Karen Andor, MEd (Ed Psych)
Hello
It’s easy to get triggered by “naughty” kids. We want them to behave differently, and when they don’t…we feel out of control.
If our grown-up brains feel out of control, imagine how that dysregulated kid feels!
The problem is, many therapists don’t learn enough about children’s development to effectively work with them. And that leaves them feeling worthless and unskilled. I mean, really, there’s nothing worse than not being able to help a small child!
That’s how Karen Andor felt when she worked with Suzie. After the initial “honeymoon phase,” Suzie would lie on the floor or under a table and scream. The entire session. No matter what Karen did. For 6 weeks in a row.
Or Micah, who would growl and hiss for up to 3 hours in his classroom. He couldn’t stop himself, even though he knew the kids were staring at him and calling him ‘weirdo.’ No one — teachers or parents — could stop it.
Karen wasn’t going to take this like Suzie… lying down. It finally occurred to her that these kids were doing what Janina Fisher had taught her about. They were dissociating.
Now, Karen Andor is a therapist who specializes in working with children who dissociate. She helps therapists, parents, teachers, and anyone who works with kids recognize when a child chooses to behave in a certain way or when their brain has gone offline and has no limits.
In Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment for Children: A New Model for Working with Challenging Behaviors, Karen has done something especially innovative…she has adapted Janina Fisher’s Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment for use with children.
That’s some powerful Mary Poppins magic!
Karen’s model explains why families and schools are so confused by kids, and why other approaches to behavior problems haven’t worked.
Between daily stress, social media, widespread violence, and a world that just keeps getting faster and more complex, little kids are at more risk for trauma.
Become one of the few therapists who can recognize and successfully manage dissociation in children.
You can help create healthy kids and happy families. Join us!
Theoretical Background to Working with Dissociation in Children
Dissociation is always part of trauma, and it is also part of disorganized attachment. But very little information about dissociation or treatment in children. This module will teach you what dissociation in children is, how it differs from adult dissociation, and how to adapt Janina Fisher’s TIST model into an effective treatment for children who dissociate.
Identifying the Parts
It is commonly believed that dissociation is a form of collapse, amnesia, or numbing or spacing out. But those are not the only ways dissociation manifests. Children dissociate differently from adults, and when they dissociate, it is often misconstrued as a behavior problem. In this module, you’ll learn to identify dissociation through background histories, case examples from the therapy room, and video clips.
Identifying and introducing the parts to a child client
This module shows you how to determine if a child is dissociating and which parts are being triggered. You’ll learn to look at changes in the child’s body and behaviors, as well as the underlying narrative. You’ll learn how to introduce various parts to the child in a way that is fun, normalizing, and understandable to them. And, you’ll learn techniques that focus on and strengthen the child’s core self so they can become allies in therapy sessions. You’ll walk away with the basic formula for talking to and working with parts and managing multiple triggered parts.
Strategies for Working with the Parts
In this module, you’ll learn different strategies for regulating each of the survival strategy parts: fight, flight, freeze, submit, attach, control, and shame. Each part needs a different strategy, and different strategies are needed depending on where the part is in the body.
Troubleshooting
Sometimes, things don’t go as planned when using TIST for children. In this session, you’ll learn what to do when difficult situations arise, when there are complications with parts, and how to support parents when their child’s parts trigger their parts.
In this online course, you will explore:
MEET YOUR PRESENTER
Karen Andor, MEd (Ed Psych)
Karen Andor, MEd, is an Educational Psychologist and psychotherapist. She completed her original training in South Africa where she worked in a range of settings from private schools to clinics, townships, and informal settlements. Since then, she has worked for local councils and state schools as well as in private practice in England. Karen is trained in a number of psychotherapies including, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, and SPIM30, and is a certified Theraplay therapist, TIST therapist, Rhythmic Movement therapist, and Johansen Music provider.
Karen works with both children and adult clients, specializing in trauma, attachment, and dissociation. Karen has adapted Janina Fisher’s TIST therapy for children and has used this with children for over 6 years. Karen offers training in TIST for children, as well one that combines TIST for children and Theraplay for The Theraplay Institute. She has created a workbook and doll for use in therapy sessions with children who dissociate.
CE Information:
This program has been approved for 7.5 distance learning CEs by the following organizations: CAMFT, NBCC, NASW MA Chapter.
Complete CE info can be found by clicking here.
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