Volume 53
Family Options Counseling Therapist Recognition
Although all of the members of the Family Options Counseling team are always extremely invested and passionate about their work with the families we meet, there are times when a therapist goes above and beyond our expectations. Kim Young and Christy Diorio could think of several occasions in which this formal, more public recognition of a therapist could be done. This month both Kim and Christy would like to separately recognize two of our therapists!
In October, Christy Diorio had the opportunity to guide Dr. Inosencia Amarante through a challenging court hearing that involved her making recommendations that although were difficult, were in the best interest of the youth. Dr. Amarante handled this situation with compassion and humility. She possesses important attributes that enhance her excellent clinical skills. These attributes include her dedication to her clients and the teams; her professionalism; a willingness to use consultation; an open mind; and her dynamic personality that puts others at ease. I have truly enjoyed watching and supporting Dr. Amarante become a part of our team and it is us, Family Options Counseling and the greater community that is fortunate to have her working with our families! Thank you Dr. Amarante!
In January of this year, Family Options Counseling was fortunate to hire Ms. Becky Krenz-Roe, MA, LMFT as a full time therapist. Around that same time Kim Young began to make some changes in our anger management program and Ms. Krenz-Roe has played an integral part in helping those changes come to fruition. Ms. Krenz-Roe’s dedication to supporting our mission of prevention to violence included creating time in her schedule to become a certified provider for the Aggression Replacement Training (ART) program, adding individual sessions for clients who required support to meet ART treatment goals, and educating parents/caregivers on treatment objectives. I couldn't have made this program successful without all of her efforts and am proud to recognize her as a colleague. / Providing Youth the Opportunity to Create their Own Incentives!
Written by Christina Diorio, Ph.D.
In my many hours sitting with troubled adolescents that are so desperately trying to get someone to understand their perspective and their level of frustration with the restrictions placed upon them, I have, over time, altered my approach and advice to parents. I am certain that in part, this is due to my having children of my own and in part due to my initial approach not always working.
My initial approach was much more conservative regarding the parameters of what the youth was allowed to do and how they would earn their privileges. Let’s face it, psychology 101 still teaches that predictable; consistent outcomes for children are the best for managing behaviors. And actually I still agree with this, but I think the most important part is often overlooked or underestimated. Who should be choosing the privileges and the consequences? Think about that for a minute…..
What did you come up with? If you are a parent or caregiver or a teacher, you can relate to that pressure placed upon you when a child makes a poor choice. There is this sense of urgency to create a serious consequence immediately so that you can quickly alter the bad behavior from the child. These are the moments where parents say things like, “That’s it, you are grounded for a year!” or “You have just lost the chance to go to the prom! (assuming this is a huge event for that youth)!” And then of course, the parents need to figure out a way to back out of that consequence without feeling like the youth won and was able to get away with the bad behavior. Sound familiar??
So think about another option. What motivates people in general? People are motivated to obtain things that they want and that they perceive as making them happy. People are motivated to have experiences that they enjoy and they associate with positive feelings. What discourages people? People will avoid discomfort, physical pain, and experiences that are associated with negative feelings. I think I just summed up and repackaged every self help book on the market! Anyway, this human experience of gravitating toward happiness and avoiding discomfort is simple and universal. Allow children and youth to begin to assert control over their decisions by empowering them to begin to recognize and work toward these positives experiences. For example, when a youth displays poor behavior and does not redirect easily, then allow the youth to identify the incentives he or she would like to work for prior to you removing privileges. If there are underlying incentives that the youth is intrinsically (internally) motivated to work for, the behavior problem is likely to resolve with that incentive in place. Certainly, if the parent thinks a consequence is necessary, it should just not interfere with the ability the youth has to earn the incentive. If they conflict, then you, as the parents, have lost that youth’s intrinsic motivation. Ultimately, making the parent’s job more difficult and frustrating the youth.
Often times, when adolescents end up in therapy, they are unmotivated, frustrated, angry and feel like they do not have control over the activities that provide them positive experiences. Although the parents did not set out to frustrate and de-motivate their child, creating too many restrictions and underestimating the importance of incentives results in angry, frustrated teens. If you think about that for a minute, most adults would not tolerate this kind of situation. Why do we often expect children to tolerate it?
Lastly, I wanted to emphasize how using this strategy of including the youth in the decisions) can also build self esteem, a solid self concept for children and youth, and self advocacy skills that will empower them throughout their lives.
An Overview on Art Therapy~
Written by Ms. Monique Matic
Who benefits from art therapy?
Art therapy is practiced in mental health, rehabilitation, medical, educational, forensic, wellness, private practice and community settings with diverse client populations in individual, couples, family, and group therapy formats. Art therapy is an effective treatment for people experiencing developmental, medical, educational, and social or psychological impairment. Individuals who benefit from art therapy include those who have survived trauma resulting from combat, abuse, and natural disaster; persons with adverse physical health conditions such as cancer, traumatic brain injury, and other health disability; and persons with autism, dementia, depression, and other disorders. Art therapy helps people resolve conflicts, improve interpersonal skills, manage problematic behaviors, reduce negative stress, and achieve personal insight. Art therapy also provides an opportunity to enjoy the life-affirming pleasures of art making.
Who are Art Therapists?
Art therapists are healthcare professionals who provide necessary health services to a growing number of people receiving care in a variety of health care settings and through private practice. An art therapist holds a master’s degree or above in art therapy and/or a related health field. They work in hospitals, clinics, K-12 schools, educational institutions, community programs and other settings to help people address health and well being. Registered art therapists hold the credential of “ATR”. This credential certifies that the practicing art therapist maintains national standards and has completed post-education supervised clinical experience.
The above information was gathered from a few websites on Art Therapy. Please refer to these websites for further information.
/ Brought to you by Mrs. Kristy White ~ Office Manager Extraordinaire:
Hello Everyone.
I want to fully introduce you to our two newest therapists. They have already been working with our clients for a month and have already begun to make a difference in our clients lives.
Monique C. Matic, MA, LPC, LCPC, ATR is a licensed psychotherapist in both Wisconsin and Illinois, and a nationally registered Art Therapist. A Milwaukee, WI native, Matic obtained her Bachelor’s degree in child psychology from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and her Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology: Art Therapy from the Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, IL.
For the past six years Ms. Matic has resided and practiced in Chicago, IL. While practicing in Chicago, Matic specialized in providing trauma-based therapy to survivors of sexual abuse and assault. She also worked at a therapeutic day school with children and adolescents who presented with severe emotional disturbances and pervasive developmental disorders.
Ms. Matic has extensive experience working with children, adolescents, and families. She uses a variety of approaches in therapy that include: art therapy, play therapy, sand-tray therapy, and talk therapy. Ms. Matic works with clients from a strengths-based and client-centered approach and believes in providing holistic therapeutic services while working from a culturally competent framework.
Ms. Matic’s clinical areas of interest include trauma-based work, community psychology, and Attachment Theory. She has presented at various professional conferences, including the Illinois Art Therapy Association conference (2010 & 2011), the 41st annual American Art Therapy Association conference, the International Art in Response to Violence conference (2010) and the National Sexual Assault conference (2012) on the topics of utilizing art therapy treatment with child sexual abuse survivors and the benefits of incorporating social action art-based programs to address systemic issues in underserved communities. Additionally, she has provided various graduate-level workshops and lectures addressing the benefits of using art-based therapeutic interventions with youth in treatment. Most recently, Ms. Matic has co-authored an article discussing the use of Adlerian Art Therapy with survivors of sexual abuse and assault that will appear in the Journal of Individual Psychology.
Emily Grendahl Risinger is an Art Therapist and is a Licensed Professional Counselor-In Training (LPC-IT) at Family Options Counseling, LLC. Ms. Emily received her Masters in Art Therapy with a Concentration in Counseling from MountMaryUniversity in MilwaukeeWisconsin. She currently works with children, adults and families. Ms. Emily has experiences working with people of all ages with varying diagnoses and also has experience working with members of the LGBT+ community. Ms. Emily has an arts-based focus on therapy and takes a family systems and person-centered approach and strongly believes in the healing power of play and art.
Risk Factors of Youth Violence
Written by Kimberly Young, PhD
Identifying and addressing the predictors of youth violence at appropriate points in youth development is important for intervention and prevention. The best predictors of violent or seriousdelinquency differ depending on the identified research study but the following have consistently been identified as contributors to youth violence.
Individual Risk Factors:
- History of violent victimization
- Attention deficits, impulsivity, hyperactivity
- Early onset of aggressive behavior
- Low IQ
- Involvement with drugs, alcohol or tobacco
- Deficits in social skill sets
- History of treatment for emotional problems
- Antisocial beliefs and attitudes
- Exposure to violence in the family
- Authoritarian parenting
- Harsh, lax or inconsistent discipline
- Low parental involvement
- Low attachment to caregiver
- Parental substance abuse or criminality
- Family dysfunction
- Poor supervision of children
- Association with delinquent peers
- Social rejection by peers
- Gang involvement
- Lack of involvement in conventional activities
- Low commitment to school
- Diminished economic opportunities
- High concentration of poor residents
- High level of transience
- High level of family disruption
- Low levels of community participation
For an intervention to be effective, the targeted risk factors must be amenable to change. While a youth’s history, the effects of parenting and exposure to violence, as well as socioeconomic status, may not be very amenable to change many of the strongest predictors of subsequent violence can be changed and offer possible targets for successful intervention. This suggests that disrupting early patterns of antisocial behavior and negative peer support and improving social skill awareness, impulse control, and moral reasoning is a promising strategy for the prevention of violence and serious delinquency. / Children Develop Emotionally at Varying Rates
Written by Dr. Diorio
In observing the children that participate in the Social Skills Program for Kids, I have often considered the great variance between the emotional sophistication and skills of youth. This occurs between youth as well as within the same child! At times, a youth can present as mature for his or her age and then suddenly their emotions ignite and they are a different child! Either they have completely withdrawn, began sobbing uncontrollably, or are screaming and slamming doors. Sound familiar??
I thought it was important to point out that this variance is absolutely normal. Often times, our expectations of youth are too high, especially when it comes to social and emotional development. These processes of development are fluid in the sense that youth may feel competent and comfortable with a skill in one situation but maybe not another situation. Often times, if the youth is willing to talk about it, they identify an external factor that makes them uncomfortable; maybe a new situation, another youth present that they are intimidated by, fear of a consequence, etc.
So when you are supporting a young person though the challenges of child development, remember to ask them about the details of their reactions to situations. Obviously this is best asked after they are feeling competent again, but it is important to follow up.
Social Skills Program for Kids
Take Home Packets – NEW
Behind the scenes within the Social Skills Program for Kids, Dr. Amarante and Dr. Diorio, two innovative minds ~ collided! The result is the development of take home packets for the Social Skills Youth! After each group, the youth are given a laminated card that highlights the concepts taught that day in group and suggestions for the caregiver to practice with the youth. Of course, there are cute little pictures that the kids were really excited about and they come in a laminated packet so they will last more than a few weeks! Each group, they receive a new card to add to their packet. Even for youth that opt to repeat the group, the cards should be different as no two social skills groups are alike!!
We ask the care coordinators, case-managers, therapists, families, and other support people to ask the youth for their packet and talk to them about what they are learning. This is the whole point of making these packets! The youth should also bring this to team meetings so that the team can support the youth further.
Ongoing Social Skills Group for Kids
Program Update
The Ongoing Social Skills Group for Kids will now be facilitated by Mrs. Angela Luering, LPC-IT. Mrs. Luering has been part of the Family Options Counseling team for a lengthy period of time. She had completed her internship with us and then moved into a full time position. She has been involved in several Social Skills Groups and now gets to lead one of her own! She brings excitement and energy as well as stability and good clinical sense. Mrs. Luering has the incredible assistance of Ms. Athena Markopoulos, who has been in this group as the co-facilitator for several months now. Family Options Counseling is fortunate to have Ms. Markopoulos as one of our clinical interns. She has brought new ideas and insight to this group program! Dr. Diorio continues to manage the program as the Program Director and is the behind the scenes operator!
The Ongoing Social Skills Group for Kids targets younger children between the approximate ages of 5-9. The youth enter the group with other youth but they can enter the group at more frequent intervals instead of waiting for an official start date for the whole group. This allows the flexibility that young children require due to the other needs they have. We still recommend that the children attend 10 consecutive groups to experience enough skill acquisition and support to be able to apply to their lives outside of group. And the best part is that this group is ongoing…so if they want to stay in the group, they can! This ongoing support tends to be a greater need for younger children then older children. This Ongoing Social Skills Group occurs on Wednesdays from 5:00-6:30. / Healthy Lifestyle
Many people have been interested in volunteering their time for Thanksgiving instead of filling up with turkey and taking a nap on the couch! Following is a list of links for ways to volunteer in “soup kitchens” around the Milwaukee and Waukesha areas. Also included are some food pantry’s if you are more interested in donating food or supplies. What a great way to spend your day and celebrate the true meaning of Thanksgiving!
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