With CALO's steady growth there was a pressing need for another therapist on the clinical team.  After an exhaustive and careful nationwide search, CALO's clinical and leadership teams believe Evan Page was the best person for the job. Evan rose to the top of the hiring pool due to his integrity, thoroughness, work ethic, skills and passion of making positive differences in the lives of young people and their families. 

Evan joins CALO after relocating from Colorado where he completed his undergraduate and graduate work and launched his professional career. After completing his Bachelors of Arts in Counseling Psychology with a minor in Sociology, Evan worked at Doulos, a residential treatment center for teens in Colorado. There Evan mentored students struggling with depression, anger, self-destructive tendencies, and manipulation. This opportunity cemented Evan’s desire to counsel teens and from there he went on to received his Masters degree in Counseling from Denver Seminary. Evan is skilled in a myriad of therapies and specialties including group therapy, gang violence, family systems, couple counseling, parent-child counseling, substance use/abuse, addictions, grief and loss, social and peer influences, life skills and more.  Evan is also a member of the American Counseling Association and is Prepare and Enrich Certified.  In his free time he enjoys reading, hiking, skiing, and the guitar.

CALO welcomes Evan and we all look forward to learning more from him!

Every student receives the unique opportunity to participate in therapy groups which specifically address an individual area of their life.  These specific groups are called our “Specialized Groups” which involve creative experiences involving emotional and physical growth related to a number of specific therapeutic areas: Self-Concept, Social Skills, Attachment, Trauma, Grief and Loss, Survivor, Mood Regulation, and others.  The groups incorporate a continuum of the CALO model into the experiential dynamic of the therapeutic groups.  This unique experience becomes one which students and therapist share and create intimacy through exploring and changing emotions and behaviors surrounding painful/deficit area’s in their lives.

The Specialized Groups are conducted over a twelve week period where students experience relationships, interventions, projects, and activities to foster growth, resolution, healing, and development (emotionally and physically).  Therapists take significant care in implementing therapeutic experiences which best meets the needs of the students and allows them to feel acceptance and care while working to gain skill and/or increase vulnerability and intimacy.  Activities and projects are specifically designed to elicit focus on one the Specialized topics while continuing to experience every aspect of the CALO model (Trust of Care, Trust of Control, Trust of Self, and Interdependence).   

An example of a Specialized Group project occurs in the Attachment Group.  Each student in the group engages in team building experiences which develop a thorough understanding of Attachment symptoms, causes, types, and treatment while developing a personal narrative.  This personal narrative becomes their “Life Story” which takes them through a process of vulnerability, re-experiencing of traumatic events (within a safe relationship), solidifying it on paper, trusting others to share, exploration of fears, current emotions and behaviors, and future goals and aspirations.  The process allows them to Experience safety within relationships while Feeling emotions about their entire life.  Each student shares their Life Story with the group and then participates in actively listening and reflecting on the Life Stories of the other group members.  The Attachment Group becomes an experience which the students authentically invests in and ends up having a document which becomes priceless to them.  They have been able to learn about their Attachment issues while actually taking steps to experience emotional change.   

The Specialized Groups are uniquely creative and meaningful.  They are one example of the consistency of care which is brought to every aspect of treatment at CALO. 

In my blog post last month http://caloteens.com/blog/post/Automatic-or-Manual.aspx I challenged readers to adjust their “lens” when interacting with difficult children or teens from, “this student is not trying hard enough” to “this student is dong his/her best.  His/her behaviors are adaptations.” 

How did you do?  It is pretty tough to take the perspective that when a teenager is wildly disrespectful, controlling, negative or acting out behaviorally that they are doing their best isn’t it?  In fact, the teen might also agree that they are not trying hard enough but not know why or how to change.  However, if we peel away the layers and see the behaviors (disrespect, controlling, manipulating) as symptoms of a deeper issue (fear of rejection, abandonment, need to feel unconditional love and acceptance) we can take a more proactive approach towards connection and healing. 

In tangible terms, when Sally is once again disrespectful and rude and you determine she is not trying hard enough to be polite you are implicitly declaring you have exhausted all of your teaching and parental guidance; especially if you then give her a consequence.  In addition, you are likely hoping that the consequence will magically facilitate intrinsic change.  If this is your stance, there is a possibility you may be correct—perhaps you really have exhausted all of the effective parental guidance, modeling, and teaching enough and Sally truly does need a consequence.  However, before you assume you have done all you can do, I urge you to pause and first assume the position of, “Sally is doing the best she can right now.  Her disrespect and attitude are communicating a deeper need.”   Your subsequent perspective and intervention(s) may drastically change if you do so.  You may be surprised if indeed Sally really needs more coaching, modeling and guidance instead of you telling her to stop talking that way, calm down, trust you, more consequences, and so forth.  Put frankly—is there a chance that you have verbalized what you want repeatedly but have not taken the time to involve her, coach her, or model for her what you expect from her? 

One of my favorite Chinese Proverbs reminds us of this principle: “Tell me and I will forget.  Show me and I may remember.  Involve me and I will understand.”   

In closing--keep trying!  If you shift your paradigm to “my child is doing the best he can” and allow your interventions to change, “let me involve him so he understands” I truly believe your relationship will grow deeper roots and your child will feel more love and acceptance. 

Please contact me if you would like to discuss this further.