Professional Development Workshops

Interviewing & Counseling Young Children

A Developmental Approach

What You’ll Learn

• Explore how the abilities and limitations of cognitive and psychosocial developmental stages impact how we work with young children
• Learn to quickly assess children for levels of emotional distress or behavioral disturbance without intensive background information or clinical history
• Ways to adapt standard interview techniques and counseling microskills for child clients
• Understand how diagnosis and treatment for young children is both similar to and different from diagnosis and treatment of adults
• How to encourage young children’s responsiveness in the counseling process

About the Instructor

Maureen Neuville (MS, LPC) is a graduate of the WSU Counseling program and has over 20 years of experience in the mental health field as educator, therapist, and supervisor.

Her focus has been on families, adolescents and children, especially crisis intervention, play therapy, and trauma treatment. She is certified in TFCBT (Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and has worked with youth as young as age 3.

Maureen has presented scores of workshops and has had two professional articles published related to her work with young children.

Diversity Made Simple

Shame-Free Strategies for Reducing Cultural Offenses & Repairing Cross-Cultural Relationships

What You’ll Learn

• Increase self-awareness & cultural competence
• Practical strategies to address issues of age, gender, sexuality, religion, acculturation, and social justice
• How to apply skills to overcome cultural barriers such as language, religion and different belief systems
• Ways to reduce cultural offenses, and repair and strengthen cross cultural relationships

About the Instructor

Lambers Fisher (MS, LMFT, MDIV) is a marriage and family therapist who has counseled individuals, couples, and families from a variety of cultural backgrounds, in private practice, non-profit organization, as well as ministry environments.

He has a strong desire to help counseling professionals in various fields feel more comfortable, competent and confident in their ability meet the needs of whomever they have the opportunity to serve.

Lambers’ training experience includes providing facilitating multicultural workshops nationally, guest lecturing at universities, as well as being an adjunct instructor at Crown College on various aspects of diversity in counseling.

Lambers supervises aspiring therapists as a board approved supervisor for the Minnesota Board of Marriage & Family Therapists as well as the Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health.

Currently, Lambers is a therapist in private practice where he effectively balances personal and professional experiences to provide unique and practical perspectives on a variety of culturally sensitive topics. He obtained a Master of Science in Marriage & Family Therapy as well as a Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA.

Intro to Eating Disorders

What You’ll Learn

• Understand the continuum of disordered eating from dieting to obesity, including myths and misconceptions regarding eating disorders
• Describe the prevalence of eating disorders across age, gender, and other groups as well as the general course of illness and recovery
• Describe current diagnostic criteria for eating disorders and how that impacts prevalence rates
• Broadly describe current treatment for eating disorders across disciplines, general outcomes of various treatment models, and strengths and limitations of current treatment for eating disorders
• Examine how the “three-legged stool” of evidence-based practice (i.e., research perspectives, clinical perspectives, and patient perspectives) is being implemented in treatment of eating disorders
• Broadly describe current research in eating disorders and future directions for research in eating disorders
• Begin to critically examine popular culture portrayals of eating disorders in the media

About the Instructor

Jessica Barker (MPS, LADC, LPCC Candidate) has worked in the field of mental health since 2001 in direct care and research across a variety of mental health conditions, and she specializes in research and treatment of eating disorders.

She owns and operates Exert-ED Services and provides consulting, including ethics consults, research, and support services for people with eating disorders and people who treat them. Jessica is also a psychotherapist in private practice in St. Paul, MN.

Jessica has been described as a thought leader in eating disorders, and her innovative research asks how the concept of satiation can be used to address problematic exercise patterns in eating disorders as well as the patient experience in mental health treatment.

She has served as a supervisor and mentor for undergraduate and graduate students completing internships, field experiences, and research.

After working in research and advocacy for 20 years, she received her Master of Integrated Behavioral Health Counseling. She has also worked clinically with individuals with eating disorders, substance use disorders, and co-occurring conditions in both outpatient and intensive levels of care.