WORKSHOP OFFERINGS

Shifting from what is wrong to what is strong.

Solution-Focused Counseling in Schools

  • Learn how SFC is different than from traditional approaches to school-based counseling and intervention.

  • Learn core tasks and techniques of solution-focused counseling (SFC) as illustrated in Dr. Murphy’s award-winning book, Solution-Focused Counseling in Schools, 4th Edition (2023, American Counseling Association).

  • Experience “live” demonstrations of SFC along with real-life videos, practice exercises, and experiential activities that bring SFC to life and help you apply it in your everyday work and life.

Brief Counseling in Schools: Practical Techniques for Rapid Change

  • Learn the foundations and methods of brief counseling described in Dr. Murphy’s new book, Brief Counseling in Schools: 40 Techniques for Rapid Change (Guilford Press, 2026).

  • Learn evidence-based brief counseling techniques that jump-start positive change from the very outset of counseling/intervention services.

  • Experience real-time “live” demonstrations, videos, experiential exercises, and practice activities that bring techniques to life and help you apply them the very next day.

Trauma-Informed Care: Evidence-Based Strategies in Schools and Other Settings

  • Learn about the power of therapeutic relationships, responsiveness, and other key skills in trauma-informed care.

  • See and practice evidence-based strategies for strengthening relationships, responsiveness, and other ingredients of therapeutic success.

  • Customize trauma-informed services one client at a time.

  • Improve your outcomes and overall effectiveness by integrating workshop strategies into your work with persons struggling with trauma and other major challenges.

Solution-Focused Therapy

  • Learn key principles and practices of solution-focused therapy (SFT) described in Dr. Murphy’s book, Solution-Focused Therapy (2024, American Psychological Association).

  • Watch “live” and video demonstrations that show how to partner with clients to set a direction/goal, build on exceptions and other client resources, and monitor progress throughout services.

  • Engage in experiential and practice exercises that bring SFT to life and help you apply it to your work (and life) the very next day.

When Everything You've Tried Hasn't Worked: Creative Techniques for Difficult School Behavior Problems

  • Learn creative techniques for addressing difficult problems that are unresponsive to conventional methods.

  • See and practice how to “do something different” by being unpredictable, reframing the problem, using change-focused language, interviewing the internalized other, and more.

  • Experience live demonstrations, videos, and practice exercises that bring workshop content to life and encourage you to apply it the very next day on the job.

Practical Strategies for Working with Parents in Schools

  • Learn practical strategies for partnering with parents to address difficult school problems.

  • See and practice respectful strategies with “resistant” parents to facilitate student success and change.

  • Experience live demonstrations, real-life examples, videos, and other activities that help you apply workshop content to parent consultation and counseling, parent-school meetings, parent education, and more.

The Power of Hope: Practical Strategies for Building Hope with Students, Teachers, and Parents

  • Explore the significant contribution of hope to positive change and development for students and caregivers.

  • Practice “resource activation” and other techniques that empower students’ hope.

  • Experience live demonstrations, videos, targeted exercises, and other activities that bring hope-instilling strategies to life and encourage you to immediately apply them in your work and life.

Relationship-Building Skills & Strategies in Schools and Elsewhere

  • Describes the powerful role of evidence-based relationships (EBRs) in counseling, consultation, and other services.

  • Provides practical strategies for building strong relationships with students, parents, teachers, and others.

  • Includes real-time demonstrations, videos, experiential activities, and practice exercises that help you immediately apply workshop skills and strategies.

Interviewing Students for School Solutions

  • Learn step-by-step methods of interviewing behaviorally challenging preschool through secondary students based on Dr. Murphy’s book, Conducting Student-Driven Interviews (Routledge Press, 2013).

  • Practice various interviewing strategies that empower students to resolve school problems and improve their lives.

  • Experience live demonstrations, real-life examples, videos, and other activities that help you implement language and questioning techniques to connect with hard-to-reach students and strengthen their participation in school-based counseling and intervention.

Using Systematic Client Feedback to Improve Outcomes

  • Learn the Partners for Change Outcome Management System (PCOMS), an ultra-brief, evidence-based, culturally responsive system of monitoring client perceptions of therapeutic progress and alliance, tailoring services to each client, and improving your overall effectiveness as a practitioner.

  • Practice using two quick tools for obtaining session-by-session client feedback to adjust services and give people voice and choice in their care.

  • Experience live demonstrations, videos, and activities that bring workshop content to life and encourage you to apply it the very next day on the job.