To seek more information or register for the 2017 workshops

please contact me at 404-500-6102 or OrionPsychotherapy@gmail.com.

Let me know if these dates don’t work for you and I can keep you updated for the next round. I offer custom workshops to organizations if you would like to reach out.

Location of Workshops: 1450 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. SW S-308

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I facilitate a community dialogue on a rotating topic typically at 2pm at the

 Herbalist Health Fair

on the last Wednesday of most months.

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The Ethics of Working with Queer and Trans Spirit

At the end of my last workshop on Queer and Trans youth the participants felt like they wanted to move forward with going deeper on the topic. I am developing a part two (although you just need to know the basics considered “Trans 101” to join us) exploring spirituality, dating, trauma, and open process about or queer/trans clients.  Email me to get more info.  or to inquire with questions. 

Friday : August 11th, 2017

5 Core Continuing Education credits  with LPCA for LPC, LCSW, and MFT and their associate levels

Registration: $100 till  July11th and  $130 after

Registration @ 10pm, Begins 10:30pm – Ends: 3:45pm

Notes: There will be coffee, tea, and snacks provided and Please bring your own lunch for the break, snacks to share are welcomed

Three Objectives:

Three Objective: How will this benefit the psychotherapist and client?

1. Educates the practitioner how the code of ethics applies to gender and sexuality non-conforming clients.

2. Support the clinician in acknowledging multiple perspectives surrounding the queer and transgender lifestyle to support them to be an ethically minded (non-biased/judgmental and informed) practitioner when engaging in challenging topics such as: political advocacy, sexual/relationship norms, and religion/spirituality.

3. Offering the clinician support around complex topics of religion and spirituality with the LGBT population.

Program Description:

This workshop is part two of a Queer and Trans “101” workshop I did earlier in the year. It does not however require the previous workshop to attend.

This workshop will begin by reviewing how the code of ethics applies when working with Queer and Trans clients. We will explore topics such as:

-How much training does one need to be “competent”

-How to ethically support a parents/client when they come to you asking whether they should transition or not

-When to defer to an endocrinologist/Physician and not go “beyond our scope of practice”

-How to engage with clients in multiple non-clinical situations. Since the LGBT community is so small there tends to be often encounters in non-clinical settings and navigating dual-relationships pitfalls.

-What to do when a teen needs services but can’t come out to their parents, while the clinician needs parental consent.

-How to ethically advertise and professionally represent oneself keeping in mind the sensitivities of the LGBT community

The LGBT community is as diverse as it is small, and this means the clinicians needs to be educated on the culture in order to keep outside their personal-bias and know the norms of the community. We will explore the topics of online dating, hook-up apps, kinky sex, non-normative relationship styles, early sexual encounters, repression of sexuality/gender and its effects, coming out trauma, among others to explore common narratives of the queer and trans community. I will present a model that outlines how repression of early sexuality and its affects on early sexual experiences lead one to attachment issues.

We will end the workshop by exploring spirituality and religion in the LGBT context. This is possibly one of the most sensitive arenas of the workshop, but will support the clinician to have a better grounding and perspective to work from when a client brings this into session. In general, I highlight this as an ethical concern cause often the clients see the clinician as a source of guidance and many clinicians have not been educated on the intersection of the spirit (in these terms) and the LGBT population. I will review literature the highlights bible versus on transgender experience, and explore how the common understanding that religion has no room for LGBT individuals is both a commonly held belief growing up and the effects (particularly having religious parents/home) it can lead to. We will explore how spirituality is often a lens which the LGBT community regards their own relationship with “a higher power.” We will also review practices of alternative spiritual practices that is sometimes adopted by the LGBT community.

 

Expressive Therapies: Deepening the Exploration

Saturday : TBA

5 Core Continuing Education credits (pending) with LPCA

(which means “related credits” for LCSW and MFTs) 

Registration: $100 till the month before and  $150 after (spots will fill as my office is only so big and I need this one to be in my office to access all my supplies)

Registration @ 10pm, Begins 10:30pm – Ends: 4pm (times Will change)

Notes: There will be coffee, tea, and snacks provided and Please bring your own lunch for the break or snacks to share

Three Objectives:

Coming Soon! I will be formulating custom expressive therapy activities for each participant in the workshop. how exciting is that. We will spend more time process and in activities and get more time to explore questions and the work with out clients/groups.

Program Description: (This is from before but just to give you an idea)

This workshop will focus on supporting the practitioner to find more comfort with Expressive Therapy modalities through educating them in theory, technique, and through examples. We will start with a thirty minute exploratory expressive therapy activity and then have an hour and half of didactic dialogue that ends in facilitated open process where we use case examples of the attendees current clients. Orion’s style tends to be very relaxed while invigorating the attendees to engage in the learning process through participating.

Through my own supervision with an acclaimed Certified Art Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor of over 25 years, Annie Kelahan, I have collected and developed an accessible understanding of Expressive Therapies. I use the language of Expressive Therapy over Art Therapy, because I believe that art can be restricting, as wanting to be an artist is held with so much stigma.

Expressive Therapy includes forms of expression that are not found in the art store. Often when we catch our clients sitting at the edge of the couch, talking with an inspired passion, it is here we can ask what is the device the client is finding expression in. Sometimes this might be a mom’s morning coffee making, grandma’s gardening, or a teen that is creating an outfit for Dragon Con. If expression is a goal of therapy, then it makes sense that the therapist would want to facilitate expressive therapy experiences with the client.

We will explore four theoretical approaches to administer Expressive Therapies, when activities help and hinder, and review them in relation to ethics. We will end by exploring current client cases and and ways to reach them with expressive activities to benefit the client and therapist-client relationship.

Your Vision of Private Practice: How to get there

 TBA (Offering Private Consultation Sessions)

4 Core Continuing Education credits  with LPCA 
(which means “related credits” for LCSW and MFTs)

Registration: $65 before March 21st, $100 after

Registration @ 10pm, Begins 10:30pm – Ends: 3:45pm

Notes: There will be coffee, tea, and snacks provided and Please bring your own lunch for the break and /or snacks to share.

Three Objective:

1. Supports the practitioner to locate their own desires as a therapist and understand how this can inform style, theoretical approach, and development of their office.

2. Equips the therapist to engage with clients more authentically starting from the first point of contact (often which is in advertising such as website or Psychology Today), while reviewing common social media platforms, website success, and in-person encounters.

3. Educates the practitioner on networking and marketing in terms of ethics and the professional field of therapeutic support, while reviewing some key elements to networking and marketing your own way. 

Program Description: 

This workshop will begin by asking the therapist to imagine their dream office. Orion will guide the participants to unravel what is in the subconscious of the mind taking our imagery to mythic proportions.

Starting from this expressive-drawing activity, then through guided dialogue ending in open process, we will explore narratives the therapist and client bring into their relationship and the effects these can have in therapy. We will explore how this activity illuminates the therapist theoretical approach and I will support the participants to articulate their theoretical approach to therapy. I will educate the participant in what a person-center approach looks like and give examples.

I will then talk about how to take their approach and embrace it through their advertising, forms, and initial contacts with the client. This is critical as from the first introduction we are already setting the pace and approach we are taking with our clients that will play out in therapy. This is also important when a therapist is networking to agencies and other therapist as we need to have an elevator speech prepared and know what one’s “specialties” are. I will review helpful hints and provide resources to support the therapist who desires to be in private practice. We will review the topics of flyer making, passion projects, insurance, budgeting, and have time to explore your questions. Throughout this workshop I will unravel my own personal journey between agency work, associate phase of licensing, insurance paneling and benefits/issues, and working full time for myself in an attempt to make the workshop have a personal and yet practical grounding in a real story.

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:Upcoming:
Crook, O., (2017, August 11th). Working With the Queer and Trans Spirit. Core continuing education credit approval with LPCA. Atlanta, Ga.
:Previous:
Crook, O., (2017, February 18th). A Vision of Self-Care. Georgia Safe Schools Coalition Summit. Agnes Scott College. Atlanta, Ga.
Morgan, D., Crook, O., & Ellis, E. (2017, April 7th). Healing Creatively Through the Arts. Care and Counseling Center of Georgia. Atlanta, Ga.
Crook, O., (2017, February 24th). The Intersectionality of Queer and Transgender in Adolescent Clients. Core continuing education credit approval with LPCA. Atlanta, Ga.
Crook, O., (2017, March 31st). Expressive Therapies: A Current Exploration. Core continuing education credit approval with LPCA. Atlanta, Ga.
Baxter, A. & Crook, O., (2016, November). The Ethics of Social Media Marketing for Therapists. NASW continuing education ethics course. Atlanta, Ga.
Crook, O., (2014, June). Emerging Adults in the Woods: Wilderness Therapy, Horticultural Therapy, and How the Expressive Therapy Modalities Inform Our Practice as Mental Health Practitioners. LPCA continuing education course. Atlanta, Ga.
Crook, O., (2011, April). Horticultural Approaches to the Therapeutic. SPARC: Student Psychology Annual Research Conference. University of West Georgia, Ga.
Crook, O., Parker, L., & Arey, C. (2009, November). Explorations of Connection in the Self within the Psychotherapist through Experiential Activities. American Academy of Psychotherapist 54th Annual Conference. Sarasota, Fl.