Teletherapy with Traumatized Teens & Emerging Adults in a Global Pandemic

Traumatized adolescents and young adults struggle with self-regulation. They are dysregulated across systems–neurologically, cognitively, physically, emotionally, behaviorally, socially, and spiritually. Anxious and vigilant, and unable to trust themselves or caregivers, they may experience even loving relationships as confusing and frightening. But to learn self-soothing, they must first be able to rely upon others and discover the comfort of co-regulation. They benefit from relationships with adults that provide them with the psychological (and physical) sense of stability and containment they cannot supply themselves.

Their lifelong experience of the world as unpredictable is exacerbated by the fear and uncertainty that COVID-19 has brought to us all. To work effectively with these youth, it’s crucial for adults to first foster their own capacity for self-awareness and self-regulation. It’s not easy, especially now, when we are also distressed and frightened. It can be harder to attune to our young clients using teletherapy, and their extreme reactions—ranging from angry arousal to frozen shutting down—can trigger our own sense of helplessness and overwhelm.

In this webinar, you will learn about Developmental-Relational Therapy (DRT), an attachment-based model of trauma treatment that can be effective for video sessions. You will learn and practice mindful, empathic strategies that help teens feel more secure, connected, present, and regulated. You’ll discover how to get unhooked from old enactments by exploring:

• Specific adolescent attachment styles that interact with or trigger our own
• The React, Reflect, and Respond approach to corrective relational experiences
• Four M’s—mirroring, mentalizing, mindfulness, and modulation—to increase connection and mood regulation
• How to use the challenge of teletherapy for greater moment-to-moment attunement —including strategies of validation, unflinching empathy, strategic self-disclosure, and the compassionate sharing of adult feelings and opinions-—to bring traumatized youth back into relationships with themselves and with you.

Course Objectives:

• To discuss four pathways for healing the effects of attachment trauma.
• To discuss the developmental importance of co-regulation across intrapersonal and interpersonal systems.
• To describe, identify and model adult behavior that increases calm, intentional, empathic interaction.
• To discuss specific intervention strategies to help youth in both highly activated and deactivated dysregulated states.
• To practice reacting, reflecting, and responding to get unhooked from confusing and provocative behavior.
• To demonstrate the unique elements of teletherapy—(e.g., self-reflection, containment, digital natives’ comfort online, flexibility, access to other family members, and “invitation” reminders)—to provide effective interventions.