Resiliency and Working with Clients from Targeted Communities

In 2022, Miranda Galbreath posted a brief video intended for her friends and close colleagues. In it, she described her professional work with people who choose not to act on their sexual interest in children. An influential group with a well-noted political agenda took a brief section of the video out of context and reposted it widely on social media. Within days, she was publicly criticized over 72,000 times, including by a US Senator.

How Sand Tray Therapy Can Aid Your Treatment with Clients

Therapists and counselors around the world keep sand trays within close reach and know they can be excellent tools for therapeutic engagement and work. Despite their popularity, many therapists are unaware of the range of situations in which sand trays can prove effective. For example, manipulating symbolic objects, such as trees, people, and animals in a tray filled with sand can help clients express their emotional and psychological distress.

Let’s Take the Stigma Out of Employing People with a History of Behavioral Issues

Employment can be an important re-entry method and strong protective factor for people who have committed an offense or with a history of behavior issues. Yet many employers are unwilling to hire these individuals. By increasing employers’ understanding, we can promote inclusive hiring and healthy workplaces.

This webinar features an open dialogue with Working Fields, a staffing agency that specializes in helping people eliminate barriers to employment. We will discuss hiring people with past behavioral issues, address common misconceptions, and tackle questions from Working Fields employer partners.

Building Hope and Motivation with Suicidal Clients in Criminal Justice

Working with justice-involved adults brings many challenges, among which are assessing the likelihood of future harmful acts and forming trusting relationships with clients in order to help them become productive members of society. One challenge that is often overlooked by those working with justice-involved clients is understanding and intervening when clients become suic

Mindfulness Approaches For Promoting Wellbeing in Adolescents

This webinar presents ideas for integrating mindfulness and other brain-based approaches into the treatment of adolescents with histories of harmful behaviors. The ideas incorporate the rigor of science, the beauty of art, the wisdom of reflection, and years of clinical experience in this field. The presenter, Michelle Gourley, first became formally experienced with Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in the wake of significant personal life events. This led her to explore how this approach, and others like it, can be used with the clients in her care.

Springtime Self-Care! Strategies and Discussion with Colleagues

This round-table discussion is intended for professionals who already understand the importance of self-care and are looking to get better at it. First, Janet will describe the findings of a survey that she completed with professionals working with individuals who have abused. Next, Arliss will focus on what’s possible and available for busy professionals. David will add some observations from his practice and then turn it over to the audience for open discussion. Participants can add their own thoughts or simply relax and enjoy the company of colleagues who understand the challenges of this work in the current era.

Supporting Survivors Through Restorative Justice

Countless survivors of sexual harm and violence never contact any professional services or law enforcement mechanisms. This doesn’t mean these survivors are not yearning for healing for themselves and accountability for their abusers; rather, it is often the fear of the collateral consequences on their families and communities that keeps them silent. sujatha baliga (sujatha spells her name uncapitalized) believes restorative justice can meet these hidden needs at the family and community level, without reliance on systems of punishment.

The Important Role of Social Workers in Preventing Sexual Abuse: A Panel Discussion for Social Work Month

March is Social Work Month, a “time to celebrate the great profession of Social Work.” This panel discussion is an opportunity to learn about the contributions of social workers to the prevention of sexual abuse. From understanding people in the contexts of their day-to-day lives to working with the systems that our clients find themselves in, the contributions of social workers are often underestimated and misunderstood.

Addressing Animal Abuse and Its Relationship to Interpersonal Violence

In 2015, the Humane Society of the United States estimated that nearly one million animals a year are abused or killed in episodes of domestic violence. They also found that intentional cruelty to animals is strongly correlated with other crimes, including violence against people. This webinar is to introduce professionals to simple yet effective screening methods for how animal abuse and neglect may play a role with the individuals they are working with, along with discussion about managing the emotional effects of this difficult content. 

School Shootings: What We Know About Attacks on Campuses

The frequency of school shootings has increased in recent years, capturing the attention of parents, clinicians, and policymakers. As a result, communities and stakeholders are desperately looking for ways to identify and provide preventive assistance to high-risk youth before tragedy strikes. While our understanding of school shootings is still growing, research has identified some relevant patterns and risk markers that make professionals uniquely positioned to engage in prevention efforts. After presenting key research insights, Dr. Rodrigues will focus on youths at risk for school shootings and ways to navigate high-risk situations safely and ethically. Attendees will be provided critical details about those who perpetrate school shootings from the existing research, and potential safeguards communities can implement.