Overview of Training in Life Space Crisis Intervention Dr. Steve Parese (336)

What is LSCI? Counseling Skills for Reclaiming Troubled Youth Caught in Self-Defeating Patterns of Behavior Caught in Self-Defeating Patterns of Behavior Counseling Skills for Reclaiming Troubled Youth Caught in Self-Defeating Patterns of Behavior Caught in Self-Defeating Patterns of Behavior

Training Options 1 day Foundation Skills in LSCI for 30+ direct care staff & paraprofessionals 4.5 days Advanced Training in LSCI for up to 30 special ed teachers, crisis counselors & clinicians

Foundation Skills of Life Space Intervention

UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENCES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL WORLDS Foundation Skill #1

Psychological Difference #1 Troubled youth hold IRRATIONAL BELIEFS about themselves and others.

TYPICAL SELF-DEFEATING BELIEFS ‘I’m all alone… no one really understands what I’m going through, or even cares…’

TYPICAL SELF-DEFEATING BELIEFS ‘It doesn’t matter what I do… I always mess it up!’

TYPICAL SELF-DEFEATING BELIEFS ‘It’s better to be the class clown than the class idiot…’

“Ah-Hah!” Because troubled youth hold irrational BELIEFS, they will often REACT irrationally to minor problems by: DEFENDING DENYING BLAMING RATIONALIZING REGRESSING Instead of simply taking RESPONSIBILITY!

Psychological Difference #2 Troubled youth experience CHRONIC STRESS with greater intensity, frequency, and duration than helping adults.

#1 Developmental Stress Natural changes during human growth & development Going to kindergarten Learning to read Moving to a new town Going through puberty

#2 Psychological Stress Individual worries and fears Feeling disliked by peers Feeling ignored by parents Worry about failing a test Concern over weight

#3 Reality Stress Murphy’s Law: “What CAN go wrong… WILL go wrong!” Missing bus on day of test Accidentally bumping bully Forgetting homework

#4 Physical Stress Physical ailments Sleeplessness, hunger, cramps Skin disorders (acne) Mental illness (depression)

“Ah-Hah!” Because troubled youth experience CHRONIC STRESSES of greater FREQUENCY INTENSITY DURATION they will OFTEN OVERREACT to otherwise minor problems.

UNDERSTANDING THE DYNAMICS OF THE CONFLICT CYCLE Foundation Skill #2

Long’s Conflict Cycle Behavior Feelings Reactions Irrational Beliefs Situation Feelings Intensify! Behavior Escalates! Behavior Escalates! Stress Increases! Reactions Worsen! Reactions Worsen! Self- Defeating Beliefs

From Haim Ginott… “I’ve come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s MY personal approach that creates the climate; … It’s MY daily mood that makes the weather…

“In all situations, it is MY response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated… or a child humanized or de- humanized. Dr. Haim Ginott

DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE INTERVIEWING SKILLS 1.Attending Skills 2. Decoding Skills 3. Reflecting Skills Foundation Skill #3

What emotions can you decode? Hurt Rejected Angry

Reflective Listening: Practice 3 “It sounds like you are ___________________ about _________________________________” “And then they laughed at me and called me FAT! The b_____es! Why do they always have to be so hateful?”

Establishing a Timeline 1. Events: What actually happened? 2.Perceptions: What assumptions did the student make? 1. Events: What actually happened? 2.Perceptions: What assumptions did the student make?

“Ah-Hah!” Youth in crisis WANT to tell their stories, but seldom say exactly what they mean. We must draw out their stories by: ATTENTIVELY LISTENING DECODING HIDDEN FEELINGS REFLECTING & VALIDATING EMOTIONS

Advanced Skills of Life Space Intervention

Advanced LSCI teaches staff how to calm the emotionally distraught student, then explore both actual events and the youth’s “private logic” regarding them. Every intervention follows the same initial of exploration of stages. Advanced LSCI Skills

Stages of LSCI 2: Timeline 1: Drain Off 3: Central Issue 4: Insight 5: New Skills 6: Transfer

Advanced LSCI also teaches staff how to recognize and address six (6) specific patterns of self-defeating behavior. Each pattern has its own unique characteristics and intervention strategies. Advanced LSCI Skills

#1 Red Flag Goal: Recognize SOURCE of anger and stop displacing it onto others Use when a stressed out student has brought in a problem from another setting & is TAKING IT OUT on others, especially staff.

Typical Characteristics Have significant stress at home, school or in personal lives Act out by overreacting to normal requests, picking a fight with staff Quickly create massive counter- aggressive feelings in staff Students who would benefit from Red Flag generally:

#2 Reality Rub REMEMBERS ONLY PART MISINTERPRETED Use when an impulsive student REMEMBERS ONLY PART of the story, or has MISINTERPRETED someone’s actual intentions. GOAL: Gain a clearer perception of real events and impact on others

Typical Characteristics Students who would benefit from Reality Rub often: Make incorrect assumptions about what is “really going on.” Jump to wrong conclusions based on partial information Misperceive others’ intentions

#3 New Tools GOAL: Develop social skills and social judgment to fit in better TRYING TO FIT IN Use when a socially awkward student is TRYING TO FIT IN or do the right thing, and is confused by the rejection or failure he experiences.

Typical Chacteristics Students who would benefit from New Tools often: Look and act different from peers Have poor social skills and poor personal hygiene Look to adults for primary approval Have poor insight and judgment regarding their problems

#4 Symptom Estrangement NO CONCERN NO RESPONSIBILITY Use when a self-centered student feels NO CONCERN for others, and NO RESPONSIBILITY for harmful actions. GOAL: Gain insight to feel guilt and take responsibility for actions

Typical Characteristics Students who would benefit from Symptom Estrangement: Easily justify breaking rules Hurt others without provocation Motivated by power and control Behave antisocially without loss of temper

#5 Massaging Numb Values Use when a student with low self- esteem is feeling TOO MUCH GUILT, demeaning himself over a mistake. GOAL: Put mistakes into better perspective, improve self-esteem

TYPICAL CHARACTERISTICS Students who would benefit from Massaging Numb Values often: Have low self-esteem Have impulse control problems Over-react to mistakes by blaming themselves and making problems worse

#6 Manipulating Body Boundaries I: False Friendship: FALSE FRIEND Naïve student is being misused by a FALSE FRIEND GOAL: Redefine “friend” and respond assertively to manipulator II: Set Up: MANIPULATIVE PEER Aggressive student is being set off by a MANIPULATIVE PEER GOAL: Recognize manipulation and improve self-control

MBB I: False Friendship TYPICAL CHARACTERISTICS Students who would benefit from MBB: False Friendship are often: Isolated or new to school Looking for approval/belonging Easily misled by others

MBB II: Set Up TYPICAL CHARACTERISTICS Students who would benefit from MBB: Set Up are often: Aggressive and impulsive Easy targets for quick-thinking peers -- but are provoked only when staff are around

Certification requires: Attend all sessions on time Complete all in-class activities Read LSCI textbook and articles Pass written test of knowledge Pass practical test of skills Optional: Complete 5-7 page paper within 90 days for graduate credit in Sped or Psych from Augustana College

Training in LSCI includes: Informative mini-lectures Real-life stories Relevant discussions Skillful demonstrations Guided practice in role plays Entertaining video examples Competency-based testing College credit available

Training Options 1 day Foundation Skills in LSCI for 30+ direct care staff & paraprofessionals 4.5 days Advanced Training in LSCI for up to 30 special ed teachers, crisis counselors & clinicians

Training Costs 1 day Foundation Skills in LSCI $150/person or $2,000 flat fee for 30+ staff (mat included) 4.5 days Advanced Training in LSCI $495/person or $7,500 flat fee for up to 30 staff (+ $125 materials) *Minimum 10 people, travel expenses additional 4.5 day training need not be consecutive days

Contact information Dr. Steve Parese Senior Trainer, LSCI Institute PO Box 336 Danbury, NC (336)