Overview of Training in Life Space Crisis Intervention Dr. Steve Parese (336) 593-3533

1. Overview of Training inLife Space Crisis InterventionDr. Steve Parese (336) 593-3533

2. What is LSCI? Counseling Skills for Reclaiming Troubled Youth Caught in Self-Defeating Patterns of Behavior

3. Training Options 1 day Foundation Skills in LSCI for 30+ direct care staff & paraprofessionals 4.5 days Advanced Training in LSCI for up to 30 special ed teachers, crisis counselors & clinicians

4. Foundation Skills of Life SpaceIntervention

5. Foundation Skill #1 UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENCES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL WORLDS

6. Psychological Difference #1 Troubled youth hold IRRATIONAL BELIEFS about themselves and others.

7. ‘I’m all alone… no one really understands what I’m going through, or even cares…’ TYPICAL SELF-DEFEATING BELIEFS

8. ‘It doesn’t matter what I do… I always mess it up!’ TYPICAL SELF-DEFEATING BELIEFS

9. ‘It’s better to be the class clown than the class idiot…’ TYPICAL SELF-DEFEATING BELIEFS

10. “Ah-Hah!” DEFENDING Because troubled youth hold irrational BELIEFS, they will often REACT irrationally to minor problems by: DENYING BLAMING Instead of simply taking RESPONSIBILITY! RATIONALIZING REGRESSING

11. Psychological Difference #2 Troubled youth experience CHRONIC STRESSwith greater intensity, frequency, and duration than helping adults.

12. #1 Developmental Stress Natural changes during human growth & development • Going to kindergarten • Learning to read • Moving to a new town • Going through puberty

13. #2 Psychological Stress Individual worries and fears • Feeling disliked by peers • Feeling ignored by parents • Worry about failing a test • Concern over weight

14. #3 Reality Stress Murphy’s Law: “What CAN go wrong… WILL go wrong!” • Missing bus on day of test • Accidentally bumping bully • Forgetting homework

15. #4 Physical Stress Physical ailments • Sleeplessness, hunger, cramps • Skin disorders (acne) • Mental illness (depression)

16. “Ah-Hah!” Because troubled youth experience CHRONIC STRESSES of greater FREQUENCY INTENSITY DURATION they will OFTEN OVERREACT to otherwise minor problems.

17. Foundation Skill #2 UNDERSTANDING THE DYNAMICS OF THE CONFLICT CYCLE

18. Irrational Beliefs Self- Defeating Beliefs Behavior Feelings Reactions Situation Feelings Intensify! Behavior Escalates! Stress Increases! Reactions Worsen! Long’s Conflict Cycle FULFILLED!

19. From Haim Ginott… “I’ve come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s MY personal approach that creates the climate; It’s MY daily mood that makes the weather…

20. “In all situations, it is MY response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated… or a child humanized or de-humanized. Dr. Haim Ginott

21. Foundation Skill #3 DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE INTERVIEWING SKILLS Attending Skills 2. Decoding Skills 3. Reflecting Skills

22. What emotions can you decode? • Hurt • Rejected • Angry

23. “And then they laughed at me and called me FAT! The b_____es! Why do they always have to be so hateful?” Reflective Listening: Practice 3 “It sounds like you are ___________________ about _________________________________”

24. Establishing aTimeline 1. Events:What actually happened? • Perceptions:What assumptions did the student make?

25. “Ah-Hah!” Youth in crisis WANT to tell their stories, but seldom say exactly what they mean. We must draw out their stories by: ATTENTIVELY LISTENING DECODING HIDDEN FEELINGS REFLECTING & VALIDATING EMOTIONS

26. Advanced Skills of Life SpaceIntervention

27. Advanced LSCI Skills Advanced LSCI teaches staff how to calm the emotionally distraught student, then explore both actual events and the youth’s “private logic” regarding them. Every intervention follows the same initial of exploration of stages.

28. 3: Central Issue 1: Drain Off 2: Timeline 6: Transfer 4: Insight 5: New Skills Stages of LSCI

29. Advanced LSCI Skills Advanced LSCI also teaches staff how to recognize and address six (6) specific patterns of self-defeating behavior. Each pattern has its own unique characteristics and intervention strategies.

30. #1 Red Flag Use when a stressed out student has brought in a problem from another setting & is TAKING IT OUT on others, especially staff. Goal: Recognize SOURCE of anger and stop displacing it onto others

31. Typical Characteristics Students who would benefit from Red Flag generally: • Have significant stress at home, school or in personal lives • Act out by overreacting to normal requests, picking a fight with staff • Quickly create massive counter-aggressive feelings in staff

32. #2 Reality Rub Use when an impulsive student REMEMBERS ONLYPART of the story, or has MISINTERPRETED someone’s actual intentions. GOAL: Gain a clearer perception of real events and impact on others

33. Typical Characteristics Students who would benefit from Reality Rub often: • Make incorrect assumptions about what is “really going on.” • Jump to wrong conclusions based on partial information • Misperceive others’ intentions

34. #3 New Tools Use when a socially awkward student is TRYING TO FIT IN or do the right thing, and is confused by the rejection or failure he experiences. GOAL: Develop social skills and social judgment to fit in better

35. Typical Chacteristics Students who would benefit from New Tools often: • Look and act different from peers • Have poor social skills and poor personal hygiene • Look to adults for primary approval • Have poor insight and judgment regarding their problems

36. #4 Symptom Estrangement Use when a self-centered student feels NO CONCERN for others, and NO RESPONSIBILITY for harmful actions. GOAL: Gain insight to feel guilt and take responsibility for actions

37. Typical Characteristics Students who would benefit from Symptom Estrangement: • Easily justify breaking rules • Hurt others without provocation • Motivated by power and control • Behave antisocially without loss of temper

38. #5 Massaging Numb Values Use when a student with low self-esteem is feeling TOO MUCH GUILT, demeaning himself over a mistake. GOAL: Put mistakes into better perspective, improve self-esteem

39. TYPICAL CHARACTERISTICS Students who would benefit from Massaging Numb Values often: • Have low self-esteem • Have impulse control problems • Over-react to mistakes by blaming themselves and making problems worse

40. #6 Manipulating Body Boundaries II: Set Up: Aggressive student is being set off by a MANIPULATIVE PEER I: False Friendship: Naïve student is being misused by a FALSE FRIEND GOAL: Redefine “friend” and respond assertively to manipulator GOAL: Recognize manipulation and improve self-control

41. MBB I: False Friendship TYPICAL CHARACTERISTICS Students who would benefit from MBB: False Friendship are often: • Isolated or new to school • Looking for approval/belonging • Easily misled by others

42. MBB II: Set Up TYPICAL CHARACTERISTICS Students who would benefit from MBB: Set Up are often: • Aggressive and impulsive • Easy targets for quick-thinking peers -- but are provoked only when staff are around

43. Certification requires: • Attend all sessions on time • Complete all in-class activities • Read LSCI textbook and articles • Pass written test of knowledge • Pass practical test of skills • Optional: Complete 5-7 page paper within 90 days for graduate credit in Sped or Psych from Augustana College

44. Training in LSCI includes: • Informative mini-lectures • Real-life stories • Relevant discussions • Skillful demonstrations • Guided practice in role plays • Entertaining video examples • Competency-based testing • College credit available

45. Training Options 1 day Foundation Skills in LSCI for 30+ direct care staff & paraprofessionals 4.5 days Advanced Training in LSCI for up to 30 special ed teachers, crisis counselors & clinicians

46. Training Costs 1 day Foundation Skills in LSCI $150/person or $2,000 flat fee for 30+ staff (mat included) 4.5 days Advanced Training in LSCI $495/person or $7,500 flat fee for up to 30 staff (+ $125 materials) *Minimum 10 people, travel expenses additional 4.5 day training need not be consecutive days

47. Contact information Dr. Steve Parese Senior Trainer, LSCI Institute PO Box 336 Danbury, NC 27016 (336) 593-3533 www.TACT2.com SBParese@aol.com