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University of Wisconsin-Madison Continuing Studies; Department of Professional Development and Applied Studies

The Eastern Conference on Child Sexual Abuse Treatment

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Download the brochure from the homepage, or to receive a brochure by mail, e-mail dnolden@dcs.wisc.edu.

Workshop Descriptions

Pre-Conference Institutes (Wednesday, March 26, 2008)
9:00 am until 4:00 pm

Thursday, March 27, 2008
9:00 am until 4:30 pm

Friday, March 28, 2008
9:00 am until 3:00 pm

Pre-Conference Institutes

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

8:00–9:00 am

Registration (continental breakfast)

9:00 am

Institutes 1–7

10:30 am

Break (15 minute)

12:00 pm

*Lunch (on your own)

1:15 pm

Institutes continue

2:30 pm

Break (15 minute)

4:00 pm

Close

*Lunch is on your own each day. Dining options are: Mez Restaurant (1st floor of Marriott). The Underground Shops offer a variety of eateries (enter from the Marriott Lobby) located within easy walking distance from the conference location.

Institute descriptions:

The following day-long institutes offer more intensive learning experiences. Choose to attend one institute for the day.

1. Integrating Directive and Nondirective Approaches in Treating Traumatized Children: One size does not fit all
Eliana Gil, PhD

This workshop discusses the rationale for expanding one’s clinical repertoire to adjust to the child’s needs. We review the evidence-based practices for children, discuss best practices, and explore a range of directive and nondirective strategies, including play therapy, that build the therapy relationship, encourage children’s expression, and intervene with problems and concerns. A variety of case illustrations are presented.

2. Creative Interventions for Sexually Abused and Traumatized Children
Liana Lowenstein, MSW, RSW, CPT-S

Learn assessment and treatment strategies to use in individual or group therapy with preschool, latency, and adolescents. A trauma assessment model, including play therapy techniques, will be demonstrated. Offender enticement strategies, family and community support, post-disclosure response, and
healthy sexuality are addressed.

3. Understanding and Treating Self-Injurious Clients
Wendy Lader, PhD

Explore the meaning and purposes of self-injury and the cultural, familial, and biological causes. Learn techniques to help clients endure uncomfortable
feelings. Find out how to use transference, counter-transference, and projective identification to help maintain an empathic stance. The documentary “Can You See My Pain?” in which self-injurers share their experiences is shown.

4. Sibling Incest—Assessment and Treatment
Geraldine Crisci, MSW

Become familiar with the literature and clinical features. Topics include: separation of victim and offender, joint interviews with victim and offender, and roles of key providers (police, protective services, probation, mental health). Case examples show how to address safety issues, loyalty, engagement, and minimizing.

5. Relational Approaches to Healing Attachment-Based Complex Trauma in Adults
Christine A. Courtois, PhD

Understand the dimensions of complex trauma and the criteria for the diagnostic conceptualization of Complex PTSD by using an attachment framework. You learn several relational and attachmentbased interventions to use with your clients. Specific transference and countertransference issues and enactments are discussed. Case material is woven throughout the presentation.

6. Treating Sex Offenders: Process and content
Anna Salter, PhD

This institute focuses on therapist/ sex offender client interactions including techniques for working with offenders. It addresses denial, Socratic questioning, attitude change techniques, modeling, and challenge and confrontation. It also looks at schema-based therapy, cognitive self-change, and other therapeutic curricula. An emphasis is on the difference between treating sex offenders and other clients.

7. Principles of Trauma Therapy: An integrated model
John Briere, PhD

Drawing upon his new (2006) book with Catherine Scott (Principles of Trauma Therapy: A Guide to Symptoms, Evaluation, and Treatment, Sage Publications), Dr. Briere presents new material on the philosophy of trauma and treatment, titrated emotional processing of traumatic memory,
“hot spot” processing of intrusive and upsetting traumas, “cognitive reconsideration,” interventions for identity disturbance and affect regulation problems, and information on working with substanceabusing clients.

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Eastern Conference on Child Sexual Abuse Treatment

Thursday, March 27, 2008

8:00 am

Registration (continental breakfast)

9:00 am

Welcome and Plenary Session

10:00 am

Break

10:30 am

Workshops 8-14

12:00 pm

*Lunch (on your own)

1:15 pm

Workshops 15-21

2:45 pm

Break

3:00 pm

Workshops 22-28

4:30 pm

Close

Plenary Session:

9:00-10:00 am

Children’s Voices, Children’s Hearts: The challenge of listening, feeling, and connecting
Eliana Gil, PhD

Workshop descriptions:

10:30-12:00 pm Workshops 8-14:

8. Sex Offender Supervision
Anna Salter, PhD

Learn about present tense investigation reports, interview techniques, risk assessment, and supervision techniques, including developing and using a community supervision network.

9. Integrating Eastern mindfulness practices into trauma therapy: Empirical and phenomenological perspectives
John Briere, PhD

Studies suggest that mindfulness training can improve psychological and physical health. Learn the history and philosophy of mindfulness as it relates to trauma. Learn how to integrate therapeutic meditation into therapy. Effects on identity, affect regulation, and anxiety control are emphasized.

10. How Mothers of Sexually Abused Children Learn About and Come to Believe the Abuse
Carol A. Plummer, PhD

Using data from 125 non-abusive mothers, Dr. Plummer explores how mothers learn of the abuse, what they do when they suspect it, and actions taken to learn the truth. Knowing how discovery operates enables us to help mothers know what evidence to trust, what actions to take, and how to protect their children.

11. Understanding and Treating Self-Injurious Clients
Wendy Lader, PhD

Understand the meanings and purposes of self-injury and the cultural, familial, and biological causes. Learn techniques to help clients endure uncomfortable feelings. Explore how to use transference, counter-transference, and projective identification to help maintain an empathic stance.
The documentary “Can You See My Pain?” in which self-injurers share their experiences is shown

12. Don’t Take the Bait: Working with conduct-disordered youth
Linda T. Sanford, LICSW

Clients with little or no motivation to change present us with a challenge and an opportunity for personal growth. Sorting out which feelings and responsibilities belong to the client and which belong to the worker is ongoing. Learn 10 guidelines for self-preservation.

13. Countering Normalizing Sexual Harm: A key to prevent child exploitation
Cordelia Anderson, MA

The workshop defines normalization and addresses four areas that add to the problem: technology, pornography, marketing to children, and a hyper-sexualized culture. Studies showing their impact and prevention strategies are highlighted.

14. Creative Use of Therapeutic Games, Art, Puppets, and Stories
Liana Lowenstein, MSW, RSW, CPT-S

Using play, games, art, puppets, and stories engages children and families in therapy and helps them resolve their psychological difficulties. In this
dynamic workshop, you learn innovative, hands-on activities to make individual, group, and family therapy sessions more meaningful and effective. Videos and live demonstrations illustrate the techniques.

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12:00-1:15 Lunch (on your own):

Dining options are: Mez Restaurant (1st floor of Marriott). The Underground Shops offer a variety of eateries (enter from the Marriott Lobby) located within easy walking distance from the conference location.

1:15-2:45 pm Workshops 15-21:

15. Sexually Reactive Children: The challenges, frustrations, and rewards—Part 1
Eliana Gil, PhD

This workshop provides a model for working with young children that includes a developmentally sensitive assessment process, parallel groups for children and their caretakers, and an individually tailored treatment plan. Learn key elements of treatment designed to provide children and their parents the psychoeducation they need to create a climate conducive to consistent, empathic, and immediate responses. Participants should also attend Part 2—Workshop 22.

16. Trauma-focused Cognitivebehavioral Treatment for Traumatized Children and Their Families—Part 1
Shannon Dorsey, PhD

Learn cognitive-behavioral therapy for children and their families, including strategies to intervene with children and their parents. Learn rationale for this treatment model and understand treatment procedures, which are stress management, psychoeducation, gradual exposure, cognitive processing, and parental interventions. Participants should also attend Part 2—Workshop 23.

17. Viewing Nonoffending Parenting through a Complex Trauma Lens
Mary Jo Barrett, MSW

Nonoffending parents often present some of the most complex challenges in the field of child abuse. This workshop helps you build a framework for
successful engagement and subsequent treatment for the parent, child and family. Understanding the nonoffending parenting style through our knowledge about the treatment of complex trauma helps create an extremely successful treatment experience. Through video tape example and didactic lecture you learn the Collaborative Stage Model, a clear treatment philosophy and specific interventions for helping nonoffending parents.

18. Couple and Family Narrative Therapy Approaches for Effects of Incest and Childhood Sexual Abuse—Part 1
Walter Bera, PhD, LP, LMFT

Learn new and creative Couple and Family Narrative Therapy approaches to address the often multiple and complex individual, relational and often multigenerational effects of incest and childhood sexual abuse. Narrative Therapy is the newest major school of family therapy and offers new, creative ways for people to transform their lives and relationships. Learn to collaborate effectively with people who have been abused, those who have abused and the people who care about them. Workshop is illustrated with practical handouts, clinical videotapes, and interactive exercises. Participants should also attend Part 2—Workshop 25.

19. Assessing trauma: Psychometrics of trauma measurement in children and adolescents
John Briere, PhD

This workshop explores the use of characteristics of currently available measures of trauma symptomatology in children and adolescents. Suggestions for optimal test batteries for different child-adolescent groups are offered.

20. Internet Pornography
Anna Salter, PhD

Learn about adult and child internet pornography. The types of adult porn, frequency of use, and information on pornography addicts is presented. Learn about the types and ages of child porn, methods of access, and luring adolescents for live sex shows.

21. Strong at the Broken Places— Resiliency in Survivors
Linda T. Sanford, LICSW

The myth, “once damaged goods, always damaged goods,” implies survivors of trauma are destined to continue patterns of abuse—against themselves or others. To the contrary, most survivors go on to lead healthy and fulfilling lives. Many derive their greatest strengths in the very areas where they’ve been hurt the most. This session includes the documentary short “Strong at the Broken Places,” produced by the Oscarwinning Cambridge Documentary
Films. After a brief discussion of the film, Linda presents Aaron Antonovsky’s “salutogenic” approach, and the characteristics that help survivors prevail over trauma. Practitioner resiliency is addressed.

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2:45 Break

3:00-4:30 pm Workshops 22-28:

22. Sexually Reactive Children: The challenges, frustrations, and rewards—Part 2
Eliana Gil, PhD

This continuation of Workshop 15 is only for those who attended Part 1.

23. Trauma-focused Cognitive behavioral Treatment for Traumatized Children and their Families—Part 2
Shannon Dorsey, PhD

This continuation of Workshop 16 is only for those who attended Part 1.

24. Compassion Fatigue: Replenishing the caregiver
Mary Jo Barrett, MSW

After hearing about violence and abuse, therapists can be haunted by memories, lose sleep, abuse substances and suffer depression. Learn to identify signs, prevent symptoms, and discover personal and professional solutions. Learn breathing and imaging, how to take a personal inventory and how to incorporate your health values into daily rituals.

25. Couple and Family Narrative Therapy Approaches for Effects of Incest and Childhood Sexual Abuse—Part 2
Walter Bera, PhD, LP, LMFT

This continuation of Workshop 18 is only for those who attended Part 1.

26. Pornography: The changing impact on our lives and work
Cordelia Anderson, MA

Identify key changes in pornography and its access via technology. Understand its impact on shaping attitudes and behaviors. The session has explicit images from “Who Wants to Be a Porn Star?” by Dines, Jenson, and Whisnant. Emphasis is on the need for awareness of these changes and how they affect our work.

27. Innovative Techniques to Engage Resistant Clients in Counseling
Liana Lowenstein, MSW, RSW, CPT-S

Many children in counseling have difficulty verbalizing their issues because they are reluctant to selfdisclose and they are anxious about the therapeutic process. Play-based activities can engage resistant children and help them express their thoughts and feelings. Through lecture, activity demonstrations, and audio-visual presentations, you learn several techniques to engage resistant children and youth in counseling.

28. Mother/Child Relationship During and After a Child Sexual Abuse Investigation
Carol A. Plummer, PhD

This relationship can help heal. Most therapy helps re-build the parent/child bond. Learn about data from focus groups on how mothers perceived their relationship to be adversely affected by interventions designed to help! The group will discuss how to preserve and endorse attachment between
parent and child.

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Eastern Conference on Child Sexual Abuse Treatment

Friday, March 28, 2008

8:30 am

Registration (continental breakfast)

9:00 am

Workshops 29-35

10:30 am

Break

10:45 am

Workshops 36-42

12:15 am

Lunch (on your own)

1:30 pm

Workshops 43-49

3:00 pm

Close

 

Workshop descriptions:

9:00-10:30 am Workshops 29-35:

29. Interviewing the Nonoffending Caregiver During a Sexual Abuse Investigation—Part 1
Christopher T. Ragsdale, MSW, LCSW

Interviewing the nonoffending caregiver (NOC) in a child sexual abuse case is crucial. Part 1 will assist professionals in understanding the reactions of the NOC and the impact of those reactions on the child. Learn how to use information from the interview to help supporting or refuting allegations of abuse. Participants should also attend Part 2—Workshop 36.

30. Principles for Group Work with Trauma Survivors—Part 1
Douglas Braun-Harvey, MFP, CGP

Learn essential principles for effective group work with trauma survivors. Understand the importance of group contracts and learn how to maintain group boundaries. Part 2 integrates group work essentials by using a live demonstration group with an emphasis on “group leader role modeling.” Participants
should also attend Part 2— Workshop 37.

31. Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Youth in Foster Care
Shannon Dorsey, PhD

This workshop offers a brief overview of the application of TF-CBT with youth in foster care. Topics include: working with case workers and foster parents, timing and integrating trauma-focused work into treatment, and working through multiple traumas including those unique to foster placement.

32. From Hurt to Healing: Play therapy techniques for sexually abused children—Part 1
Sueann Kennedy-Noziska, MSW, LCSW, RPT-S

This seminar provides you with play therapy interventions to use with sexually abused children and adolescents. Learn through lecture, case examples, and experiential activities. Emphasis is on providing you with play therapy techniques which can be immediately put into practice. Participants should also
attend Part 2—Workshop 39.

33. Effects of Early Trauma on Child Development—Part 1
Geraldine Crisci, MSW

Learn how early (birth to age 6) trauma affects brain and personality development, functioning, and maturation. Assessment and treatment implications are outlined. Attachment disruption, chaotic and violent environments are emphasized. Learn through lecture, individual exercises, and small group discussion. Participants should also attend Part 2—Workshop 40.

34. Assessing Risk in Juvenile Sex Offenders: The psychosexual risk assessment
Lisa Hunt, LPC, LMFT, CSOTP

Learn the key components of conducting a comprehensive psycho-sexual risk assessment, including providing a written report. Discussion includes gathering collateral information, using sex offender specific and other assessment tools, and making recommendations.

35. Assessing Psychological Trauma in Adults
Christine A. Courtois, PhD

Numerous screening and assessment instruments have been developed in the past decade to evaluate symptoms and to diagnose disorders. This workshop provides an overview of the relevant issues that arise in assessing individuals with a history of trauma. Learn about assessment instruments and how they can be used in both an assessment and a clinical setting.

10:45-12:15 pm Workshops 36-42:

36. Interviewing the Nonoffending Caregiver During a Sexual Abuse Investigation—Part 2
Christopher T. Ragsdale, MSW, LCSW

This continuation of Workshop 29 is only for those who attended Part 1.

37. Principles for Group Work with Trauma Survivors—Part 2
Douglas Braun-Harvey, MFP, CGP

This continuation of Workshop 30 is only for those who attended Part 1.

38. Evidence-based Treatments for PTSD
Jean Gearon, PhD

Learn about evidenced-based treatments for PTSD. The literature supporting each treatment is reviewed as well as the basic treatment components,
philosophies, and techniques. Treatment guidelines for PTSD and the latest pharmacological research are reviewed.

39. From Hurt to Healing: Play therapy techniques for sexually abused children—Part 2
Sueann Kennedy-Noziska, MSW, LCSW, RPT-S

This continuation of Workshop 32 is only for those who attended Part 1.

40. Effects of Early Trauma on Child Development—Part 2
Geraldine Crisci, MSW

This continuation of Workshop 33 is only for those who attended Part 1.

41. Cultural Issues in Child Sexual Abuse
Lisa Fontes, PhD

Understand cultural factors that influence how families respond to child sexual abuse. Learn how to work with diverse families and how to build on familial and cultural strengths. Examples are drawn from several ethnic groups.

42. Risk Management in Treating Trauma
Christine A. Courtois, PhD

Clinicians who treat victims of trauma must understand trauma and the risks of treating it. It is imperative to “do no more harm” by re-traumatizing clients
in the therapy process. Learn about the major areas of risk and liability in treating clients with trauma histories. We discuss general treatment principles
and guidelines that protect the clinician and the client.

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12:15-1:30 Lunch (on your own):

Dining options are: Terrace Restaurant (1st floor of Marriott). The Underground Shops offer a variety of eateries (enter from the Marriott Lobby) located within easy walking distance from the conference location.

1:30-3:00 pm Workshops 43-49:

43. Cross-Cultural interviewing: Understanding and overcoming reluctance
Lisa Fontes, PhD

This workshop improves participants’ cultural competence in interviewing families, adults and children about child sexual abuse. Topics covered include body language, respect, some motivations behind reluctance and ways to overcome it. Examples are drawn from diverse cultural groups.

44. Creative Interventions for Juvenile Sex Offenders
Lisa Hunt, LPC, LMFT, CSOTP
Shannon Morris, LPC, CSOTP

This workshop focuses on how to incorporate creative play therapy techniques into juvenile sex offender treatment.

45. Assessing and Treating PTSD and Substance Abuse
Jean Gearon, PhD

The high prevalence of alcohol and drug use disorders among survivors of childhood sexual abuse requires competency in assessing and treating
both PTSD and substance abuse. Using role plays and audience participation, you learn concrete skills and tools to assess both disorders. Learn
about cutting-edge, evidenced-based treatments to treat this complicated combination—including Seeking Safety (Najavits, 2002) and DBT (Linehan, 1993).

46. Assessing and Treating Sexualized Behavior Problems in Children under Age 12
Geraldine Crisci, MSW

The number of children under age 12 with inappropriate sexualized behavior has increased and presents a challenge to parents, practitioners, schools, and communities. Learn how to treat these behaviors starting with proper assessment and within a developmental context. Learn how to use a comprehensive approach, which includes milieu interventions and outpatient methods.

47. Decision-making in Child Sexual Abuse Cases
Christopher T. Ragsdale, MSW, LCSW

This workshop focuses on improving decision-making in child sexual abuse cases by removing the burden of proof from the alleged child victim. Learn about the necessary, though limited, role of the child forensic interview; the multiple factors to consider in the investigation; the use of a hypothesis testing model; and strategies to assess and to corroborate the child’s statement.

48. ACT Against Violence—Parents Raising Safe Kids
Georgianna Achilles, PhD

This workshop will introduce and review the ACT Against Violence— Parents Raising Safe Kids program, which is an 8-10 session curriculum that can be administered to parents and early childhood professionals involved with caring for children. The objective of the ACT program is to decrease child exposure to violence in all its forms (e.g., exposure to child emotional, physical and sexual abuse, domestic abuse and sexual and violent material in the media) by working with parents to increase their knowledge and expectations of normal child development; improve positive parenting skills such as problem solving and anger management; and limit children’s exposure to subtle and vert violence and sexually explicit material in the home, community and via media.

49. Changing Relationship between Sexual Health and Child Sexual Abuse Treatment: How do therapists prepare?
Douglas Braun-Harvey, MFP, CGP

Define sexual health and explore societal negative attitudes and taboos that influence how treatment professionals are trained. Recognize the need to integrate sexual health and sexual abuse treatment to improve client outcomes. Case examples address questions on theory and application.

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The Department of Professional Development & Applied Studies is a part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Continuing Studies. The units within Continuing Studies provide continuing education programs for lifelong learners, from precollege to seniors, as well as counseling services for adult learners. You will find the UW—Madison Continuing Studies home page at http://www.dcs.wisc.edu, or browse the Web site using the navigational links below.


 

File last updated: November 2007
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