A child's mental health rarely sits apart from what is happening at home. Divorce and custody changes, a caregiver who is worn down or unwell, moving from place to place or losing housing altogether, and patterns of trauma handed down through a family all shape how young people cope and what they bring into treatment (Narayan et al., 2021). For many of the kids on our caseloads, the clinician is one of the steadiest adults in a family that is in the middle of change, and that role asks a lot of us.

This webinar focuses on how to support children and adolescents when the ground under them is moving. We'll look at how family stress shows up at different ages and how to fit interventions to a young client's developmental stage (Masten & Barnes, 2018). We'll also look at how to work alongside caregivers who are struggling themselves while keeping the young person at the center of care, drawing on family resilience research (Walsh, 2016).

The last part of the hour is about when instability becomes a safety concern. We'll cover how to coordinate with schools, social services and community supports in Indiana, and what a report to the Indiana Department of Child Services involves when one is needed. Participants will leave with developmentally tailored strategies and case examples they can use with the families they are seeing now.

This is part 2 of a two-part series created for providers serving children, adolescents and families in Indiana. Each session stands on its own, so join one or both.

Agenda (ET)

[1:00] Welcome and continuing education details

[1:05] How family stress lands at different ages, from early childhood through the teen years

[1:15] Four common stressors, with case examples: divorce and custody changes, caregiver strain, housing instability and intergenerational trauma

[1:30] Developmentally tailored interventions for each age group

[1:40] Working with caregivers who are struggling while keeping the young person at the center of care

[1:48] When instability becomes a safety concern: coordinating with schools, social services and community supports, and making a report in Indiana

[1:54] Questions, post-test and evaluation

[2:00] End.

Who it's for: social workers, counselors and marriage and family therapists in Indiana who work with children, adolescents and their families, including Anthem Indiana Medicaid network providers, associates working toward licensure and the clinical supervisors who guide them.

Content level: intermediate. The webinar assumes a working knowledge of child and adolescent development and basic clinical assessment. No other prerequisites.

Disclosure: Tara Pappas is paid by Motivo to develop and present this webinar. No products or services are promoted.