The experience of feeling "stuck" is a common hazard of our profession and leaves therapists searching for creative solutions. Clinical creativity is never a solo process but always interactive, inseparable from the imagination and creativity of the clients. It is easy for therapists to get bogged down in literal definitions of problems that go counter to clients' idiosyncratic logic. This workshop will explore different ways of breaking through impasses by looking "outside the box" and changing the frame of reference from the literal to the world of personal meaning. Video tapes will demonstrate the use of metaphors, rituals, fantasies, writing and paradox in making a creative leap.
Many therapists dread working with adolescents because of their unpredictable high risk behavior. Although adolescents may appear disconnected and uninvolved, they are extremely sensitive to family moods, expectations and conflicts and their behavior is often a refection of what is happening in the family at any given time. This family centered approach is focused on identifying and changing the triggers both inside and outside the family that lead to destructive behavior such as substance abuse, self-mutilation, violence, depression and suicidal symptoms. Guidelines for clarifying issues, correcting distortions, opening up significant areas of communication and establishing positive interactions with family members will be demonstrated with video tapes that show the step-by-step process of change.