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Live Webinar

Divorce, Remarriage, and Blended Families

Evidence-Based Interventions for Helping Kids Cope with Loss, Loyalty, and Family Transitions

Speaker:
Steven O'Brien, PsyD
Duration:
Full Day
Language:
Presented in EN, subtitles in EN and FR
Product Code:
LWC055205
Brochure Code:
PWZ95321
Media Type:
Live Webinar - Also available: Digital Seminar

Dates

Normal Price:      $324.99 - Now:  $64.99 - Exclusive offer when combined with this live training.

Description

Divorce. Transitioning between households. Remarriage.

For kids, these changes can feel like an earthquake - shaking their sense of security and belonging.

Children often become distressed and dysregulated, struggling to cope with circumstances beyond their control. Anxiety, depression, defiance, and school difficulties can quickly escalate when family conflict becomes chronic.

Parents and stepparents face their own challenges, trying to stay regulated while supporting children through unpredictable transitions. Add in complications like substance abuse, incarceration, or sudden abandonment, and the emotional toll multiplies.

Join child-family psychologist, Dr. Steve O’Brien, for practical, research-informed strategies to help kids navigate loss, loyalty conflicts,and blended family stressors.

You'll learn how to:

  • Build rapport and interview effectively in divorce and blended family contexts
  • Provide age-appropriate coping strategies for kids facing chronic conflict or parental health issues
  • Improve co-parenting and help blended families integrate
  • Use family-focused art, play, and game therapy techniques
  • Apply developmentally tailored CBT interventions
  • Treat family-related anxiety, depression, and oppositional behavior
  • Equip teachers with classroom tactics for distressed children

Empower yourself to guide children through some of life's toughtest transitions - with confidence and compassion.

Credit

Program Information

Planning Committee Disclosure - No relevant relationships

All members of the PESI, Inc. planning committee have provided disclosures of financial relationships with ineligible organizations and any relevant non-financial relationships prior to planning content for this activity. None of the committee members had relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies or other potentially biasing relationships to disclose to learners.  For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.



Canada Credit - CE Information Coming Soon

Continuing education credit information is coming soon for this live webcast.



Speaker

Steven O'Brien, PsyD's Profile

Steven O'Brien, PsyD Related seminars and products


Steven O’Brien, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist with nearly 30 years of experience treating children, adolescents, families and young adults in his Clearwater, Florida practice. His specialty areas include child-adolescent anxiety/depression, ADHD, Autism Spectrum disorders, and divorced/blended family adjustment. Dr. O’Brien utilizes an integrative-systems model, which tailors treatment to the developmental needs of youth and families. Intensive parent consultation and youth-focused family interventions are critical components of his therapeutic approach.

Dr. O’Brien has worked in numerous healthcare environments, including community mental health, psychiatric, inpatient/residential, substance abuse, and medical facilities. He served as associate professor of child-adolescent studies at the Florida School of Professional Psychology. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. O’Brien is an app developer (Life@Home by Psychtouch.com) and a media consultant for both Tampa Bay and national news outlets. Visit obrienpsychology.com for more information.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Steven O'Brien maintains a private practice. He receives a speaking honorarium, recording and book royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Steven O’Brien is a member of the American Psychological Association and the Florida Psychological Association.


Additional Info

Program Information

Access Period for Live Webcast

For live CE credit, you must watch the live webcast in its entirety at its scheduled time and complete the CE quiz and evaluation within one week. You will have access for 90 days after the program for review.


Webcast Schedule

Please note: There will be a 70-minute lunch and two 15-minute breaks; one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Lunch and break times will be announced by the speaker and at their discretion. A more detailed schedule is available upon request.


Questions?

Visit our FAQ page at https://www.pesicanada.ca/faq or contact us at https://www.pesicanada.ca/contact-us.


Objectives

  1. Identify developmental manifestations of childhood distress secondary to divorced/blended family stressors.
  2. Discover effective methods of rapport-building with children and parents/step parents to enhance treatment outcomes for anxious, depressed and oppositional children.
  3. Utilize semi-structured interview and observational formats for obtaining developmental, emotional and behavioral information about distressed children in divorced/blended families.
  4. Recognize five typical emotional/behavioral responses in children coping with stressful divorced/blended family dynamics.
  5. Implement developmentally appropriate cognitive-behavioral techniques with anxious/depressed children facing family transitions.
  6. Apply individualized behavior management and communication techniques for reducing oppositional behavior in children seeking control.
  7. Develop family-focused therapy techniques to reduce distress and disruptive behavior in children.
  8. Recommend classroom management strategies teachers can utilize for responding to children’s highly emotional or disruptive behavior at school.

Outline

CHALLENGES FOR CHILDREN FACING DIVORCE & FAMILY TRANSITION

Multiple Losses, Multiple Reactions

  • Divorce Do’s and Don’ts
  • How Kids Cope with Parental Missteps
  • Reduce Children’s Distress due to Dysfunctional Co-Parenting
  • Helping Kids Cope with Parents’ New Relationships
  • Divorce-related Grief and Loss
Blended Families Often Don't Blend; They MAY Semi-Integrate
  • Differences Between Biological and Step-Relationships
  • Through Children’s Eyes: Residential Invaders and Parent Stealers
  • Healthier Family Functioning via Management Rather than Resolution
  • Guidelines for Smoother Stepparent-Child Relationships
  • Guidelines for Child-Focused Family Therapy

Possible "In-Between" Family Scenarios

  • Companion-Only Parents
  • Parents in Chronic Conflict
  • Parent(s) with Chronic Health/Substance Issues
  • Incarcerated Parent
  • Sudden Parental Abandonment
  • Polyamorous Relationships

TREATMENT TECHNIQUES FOR KIDS FACING FAMILY DISRUPTION

Intervention Strategies for Anxious Children

  • The 3-R Approach to Anxiety Management
  • Daily Relaxation Rituals
  • Child-Friendly CBT (No Homework!)
  • Family-Focused Play/Art-Infused Therapy
  • Transition-Management Skills for Dual Households
Intervention Strategies for Oppositional Children
  • Root Causes of Oppositional/Defiant Behavior
  • Defiance as Expression of Anxiety and Depression
  • Social-Emotional Behavioral Assessment
  • Cooperation and Consequences vs. Compliance and Punishment
  • Creative Alternatives to Traditional Behavior Modification
Intervention Strategies for Depressed Children
  • Effective Rapport Building and Interpersonal Approaches
  • Child-Friendly Mood Management Skills
  • Game Play Therapy for Frustration Tolerance
  • Therapeutic Technologies
  • Emotive Communication Skill-Building
Interventions for High-Risk Children
  • Vindictive/Revengeful Behavior
  • Physically Destructive Behavior
  • Aggressive/Violent Behavior
  • Suicidal/Self-Harming Behavior
  • Non-Suicidal Self Injury
  • Repetitive Substance Abuse
  • Socially Rejected/Excluded Children
Assist Distressed Children at School: Tactics for Educators
  • ”BASE” Method for Assessing Childhood Functioning
  • Family-Related Stress and Academic/Learning Problems
  • How Family Conflict Leads to Defiance at School
  • Classroom Management for Disruptive Behaviors
  • Special Accommodations for Highly Sensitive Children
  • Feedback/Discussion Guidelines with Challenging Parents
  • School-Wide Solutions for High-Risk Students

Target Audience

  • Counselors
  • Social Workers
  • Psychologists
  • Psychotherapists
  • Psychiatrists
  • Therapists
  • Marriage and Family Therapists
  • Teachers
  • Physicians
  • School Guidance Counselors
  • Case Managers
  • Nurses
  • School Administrators
  • Addiction Counselors
  • Other Helping Professionals who Work with Children

Reviews

5
4
3
2
1

Overall:      5

Total Reviews: 2

Comments

Carolyn S

"Wonderful course! Extremely helpful and engaging."

Sarah C

"This was one of the best trainings I have attended. "

Satisfaction Guarantee
Your satisfaction is our goal and our guarantee. Concerns should be addressed to info@pesicanada.com.

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