Announcements by SEPI Members

WORKSHOP: Puposeful Parenting

Posted By: Courtney Rennicke, Ph.D.
Date: Wednesday, 21 January 2009, at 5:45 a.m.

Purposeful Parenting: How to Integrate Empathy and Attachment Theory into Traditional Behavioral Management Strategies for “Difficult” Kids.

When: March 28, 2009, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm; June 13, 2009, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Where: American Institute for Cognitive Therapy, 136 E 57th Street, Suite 1101, NY, NY
RSVP: Poonam Melwani, editor@cognitivetherapynyc.com, 212-308-2440

This workshop will focus on the Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) treatment approach, which is a neurologically informed, systemic, interpersonal, and behavioral approach to dealing with disruptive behavioral disorders in children and adolescents. This advanced workshop is designed for mental health professionals with some introductory understanding of empirically based, cognitive behavioral approaches to the behavior management of children and teens with externalizing disorders (e.g., oppositional defiance, conduct problems, ADHD).

The workshop will focus on introducing the core concepts CPS and applications of attachment theory in working with “difficult” kids and their parents. Participants will learn how to:
• Identify potential limitations of traditional behavioral interventions and token economies in addressing behavioral issues in children.
• Conduct a CPS intake assessment to identify lagging skills that are causing the child’s behavioral difficulties.
• Teach parents the power of empathy, proactive problem solving, and communication skills to address their child’s behavioral issues.
• Help parents select more purposeful interventions when their child is being disruptive.
• Help parents make connections between their own attachment histories and their disciplinary style and methods.

Workshop Leader: Courtney Rennicke, Ph.D., Assistant Director of Child and Family Treatment, received her B.S. from Cornell University with a major in Human Development and Family Studies with Honors for her on-site research of the emotional and systemic impact of trauma on an intensive care burn unit. Dr. Rennicke completed her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at Columbia University. Her dissertation, part of a project funded by the National Science Foundation, focused on the search for meaning of the events of September 11th among people who were in or around The World Trade Center and its impact on their well-being. Dr. Rennicke also completed her pre-doctoral internship at Columbia University Medical Center in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She has worked with children, adolescents and families with experience in treating depressive, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity, posttraumatic stress, and disruptive behavior disorders, as well as mental health issues secondary to bereavement, adoption, and medical conditions. Dr. Rennicke is trained in cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, collaborative problem solving, and dyadic developmental psychotherapy. She has co-authored professional articles on trauma and resiliency during her doctoral program, as well as on bipolar disorder and creativity during her research assistantship at the Bipolar Disorders Clinic at Stanford University. This latter work was also presented at the annual conference of the American Psychiatric Association.

Dr. Rennicke is an adjunct assistant professor of Clinical Psychology at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, where she currently teaches clinical interviewing to clinical psychology doctoral students. Dr. Rennicke is also an adjunct faculty member of Teachers College, Columbia University, where she supervises clinical psychology doctoral students in their psychological testing and assessment practicum.