Adolescence has been considered a challenging developmental stage, characterized as a transition period marked by rapid physical, cognitive, and emotional changes. This tends to make it more challenging to build rapport in therapy, especially in instances in which parents/school referred them, and they are not yet ready to work through various emotions and reactions. Additionally, adolescents may present with a diverse array of issues ranging from identity exploration to mental health disorders, necessitating therapists to be well-versed in evidence-based interventions tailored to their needs. Another challenge of working with adolescents in therapy is maintaining confidentiality, based on an ethical practice, while still accounting for cultural parental expectations.
In Lebanon, some psychologists tend to report they do not feel equipped to manage the specific considerations of working with adolescents. Through this training, we will provide participants with an overview of the main challenges of adolescence, focusing on how to account for them in therapy, build rapport with both the adolescent and parents, as well as discuss various case studies illustrating specific strategies stemming from motivational interviewing, interpersonal therapy, and mentalization based therapy, ensuring ethical practice with adolescents in therapy.
Objective
The main objective of this interactive training is to equip psychologists working with adolescents and their parents with the basic competencies needed to ensure the best standards of support during this critical developmental period.
Learning Objectives
LO1: Describe key developmental, cultural, and clinical factors that influence adolescent engagement in therapy.
LO2: Apply rapport-building and communication strategies to effectively engage adolescents and their parents.
LO3: Analyze case scenarios to identify appropriate evidence-based interventions from MI, IPT, and MBT.
LO4: Practice ethically and culturally informed competencies that balance adolescent confidentiality with parental expectations.
Target audience
Psychologists and mental health professionals working with adolescents. Between 20 and 25 participants per group.
Course duration
The training will run for 1 day, 8.30am – 3.30pm Saturday, September 26 LAU Beirut, Nicol 406