Connection Focused Therapy®

Why Choose This Workshop?

Largely unique to this treatment program is the onsite intensive structure; the combination of intellectual, emotional, and physical participation by the family members; and the integration of equine, recreational, and culinary classes with traditional talk therapy. The program draws from evidence based interventions in brief and strategic, solution-focused, and cognitive behavioral therapy in the design and implementation of the program. Additionally, onsite equine assisted interventions facilitate a dynamic environment that few families have the chance to encounter. Equine interventions are tailored to address a variety of need within the family including, but not limited to, parenting skills, teamwork, and self-confidence. ‘Horse-work’ transcends rigid and limiting defense structures with the family system and allows for profound insight and healing opportunities.

Enriched by the ‘here and now’ process, the TFTRM^TM approach nurtures continued growth beyond program parameters. With its’ psychodynamic foundation and its’ broad tool set of techniques, the program is able to build bonds from within the family structure in the most complex of scenarios and situations.

Who Should Participate?

Many of the cases that come to us are families we term “Complex Case Scenarios” embroiled in scenarios as difficult as healing post familial abduction, contact refusal and resistance, and other challenges to family health. Families that have been estranged or distanced from each other by everyday life challenges, by crisis, or an intense conflict are excellent candidates for participation. While many participants are Court referred cases, some families use the workshops to strengthen family relationships across single or multiple generations. What we have discovered is that families can thrive even in crisis when offered a multi-faceted, strength-based family systems approach to crisis, conflict, or challenge.

Familial Abduction:

Ironically, as the custody laws have become more equitable, situations where one parent illegally takes custody of the child or children are increasingly more common. Custody rulings vary from state to state, from courtroom to courtroom,leaving desperate parents confused regarding their custodial rights. Familial abduction can occur because of anger, retribution, or frustration between parents. Equine assisted exercises can promote a reconnection process for the whole family and provide a pathway for resolving feelings, enhancing communication and discovering other issues in need of attention.

Non-Familial Abduction:

These cases present a particular challenge in that the experiences of the abducted individual and those of the family left behind can be vastly different. This might also be true in familial abductions, but is a near certainty in stranger abductions. In cases of non-familial abductions, one of the first orders of business is to facilitate a common ground with the family unit. For example, a love of animals can be a deep connection the family shares. A long forgotten family recipe cooked and served together can quietly awaken a shared memory. We find that following a stranger abduction, the central victim is likely to exhibit an absence of emotion. Talk therapy can be threatening and confusing to all the participants. Therefore, work in the horse arena can be easier for the clients and more palatable for all family members, thus more productive for all concerned.

Goals and Objectives:

Encourage and foster a working relationship for the entire family by promoting a balanced perspective and an inclusive solution focused perspective.
Help families untangle difficulties caused by the abduction.
Strengthen existing familial relationships and promote and support the development of compassion and communication skills.
Strengthen empowerment of the family in the face of external interference from extraneous well-meaning agencies such as courts, media, and community organizations.

High Conflict Divorce:

Connection focused therapy in these types of cases employs a non-blaming, focused, case specific model for restoring and healing relationships between children and parental figures. These cases often exhibit some element contact refusal or resistance. In these cases the focus is on the repairing and healing of fractured bonds within the family.

Goals and Objectives:

To reduce the conflict between the children and each of the parents to allow for healthier relationships.
To facilitate, repair, and strengthen child relationships with both parents.
Help family and children untangle difficulties created or worsened by court involvement.
Help children rebuild a relationship with longevity with both parents.
Encourage and foster a working relationship for the entire family by promoting a balanced perspective and an inclusive solution-focused perspective.
Strengthen compassion and communication skills.
Help empower both parents to be effective parents.

Foster Families, Military Families, and Others:

Connection focused work can also include foster family services between the child and the foster parent or the child and the parent(s) of origin. Intensive connection focused services are short term. Intensive family-based sessions are designed to reconnect children with parental figures. It is the intent that the work would be continued with community based mental health professionals. In some cases, workshops for disengaged families can be useful and warranted. The disengagement can be due to geographic distances for reasons such as life choices and military deployment.

Risks of Treatment:

Crisis creates vulnerability. All of the therapists connected to the Transitioning Families team are acutely aware of this issue. Every effort is made to empower the family make their own decisions and to create options for them to choose from. Informed consent is an important component to the work of Transitioning Families. These choices are a crucial part of the treatment regardless of the stage of the healing process.

The interventions and activities chosen for each family allow for options in the depth of interpretations made by the families. For some families cooking, horse work, and hiking are merely activities to connect, while others see it as a vehicle for development, growth, and self-awareness. Each family sets the tone for the connection focused or transitional work. In the case of multiple perspectives in a family, the focus becomes finding the common theme for all of the family members.

It is possible that the work can reveal hidden issues that are distressing to one or more of the family participants. In some cases the issues can be addressed in the context of the Transitioning Families workshop. In other cases, adjunct work with existing therapists or referrals to new therapists or agencies can be an important component for ongoing growth.

Intake, Assessment, and Referral:

All cases begin with an Intake Assessment for the appropriateness of the referral and for the suitability for various types of interventions. Possible interventions are identified, and considered, with known risks and benefits for each as well as the risks and benefits of no intervention. Our recommendations may include:

Our highly innovative experiential/educational workshop for families incorporating equine-assisted growth and learning techniques.
An alternative workshop, which does not include an experiential element.
We also, depending on the circumstances, may offer weekly sessions with the child and least favored parent with a focus on connection.
Referrals for Custodial Evaluations.

The family members are made aware of our recommendations and are advised to sign an Informed Consent to Treatment for any services to be provided by Transitioning Families.

Aftercare:

Part of our intake process will include determining what services you are currently using in your local area. Every effort will be made to coordinate our work with the work that is already in place (with appropriate releases). If a family has not connected with local services, every effort will be made to assist you with that.

Generally, a family will leave our workshop with a list of specific issues to work on and suggestions to follow. These will be shared with your community resources as you choose. There are several options for follow-up with Transitioning Families after your departure:

Periodic phone/email contact to review your progress.
Contact with your local service providers for continuity of care.
Another intensive weekend to continue work completed in the first workshop.
Case specific flexible arrangements as needed.

Transitioning Families will make referrals to other agencies/professionals as appropriate.

Location of Workshops:

Our program workshops are located primarily in Sonoma County, California. Arrangements can be made to bring the program to other locations throughout California and, in some cases, to other states. Contact The Transitioning Families office for more information.

Duration:

Ideally, workshops are three and a half to five days, but can vary in duration depending upon the availability of participants, logistical issues, or time constraints. The schedule of each workshop is agreed upon in advance with an eight-hour day being the norm. The overall costs for the workshop is arranged prior to the start of the program.

Accommodations:

Most meals are prepared in cooking classes with our chef and support staff, or are brought in from local restaurants. All participants are expected to stay in the area for the duration of the workshop under the direction of the TF team. Travel arrangements and lodging expenses are the responsibility of the participants. A workshop administrator is available to assist in the logistics of travel and lodging.

Registration and Scheduling:

For more information about “A Time for Families” workshops, scheduling and registration fees, please contact the Transitioning Families office at (707) 237-5330 or email to admin@transitioningfamilies.com.

Sample Workshop Outline:

The workshop consists of a series of educational sessions, discussion groups, and experiential exercises – some of which utilize horses in an equine-assisted growth and learning model. Each day we will begin with a combination of these, with a break for lunch followed by another combination of these in the afternoon. Dinner arrangements vary according to our assessment of the needs of each family on that day. It may be prepared for, with, or by the family. Supplies are always provided unless otherwise stated. Evening activities are suggested and sometimes may include a staff member. The issues dealt with for each family will vary, however a general outline is as follows: