Inland Empire Chapter of CAMFT

Georgie Wisen-Vincent, LMFT, RPT-S

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist MFC# 51784

NPI# 1801044383    Tax ID# 621076819

Psychotherapy Services

The Center for Connection

275 E. California Blvd., Pasadena CA 91106

Tel (562) 201-7444 Email georgie@petitplay.com

Title: Creative Therapy for Adolescents: Brain-Based Approaches that Enhance Emotional Regulation and Resilience

Over the last decade, we have seen a significant trend toward integrating the neurobiological perspective when creating more effective therapeutic interventions for our adolescent clients. Adolescence has been described in the literature as a time of “brainstorm” - intense neurological and physiological change, when the brain is pruning unused synapses and scaffolding in mature skills needed to take on adulthood.

In this seminar we will look to developmental science on the adolescent brain, and the unique benefits of play and creativity in working with the challenges and strengths of adolescent clients. How does playful dialogue with teens specifically nurture healthy brain development? How can we understand the neurobiology of creative experiences that happen in the therapy room to tame the chaos and optimize the adolescent’s self-regulation? In this two-hour training, you will learn specific therapy practices designed to improve social and emotional functioning targeted to meet the diverse treatment needs of adolescents, especially those who seem resistant to talk-therapy models. Drawing on concepts of interpersonal neurobiology, the benefits of creative, brain-building therapy interventions to achieve relational attunement, emotional integration, and the development of a fully-functioning adolescent to young adult identity will be clearly defined.

At the end of this 2-hour training, participants will be able to:

• 1.    Describe creative arts theory and principles applicable to a child-centered model of therapy.
• 2.    Recognize the tools and materials necessary to use with clients in order to provide creative therapy interventions that improve neural functioning.
• 3.    Utilize direct interventions designed to build up left-right brain integration, and bottom up/top down processing, leading to emotional improvement.
• 4.    Observe and track therapeutic change recognizing gains from an interpersonal neurobiology and child-centered therapy perspective.
  

Georgie Wisen-Vincent, LMFT, RPT-S is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Registered Play Therapist Supervisor. Georgie completed her post-graduate work and research in Child-Centered Play Therapy in London at the University of Roehampton. She has used individual play therapy, creative arts therapy, family play therapy, trauma focused therapy and behavior modification in her work with children and teens in clinics, schools and nonprofit settings. She is a member of the American Association for Play Therapy and the British Association of Play Therapists, and frequently provides play therapy trainings to professional groups, community clinics and universities. Georgie is currently an instructor of play therapy courses and a clinical supervisor at the Loma Linda University School of Social Work, Play Therapy Certificate Program. Georgie has a private practice at The Center for Connection in Pasadena, CA.