Dates: December 19, 2017
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

REGISTER

The issue of children’s challenging behaviors ranks high among the most frequent that come to the attention of mental health professionals working with families.  Parents who might not otherwise consult clinicians frequently do so when their children’s challenging behaviors reach levels that are beyond their capacity to manage without professional intervention.  Sometimes schools prompt parents to seek therapy, other times parents initiate contact in their desperation to help a child who presents as oppositional, aggressive, fearful, excessively clingy, inattentive, and/or lacking in social skills.  By the time professionals are brought in, families have typically exhausted their emotional resources and are feeling overwhelmed and defeated.

In this full-day workshop, participants will explore ways to understand and address challenging behaviors that consider factors arising from both nature (biological endowment including temperamental and genetic factors) and nurture (the dynamic systems involved in child-rearing including familial and cultural factors).  Particular attention will be paid to how clinicians can help families understand and support their challenging children, including preventative routines that families can employ to bolster children’s functioning as well as specific intervention tools for use when problems and crises arise.

Dr. Zina Rutkin, CKCC’s (Competent Kids, Caring Communities) Director, holds a master’s degree in special education from Lesley College, a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Case Western Reserve University, and a certificate in Family Studies from  Minuchin Center for the Family. Dr. Rutkin worked closely with the late Dr. Marcia Stern, CKCC’s founder, in the early program developmental stages of CKCC.  Dr. Rutkin began her career as a special educator, and then became a clinical psychologist with a strong background in program evaluation as well as mental health. She has served as a consultant to a variety of mental health organizations, social service agencies, and school settings throughout the New York area, and also as an adjunct professor at NYU.  Dr. Rutkin has over thirty years of experience working with, and on behalf of, children and families, with a particular eye toward the interface between education and mental health, and the development of foundational skills leading to success in learning and in life.

Tuition:  $140.00

CEUs for NYS: 5

CEUs for NASW-CT: 5

Registration: www.ackerman.org or contact Brenda Nikelsberg, 212-879-4900 ext. 108 or bnikelsberg@ackerman.org