Building Coping Skills

In recent years, there has been a significant and concerning increase in reported stress and anxiety among adolescents. For adolescents to develop a healthy self-concept, meaningful relationships, and positive outlook on life, coping skills must be directly taught and supported throughout the adolescent’s development. Building coping skills allows adolescents to first tolerate and secondly, navigate a variety of life stressors and setbacks that are critical for becoming well-adjusted adults.

Parents and educators will learn to recognize and support adolescents’ uncomfortable emotions associated with stress and anxiety. An exploration on the impact of both maladaptive and adaptive coping skills will be discussed. Next, setting realistic and measurable goals for coping skills and strategies at home and school will be discussed. Specific strategies that allow adolescents to access interpersonal problem-solving and decision-making skills that reduce stress and anxiety will be reviewed. Opportunities to discuss specific issues related to parent and teacher concerns will be addressed.

About our speakers: 

Dr. Isava received his Ph.D. in Psychology and Master of Science in Special Education from the University of Oregon. He completed his Pre-Doctoral American Psychological Association approved Internship at Louisiana State University and his Post-Doctoral training at Arundel Psychological Associates, Maryland.

Dr. Isava is a Licensed Psychologist and the Executive Director of Halcyon Wellness where he oversees the administrative operations of the Center and also provides comprehensive assessment and psychotherapy services to children and families in both individual and group sessions. His specialty areas include providing comprehensive and wrap-around psychotherapy to treat social, emotional, and behavioral disorders in children and adolescents with adjunct therapy for their respective families. Dr. Isava also conducts family therapy for issues such as divorce/separation, adoption, grief, adjustment, trauma, and conflict. He also specializes in providing early intervention assessment and treatment for the birth to five-year-old population for developmental, behavioral, and emotional disorders. Dr. Isava runs several strengths-based programs for children on resiliency, social skills, self-esteem, self-discipline, anxiety, ADHD, and depression.

Dr. Isava also practices in the Anne Arundel Public Schools as an Advanced Certified School Psychologist where he conducts psychological assessments for the determination of special education and implements treatment plans for children and adolescents with serious emotional and behavioral issues. He also serves on the Positive Behavior Supports, Collaborative Decision Making, and Crisis Response teams. He conducts various therapeutic groups for social skills, self-esteem, and anger management.

Dr. Isava was an Assistant Professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, DC Campus where he taught several graduate courses in the Doctoral Clinical Psychology and the Master of Counseling Psychology Programs. He has also lectured at Johns Hopkins University, Washington State University, and Marymount University. Dr. Isava conducts in-service trainings for physicians, mental health providers, and educators. He has published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at both national and state-level conferences on topics such as resiliency, differentiated parenting, play therapy, and suicide prevention and intervention. He was the recipient of the faculty of the year award at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, DC Campus for his commitment to professional psychology.

Bradley S. Beam, Ph.D. is a Licensed Psychologist and a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. He received a Ph.D. in School Psychology from the University of South Florida. Dr. Beam has worked in both private practice and school based settings. At Halcyon Wellness Center, Dr. Beam provides psychotherapy and consultation services to children and adolescents. He uses both behavioral and cognitive-behavioral approaches to treat social, emotional, and behavioral disorders. His services often include treatment plans to address anxiety, depression, anger, stress, adjustment, self-esteem, social skills, interpersonal challenges, impulsivity, organizational skills, self-management, ADHD, non-compliance, and defiance.

Dr. Beam is the Clinical Director for Halcyon Wellness Center. In this role, he provides consultation to clinicians within the practice, community outreach programs and presentations, and professional development and trainings to other clinicians. Dr. Beam is also responsible for ensuring Halcyon Wellness Center policies and practices adheres to evidence based practices and are within the parameters of both legal and ethical guidelines.

Dr. Beam’s approach to treatment is centered on several key principles and practices. He believes strongly in the concepts of psychological flexibility, resilience, perseverance, and adaptation. He attempts to shape attitudes and build skills necessary to overcome challenges. Dr. Beam actively supports the notion that accepting adversity and developing an effective response is key to living a meaningful life. He then challenges others to view setbacks in life as opportunities for learning and growth. Dr. Beam uses techniques that focus on shaping new patterns of thinking and behaving. He also believes strongly in working closely with parents, caregivers, and schools (when relevant), so that they too can learn strategies to shape effective coping, thinking, and behavior.

The treatment process begins with an initial session focused on clearly defining the challenges affecting the individual. Dr. Beam will assess factors that contribute to these challenges and attempt to gain a firm understanding of the problem. Dr. Beam works in a collaborative manner to help others clarify their values, goals, and to take action to achieve a better quality of life. Over the course of several sessions, a variety of techniques are used to assist patients in learning new skills, thoughts, behaviors, and attitudes that will help them achieve their goals. Home work allows for the practice of newly acquired skills and is a key component of therapy with Dr. Beam. Dr. Beam is committed to providing a high level of quality care for you and your family.

In addition to his work at Halcyon Wellness Center, Dr. Beam also practices in the Anne Arundel County Public Schools where he provides comprehensive school based psychological services. These services include psychological assessment, consultation, crisis responses, and counseling services.