Date: Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Time: 12:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Location: BCESC 400 N. Erie Blvd. Hamilton, OH 45011
From Pushback to Partnership:
Using Communication, Strengths, and Self-Awareness to Move Families Forward
Meaningful change with families doesn’t come from pushing harder, it comes from connecting differently. This interactive training invites participants to reflect on their own communication and conflict styles and consider how these patterns shape their work with families. Grounded in strengths-based, trauma-responsive practice, participants will learn how to pivot their approach in real time using motivational interviewing skills and relational awareness. Emphasis is placed on integrating SAMHSA’s resiliency frameworks and identifying and leveraging family strengths to co-create goals that feel relevant, achievable, and sustainable.
Through discussion and skill-building, attendees will leave better equipped to turn tension into collaboration and build stronger, more effective partnerships across a range of social service and behavioral health settings.
Learning Objectives: By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
1. Assess their own communication and conflict styles and evaluate how these patterns influence engagement, rapport, and family interactions using SAMHSA’s core concepts of trauma-responsive care.
2. Apply motivational interviewing and trauma-responsive communication strategies to adapt their approach based on needs, readiness for change, and relational dynamics.
3. Utilize a strengths-based lens to identify and amplify family capabilities by recognizing risk and protective factors and supporting the development of meaningful, family-driven goals that build resilience.
4. Navigate challenging conversations by reframing conflict and ambivalence as opportunities to strengthen alliance, increase engagement, and promote resiliency-focused outcomes across service systems.
Trainer: Sharon Custer, PhD. LISW-S