Working with hard to engage children and teens: I don't wanna talk about it

Date: April 7, 2027 

Time: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET

Facilitator: Liana Lowenstein, MSW, RSW, CPT-S

CE hours: 3

This training is suitable for:

• Mental Health Professionals: psychotherapists, counsellors, psychologists, social workers
• Medical Professionals: nurses, psychiatrists, pediatricians, family doctors
• Direct Service Workers: drop in workers, shelter and hostel workers, child and youth workers, youth justice workers

Client age category: For professionals who work with children and teens.

Description: Working with hard to engage clients can be frustrating and challenging, even for seasoned clinicians. The challenge of working with younger clients in therapy can be further compounded by their fear of entering therapy, lack of control over the decision to attend therapy, feeling of being scapegoated for family problems, lack of motivation for treatment, and their developmental capacity that makes it difficult for them to respond to traditional talk therapy.

The first step in working with hard to engage children and teens is understanding the reasons underlying their resistance. The second step involves engaging clients in the therapeutic process.

This training will explore various factors that underlie therapeutic resistance. Participants will learn interventions to engage children in therapy and to maximize the potential for change. Emphasis will be on play-based, expressive arts techniques including therapeutic games, art and stories. These techniques can be used during both in-person and online sessions.

Learning objectives:

• Describe the factors underlying therapeutic resistance
• Implement creative interventions to facilitate rapport-building with children
• Implement play-based and expressive arts techniques with clients who are reluctant to verbally articulate their thoughts and feelings