The Thriving Students program trains New Mexico educators in evidence-based approaches to fostering student success, inclusion, and achievement. Our trainings and consultations specialize in assisting educators to address the needs of students who have serious social, emotional, and academic challenges. By accessing trauma-informed strategies and the tools of positive psychology/education, educators are empowered to shift their paradigms and approach these challenges in the most constructive and meaningful way.

The Thriving Students program is designed to:

• Change the trajectory of students experiencing failure and exclusionto success and inclusion.
• Empower educators, families, and students to promote positive change within their school.
• Raise optimism and provide trauma-informed behavioral interventions for struggling students.
• Create interventions that promote inclusion.
• Support school safety and create connection between educators, families, and students.
• Nurture a culture of optimism that makes any school a great place to learn and work.

Kids do well when they are given the opportunity to do well. With enough support, and sensitive, intelligent engagement, even the most troubled students can show remarkable improvement. Learn how a student who is acting out is actually displaying their current stressors, fears, or traumatic history. Instead of judging and punishing, Thriving Students empowers educators to more fully embrace the situation, applying trauma-informed tools and techniques that do not reinforce the negative beliefs being exhibited. We adopt an optimistic stance, and create a positive feedback loop where students can gradually overcome chronic triggers, problematic beliefs, and negative self-perceptions.

Our goal is to shift students from a cycle of failure and exclusion to one of success and inclusion. Some students respond appropriately to traditional discipline. Traumatized students may be impacted in a very different way—reinforcing beliefs that they are worthless, or unwanted. Thriving Students advocates a patient, adaptive, whatever-it-takes attitude. Our trainings help educators to decipher problem behavior, understand the deeper significance of such events, and outline constructive engagement. We learn how to recognize the  meaning behind different types of disruptions, how to avoid becoming triggered oneself, and intervention strategies that actually work.

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WHAT WE OFFER

Southwest Family Institute provides the Thriving Students program to schools in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and surrounding areas. Our program is tailored to the unique needs of each school, and is comprised of in-person trainings, consultations, and telephone follow-ups as needed.

We begin with a staff-wide presentation that lays a foundation of trauma-informed care and positive education. Next, we help to establish a committee of school staff, a core team, to receive in-depth training on the delivery of the Thriving Students model. By having their very own team, schools can become proficient in delivering the model an ongoing basis, helping teachers, positively impacting challenging students, shifting paradigms, informing interventions, and working to improve the school climate. A dedicated consultant is responsible for training the core team, providing ongoing consultation, coaching, and support as they implement the Thriving Students model.

 To learn more about our program or to request services please contact:

Courtney Custer, Thriving Students Coordinator
(505) 301 3036
ccuster@swfamily.com

It takes a lot of study, sacrifice, education, training, and experience to become a good therapist. When one’s talent and professional merit is recognized, and a therapist is promoted to a supervisory role, it quickly becomes clear that a different skillset is required. Being a good therapist and being a good supervisor are fundamentally different, and without additional training, learning to effectively oversee other therapists can be difficult.

Southwest Family Institute’s Clinical Supervision & Leadership Academy is a bridge connecting therapist and supervisor roles, filling in the educational and training gaps, and laying the foundation for a positive, professional, and ethical career. The academy holds two classes annually, limited to 12 participants in each class, takes 12 months to complete, and includes group and one-on-one training, homework, and evaluations. Successful completion qualifies for 50+ continuing education credits (CEUs). The curriculum is designed to meet the specialized training requirements for an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS), as currently required in 14 states. New Mexico does not currently require this certification. A secondary, long-term goal of the Academy is to provide New Mexico with a ready-made curriculum, and elevate supervisor credentialing to current professional standards.

14 AREAS OF STUDY INCLUDE:

1. Legal & Ethical Issues in Clinical Supervision
Ethics are the cornerstone of the counseling profession. They help us respond to challenging situations, in a pre-approved manner, helping to avoid risks, legal liabilities, and unprofessional dynamics. Fully understanding legal and ethical concerns enables the supervisor to best protect supervisees and their clients.

2. Roles & Functions of Clinical Supervision
Supervisors must be prepared to wear multiple hats for supervisees and stakeholders. This can include supporter, educator, administrator, advocate and all the subsets within these roles. It is important to have awareness of what role is needed in any given situation and additional awareness of what role you might be “slipping into.”

3. Models of Clinical Supervision
To guide supervisors and provide structure for supervisees, three types emerged; (1) developmental, (2) integrated, and (3) orientation-specific models. Determining the model used is at the discretion of the supervisor, based on the needs of the supervisee.

4. Mental Health-related Professional Development
People change, personally and professionally, throughout their career. Professional development is a crucial part of this process, as it can help steer a counselor in an organized manner. Supervisors are responsible for offering and suggesting professional development for the supervisee. This can look different for everyone, depending on needs and interests. The supervisor is also responsible for engaging in their own professional development to ensure professional competence.

5. Methods & Techniques in Clinical Supervision
Supervisors provide support, guidance and leadership. The many methods and techniques employed change based on the needs of the situation. This section provides multiple perspectives and tools available to the supervisor to ensure they are fully equipped to adapt to various circumstances.

6. Supervisory Relationship Issues
The supervisory relationship can experience issues with boundaries, unethical behavior, resistant supervisees, competence, and more. In this section, supervisors learn to avoid these issues if possible, and manage them, should they arise.

7. Managing Therapist Self-Care and Vicarious Trauma in Clinical Supervision
Both novice and experienced counselors are at risk for burn-out and vicarious trauma. Supervisors are responsible for helping their therapists maintain appropriate boundaries, engage in appropriate self-care, and promote in self-awareness to avoid setbacks.

8. Cultural Issues in Clinical Supervision
Counseling is a multi-faceted phenomenon that involves many variables. One of these variables is the cultural backgrounds of the therapists, clients, and supervisors. The supervisor is responsible for managing any cultural issues. With proper supervision, a therapist’s and clients potential cultural conflicts can be easily addressed within the first session.

9. Group Supervision
Group supervision helps therapists offer each other peer input with cases, discuss issues they may be having, and provides a space to feel supported. This type of supervision can be beneficial; it can also be difficult to manage. This section provides the supervisor with the skills to be able to effectively manage group supervision.

10. Evaluation of Supervisee Competence and the Supervision Process
A supervisor is responsible for the development of the supervisee, as well as providing support when needed. Evaluation informs development, and is a way to identify areas of concern, as well as areas of strength.

For more information or to request enrollment, please contact:

Leandrea Romero, PhD, LPCC  |  (505) 573 2595  |  lromero@swfamily.com
C. Renée LaVail (Formerly Martinez), LMFT  |  (505) 917-4479  | crmartinez@swfamily.com

The Southwest Family Institute provides professional development and training opportunities to therapists on staff as well as to other mental health providers in the community. We conduct regular trainings on a variety of topics, including specific treatment modalities, interventions for particular mental health issues, best-practice standards for treatment of specific diagnoses, and ethical considerations in mental health. Participants in these trainings can NBCC certified CE hours.

Agency Founder and President, Dr. Craig Pierce, provides continuing education trainings specifically in interpersonal neurobiology and trauma-informed treatment for clinicians and educators. Our counseling center has several staff who offer trainings in variety of special expertise.

 

Southwest Family Guidance Center & Institute has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6888. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Southwest Family Guidance Center & Institute is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

 

Personal Growth, Motivation, & Parenting

The Attunetion^® Approach, created by Dr. Craig Pierce, is a simple yet powerful approach designed to positively impact individuals, families, and the world by calling on people to tune in to what matters most. Attunetion^® is the crossroads where paying attention and tuning in meet. After many years in the fields of psychology, education, and business, Dr. Pierce has noticed an epidemic of distraction, multitasking, and lack of empathy that is leading to serious negative outcomes for children, families, and out culture.

It is not enough to just pay attention to the many pieces of information and tasks that demand and divide our attention each day. We must tune in to what really matters in order to prevent negative outcomes and ensure enriched, fulfilled lives for our children and ourselves.

The Attunetion® Approach involves just three steps that can transform your life. Attunetion^® means paying attention to the right thing…at the right time…and in the right way. The Attunetion^® Approach can be applied to any aspect of life, from parenting to business, health to education. As an expert in parenting and education, Dr. Pierce is presenting the Attunetion^® Model to parents and educators in New Mexico and Colorado.

 

Southwest Family Guidance Center offers an internship program for Masters level graduate students in counseling and social work. At this time our internship program is only available in our Albuquerque office. Directed by Claire Kyllo, LCSW, our internship program provides clinical experience in suicide/crisis risk assessment of children and adolescents, office-based counseling with children, adolescents, families, couples and adults, and ongoing individual and group supervision. Our interns also have the opportunity to participate in our Thriving Kids program. Interns are welcome and encouraged to participate in all agency clinical trainings.

Here’s what some of our past interns had to say about their experience working with us:

Interning with Southwest Family Guidance Center & Institute further confirmed my passion for helping others and my desire to learn more about how to be an effective social worker. I was fortunate to have site supervisors who were dedicated to mentoring a new person into the profession, ensuring positive growth for the future. The evaluation feedback I received from my supervisor allowed me to grow, not only on an academia level, but also on a personal level. The internship opportunities at Southwest Family Guidance Center & Institute far exceeded my expectations.”
—Ivonne Riley, 2015/2016 MSW New Mexico Highlands University

The internship program at Southwest Family Guidance Center and Institute was instrumental in preparing me for professional practice. My clinical supervisor Claire Kyllo, LISW was instrumental in my professional development, helping me to identify my abilities and support their development. Claire was always there to “lift me up,” with her strengths-based approach, relaxed manner, and inimitable humor. No matter how thorny the clinical problem, Claire cut to the heart of it with insight and wisdom while supporting me in taking a proactive, positive approach. Interning with Southwest Family Guidance Center was an invaluable experience and I cannot recommend it more highly!
—Margot Feldvebel, 2014/2015 MSW New Mexico State University

“My internship experience at Southwest Family Guidance Center was a wonderful one. All the staff there is very inviting, professional, and extremely helpful. The supervision is the best I have had during internships, and the range of jobs and trainings was so helpful for future careers.”
—Monique Baca, Intern 2011/2012

“As an intern with SWFGC I was able to expand my knowledge and experience with assessment as well as evidence-based theory interventions. The therapists and supervisors at SWFGC were always helpful and appreciated all the hard work interns do! A great place to get your feet wet with clients and therapy!”
—Breeann Wilkinson, 2011/2012 MSW Intern from NMSU-Albuquerque

Parenting Without Distraction:
The Attunetion Approach

by Dr. Craig Pierce

Raising kids has always been a balancing act. Yet parents today face an unprecedented level of distractions at home and at work that compete for their time and fracture their attention. In the process, today’s fast-paced, hectic world is edging out our ability to be fully present parents, and it’s seeping into our relationships with our children.

The Attunetion Approach: Parenting Without Distraction provides simple steps to help you pay attention to the right thing, at the right time, and in the right way for you and your children. It’s a book that is as inspiring as it is practical, brimming with real-life examples, and filled with helpful tools from Dr. Pierce’s experiences as the founder of the Southwest Family Guidance Center and Institute. In short, it’s designed to help you focus on what matters most so that you can parent with greater confidence, ease and love.

Publication Date: Feb 08 2013
ISBN/EAN13: 0615703607 / 9780615703602
LCCN: 2012917871
Page Count: 146
Binding Type: US Trade Paper
Trim Size: 6″ x 9″
Language: English
Color: Black and White with Bleed
Related Categories: Self-Help / General

CreateSpace Purchase Link
Amazon Purchase Link
Book Commercial Video
Interview (KASA FOX2) About Attunetion

 

Parenting Through Grief:
The Attunetion Approach

by Dr. Craig Pierce

When someone in the family dies, everyone’s world is turned upside down. Getting through the pain of your own loss while having to attend to the needs of your kids, who are also grieving, is an incredible challenge. Parenting Through Grief: The Attunetion Approach provides a framework for how to navigate parenting in the shadow of loss. The Attunetion Approach helps you to pay attention and tune into what matters most. With simple strategies to help you connect with your family during this difficult and painful time, Parenting Through Grief: The Attunetion Approach provides the comfort of knowing you can still parent with confidence and love.

Publication Date: Jul 16 2014
ISBN/EAN13: 1497450268 / 9781497450264
Page Count: 92
Binding Type: US Trade Paper
Trim Size: 6″ x 9″
Language: English
Color: Black and White with Bleed
Related Categories: Self-Help/Death, Grief, Bereavement

CreateSpace Purchase Link
Amazon Purchase Link

Valuable resources for youth, parents, families, and clinicians.

Collaborating Partners

Children’s Grief Center: childrensgrief.org
New Mexico Child Abuse Prevention Partnership (NMCAPP): nmcapp.unm.edu
The Center for Journal Therapy: journaltherapy.com
The New Mexico Children Youth and Families Department (CYFD): cyfd.org
Center for Effective Interventions: msudenver.edu/cei
Rape Crisis Center of Central New Mexico: rapecrisiscnm.org

Family Resources

Attunetion: attunetion.com
Blueprints Programs: blueprintsprograms.com
Children’s Grief Center: childrensgrief.org
New Mexico Child Abuse Prevention Partnership (NMCAPP): nmcapp.unm.edu
Pull Together: pulltogether.org
The Center for Journal Therapy: journaltherapy.com
Rape Crisis Center of Central New Mexico: rapecrisiscnm.org
NM Crisis & Access Line: nmcrisisline.com