Up Close and Personal:
Workshops for Therapists in an Intimate Setting
The goal of the Up Close and Personal Workshop Series is to give therapists the opportunity to be in close conversation with dynamic teachers. The workshops take place at Live Oak Center for Psychotherapy and Education in El Dorado Hills which provides a comfortable and homey setting. Registration for workshops are limited to 15 people. This structure allows each participant the opportunity to engage in the workshop and with the presenter in an active and meaningful way.
Please call 916-933-5011.
Our Upcoming Workshops:
Click on banner(s) below for more information.
Register Online
Register Online
Workshop Fee: $100
Enroll now! Workshop limited to 15 participants!
6 CE Credits/Hours available for MFT’s, LCSW’s and LEPs
6 CEUs for Psychologists (LIV005-008-000)
Course Description:
This workshop is geared for professionals (mental health, child welfare, education) that work with or advocate for children of any age that have been abused, neglected and/or separated from their primary caregiver in their first three years of life. Based on research in the field of neuroscience, this workshop will explain how early trauma significantly impacts brain development, why these kids often have the significant behavioral challenges that they have, how we well-meaning professionals have been operating under faulty assumptions and what we can do not only to help the reduce disruptive behaviors but actually to help heal their primal wounds. It is Teri’s goal that by the end of the day, you will see these "Difficult Beginnings" kids through a more compassionate yet scientific lens and feel re-energized about your ability to help create a more positive future for them. This workshop will include lecture, discussion, video, and interactive exercises.
Course objectives:
At the conclusion of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Understand the impact that early trauma and attachment disruption has on the developing brain
- Know what is at the root of the child's behavioral problems and what the purpose behind the behavior
- Be aware of what this model teaches caregivers as to how to help create a more positive connection with their child and reduce/eliminate problematic behaviors
- Identify three things in your professional role that you can do differently to promote regulation and/or attachment for a child
About the Presenter
Teri Gelgood, LMFT, has been advocating for and assisting children and families for over 20 years in various capacities. She specializes in working with foster and adopted children and their caregivers. Teri has a passion for helping children heal the initial wounds that are the basis for their current behavioral challenges. She uses neuroscience, current attachment theory, compassion and playfulness in her individual and family therapy. Teri is the creator of the "Difficult Beginnings" parenting courses and the "Dealing with Feelings" courses for children.
Workshop Outline:
| 8:30AM |
Registration and Check-In |
Morning Program
| 9:00AM |
Introductions |
| 9:30AM |
The basics of attachment, developmental trauma and the brain |
| 10:45AM |
Video: Neurons to Neighborhoods |
| 11:30AM |
Understand what is behind the child’s behavior: The Body’s Alarm System |
| 12:00PM |
Lunch (on your own) |
Afternoon Program
| 1:30PM |
The 3 C’s for caregivers: Regulation, dysregulation and co-regulation |
| 2:45PM |
Q and A |
| 3:00PM |
How you can help?
• Mental Health
• Child Welfare
• Education
• Other
|
| 3:45PM |
Three professional "take-away's |
| 4:15PM |
Resources and closing |
| 4:30PM |
Adjourn |
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Register Online
Workshop Fee: $150
Enroll now! Workshop limited to 15 participants!
No CEUs
Course Description:
This workshop will:
- Provide an overview of the licensing test process, orienting participants to both the Standard Written and Vignette exams.
- Give you practice with sample exam questions that cover each of the California BBS Standard Written Exams' Content Areas with ample time for discussion of answers.
- Address effective test taking techniques.
- Assist you in evaluating your relative strengths and weakness for a more focused approach to exam preparation.
- With no more than 15 total participations, you will be in close conversation with the one of the foremost educators in test preparations.
Berkeley Training Associates test preparation materials will be available for sale at the workshop.
Participants in Stan’s test preparation workshops find that his presentation and test preparation materials are:
- clearly presented
- well organized
- easy to use
- thorough
- and, most importantly, effective!
About the Presenter:
Stan Taubman, PhD, is the Program Director of Berkeley Training Associates and teaches on the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley, graduate program in Social Work. He is the former Director of the Alameda County Medi-Cal Behavioral Health Plan, as well a Director of Management Services for the Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services Department. His clinical experience includes private practice, mental health inpatient, outpatient and day treatment programs, child welfare and medical social work. Dr. Taubman is the author of Ending the Struggle Against
Yourself (Tarcher/Putnam Publishing), as well as numerous journal articles addressing both clinical and administrative issues.
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Register Online
Workshop Fee: $150
Enroll now! Workshop limited to 15 participants!
6 CE Credits/Hours available for MFT’s, LCSW’s and LEPs
6 CEUs for Licensed Psychologists Pending (Call for update)
Course Description:
This workshop assists professionals (mental health therapists, child custody mediators, child custody evaluators, Special Masters, judges, attorneys etc.) in understanding, assessing, evaluating and employing the concept of Parental Alienation in case work. The term "Parental Alienation" has been the subject of intense controversy among professionals, the Courts and parents alike. Misinformation and misuse of the term "Parental Alienation" has created legal battles and has increased additional tension and distress for families. Through the use of lecture, case examples and interactive discussion, the workshop will address the myths and the realities of "Parental Alienation" and will provide professionals with the tools they need to effectively deal with alienation in their case work.
Course objectives:
Participants will learn:
- How to assess for alienation and what are the risk factors
- What the research shows and its influence on forensic and clinical work
- Reasons why a child might reject a parent
- New ways to intervene with a family whose child is rejecting a parent
- Examples of how a parent alienates a child
- How to deal with and Obsessed Alienator
- Emotional child abuse - what is it?
About the Presenter:
Tim Rood has been providing therapeutic and child custody services in five surrounding counties for over 23 years. He is on the Court's Expert panel as a Private Mediator, Child Custody Evaluator and Special Master. Tim also provides consultation services to attorneys, parents and individuals, couple therapy, child therapy, reunification therapy and co-parenting therapy. He is also a Divorce Coach and Child Specialist in Collaborative Divorce work. The professional passion Tim has is for the best interests of children who may be a part of a highly dysfunctional, alienating and abusive family system. As a result, recommendations are made to the Court to protect children and to assist families in moving toward a more functional, supportive and loving environment.
Workshop Outline:
| 8:30AM |
Registration and Check-In |
| 9:00AM |
Overview and Exploration of what "Parental Alienation" really is |
| 9:30AM |
Causal Theories and What We Have Learned: Literature review |
| 10:30AM |
Break |
10:45AM
|
Causal Theories and What We Have Learned: Literature review |
| 12:00PM |
Lunch |
| 1:30PM |
The Psychological Effects of Alienation on Children and Parents |
| 2:15PM |
Factors That May Prevent Consolidation of the Child's Alienation from a Rejected Parent |
| 3:00PM |
Break |
| 3:15PM |
Interventions in Cases with Abuse, Alienation, and/or Estrangement |
| 4:15PM |
Considerations for Professionals Regarding Court Testimony and Report Writing in Alienation Cases |
| 4:30PM |
Adjourn |
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Register Online
Workshop Fee: $100
Enroll now! Workshop limited to 15 participants!
6 CE Credits/Hours available for MFT’s, LCSW’s and LEPs
6 CEUs for Licensed Psychologists Pending (Call for update)
Workshop Description:
It is not uncommon for divorced and separating clients to feel as though they are losing control over what is mostly deeply important to them- their children and their sense of security. Feelings of powerlessness and desperation lead clients to act in ways that are counterproductive to their own needs and desires, and the emotional needs of their children.
In her many years of working with divorced parents, Alisa learned that clients cannot utilize effective communication skills or be sensitive to the needs of their children when they are in emotionally reactive states. A critical element of effective divorced parenting, then, is teaching clients concepts and skills that enable them to move from highly reactive negative emotional states to calmer, more rational states. Alisa developed the “Unexpected Journey” curriculum in order to empower divorced parents to gain control over their emotional reactivity and learn to act in ways that benefit them and their children.
The “Unexpected Journey” curriculum makes a compelling argument that is highly beneficial for their children, and in the client’s own best interest to cultivate compassion for their ex-spouses. This curriculum also takes the strong point of view that a client can effect positive change for themselves and their children even if their ex-spouse does not develop the same understandings.
Using both didactic and experiential modalities, Alisa will take you through the practical, understandable and accessible curriculum she uses in her divorced parenting classes. You will receive a copy of “An Unexpected Journey: The Road to Power and Wisdom in Divorced Parenting,” a book/workbook that you can use with clients.
About the Presenter:
Alisa Jaffe Holleron is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and creator of Live Oak Center for Psychotherapy and Education in El Dorado Hills. Alisa developed the curriculum for “An Unexpected Journey,” an eight week class for co-parents struggling with difficult and conflictual divorces. She wrote the companion book/workbook “An Unexpected Journey: The Road to Power and Wisdom in Divorced Co-Parenting.” Alisa has facilitated co-parenting and parenting groups for more than 10 years. She has had three articles published on Mothering Magazine website: “Parental Anger: Mindfulness and Letting Go,” “The Woman in my Seat” and “Thank You Barbara for Being my Teacher.” She brought her skills and unique parenting approach to Family Connections where she co-developed the "Roots and Wings" parenting program. She earned her Master's degree in Social Work at the University of Illinois in 1985, and has worked in social services her entire adult life. Her engaging, open-minded, humorous and accepting style is appreciated by her clients and group participants.
Workshop Objectives:
1. Develop an understanding of the role of powerlessness
in ongoing conflict and anger
2. Develop practical skills for teaching clients about the underlying
causes of emotional reactivity (including shame and fear) and
how to move out of those states
3. Develop practical skills to assist clients in understanding the
impact of conflict on children, and skills for attending to the
emotional needs of children in divorce situations
4. Develop a usable set of skills to assist clients in cultivating
compassion for their ex-spouses.
5. Develop skills for assisting clients in cultivating power
and wisdom.
6. Develop a useful framework for helping clients create what
they really want.
Workshop Outline:
| 8:30AM |
Registration and Check-In |
| 9:00AM |
Overview of the “Unexpected Journey” Curriculum– The impact of conflict and negativity on children |
| 9:30AM |
“Reactive” vs “Grounded Desires– Assisting clients in setting goals that benefit their children |
| 10:30AM |
Break |
| 10:45AM |
The Role of Fear in in Anger and Conflict– Assisting clients in understanding their emotional Reactivity– Using mindfulness to gain control over reactivity |
| 12:00PM |
Lunch (on your own) |
| 1:30PM |
Knowing What You Can and Can’t Control- “The Table” Exercise– A tool to help clients see what is out of their control– The role of grief in the process of accepting what can’t be controlled |
| 2:15PM |
When People Behave Badly They’re Distressed– Seeing the “ex” in a different light– Understanding the dynamics of shame and the patterns that develop out of shame– breaking out of patterns |
| 3:00PM |
Break |
| 3:15PM |
Experiential Exercise– Embodying the other– Assisting clients in stepping into their ex’s shoes |
| 4:15PM |
Staying positive, cultivating gratitude rituals
|
| 4:30PM |
Adjourn |
Go to top of page.
Register Online
Workshop Fee: $150
Enroll now! Workshop limited to 15 participants!
6 CE Credits/Hours available for MFT’s, LCSW’s and LEPs
6 CEUs for Psychologists (LIV005-005-000)
Workshop Description:
In what could be called the tragedy of everyday life, couples wishes are expressed as complaints, needs are stated as demands, and power struggles take the place of open communication. Therapists typically treat these seemingly irresolvable relationship problems as expressions of character pathology, ghosts of the past, personality clashes, or long-nursed grudges. In collaborative couple therapy, we see the heart of the problem as loss of voice. Clients feel alone in their experience. They are unable to express their inner longings and fears. Hopelessness sets in. This is “loss of voice”—whether it takes the form of kicking and screaming or quiet withdrawn desperation.
In collaborative couple therapy, we take the fight that is occurring at the moment and, by giving voice to each partner’s experience, transform it into a moment of intimacy. This turns the relationship into a curative force for solving the couple’s current impasse as well as their family-of-origin problems. The central therapeutic task is to move couples out of their spiral of alienation—their adversarial or withdrawn state—and into a cycle of connection. The therapist creates intimate conversations by bringing out the haunting feelings that each partner struggles with alone.
A defining feature of this approach is the recognition that in our sessions with couples, we grapple with the same problems they do. We get pulled into withdrawn states, where we become disengaged, and into adversarial states, where we become disapproving. Our task is to recognize our disengagement and disapproval as clues to the relationship problem of the moment, which is the partners’ inability to express the feelings that are haunting them. If they could express these feelings, their partners would immediately empathize with them—and so would we. The teaching modalities include didactic presentation, role-play demonstration, analysis of couple interactions, and experiential exercises.
Workshop Objectives:
• Serve as each partner’s spokesperson, scriptwriter,
and advocate.
• Turn problems into moments of intimacy.
• Use fights as entry points into conversation that can expand
the relationship.
• Deal with couple gridlock by re-assembling the relationship
on the next higher level.
• Find ways to empathize with the less likeable partner
About the Presenter:
Dan is a clinical psychologist with thirty years experience as a couple therapist. Dr. Wile is internationally recognized for his innovative work with couples and his expertise in transforming conflict into intimacy. He is known for his clarity of thought and engaging personal style. His presentations are praised for their blend of theoretical sophistication and clinical utility. Dr. Wile received his B.A. from University of Chicago and his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, where he is an Assistant Clinical Professor. He is a Diplomate in Clinical Psychology of the American Board of Professional Psychology. He has published on psychotherapeutic theory as well as couples therapy, teaches in several graduate programs in the San Francisco Bay Area, gives professional workshops on couples therapy throughout the United States, and is author of Couples Therapy: A Nontraditional Approach; After the Honeymoon: How Conflict Can Improve Your Relationship; and After the Fight: Using Your Disagreements to Build a Stronger Relationship. In his book, The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, John Gottman, Ph.D., a leading researcher in marital therapy, writes about Daniel Wile: “I love Wile’s writing and thinking. They are entirely consistent with many of my research findings.”
Workshop Outline:
| 8:30AM |
Registration and Check-In |
Morning Program
| 9:00AM |
- Alternative stances that a couple therapist can take
- The theory of relationships that leads to Collaborative Couple Therapy
- Role-play demonstration
- The hidden tempestuous life of the therapist
- The source of the couple’s problem: loss of voice
- Family of origin issues: resolving the past by addressing the present
- Looking at character pathology from a Collaborative Couple Therapy perspectiv
|
| 1:00PM |
Lunch (on your own) |
| Afternoon Program |
| 2:00PM |
- The therapist’s inner dialogue: Understanding yourself as a tool to understanding the partners
- The process of therapy: solving the moment rather than solving the problem
- The partners’ inner dialogues: digging out the unspoken thoughts
|
| 4:30PM |
Adjourn |
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Register Online
Workshop Fee: $150
Enroll now! Workshop limited to 15 participants!
6 CE Credits/Hours for MFTs, LCSWs and LEPs
6 CEUs for Psychologists (LIV005-007-000)
Course Description:
Quite simply put, we are the instrument. Slowing down to notice what we sense in our bodies and how we express through our bodies is our work. It informs us at to what is going on in the therapeutic relationship, what is missing, and what we can offer to help it shift. Come practice full embodiment with me and see how simple presence can help guide the process, build relationship, and increase our capacity for ease and satisfaction.
Course objectives:
Upon completion of this course, participants will:
- Know the five Hakomi principles which govern and guide body centered interventions in psychotherapy
- Know and have practiced five or more methods for emotional regulation
- Understand the importance of the therapist’s embodiment in the therapeutic relationship
- Practice tracking therapist’s own dis-regulation and three or more techniques for self-regulation
- Have a basic understanding of how the therapist’s embodied presence engenders safety and invites experiences of secure attachment
About the Presenter:
Jennifer Mueller has been studying and practicing bodycentered psychotherapy since 1987. She is a teacher of the Hakomi Method, and is trained in Susan Aposhyan's Body Mind Therapy, Pat Ogden's Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and Julie Henderson's Zapchen Somatics. A dynamic and engaging teacher, Jennifer is dedicated to helping people find greater ease in their bodies, shift old patterns and shed limiting beliefs. She practices lives and practices in Chicago.
Workshop Outline:
| 9:00AM |
Welcome/guidelines/introductions/goals |
| 9:30AM |
Embodiment practice/tools for regulation -soothing the hyper-activated CNS |
| 10:00AM |
Benefits and rationale for body-focus -health as wholeness and integration |
| 10:30AM |
Hakomi principles to guide body centered approach to therapy |
| 11:00AM |
Embodiment practice as tracking tool |
| 11:30AM |
Practice self-regulation and relational regulation in pairs |
| 12:00PM |
Debrief practice/questions and answers |
| 12:30PM |
Lunch (on your own) |
| 2:00PM |
Embodiment practice/tool for therapist’s own well being and effectiveness |
| 2:30PM |
Body-centered exploration of question |
| 3:00PM |
Share in dyads and practice embodied presence as therapeutic intervention |
| 3:30PM |
Embodiment practice/techniques to arouse the hypo-activated CNS |
| 3:45PM |
Review/how to integrate these methods into your practice/resources/closing |
| 4:30PM |
Adjourn |
Go to top of page.
Register Online
Workshop Fee: $150
Enroll now! Workshop limited to 15 participants!
6 CE Credits/Hours for MFTs, LCSWs and LEPs
6 CEUs for Psychologists (LIV005-006-000)
Course Description:
In this workshop the uses of Buddhist practices and teachings in addiction treatment and recovery will be explored. Blending mindfulness and the12 Steps, Kevin will demonstrate how fundamental Buddhist teachings like the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, Lovingkindness, and others can apply to our own recovery or that of our clients. The workshop will include lecture, discussion, and interactive exercises, as well as an introduction to mindfulness meditation.
Course objectives:
At the conclusion of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Understand the uses of mindfulness in recovery
- Have a new understanding of the 12 Steps and Higher Power
- Know the core principles of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path
- Understand the basics of mindfulness meditation
About the Presenter:
Kevin Griffin, author of “ One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps” and the recent “A Burning Desire: Dharma, God and the Path of Recovery,” has been practicing Buddhist meditation for three decades and has been in recovery since 1985. He specializes in helping people in recovery connect with meditation and a progressive understanding of the 12 Steps. Kevin is one of the leaders of the mindful recovery movement and one of the founders of the Buddhist Recovery Network. He has been a meditation teacher for fifteen years, training at Spirit Rock Meditation Center where he currently leads dharma and recovery classes. Kevin teaches nationally in Buddhist centers, treatment centers, professional conferences and academic settings. He has taught meditation in prisons and homeless shelters. Kevin’s first career was as a rock musician. Later, he earned his BA in English from UC Berkeley and MFA in Creative Writing from UC Irvine. He now divides his time between writing, teaching, and time with his wife and daughter. He plays and writes music and is recording a CD of dharma-related rock songs.
Workshop Outline:
| 8:30AM |
Registration and Check-In |
Morning Program |
| 9:00AM |
Description of mindfulness and uses with recovery (lecture) |
| 9:30AM |
Guided meditation |
| 10:00AM |
Questions and answers |
| 10:30AM |
Four Noble Truths and 12 Steps (lecture) |
| 11:15AM |
Interactive exercise on letting go |
| 12:00PM |
Lunch (on your own) |
| Afternoon Program |
| 1:30PM |
Eightfold Path as Higher Power (lecture) |
| 2:00PM |
Guided meditation |
| 2:30PM |
Questions and answers |
| 2:45PM |
Break |
| 3:00PM |
Heart practices for recovery |
| 3:30PM |
Interactive exercise on lovingkindness |
| 4:00PM |
Resources and closing |
| 4:30PM |
Adjourn |
Go to top of page.
Register Online
Workshop Fee: $150
Enroll now! Workshop limited to 15 participants!
No CEUs
Course Description:
This workshop:
- Will give an overview of the Clinical Vignette exam, giving special attention to the logic of the complex question style used in this examination.
- Practice with vignettes based on clients of all ages and a variety of diagnostic formulations.
- Includes extensive handouts and a variety of practice exam questions drawn from the various fields of practice covered in the Clinical Vignette Exam.
- Will address effective test taking techniques.
- Will assist you in evaluating your relative strengths and weakness for a more focused approach to exam preparation.
- With no more than 15 total participations, you will be in close conversation with the one of the foremost educators in test preparations.
Berkeley Training Associates test preparation materials will be available for sale at the workshop.
Participants in Stan’s test preparation workshops find that his presentation and test preparation materials are:
- clearly presented
- well organized
- easy to use
- thorough
- and, most importantly, effective!
About the Presenter:
Stan Taubman, PhD, is the Program Director of Berkeley Training Associates and teaches on the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley, graduate program in Social Work. He is the former Director of the Alameda County Medi-Cal Behavioral Health Plan, as well a Director of Management Services for the Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services Department. His clinical experience includes private practice, mental health inpatient, outpatient and day treatment programs, child welfare and medical social work. Dr. Taubman is the author of Ending the Struggle Against Yourself (Tarcher/Putnam Publishing), as well as numerous journal articles addressing both clinical and administrative issues.
Go to top of page.
Register Online
Workshop Fee: $100
Enroll now! Workshop limited to 15 participants!
6 CE Credits/Hours available for MFT’s, LCSW’s and LEPs
6 CEUs for Licensed Psychologists Pending (Call for update)
Course Description:
This workshop is geared for professionals (mental health, social work) that work with adult clients. The Inner Critic is familiar to us all; that internal voice that is negative, restrictive, and attacking. Caught in the spell of an Inner Critic voice, we often struggle against an onslaught of self-doubt, insecurity, and fear. In this workshop we will practice methods to engage with these attacking voices, disarm them, and move through the attack into our fuller selves. It is Tara’s goal that by the end of the day, you will feel empowered to engage Inner Critic attacks within yourself and support your clients to do the same. This workshop will include lecture, discussion, and interactive exercises.
Course objectives:
At the conclusion of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Understand several theoretical perspectives regarding the concept of the Inner Critic
- Be aware of the various manifestations of Inner Critic attacks and symptoms that indicate their presence
- Know how to engage with the Inner Critic to gain insight and resolve the attack
- Understand that different clients will manifest different types of Inner Critics
- Identify three examples from your clinical work where this approach to Inner Critic work could be applied
About the Presenter:
Tara Ingram Hudson, PhD recently graduated from Meridian University where she found her passion for this approach to Inner Critic work. She practiced this approach during her four years of coursework and three years as a teaching assistant. Tara has led several workshops since graduating; one on ‘Metabolizing Shame’ and another on ‘Cross-Cultural Competency in Groups’.
Workshop Outline:
Morning Program
| 9:00AM |
Introductions |
| 9:30AM |
The basics on various theories and approaches to the concept of the Inner Critic |
| 10:00AM |
Demonstrations & Group Discussion |
| 10:45AM |
Small group practice |
| 11:45AM |
Individual note taking of reflections on practice sessions |
| 12:00PM |
Lunch (on your own) |
Afternoon Program
| 1:30PM |
Group Discussion, Q and A |
| 2:00PM |
Small group practice |
| 3:00PM |
Consider clinical case examples |
| 4:15PM |
Closing |
| 4:30PM |
Adjourn |
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