Welcome to the Serna Solutions April Newsletter

Welcome to our April Newsletter! Spring is finally here and although there may still be some cooler weather before summer, the change of season is an anticipated welcome into brighter days. Last month, we celebrated the official opening of our new Albuquerque office location, and we were honored to have the Hispano Chamber of Commerce attend and commence our ribbon-cutting ceremony. We are fortunate to have the support of so many incredible community members, and we’d like to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to all of our clients, colleagues, and friends who attended and those who sent their best wishes.

Serna Solutions News

Serna Solutions is now offering an additional online Grief Group meeting Tuesday evenings at 5:30 PM MST, launching this month. Led by Emily Everhart, MA, LMHC and our Intern Sophia Archibald, this group’s purpose is respected and deeply felt by its facilitators. Grief is not just about processing the death of a loved one but can be related to any loss, such as the loss of a role, one’s community, or one’s health or abilities. This group brings people together to experience the power of support and the transformation that takes place when people have a collective space to grieve. Watch below as Emily shares why the importance and benefits of a second Grief Group and what she hopes it brings to those who are grieving.

This month we have a number of exciting opportunities, including our upcoming Spring training for behavioral health professionals, the announcement of a new weekly Grief Group, and the addition of another Adolescent Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (ADBT) skills group in our Santa Fe office starting on April 25th. This means we will have three options for the ADBT curriculum on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays – all of which run from 5:00 – 6:30 PM!

Take a look at all the offerings from Serna Solutions during the month of April:

Mondays

Adolescent Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (ADBT) Group in Santa Fe: 5:00-6:30 PM MST, 4001 Office Ct Dr. Suite 201 Santa Fe, NM.
Kundalini Yoga Therapy on the Southside of Santa Fe: 5:30-6:30 PM. Please call (505) 207-8929 for location.
CRAFT for Parents: 12:00-1:30 MST, online via Zoom: Call (505) 230-4949 for more information.

Tuesdays

- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Skills Group for adults: 12:00-1:30 PM MST, online via Zoom.
  Adolescent Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (ADBT): 5:00-6:30 PM MST, beginning April 25, 2023.
- Family Empowerment Groups: 5:30-6:30 PM MST, online.
- NEW online Grief Group: 5:30-6:30 PM MST. Please call the Santa Fe office to learn more at (505) 207-8929.

Wednesdays

Adolescent Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (ADBT) Group: in Santa Fe from 5:00-6:30 PM Family Empowerment Groups: 5:30-6:30 PM MST, 6000 Uptown Blvd NE #102, Albuquerque, NM
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) for Parents: 5:30-7:00 PM MST online via Zoom. Please call (505) 230-4949 for more information.

Thursdays

- Grief Support Group: 2:00-3:00 PM MST, online.

Fridays

- Adult DBT/IFS Skills Group meets in person from 12:00-1:00 PM in Albuquerque.

Staff Feature

James Curry, MA, LCSW, LADAC, has over 22 years of experience and is LGBTQI* affirming and is extensively trained and oriented to many modalities of cognitive-behavioral therapies. JC’s practice is mindfulness-based and over the years, they’ve worked with children, adolescents, teens, adults, couples, and families. They assist people to engage with their thoughts, feelings, impulses and actions in a radically accepting, mindful way.

“We are not looking at these experiences and sensations, even the painful and distressing ones, so much as problems or symptoms to get rid of, but to instead give ourselves permission and agency to slow things down, to reflect and participate in the moment for what it is as opposed to what we want it to be, and to engage with the process without getting too caught up in the outcome. We believe therapy is a journey and that the client is first and foremost the expert in their own lives.”

Upcoming Trainings

Ethics in Clinical Supervision
On Wednesday, April 12th, from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM MST, we have a training on Ethics in Clinical Supervision led by Brian Serna. This online course will provide participants with critical information and hands-on exercises regarding best practices for providing ethical clinical supervision. Class begins with a review of ethical principles that govern the Code of Ethics for all helping professions followed by an interactive ethical dilemma exercise. We will then explore ethical considerations related to culture, evidence-based practices, and Telehealth. A working camera and microphone are required to register for this event. There will be a one-hour lunch break at noon MST. This training provides a total of 6 CEUS and satisfies the 6 hours of Supervision Ethics requirement for behavioral health licensees in the State of New Mexico. Register now to reserve your spot at bit.ly/Ethics-Clinical-Supervision.

Advanced Motivational Interviewing – Integrating MI With Other Modalities
Our next online training is May 17th, from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM MST, on Advanced Motivational Interviewing – Integrating MI With Other Modalities, led by Brian Serna. In this workshop, participants will explore the points of connection and overlap between Motivational Interviewing and Solutions Focused Brief Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, using art directives. The workshop has a heavy emphasis on skill development and there will be at least five experiential exercises designed to prepare the participants to use the techniques clinically, immediately. This training provides a total of 6 CEUS. Please come prepared to learn, work and have a great time in the process! A working camera and microphone are required for this training. Prior training and experience in Motivational Interviewing are highly recommended.

Grief and Loss: Clinical Applications for Helpers
This training is happening on June 21st, 2023 from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM. Designed for anyone wanting to understand both the conceptual framework and practical applications for working with grief & loss in a clinical context, this training will include basic grief psycho-education, manifestations of grief in clinical presentation, the tenets of grief companioning (“heart-set” for grief work,) conceptual models to understand grief, developmental & ethical considerations when working with grief, and interventions to assist grief processing. Grief and loss touch everyone, clients, and clinicians, and this training is highly experiential and interactive.  Bring your tissues! This training provides a total of 6 CEUs.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Happening on July 19th from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM, our training on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most widely used approaches and has been demonstrated to be effective for a wide range of problems and diagnoses. Numerous research studies suggest that CBT leads to significant improvement in functioning and quality of life. CBT is based on several core principles including that challenges are based, in part, on learned patterns of unhelpful behavior. CBT can facilitate learning of better ways of coping and involves efforts to change thinking patterns. This workshop will be highly interactive and will provide participants with many opportunities to exercise CBT tools.  This online workshop requires a working microphone and camera and will be highly interactive, and provides a total of 6 CEUs.

Ethics: Boundaries of Self Disclosure
This training is held on August 16th from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM. Self-disclosure, when used appropriately, can facilitate clients’ understanding of their experiences, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and is used to develop strategies and resolve issues. At the same time, if used incorrectly, self-disclosure can change the focus of the discussion from the client’s concerns to those of the service provider. In this workshop, we will explore some advantages/disadvantages of self-disclosing and when and how to self-disclose. This training provides a total of 6 CEUs and will be facilitated by Jennifer Padilla, LMSW. Visit bit.ly/Serna-Eventbrite-Page to learn more and reserve your spot.

Make sure to follow us on social media and stay tuned for next month’s newsletter!