Strength-based practice is an emerging approach to guiding kids and in particular - those with emotional & behavioral challenges - that is exceptionally positive and inspiring. Its focus is on strength-building rather than flaw-fixing. It begins with the belief that every young person has or can develop strengths and utilize past successes to mitigate problem behavior and enhance social and academic functioning. This comprehensive workshop will highlight many of the key principles and techniques of this transforming way of understanding and responding to at-risk kids.

Areas covered include: What is strength-based practice & the power of a positive attitude & culture; the effects of trauma and positive emotions on the brain; strength-based communication principles and techniques - including reframing, using solution-focused questions, positive-predicting and inspirational metaphors; encouraging growth vs. fixed mindsets; self-esteem building & activities for at-risk children and youth; how to help cognitively-inflexible young people; the importance of controlling personal emotions (i.e. managing number one first); respectful, relationship-based limit setting; and a host of creative cognitive behavioral strategies.

Bio: Charlie Appelstein, M.S.W. is a nationally prominent youth care specialist and author whose primary focus is on teaching positive, strength-based theories and techniques to parents and professionals who guide at-risk children and youth. President of Appelstein Training Resources, Charlie trains and consults throughout the United States as well as internationally, with treatment facilities, foster care associations, parent groups, schools, and juvenile justice programs. He has authored three youth care books that are widely used within the field, including No Such Thing as a Bad Kid: Understanding and Responding to Kids with Emotional $ Behavioral Challenges Using a Positive, Strength-Based Approach Charlie lives in southern new Hampshire with his wife and daughter. Charlie's strength-based approach delivers a message of hope and possibility to our most vulnerable youth and those who shape and influence their lives.

Endorsement:

"Charlie is the best youth-care trainer in America."
-Robert Lieberman, former President of the American Assoc. of Children's Residential Centers