Conference Sessions

Friday Workshop
12:30-5pm- 4 CE's
Hors d'oeuvres will be served

Breakout Session 1
9:45-10:45 am

Practitioners utilize both Motivational Interviewing and the Transtheoretical Model of Change together in practice because it is a good fit (DiClemente & Velasquez, 2005). Researchers specifically applied the Transtheroetical Model of Change to survivors of DV to help practitioners better understand and support clients (Burman, 2003) and to improve client outcomes of completing therapy and achieving successful treatment (Prochaska & Norcross, 2001). Using skills shared in this session, counselors could positively influence children by decreasing 1) the allostatic load on children, 2) internalized (social withdrawal, sleep disturbances) and externalized behavior (tantrums, aggression), 3) negative emotions such as fear, sadness, and anger as well as PTSD symptomatology, 4) traumatic impact on brain and cognitive development (resulting in better academic functioning), and 5) the number of children that learn violence as an acceptable way to solve problems (Adams, 2006). Providing counselors with tools to address this issue in session could help decrease violence perpetration and direct victimization of child-witnesses as they age.

Do you shy away from facilitating groups for children with disruptive and challenging behaviors? While difficulty managing emotions and acting out can be developmentally appropriate in very young children, these tend to resolve through socialization, co-regulation, and modeling of appropriate social problem-solving behaviors. Strong and frequent patterns of externalizing behaviors into the preschool and elementary school years not only cause significant disruption at home and school but have also been linked to significant negative outcomes in adolescence and adulthood. This session will provide an overview of basic concepts related to group theory and management as it applies to working with children of elementary age (5-10 years), with specific consideration given to supporting this population as they cope with multiple COVID-19-related transitions. Participants will explore the risks and impact of childhood externalizing disorders. Effective counseling techniques will be identified, and the application of effective group counseling strategies will be outlined.

Harm reduction, an approach to addressing substance use, is well aligned with the values of professional counseling. Harm reduction can reduce risks for clients, especially those who are not abstinent from substances. This session will help counselors identify ways to integrate harm reduction for clients who use substances.

Breakout Session 2
11:00am - 12:00pm

During this learning session, we will explore the issues not often discussed among counselors and mental health professionals (but definitely felt!) surrounding relational aggression. We will look at past and current writing about this topic, as well as how issues including (but not limited to) COVID-19, social media/media oversaturation, and the culture of overworking have affected our ability to cope with life on life’s terms in and out of our helping roles.

Play therapy is a developmentally appropriate counseling intervention as toys serve as children’s words while play is their natural language (Landreth, 2012). This presentation will guide participants in thoughtfully choosing toys and other play room materials. Participants will learn how to set up a multiculturally appropriate play room as well as apply their knowledge through experiential learning.

Report on creation of bilingual training developed in partnership with local Latinx agency and grounded in multilingual, multicultural, antiracist, and indigenous principles. Description of challenges facing Latinx communities in Wisconsin as well as community strengths to respond to mental health disparities. Recommendations for counselors serving Latinx populations in Wisconsin.

Breakout Session 3
2:00pm - 3:00pm

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) utilizes mindfulness and the Hexaflex model to foster psychological flexibility and reduce suffering. This presentation will employ a variety of activities to first enhance the audience’s understanding of ACT before demonstrating how developmentally appropriate language could potentially transform the Hexaflex model into a resource for children and adolescents

With the public health, social justice and political circumstances of our current world, it may be challenging to manage our own reactions, especially with clients who may hold very different views. Counselors practicing in an ethical manner set aside our values to provide a space for clients to express theirs. How do we provide a safe environment for clients when our reactions may surprise even us? Join this session to expand your personal awareness of your own reactions. We will also discuss how to ethically work with clients whose views may differ from ours, and will also focus on bracketing our own views when the topics are often so charged and personal.

Presenters: Carol Klose Smith, Ph.D., LC, NCC, ACS, Jessie Latten, Ph.D., LPC
Trauma-informed supervision: Core concepts and challenges

This presentation seeks to inform and discuss the challenges supervisors experience when clinicians are working with clients who have experienced trauma. This presentation will focus on how supervisors are approaching trauma in counseling with their supervisees, examine how trauma manifests in the counseling relationship, how trauma affects both the clinician and the supervisor, as well as explore how supervisors can ameliorate the adverse effects of working with those who have experienced trauma. The idea of secondary trauma, vicarious trauma, tertiary trauma, and compassion fatigue are discussed as precursors to burnout.

Breakout Session 4
3:15pm - 4:15pm

In this learning session, the presenters will share the strategies they have used to assist students and supervisees who are juggling multiple roles in their own lives. The presenters also will highlight specific concepts and considerations to promote equity, cultural humility, and inclusion both in and out of the classroom.

Sandtray has been used by clinicians since Lowenfeld introduced the concept to the field of counseling in the 1930s. This presentation will emphasize sandtray’s appropriateness as an intervention for LGBTQ+ youth. Participants will learn how to ethically implement multiculturally appropriate sandtray techniques for use with marginalized populations and LGBTQ+ youth through experiential learning opportunities.