Join Us for Social Skills Training and Aggression Reduction Techniques! by Jessi Strinmoen, YIPA's Director of Services

Over the past several years YIPA has been building a wonderful partnership with the Behavioral Institute on Children and Adolescents (BICA).

Dr. Sheldon Braaten is the founder and Executive Director of the Behavioral Institute for Children and Adolescents and has been a great ally to YIPA. Among many other accomplishments he initiated the International Child and Adolescent conference in 1982, which continues as a biennial event. Dr. Braaten coordinated the development of transdisciplinary training models for Indiana and Minnesota, which continue to provide a foundation for training of teachers and school teams. His current research and training interests include skill-based assessment and curriculum-based interventions. He also pursues interests in public policies related to practices in education, mental health and juvenile justice and their implications for improving outcomes for all at risk students who are struggling at home, in schools and the community. His full bio can be found here.

The partnership between BICA and YIPA continues next week in Saint Paul with 2-days of Social Skills Training and Aggression Reduction Techniques. There is still time to register for this exciting opportunity to learn from a nationally recognized expert in aggression and adolescent behavior!

This 2-day training workshop will examine the scope of youth aggression in schools, homes, the community and institutions. It will provide participants with background and rationale for teaching pro-social skills. The format includes lecture, demonstration, participation and implementation planning.

Participants will learn:

A model for understanding aggression

Elements in the ecology of aggression

The social skills curriculum

Strategies for teaching moral reasoning

How to run training groups

How to deal with resistance

How to enhance generalization of learned skills

If you attend, you will also receive a free copy of the book Aggression Replacement Training® by Arnold Goldstein, Barry Glick, and John C. Gibbs, to continue your practice of aggression reduction throughout your career. On amazon.com, one reviewer said,

I picked up this book expecting it to be somewhat dry and dull. I was wrong. As the parent of a child with violent tendencies, I found things to help me. As a Social Work student planning on specializing in kids like mine, I found it a book I'll be glad to have for a long time. I have recommended it to teachers and administrators, counselors and other professionals as well. I'm seriously considering taking some more classes in education so that I could learn how to do this in school programs. I'm currently searching to find more information on this program and possibly attend their training.

This book is a keeper :)

To register for this training click here. The training will be May 11: 9:00-4:00 (Registration 8:30-9:00)
 and May 12: 8:45-3:45
at Metropolitan State University
 Lib Room 302


700 East 7th Street St. Paul


$165 YIPA Members/$185 Non-YIPA Members