ACT with parents and teachers

The increasing number of young people seeking mental health support in schools, clinics, and health services is remarkable. If you play a role in providing this support, you understand that the success of interventions largely relies on the collaborative efforts of the team surrounding the young person. This team, which may include teachers, parents, or carers, must have a comprehensive understanding of the intervention, maintain clarity about the approach, and use consistent language when communicating with the young person. Additionally, they should have access to the necessary tools and resources to help the young person overcome the obstacles they encounter.

“Easy” and “ground-breaking” workshop

In this workshop, Dr Louise Hayes, the developer of the DVA-V model for young people, will teach you a fresh, creative view of how to work in relationships between adults and teens. This framework allows you to use acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), polyvagal theory, positive psychology and more – inside a solid foundation that can be readily applied with young people, and easily shared to include their parents and teachers.

DNA-V gives you the same language across both teens and adults, allowing you to support adults in their challenging roles of raising young people. Just as young people are growing and changing, adults also step into new roles as their young people become independent, and they need support to do that. This workshop will give you strategies to help adults get flexible on the inside (thoughts, feelings, and actions in their roles) and in their relationships with young people.

It is essential to ensure that the support team fully embraces the language, ideas, and concepts of the model you are using with the young person. Their understanding and alignment with this model are crucial for achieving success in helping young individuals navigate their challenges. The DNA-V approach is an accessible, teachable model that parents and teachers can understand and implement.

This approach is now being used in schools, clinics and everywhere that young people seek help, and Louise cannot wait to share it with you.

 What you’ll learn by attending this workshop

• How to help adults take value perspectives and be a positive force in their families and community
• Creative ways to help adults model flexible thinking and emotional awareness
• Methods to help adults model how to make wise decisions and set boundaries
• Communication strategies to assist adults build empathy and compassion with young people
• Skills for negotiating stress and challenges with teens
• Ways to help support teams Understand emotional triggers and learning to respond wisely
• Techniques in helping adults with unworkable patterns and learning new strategies

This workshop will help you provide parents and teachers with all the resources they need to help the young people they work with or have in their lives, navigate the teenage years successfully.

About the DNA-V approach

Louise Hayes is a champion of the DNA-V (discoverer, noticer, advisor and values) model that has become a game-changer in how people implement ACT with young people across the world. This work has initiated many  research trials and new school curricula and has become a treatment paradigm in many settings worldwide, such as CAMHS and school counselling services.

DNA-V is science made accessible. It’s a robust framework that applies science-based solutions to human concerns. It arose inside the work of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and the theoretical foundations of evolution and contextual behavioural science. But it extends beyond the hexaflex to explicitly work within the individual (learning, habits, emotional and thinking responses) and in their social relationships (attachment and attunement with others). All of this is delivered in a readily accessible and easy-to-learn style.

Who would benefit from this workshop?

This workshop is suitable for all professionals who work with young people, including psychologists, BCBA’s, counsellors, social workers, teachers etc.

“Engaging and extremely useful content. Brilliant and enjoyable learning experience.” Sanja Taylor, Head of People

“An incredibly inspiring facilitator.” Gina Skourti, clinical lead MHST

“I really liked the real time practice examples from Louise’s own work” Speech and Language Therapist & Behaviour Analyst.