Using Stories and Childrens Therapy Books

Recorded Summer, 2022

4.5 CEs (includes 1 Ethics credit in the 4.5)

This course will review information on using therapy books in clinical practice with families, youths, and children. Further, research and clinical experience on using written stories and therapy books will be reviewed. Skills are practiced on how to teach caregivers to use therapy books and “family story time” to process adverse stressors in an engaging and meaningfu lway. Considerations are given to different formats such telehealth or in-person work.

Families face considerable and unique challenges such as addiction, domestic violence, trauma, grief, community violence, and economic struggles. Unique challenges require tailored interventions that children’s therapy books can offer to meet the needs of the family and children.

Because of this, areas of focus will include the “Do and Don’t” of using therapy books, how to teach caregivers to use therapy books with their families, understanding risks, and going through a piece of example sessions using a therapy book with a child in three different one-on-one sessions. Books on caregiver addiction, grief, and building self-confidence are used as the examples. Clinical interventions and strategies for using written stories are discussed.

Leo DeBroeck is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and certified in Washington State, USA as a Child Mental Health Specialist that has written many award winning therapy books and short stories for families and children.

Workshop attendees can expect to:

• Objective 1) Learner will be able to identify what a way to measure that the intervention is successful.
• Objective 2) Learner will be able to identify one way research has found using stories and therapy books can be helpful to clients.
• Objective 3) Learner will be able to identifyone thing to avoid with clients when using stories and therapy books.
• Objective 4) Learner will be able to identifyhow to select and use a book at an appropriate engagement and maturity level for the client.
• Objective 5) Learner will be able to identifyhow to teach caregivers how to use stories in a healing way.
• Objective 6) Learner will be able to identify risks of using stories and children’s therapy books.
• Objective 7) Learner will be able to identify ways to be able to use story effectively in a one-on-one therapy session and adapt it to the client’s specific needs.
• Objective 8) Learner will be able to identify how to effectively process story endings and use Socratic questioning with clients.

EPDC CE Hours: 4.5

Presenter: Leo DeBroeck

Leo DeBroeck, MS, LMHC, CMHS, MHP  received his BA in Psychology from Gonzaga University and his Masters in Psychology from Eastern Washington University.   Leo is currently a Child and Family Therapist at Sea Mar Community Health.  He is the Founder/CEO of Counselor’s Choice Award, LLC, and a Quarterly Faculty Member at Eastern Washington University, Bellevue where he teaches undergraduate and graduate classes and seminars. Mr. DeBroeck has written several articles and books about Suicide, Trauma, Abuse and Neglect, and children dealing with parental drug and alcohol dependency. Leo also has volunteered for Everett School District, Boy Scouts of America and Compass Health