RECOMMENDED SITE!
Trauma Institute and Child Trauma Institute
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GREETINGS FROM DR. GIL!
Hello friends and colleagues: I am two months into "semi-retirement" and things are going well. So many people have great curiosity about the transition from a full work life, to retirement. I remember having a vague curiosity about what retirement would be like, and now I'm getting some real hints of what it's like. Here are some musings on the subject...
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THE HEALING POWER OF PLAY: NEWSLETTER VIGNETTE
Submission by Dr. Eliana Gil
'MIRANDA & THE POOP PEOPLE'
Miranda was 7 when I worked with her and she was one of two siblings who had been removed from their birth mother and placed in a fost-adopt home. They had experienced so much neglect, as well as physical and sexual abuse, that it was very likely that parental rights would be terminated on a mother who had been "in the system" for almost a decade. Mother was of Mexican origins but had many cognitive distortions about skin color. She was light-skinned and her two daughters were slightly darker pigmentation.
Miranda was brown with black hair and her sister was slightly lighter skinned with brownish hair. Miranda's mother constantly berated Miranda for being "dark" and "fea" (Spanish word for ugly). Miranda's sister, Yolanda, was spared this verbal abuse; instead, her mother called her the "golden child," and often described her as blond and blue-eyed (which she was not!). She seemed to value Yolanda for her lighter color and reject Miranda for her own...click to read full vignette!
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NON-PROFIT BRANCH OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED!
CENTER FOR TRAUMA AND RESILIENCE RESEARCH
We are excited to announce we have officially launched into planning of a non-profit branch to provide services and research opportunities! The first board meeting occurred on October 5, 2014 and ended with exciting plans for pursuing program development and funding opportunities for research!
We have been collecting information through pre- and post-testing for years now, but this will allow us to do randomized trials, compare some of our treatment methodologies, and create a database that will yield important directions for our future. Please keep us in mind if you hear of new grant opportunities of RFPs that might enable us to do important research!
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WELCOME HEATHER MCTAGGART BRYAN!
Founding partners, Eliana Gil, Myriam Goldin, and Jennifer Shaw welcome Heather McTaggart Bryan to the Gil Institute partnership as of October 1, 2014. Heather has worked with GITRE since its' founding as a clinician and Associate Partner. She has demonstrated sensitivity and clinical atunement to our young clients and their parents. She has become an integral part of our team, often fueling the cooperation and investment of our larger team.
Heather has extended herself to the community, grasping opportunities for professional development through education, and has developed important areas of expertise, such as working with children who have been victimized by cyber-bullying and cyber predators. Heather brings a strong background of working with children and families in different settings including the school as well as home-based agencies. We look forward to her strengthening an already robust GITRE partnership!
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UPDATE: A GREAT SUMMER!
Growth, Regulation, Empathy, & Authenticity Team
GREAT (Growth, Regulation, Empathy, & Authenticity Team) is affiliated with the HEARTS program (Hope through Equine Assisted Recovery and Therapy Services), an ongoing collaboration between Gil Institute and Bridle Paths. Sessions are staffed with both a mental health and an EAGALA certified equine professional.
This summer we conducted our first GREAT program session, with six children (and eventually their parents/caretakers for the final session) for 3 weeks and a total of 6 sessions. The children and their parents attended the group session at Katie's equine program located in Leesburg, VA. Ms. Fallon is dedicated to helping children with disabilities, social and behavioral issues, and children with trauma backgrounds through her program. Gil Institute staff have referred some children to the equine program for individual therapy and we have also provided a collaborative group therapy program for teen girls...more of Karyn O'Leary's review of the summer program
For more information about Katie Fallon and Bridle Paths, please visit www.bridlepathsva.org
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STAFF SPOTLIGHT
ANDREA DRIGGS MCLEOD, LCSW, RPT-S
Andrea Driggs McLeod, LCSW, RPT-S, has been with Gil Institute for over one year, and is an integral part of our growing team of excellent and dedicated clinicians. Andrea is also now a presenter with Eliana Gil's Starbright Training Institute and has two upcoming workshops.
Dr. Eliana Gil interviews Andrea about her background and current work with Gil Institute. Learn more about Andrea's life and work!
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AN INSTITUTE INTERVIEW WITH DR. ROZ!
Rosalind Heiko, Ph.D., ISST, CST-T
is a psychologist and Sandplay teacher who has been invited to train internationally and nationally. Her forthcoming chapter on "Self-Care and Preventing Clinical Burnout" will be published in 2015 in Integrative Family Play Therapy: A New Paradigm (Rowman and Littlefield Publishers). Dr. Heiko's chapter on "Spontaneous Storytelling and the Sandplay Journey of an Emotionally Despairing Girl" was published in Dr. Eliana Gil's book: Healing interpersonal trauma: Honoring children's natural reparative capacities (Guilford Press, 2010).
Quality training tapes are few and far between. I have always had a commitment to quality education for those of us in the trenches. I highly recommend Dr. Roz Heiko's new videotape,
Sandplay Training DVD for Therapy Professionals.
First and foremost, Roz has the experience and background that makes her comments credible. She has a wonderful simplicity of word and manages to convey very important concepts in clear and concise ways. Secondly, she has a deep commitment to training and has been teaching others for years. Suffice to say this is a wonderful video, and there is a promise of more to come!! Love it!! - Eliana
| Dr. Roz Heiko - Sandplay Training DVD |
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STATUS OF FALL GROUP SERVICES
'So many worries:'
Group for Children with Anxiety
Andrea Driggs McLeod, LCSW, RPT-S
Launched in September!
Circle of Security
Myriam Goldin, LCSW, RPT-S, COS-P Educator
Launched in September!
Non-Offending Processing Group for Caregivers of Abused Children and Teens
Heather McTaggart Bryan, LCSW, RPT
Launched in September!
Group for Young Adolescents with a History of Sexual Abuse
Karyn O'Leary, LCSW
Launched in September!
Expressive Arts Group for Siblings of Children in Distress
Aliya Robbins and Lauren Brown, Gil Institute Interns
Launched in September!
Boundary Project for Young Girls and Caregivers
Jennifer Shaw, PsyD
Launching in October!
Click for a list of Seasonal Groups offered by Gil Institute
Email for more information and be placed on our group waiting list!
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The staff of Gil Institute is providing on-site workshops to preschool providers in our community and neighboring counties. We are excited to be branching out to assist preschool teachers and caregivers in their continuing education in the following learning areas:
- effectively managing behaviors through brain-based techniques
- increasing emotional language (identification and regulation)
- improving social interactions and conflict resolution
- promoting attachment behaviors
- encouraging cooperation
- teaching play-based relaxation strategies
- defining and developing healthy physical boundaries
- discussing brain development and functioning to engage children in whole-brain activities
- reviewing the impact of stress (or trauma) on a young child
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3rd Annual Mid-Atlantic
Play Therapy Training Institute
SAVE THESE DATES!
April 10 - 12, 2015
Arlington, VA
co-sponsored by Starbright Training, Expressive Media, and
Gil Institute for Trauma Recovery & Education
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GIL INSTITUTE FOR TRAUMA RECOVERY & EDUCATION
8626 Lee Highway, Suite 200
Fairfax, VA 22031 P: 703.560.2600
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