Often we think adulthood begins when someone turns 18 or 19, attends university, joins the military, or casts their first legal vote in a national election. Ever increasing neuroscience data indicates that the "adolescent" brain has a much longer life - approximately ages 12-24. Therapists who work with "young adults" can greatly benefit from a deeper understanding about "adolescence" and the important role resistance plays for successful launching into adulthood. Expanding our approach to working more closely with parents of young people 12-24 years old can also provide much needed external support to foster clients's self support, and the skills and confidence needed to bridge their 20-somethings into mature independent living.

Our two days will be spent exploring work with young people and their parents using the Oaklander Model and Gestalt Therapy. We'll begin with the general topic of "Working with Adolescents" (including people in their early to mid-twenties). Next, we'll cover the role of Resistance, Gestalt Contact Functions, fragile Sense of Self, Emotional Intelligence, and High Risk Behaviors. We'll spend time learning about how to help parents prepare for adolescence, and how they can move through their grief and frustration during this period of turbulence. Parents usually need support with their own emotional identification and expression, as their "unfinished business" from their adolescence gets activated during this challenging time. Learning about limits and boundaries, I-Thou relating, active listening, and how to provide solid and consistent external support paves the way for parents to truly respect and applaud their teen's evolving process, while recovering from their adolescence.