In the current funding and services climate, now, more than ever, it’s critical for child therapists to be knowledgeable, skilled and confident in conceptualising their child therapy practice, evaluating progress and/or change for the child, and effectively communicating about this to the adults and systems around them.
Without the confidence of having refined this skill, therapists often feel like they’re floundering, missing a piece of the puzzle, or feeling lost in the forest – you know your work is helping the child….you can see it!
Case conceptualisation (aka case formulation) is what enables this.
Put very simply, case conceptualisation is how we make sense of what is happening for the child – in a concise manner. It is a critical element of the therapeutic process which informs development of therapeutic goals and enables effective reporting of progress or change.
Reporting on progress means one must know:
- What the desired change is – i.e. therapeutic goal
- What you are measuring that will indicate this change – e.g. play behaviour, pattern of relating, physiology, behaviour, skill, cognitions, affect; and
- How this change will be measured – e.g. a change in the frequency, intensity, duration
The therapist’s skills of conceptualisation are developed and refined over many, many years of clinical practice. But this must start with a solid understanding of its purpose and how to do it…..including the critical steps that many clinicians miss!
This highly focussed workshop aims to provide a practical and robust learning experience to transform your work in this area – bringing clarity and confidence.
We will also be workshopping one of your own client cases – from case conceptualisation, identifying measurable therapeutic goals, and developing a Therapeutic Response Plan to support your work the systems around the child (e.g. parents/caregivers, schools, Care Teams).
Join our Founding Director, Katherine Olejniczak (Psychologist, Registered Play Therapist–Supervisor™), as she returns home to Wodonga – the place where her professional roots run deep and whose enduring influence continues to shape the heart of her work.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Apply the 5Ps case conceptualisation framework within your existing clinical frameworks of practice in a way that captures each child’s unique story.
- Apply a 7-step process to cut through case complexity to get to the heart of the child’s therapeutic needs, develop meaningful measurable therapeutic goals, and identify clinical indicators of progress.
- Integrate your understanding of the child and their therapy process with relevant theoretical frameworks to effectively communicate with adults/systems about the child’s therapeutic progress.
- Develop individualised Therapeutic Response Plans for children based on their therapeutic goals, for implementation by parents/caregivers/educators/Care Teams in the home and school settings.
- Develop simple, yet precise Therapeutic Response Plans to support collaborative and impactful systemic responses to children’s individual therapeutic needs.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
This workshop is essential for all practitioners working with children, whether in a clinical or case work setting. It is especially suited to mental health clinicians (e.g. psychologists, social workers, counsellors, play therapists, Ots), and those working more broadly with children across NDIS and family and community services. Supervisors will also benefit as the workshop offers a helpful process for supporting supervisees in this area of their work.
POST-TRAINING SUPPORT
To provide a pathway for ongoing reflection, questions and discussion, we have established a closed Facebook Group which all workshop participants are invited to join. All the details will be provided on completion of the training.
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