Presented by Michael Griffin, J.D., LCSW
9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (6 CE hours)
Oakland: Friday, October 17, 2008
Los Angeles: Sunday, November 9, 2008
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This workshop addresses a variety of clinical and legal issues that are involved in assessing and treating children and adolescents in
blended families.

Stressing the importance of assessment, the presenter will identify and discuss a variety of child/adolescent problems and concerns in relation to developmental parameters, the child’s history of attachments and losses and their family history. The workshop suggests a general framework for therapists to use in the assessment of children and adolescents and discusses the prominent clinical themes and issues that are often expressed by the children and by their parents/step-parents.

There will be some interwoven discussions of clinical and legal issues throughout the day. However, the first three hours of the workshop will be largely devoted to clinical issues, including the process of assessment, the development of a treatment plan and how to avoid some of the predictable pitfalls in working with blended families. In the afternoon, the workshop will focus on legal and ethical issues that therapists commonly grapple with when working with this population, including: consent, treating minors; documenting clinical records; patient access to records; confidentiality, and others. Depending on time, case vignettes incorporating clinical and legal issues will be utilized for group discussion.

*This course satisfies the BBS requirement for law and ethics for MFTs and LCSWs. A six-hour course in law and ethics needs to be taken each license renewal period. Michael Griffin, J.D., LCSW, is an attorney at law and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

Michael Griffin, J.D., LCSW, is a 1980 graduate of the USC School of Social Work and attended law school at Chapman University, where he earned his J.D. in 1998. He received his LCSW in 1982, is a Board Certified Diplomat in Clinical Social Work and has considerable experience as a psychotherapist working with children, adolescents, and adults. In addition to his experience as a therapist, Mr. Griffin has also worked as a clinical case manager, clinical supervisor, program director and as an oral examiner for LCSW candidates. Mr. Griffin served as a child/adolescent outpatient clinic director in the Department of Psychiatry at Children’s Hospital and Health Center of San Diego and is the former Director of Clinical Operations for Western Youth Services in Orange County California. Mr. Griffin is a practicing psychotherapist and is an attorney with CAMFT, where he consults with CAMFT members regarding legal and ethical issues.

Presented by Stephen F. Grinstead, Ph.D., MFT
9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (6 CE hours)
Oakland: Friday, October 17, 2008
Los Angeles: Friday, November 7, 2008
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The role of therapists is crucial in treating the synergistic problems facing couples and families being severely impacted by chronic pain, addiction, or other psychological disorders. When these conditions coexist; there is a major challenge that must be addressed
utilizing a multidisciplinary treatment approach and the inclusion of MFTs is vital. When these coexisting conditions occur, the family problems increase synergistically, but how to treat them becomes very challenging and confusing for healthcare providers, including therapists, as well as for patients and their families. This workshop explains a strategic three-part approach for improving treatment outcomes and giving these families new hope.

Dr. Grinstead is the Senior Consultant Trainer for the Gorski-CENAPS ® Corporation. He is also an author and internationally recognized expert in preventing relapse related tochronic pain disorders and is the developer of the Addiction-Free Pain Management® System. He has been working with pain management, addictive disorders, and coexisting mental and personality disorders for over two decades.

Research has shown that children are not miniature adults, thus interventions that work with adults are often inappropriate in the treatment of children. In this hands-on workshop, we will examine theories behind the treatment of children, share several interventions that help assess issues and promote change, and take a look at children’s work to begin to understand what they are telling us. If you treat children or plan to in the future, this workshop is a must!

Susan Kelsey is a licensed MFT and Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor in private practice treating children and adolescents only (from birth to 18). Susan has taught in a masters program, has given numerous trainings on various issues related to the treatment of children and adolescents, is Founder and Past President of the Orange County Chapter of the California Association for Play Therapy, and currently serves as the President of the Orange County Chapter of CAMFT.

Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) addresses the issues of distressed couples from an attachment perspective. Developed
in the 1980s by Johnson and Greenberg, EFT is supported by 20 years of empirical research, with 90 percent of couples showing
significant improvement. By conceptualizing relationships as emotional bonds, EFT focuses on basic attachment needs that
underlie distressing and distancing cycles of couple interaction. Participants will develop interventions that help partners experience and express primary emotions in a constructive, effective manner. They will also learn to guide couples through interactions that reflect vulnerability and responsiveness. Using lecture, case material, role plays and film clips, this course will demonstrate the EFT approach to building intimate relationships characterized by security, authenticity, and interdependence.

Ann Margulies, LMFT is a certified EFT supervisor, who has taught classes on EFT, couples therapy, and attachment theory to hundreds of mental health professionals. She consistently receives outstanding course evaluations due to her engaging style and her varied teaching methods. She maintains a private practice in Menlo Park, CA, working with couples and individuals.

This presentation will focus on providing information critical for those who offer treatment, support, and assistance to individuals
who purposefully injure themselves. Attendees will receive essential information relating to types of self-injury, reasons for self-injury,
models used to explain self-injurious behaviors, assessment and diagnostic issues, and treatment issues. Tracy Alderman, Ph.D., is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and author of The Scarred Soul: Understanding and Ending Self-Inflicted Violence (New Harbinger Publications, 1997) and co-author of Amongst Ourselves: A Self-Help Guide for Living with Dissociative Identity Disorder (New Harbinger Publications, 1998). Dr. Alderman is a leading expert in the field of self-injury and has provided numerous trainings and workshops for agencies, educators, clinicians, hospitals, counselors, and parents nationwide.

Karen Marshall, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and co-author of Amongst Ourselves: A Self-Help Guide to Living with Dissociative Identity Disorder (New Harbinger Publications, 1998). She is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and specializes in working with people who have trauma histories. She works extensively with people who self-injure and has been providing trainings and workshops on the topic for the past ten years. She has been in private practice since 1991.

This seminar will specifically address the diagnosis and treatment of men and women who “act out” through the addictive use of sex and relationships. Attendees will gain the skills to assess and begin treatment with this challenging population. An overview ofthe etiology of sex and relationship addiction will be offered, focusing on these patient’s early attachment concerns and problems with emotional self-regulation. The discussion will also focus on the effect these relationships have on spouses and partners. Resources
for further reading and training will be offered.

Robert Weiss LCSW, CSAT is a UCLA clinical social work graduate and sex addiction expert who has recently appeared on Larry King Live, the Oprah Winfrey Show and The Discovery Channel. Mr. Weiss is the Executive Director of The Sexual Recovery Institute, Los Angeles and Director of Sexual Integrity Services at Life Healing Center of Santa Fe. He is co-author of Untangling the Web: Sex, Porn and Fantasy Addiction in the Internet Age and author of Cruise Control: Understanding Sex Addiction in Gay Men.