Dangerous Transitions - The Legacy of Complex Trauma in Young Adults

Adolescents and young adults contending with a legacy of complex trauma in childhood--insecure and unstable attachments, domestic violence, abuse, neglect--frequently exhaust family members and caregivers. They then often run through the inadequate and underfunded public services, with little improvement. Unprepared to behave as independent adults, they're primed for disaster--substance abuse, unplanned pregnancy, mental health problems, criminal activity. But they aren't hopeless; a robust research literature emphasizes the overwhelming benefits of strong, enduring attachment relationships, even at the stage of the transition to adulthood. In this highly practical workshop, we'll discuss a model for building teams that can offer multiple attachment relationships and providing other interventions that improve executive functioning, reduce anxiety, regulate affect, decrease dissociation, and unmask agendas. You'll learn how to work with these struggling young people to foster competencies and social skills, and help them develop coherent narratives--major building blocks for success.