At this therapeutically-oriented, two-part practical workshop by Dr Bonnie Goldstein, we will delve into the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy treatment approach to address the significance of the somatic narrative in working specifically with young clients. Accessing the innate wisdom of the body to illuminate the somatic narrative (e.g., understanding the dynamic interchange between movement patterns, gestures, stance, postures, prosody and other non-verbal cues), Dr. Goldstein will elucidate upon therapeutic interventions that help the therapist and the child/adolescent client to reach a shared understanding of the client’s challenges, to form a nurturing therapeutic relationship and to create the pathway for healing and transformation through:

• Fostering resilience
• Creating new ways of drawing upon the wisdom of the body to develop awareness and self-regulation
• Enhancing relationship skills

It can be a stressful challenge for us to get our younger clients to open up, given their overt dependence on technology. We may struggle with attentional challenges, low eye contact, ever-increasing difficulties with face-to-face social engagement and very little interpersonal connection, to name a few. Dr Goldstein will address how somatic therapy, which strengthens and supports the foundations of  talk therapy, proves particularly efficacious in overcoming these therapeutic challenges, leading to transformational moments.

We will acquire an understanding of both verbal and non-verbal communication, and the body-based, implicit, nonverbal behaviour when working with children and adolescents, and also their family members. In particular, we will address complex treatment issues including early attachment issues, absence of a secure and loving childhood experience, debilitating anxiety, escalating depression, helplessness and immobility.

At this intellectually stimulating seminar, Dr. Goldstein shares child and adolescent interventions co-developed with Dr. Pat Ogden. These interventions adapt Sensorimotor Psychotherapy modalities for child, adolescent, family and group populations with the specific aim of:

• Addressing issues such as anxiety, anger, grief and loss
• Introducing ways to enhance self-regulation and foster resilience
• Developing relationship skills and understanding of self-and-other

In the first part of this seminar, Dr. Goldstein will introduce the wisdom of the body, exploring ways to access the somatic narrative in our work with child and adolescent clients and their families.

In the second part, we will build on our discussions, introducing family and group treatment modalities for addressing issues of family dynamics, and exploring the impact of the home and school environment on our child and adolescent clients.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify three variables associated with treating the nonverbal cues of depression (e.g., hopelessness, helplessness and despair) in children and adolescents through working with the somatic narrative of our younger clients’ movement patterns, gestures, stance, postures, prosody, etc.
• Recognize four non-verbal indicators of anxiety that render our younger clients unable to regulate intense emotions
• Describe five Sensorimotor Psychotherapy techniques in therapy that help our younger clients enhance relationship skills, foster resilience, and create new ways of drawing upon the wisdom of the body to develop awareness and self-regulation
• Summarize four body-based, somatic interventions for both in-person and/or long-distance (e.g., zoom or teletherapy) during child, adolescent and family sessions