*All registrants are required to select an item from the potluck list to bring*
About The Book: The Rules of Estrangement
Dr. Joshua Coleman is a West Coast psychologist who’s spent decades immersed in the complex problem of family estrangement, particularly adult children who cut ties with their parents. This can be one of the most painful experiences for parents and adult children alike. Prior to Coleman’s book, there was little research or clinical guidance on how to navigate this increasingly common phenomenon. In The Rules of Estrangement Coleman highlights the cultural and historical shifts that are feeding this trend, providing a hopeful and empathic guide for estranged families and the clinicians who aim to help them.
Coleman asserts that well-meaning therapists may be inadvertently contributing to the problem. Ethical practice in this arena requires a sophisticated understanding of rupture and repair. Dr. Coleman’s model will help clinicians avoid common therapist pitfalls while working with estrangement.
Clinical Objectives:
By reading this book and participating in the discussion, participants will earn 3 ETHICS CEU’s and be able to:
1. Identify at least three social and cultural shifts that have contributed to the current increase in adult children cutting ties with parents
2. Describe two common clinician errors that may inadvertently contribute to adult children cutting ties with parents when repair and/or relationship skill-building may be more appropriate
3. List two practices therapists can employ to ensure ethical practice in working with both parents and adult children navigating estrangement
Our Presenter: Mary A Harris, MSS, LCSW
Mary A Harris, MSS, LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in private practice in W. Mt. Airy, Philadelphia. She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research and The Gestalt Therapy Institute of Pennsylvania. For over 30 years, Mary has provided specialized counseling and consultation to adults in the second half of life, and she has a particular interest in helping people navigate the transitions and challenges of mid-life and later adulthood. She developed an interest in adult estrangement as both a sociological phenomenon and a complex clinical issue in recent years, as she’s seen its frequency increase significantly over the past few decades.
Mary believes in the power of good therapy to heal and transform, and she practices from a systemic, trauma informed, feminist, anti-racism, and anti-oppression lens, and does regular work to improve her cultural competence. Mary wears many hats--she is currently chair of the PSCSW Clinical Book Discussion Committee, aka: The Bookies, a longtime non-profit board member and officer, mother to a college freshman, owner/director of Optimal Aging, a long-term planning consultancy, a real estate investor, and owner/designer at Silvermoon Jewelry Studio. Her website is www.maryaharris.com.
This event is open to PSCSW members only. Participants who attend this program must be present for its entirety to earn 3 ETHICS credits.
Continuing Education Credits:
FOR PENNSYLVANIA SOCIAL WORKERS, MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS, AND PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS: This program is approved for 3 ETHICS credits for professional workshops sponsored by the Pennsylvania Society for Clinical Social Work, a state affiliate of the Clinical Social Work Association listed in Section 47.36 of Title 49, Chapter 47 of the PA Code, State Board of Social Work Examiners. This program is also approved for 3 ETHICS credits for professional workshops for marriage & family therapists (Section 48.36) and professional counselors (Section 49.36).
FOR NEW JERSEY SOCIAL WORKERS: This program is approved for 3 ETHICS credits. Attendance at programs or courses given at state and national social work association conferences, where the criteria for membership is an academic degree in social work, are a valid source of continuing education clinical credit (N.J.A.C. 13:44G-6.4(c)4).