellowName one thing people may not know about you?

GreenWho is your favorite artist?

PurpleName two things that help you relax?

Validating Conversational PartnersStudents practice listening and responding to conversational partners using appropriate ParaphrasingClarifications and questionsReflection of feelingsStudents participate in structure role plays with counselor and group members act as coaches.

Session 2: Being Responsible; Knowing my thoughts, feeling my feelings and choosing my behaviorsPurposeAcceptance of my thoughts, feelings and behaviorsActivities Exercise in mindful focus of attentionValidation of student perceptionsPsychoeducation on the distinction of thoughts, feelings and behaviorsPracticing in choice of behavioral responseRadical AcceptanceThoughts/Feelings/Behaviors/EventsRobot

Session 3: Describing how I feelPurpose Learning how to contact, describe, express emotionsEmotional regulationActivitiesGlossary of feeling wordsTalking about our internal states Awareness of body sensationsMood Charades

Mood Jenga

Mind your own businessInterpersonal sense? Individual Sense?We have internal business.* What we thinkWhat we feel What we believe How we each make sense of the world

Session 4: Dealing with powerful feelingsPurposeLearning to manage difficult emotional experiences ( distress Tolerance)ActivitiesMindful coping strategiesRiding the wave of emotional experiences

Riding the Emotional Waves Tolerating difficult or overwhelming feelings involves accepting that Emotions Ebb and FlowRide out emotional highs like waves. Crashing waves are followed by flow of calm and recovery. Resist the temptation to fight emotional experiences. Metaphors of Rip tide and negotiating currents at the beach are introduced.

Session 5: Interacting with others. Working for what you wantPurposeLearning how to communicate effectively with othersActivitiesCollect Social Interaction questionnaireSocial Interactive Questionnaire1. Have you had conversations or contacts, more than a quick hello, with any of the following people that were encouraging or discouraging during the week? Bubble in one letter closest to your answer for each person or persons.Conversation with others:Family Members Best Friend(a) mostly encouraging (a) mostly encouraging(b) mostly discouraging (b) mostly discouraging(c) no contact or not much contact (c) no contact or not much contactFriends Teacher(a) mostly encouraging (a) mostly encouraging(b) mostly discouraging(b) mostly discouraging(c) no contact or not much contact(c) no contact or not much contactStaff/Counselor Girlfriend/Boyfriend(a) mostly encouraging(a) mostly encouraging(b) mostly discouraging(b) mostly discouraging(c) no contact or not much contact(c) no contact or not much contact(d) dont have a boyfriend/girlfriend(d) dont have a boyfriend/girlfriend

Social Interactive Questionnaire2. Think about this week compared to last week. Bubble in one letter closest to how you feel.(a) this week is better than usual(b) this week is typical (c) this week is worse than usual3. Happiness Rating: How happy have you been this past week? Select one.(a) very happy (b) mostly happy (c) mostly unhappy (d) very unhappy4. Think about the most significant event that occurred to you this past week. Please write at least 2-3 sentences about it and how it affected you.

Role Playing Parent/ChildScenarioYour friend invited you to a party where there is going to be illegal activity. You have to report the next day to probation. What do you do?

Teacher/StudentScenario The teacher tells you to sit down and do your work. Your friends turn around and say She just punked you. What do you do? Session 6: Practicing Positive Interaction skills/conflict managementPurposeHealthy interpersonal skills

Activities DBT Dear Man practiceSong Lyrics DEAR MANDescribeExpressAssertReinforce

MindfulAppear ConfidentNegotiable

Song Lyrics Never mind what haters say, ignore them 'til they fade away. Live your life by TI

My, shoulders are strong I prove 'em wrongI ain't doing nothing but moving on Tie my hands by Lil Wayne

Dont forget that impossible is nothin, your environment is irrelevant. Just dont let your emotions over power your intelligent. Refuse to give up, your mistakes will define you TI featuring John Legend Slide Show

Session 7: Coping with difficultiesPurposeDistress Tolerance

Activities DBT Self-Soothing; Improve the momentSession 8: Figuring out what I want and committing to SMART goals in lifePurposeBehavioral Planning based on valued goalsClose Groups Activities Committed action worksheetSound Track of your lifeCommitted Action Worksheet(Olerud & Wilson, 2002)A part of my life that I value is ______________.My intention for this part is _________________.The committed actions that Im willing to take include the following (be sure to note when youll begin these actions): ______________________________________

Soundtrack of your life My life nowKobe BryantLil WaynePicture World UpLil WayneHeatLil WayneIn the futureWho said I couldnt make itTIRolling in the DeepAdeleIm the bossRick Ross

SMART GoalsSpecificnot too big or smallMeasurable I know when I have met them.Agreed/Accountable/Attainable I will make myself accountable.Realistic Do I really have a chance to meet this?Timely Can I do this in the near future?Evaluation of Intervention Impact on Student BehaviorNumber of participants: 63

Total number of sessions: 340 (average 5 per group/individual)

Assessment: The Youth Outcome questionnaire (YOQ) (Burlingame, Wells, Lambert, 1996)Pre and post test

Preliminary analysis (fall semester): Students participating in the counseling groups are benefiting from the intervention.Students experienced statistically and clinically significant reductions in reported conduct problems (F(1,57)= 6.1, P