Risk, Resilience, and Rest - Tools for Working with Children and Adolescents
Thursday, October 22, 2026
1:00 PM - 3:45 PM
Online via Zoom
Join the Blue Cross® and Blue Shield® of Minnesota Center for Rural Behavioral Health for a training focused on working with children and adolescents!
Cost: $50
Session One
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Why Teens Take Risks: Adolescent Brain Development, Mental Health, and Practical Intervention Strategies
Kaitlyn Kaus, EdD, LPCC
Adolescence is a period of significant neurological, emotional, and social development that contributes to both increased vulnerability and tremendous opportunity for growth. This training examines the relationship between adolescent brain development, mental health concerns, and risk-taking behaviors. Participants will explore current trends in anxiety, depression, self-harm, substance use, sleep disruption, and social media influences while learning practical strategies to identify concerns, build resilience, and support adolescents across clinical, educational, and community settings.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe key aspects of adolescent brain development and their relationship to risk-taking behavior.
- Identify common adolescent mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression, self-harm, and substance use.
- Differentiate normative adolescent development from clinically significant behavioral health concerns.
- Recognize risk and protective factors associated with adolescent well-being.
- Apply evidence-informed strategies to support adolescents and families in clinical, school, and community settings.
Session Two
2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Sleep as a Superpower: Treating Sleep Issues in Children
Sam Marzouk, PhD, LP
Behavioral-based sleeping difficulties in children cuts across numerous mental health diagnoses including anxiety, depression and ADHD. It is therefore essential for clinicians to have a strong framework for both the assessment and treatment of sleep disorders in youth. This presentation will describe evidence-based psychological interventions used to address common sleep issues in children including nighttime anxiety, behavioral insomnia, and bedtime protests. Although not classified as a sleep-wake disorder, special attention will also be paid to treating nocturnal enuresis as this commonly co-occurs with and impacts sleep issues.
Learning Objectives:
- Define pediatric behavioral sleep medicine.
- Obtain an understanding of the core components of assessing behaviorally based sleep difficulties in youth.
- Apply a range of brief psychological interventions to address common childhood sleep difficulties
Meet Your Trainers:
Dr. Kaitlyn Kaus is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and a psychological evaluator at The Soul's Apothecary. She specializes in psychological and neurodevelopmental assessment across the lifespan, with expertise in ADHD, executive functioning, learning differences, and adolescent mental health. Dr. Kaus teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in adolescent development, psychopathology, and clinical assessment, and her work focuses on helping professionals better understand the intersection of development, mental health, and behavioral functioning. She is dedicated to providing evidence-informed education that bridges research, clinical practice, and real-world application.
Dr. Sam Marzouk is a clinical child psychologist who works with organizations who want to invest in youth by combining science, storytelling and concrete tools to help children grow into healthy, resilient adults. Dr. Marzouk is the owner of Promethean Psychology, a private psychology practice in the Minneapolis area. As a specialist in pediatric mental health, Dr. Marzouk works with children and adolescents with a variety of psychosocial concerns. As a professional speaker, he regularly provides workshops and trainings on pediatric mental health to psychologists, schools, parents, pediatricians and other pediatric medical providers. He is also a contributing author to the Minnesota Pediatrician, a quarterly educational newsletter of the Minnesota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He also runs a biweekly blog titled “Kids These Days” where he provides commentary on various topics relevant to childhood including social media, depression, ADHD, and more. Originally from Northern Virginia, Dr. Marzouk has lived in Minnesota for almost a decade and is not ashamed to admit that he loves the cold snowy winters here!
Registration Questions: Email workforce@mnsu.edu or call 507-389-1094
Training Questions: Email elizabeth.harstad.3@mnsu.edu
Center for Workforce Professional Education
workforce@mnsu.edu
