In-Home Family Therapy Symposium Through the Lens of a Systematic Framework

Maria Zygmont, MA, LMFT, has been the program director of intensive In-Home Family Therapy programs at Brightside for Families and Children since 1993. Zygmont will begin the day by describing the services mandated by the Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The remaining part of the day will provide a track for supervisors that will address challenges in utilizing a family system approach doing In-Home Therapy. This training will be led by Zygmont and Jeremiah Gibson, LMFT. This track will include morning and afternoon sessions that will address the use of various family therapy theories that have been effective in doing in-home therapy as well as sociological and cultural factors, such as gender, race, and sexual orientation that a supervisor often needs to address. Self-of-therapist work, including awareness of isomorphic patterns between the family and the supervisee's family, that may be getting in the way of quality work, will also be presented and discussed.

For nonsupervisory clinicians there will be two breakout sessions. The morning session will offer a training by Connie Flieger, Ph.D., on relevant theories as well as practical strategies to use with teens and tweens to help them to be socially competent. The goal of the training is for participants to walk away with a toolbox of techniques and ideas to utilize with clients in home and community settings. Individual and family approaches will be discussed. Multimedia and interactive tools will be utilized to keep participants engaged throughout the training, including videos and activities.

The afternoon session, led by Howard Wolfe, MA, LMFT, examines how children can destroy family life through “little murders.” They can murder meal times, play times, vacations, and morning and bedtime routines. These little murders are often acts of revenge. The child gets “hurt” by a parent and then seeks revenge. The workshop will explain the dynamics involved and discuss methods to prevent it and heal it.

Morning Program

Overview and History of In-Home Therapy as a Children's Behavioral Health Initiative, by Maria Zygmont, MA, LMFT
This part of the training will define how In-Home Therapy was initiated by Mass Health and how In-Home Therapy is an integral part of children's mental health services. The significance of utilizing an in-home family system model over individual office therapy will be presented.

Maria Zygmont, MA, LMFT, has more than 30 years of mental health experience. She graduated from Springfield College with a masters in Marriage and Family Therapy, and is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She is an Approved Supervisor and Clinical Fellow of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Zygmont has been the Director of the Brightside Family Stabilization and Community Support Program since 1993. In November of 2009, the Children's Behavioral Health Initiative (CBHI) services of In-home Therapy and Therapeutic Mentoring were added. Under her direction the program has grown from three employees to 40 staff and master's level interns. Zygmont is a current MAMFT board member and the board’s academic liaison.

Breakout Session A

Clinical Supervisors, by Maria Zygmont, MA, LMFT
This training will be for supervisors of In-Home Therapy programs. Supervisors will be given the opportunity to discuss challenges they encounter with supervising clinical teams with different clinical orientations that may be more individually focused instead of systems-focused. Supervisors will be introduced to various family system theories and specific questions/approaches based on theories to bring back to an In-Home Therapy team. Supervisors will also develop an awareness of how the culture of family and of the therapists could to be addressed in supervision. Lastly, supervisors will develop processes for addressing self-of-therapist issues with their supervisees.

Social Competency, by Connie Flieger, Ph.D.
The social world is multifaceted, yet helping our clients and families navigate it does not have to be. Providers can assist youth and families to build relationships through building social cognition and competencies. This training will provide participants with foundational perspectives on relevant theories as well as practical strategies to use with teens and tweens to help them to be socially competent. The goal of the training is for participants to walk away with a toolbox of techniques and ideas to utilize with clients in homes and community settings. Individual and family approaches will be discussed. Multimedia and interactive tools will be utilized to keep participants engaged throughout the training, including videos and activities.

The target audience is anyone who works with tweens and teens who struggle in the social realm. Their youth may be described by people as oppositional, defiant, anxious, unempathetic, aggressive, withdrawn, non-compliant, or unruly. They might be having difficulty at home, in school, or in the community. Diagnostic presentations could include Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, ODD, mood disorders, developmental delays, or anxiety disorders. The clients/students may not be making expected progress in therapy, seem not to be learning from their mistakes, or continue to display problematic behaviors.

Dr. Connie Flieger, Ph.D., received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology and has been working with families for more than 19 years. She has presented on a variety of topics in the field of mental health, including the Psychological Assessment Intern Seminar, legal and ethical issues, social competency, and DSM. In March Dr. Flieger became the director of Children’s Behavioral Health Services at Jewish Family & Children’s Service. Previously she served as the director of behavioral services at Y.O.U, Inc.

Afternoon Program
Breakout Session B 

Clinical Supervisors, Part II, by Maria Zygmont, MA, LMFT, and Jeremiah Gibson, LMFT
This training will be the second part of a two-part training for supervisors of In-Home Therapy programs. Supervisors will be given the opportunity to discuss challenges they encounter in supervising clinical teams with different clinical orientations that may be more individually focused and instead of systems-focused. Supervisors will be introduced to various family system theories and specific questions/approaches based on theories to bring back to an In-Home Therapy team. Supervisors will also develop an awareness of how the culture of family and of the therapists can be addressed in supervision. Lastly, supervisors will develop processes for addressing self-of-therapist issues with their supervisees. 

Jeremiah Gibson, LMFT, works at the South Shore Family Health Collaborative in Quincy, a private practice devoted to serving couples and families in South Shore. He also supervises postgraduate therapists at South Bay Community Services in Dorchester. He is currently receiving supervision toward certification as a sex therapist through AASECT. Originally from Texas, Gibson has been an MAMFT board member since 2012, and currently serves as board president.

Little Murders: When Children Are Full of Revenge, by Howard Wolfe
This workshop is about how children can destroy family life through “little murders.” They can murder meal times, play times, vacations, morning and bedtime routines. These little murders are often acts of revenge. The child gets “hurt” by a parent and then seeks revenge. Unlike some family issues that can be easily corrected, the child seeking revenges develops a narcissistic and self-protective shell, which can insulate him or her from all reason and correction. Parents often react by hurting back, creating and reinforcing a feud. The workshop will explain the dynamics involved and discuss methods to prevent it and heal it.

Howard C. Wolfe, MA, LMFT, specializes in working with families where there is a challenging child. He uses a family systems approach that focuses on empowering parents by enhancing specific parenting skills as well as parents’ understanding of family dynamics, child development, and learning issues. He provides training and consultation services to schools and agencies and has a private practice in Arlington, MA.

Afternoon Wrapup, with Presenters and Kelly English, Ph.D. 
Participants will gather to discuss the day's sessions and share information with the presenters. The discussion will be led by Dr. Kelly English. Dr. English, PhD, LICSW, is director of the Children’s Behavioral Health Knowledge Center, Child, Youth, & Family Services Division, MA Department of Mental Health.

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