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Developing Psychological Flexibility Workshops to Help Parents of Children With Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities |
Friday, May 24, 2013 |
8:00 AM–3:00 PM |
211 A-B (Convention Center) |
Area: AUT/PRA; Domain: Service Delivery |
CE Instructor: Thomas G. Szabo, M.A. |
THOMAS G. SZABO (University of Nevada, Reno), Daniel J. Moran (Pickslyde Consulting) |
Description: Parents and caregivers of children with special needs are often the mediators that deliver treatment prescribed by behavior analysts. Behavior analysts rely on the ability of these individuals to complete training sessions, respond effectively to challenging behavior, and accurately document events. However, parents and caregivers face enormous challenges themselves. When the psychological needs of these mediators are left unmet, their ability to implement behavior support is compromised. Participants in this workshop will learn to identify core psychological processes involved in behavioral flexibility and to design brief, targeted interventions aimed at improving mediator resilience and reducing problematic reactions to stress. Procedures introduced have a strong evidence base to support their inclusion in the behavior analyst's tool kit, and the content has been studied according to established procedures of scientific scrutiny that can be reasonably relied upon. All procedures are suitable for use by behavior analysts who are not credentialed to provide psychotherapy services. Participants will receive sample protocols and PowerPoint slides. Emphasis will be placed upon assessing the training needs of individuals and groups functionally. The workshop format will include both didactic and experiential elements. |
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the workshop, participants should be able to:
Identify common functional barriers to psychological flexibility.
Analyze role-plays for functional barriers to flexibility.
Deliver classic acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) metaphors and exercises with fidelity.
Identify elements of novel ACT-consistent metaphors and exercises. |
Activities: During the workshop, trainers will present: 1. Key aspects of the psychological flexibility model. 2. Sample metaphors and exercises. 3. Sample role-plays to illustrate psychological processes. 4. Experiential exercises. Participants will: 1. Practice identifying psychological processes. 2. Engage in experiential exercises. |
Audience: Board-certified assistant behavior analysts, board-certified behaivor analysts, staff trainers, and supervisors |
Content Area: Practice |
Instruction Level: Basic |
Keyword(s): ACT, caregiver training, parent training, psychological flexibility |