HOW TO DEAL WITH DIFFICULT DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS: A FAMILY SYSTEMS APPROACH Workshop Leader: Michael R. Valentine is a national and international lecturer, author, and consultant. For more than thirty years Dr. Valentine has worked in the education and psychological fields. He has served as a teacher, counselor, and school psychologist with various unified school districts in California, where he worked at elementary, junior-high, senior-high, and continuation-high school levels. At the university level he was the Coordinator of the Adult Learning Disability program and a lecturer-assistant professor at California State University, Long Beach. Duration of Workshop: Half day repeat sessions or all day workshop available depending on needs. Content and Objectives: This workshop will familiarize the participants with the principles, assumptions and major tenets of the Brief Family Intervention model. This effective and easily applied approach is based on communication systems theory rather than behavior modification or any psychodynamically oriented approach. The basic premise of this model states that parents and teachers are very capable of getting their children/students to do what they want them to do. The workshop will present videos of actual cases and discuss techniques that are easily understood and very successful when applied to families and teachers experiencing problems with their children/students. Participants Will Learn How To: Analyze teacher and parental belief systems that become excuses for allowing the child to continue to act inappropriately; Analyze actual communication patterns that are either effective or ineffective in stopping inappropriate behavior; Use simple but very effective non-punishing back-up techniques to stop most inappropriate behavior immediately; Run a seven step family systems counseling session designed to have parents realize that they are capable of getting their children to do what they want them to do. The presentation is fast moving, energetic, humorous, easy to follow and has a lot of practical examples and actual case material. Equipment Needs: I will need an overhead projector and a VCR player and TV monitor. Cost: Expenses and negotiated workshop fee. Handouts available for duplication. Workbooks are available if desired for $10 per person.