Counseling Gang Members

Training Opportunities for Professionals Working with Gangs

Meet Gang Expert Lisa Taylor-Austin
Receiving International Acclaim

Lisa Taylor-Austin, MS Ed, NCC, LPC, LMHC, CFMHE, CFBA has been a professional counselor since 1988. She began her career working with gang members of some of the most notorious gangs in California: Santa Monicas, V13, Culver City Boyz, Helms Street, and various Crip and Piru sets. Ms. Taylor-Austin was able to establish a trusting professional rapport with her clients and assist them with attaining their personal goals. She was instrumental in calming tension after a gang-related stabbing and assisted gang members to squelch their need for revenge. After a school shooting, she was helpful in assisting clients deal with post-traumatic-stress and return to functional day to day life. Ms. Taylor-Austin often describes her work as “walking between two worlds,” one of mainstream society and the other in the lives of inner city youth. She is a bridge between the two.

Ms. Taylor-Austin holds a Masters degree in Counseling, a Bachelor’s degree in Developmental and Behavioral Disabilities and a minor in African-American Studies. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Connecticut, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in New York, a Nationally Certified Counselor, a National Forensic Evaluator and a Certified Forensic Behavioral Analyst. Ms. Taylor-Austin is also a certified school counselor in Connecticut and a certified Community College Counselor in California.

She has been trained by Dr. Gregory Vecchi, Chief (retired) of the legendary Forensic Behavioral Science Unit for the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). She has been trained in mass shooting, crisis management, psychopathology, threat assessments at school and at work and working with a hostage negotiation team.

After working in Los Angeles’ west side cities and at the University of Southern California and Stanford University, Ms. Taylor-Austin returned to the east coast where she works today. She has been an instructor for for Yale University and continues to work on various gang projects, including criminal trials across the United States, legal consultation, television consultation and training workshops.

As a gang expert witness, Ms. Taylor-Austin’s role is to explain to the jury the culture, hierarchy, identifiers and psychology of being in a gang. Her role as a gang expert witness is a neutral one; focusing on the facts in the case and presenting an unbiased opinion.

Ms. Taylor-Austin worked closely with gang involved youth for 15 years in Connecticut and also maintains a private practice, where she counsels children, adolescents and adults with a variety of issues.

Ms. Taylor-Austin is available for workshops, presentations, training and keynote speaking engagements. Please see offerings below. Ms. Taylor-Austin is available for forensic work, presentations and media appearances. Ms. Taylor-Austin can present individually or with Terrance Stone or Dr. Gregory Vecchi

Title: Counseling Gang Members
Presenter: Lisa Taylor-Austin, NCC, LPC, LMHC, CFMHE, CFBA (bio)

Availability: Nationally and Internationally
Length: 2 hours
Goals: Attendees will understand the theories of counseling gang members.

Objectives:

1. Attendees will be able to identify three counseling theories that help clients that are gang involved.
2. Attendees will be able to understand how the diagnoses of conduct disordered and PTSD may or may not be appropriate for gang members.
3. Attendees will understand their state gang laws and how they may impact their clients.

Title: 2,000 Gang Members and Counting
Presenter: Lisa Taylor-Austin, NCC, LPC, LMHC, CFMHE, CFBA

Availability: Nationally and Internationally
Length: 2 hours
Goals: Attendees will understand the experience of a clinician working with gang involved youth for over 25 years.

Objectives:

1. Attendees will be able to identify roadblocks to counseling gang members.
2. Attendees will be able to identify rewards of counseling gang members.
3. Attendees will learn the difference between the difference between the general use of the word counseling and clinical counseling by a licensed professional.

Testimonials

Ms. Taylor-Austin is published and mentioned in the following books

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“I have been counseling gang members, and those at-risk of joining a gang, since 1988. I do not believe there is any one “right way” to counsel gang members.

But I am often asked, “What works with gang members?” I wanted to address that question. Each counselor’s or therapist’s personality, approach and techniques vary; however, here is what has worked for me over the years.

First, it is important to distinguish between a client who demonstrates pathology and one who does not. With clients who have some type of mental illness, it is important to use a team approach, with a psychiatrist, psychologist and any other appropriate personnel. Because clinical needs vary so widely and greatly, treatment of clients who demonstrate pathologies will not be discussed here. Instead I would like to focus on the “average” youth who has fears, insecurities, possibly poor social skills and/or poor academic skills.

It is important when counseling gang members to ascertain if you are working with a multi-generational gang or one that the client wants to join for protection, money, status or a feeling of “family,” etc. When working with multi-generational gangs, it is important to note that the biological family has been entrenched in that gang for years and years. To break with this tradition is to break completely with the biological family.

So, let’s begin the discussion on the “average” youth who is not in a multi-generational gang.

Youth often join gangs for a number of reasons: protection, the lure of fast money, status, the need to belong, etc. Often youth may join gangs believing that doing so will be one way to achieve those goals, then they soon find gang-banging is a stressful life. Our goal, as therapists, is not to tell these youth what to do, but to lead them in examining different aspects of their lives so that they may come to a decision about whether their current way of life is “working for them.” When counseling youth, remember: if their life is in imminent danger or if they have overtly threatened the life of another, you must report that fact to the appropriate authorities. It is crucial to explain confidentiality issues at the beginning of the counseling relationship, for that reason.

I have found Reality Therapy to be the most useful theory when working with gang or criminally involved youth. The therapist’s role and function is to establish rapport and respect (respect and honesty are highly valued by gang members, and by most people for that matter), establish a structure and limits for the sessions, focus on the client’s strengths and potential, actively discuss the client’s current behavior and actively discourage excuses for irresponsible behavior, introduce and foster the process of evaluating realistically attainable wants, teach clients to formulate and carry out plans to change their behaviors, and help clients find ways to meet their needs while encouraging them not to give up when they become discouraged (Corey, G, Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy,1991).

Using the ‘WDEP System’ is useful. This approach explores the clients Wants and Needs; Direction and Doing; Evaluation; and Planning and Commitment. Reality Theory has demonstrated itself to be a concrete approach and one that youth can understand and relate to easily.

I have also found Albert Ellis’s Rational Emotive Therapy to be useful in counseling gang members or those at-risk. This theory takes the A-B-C theory of personality and challenges the client’s beliefs. The therapist challenges the irrational thoughts of the client and demonstrates to clients their illogical thinking. I, personally, tend to use a combination of RET and Reality Therapy.

Professional relationship with the client has proven to be the most essential element in counseling gang members. When clients feel comfortable, they can cry, laugh, and share openly with the counselor. It is very important when counseling gang members or at-risk gang members not to place your values on the client. If you feel you cannot remain neutral with a client, it is best to refer that client to another counselor. Clients do not need to be told that gang-banging is “bad.” Rather they need to have their beliefs challenged, and they may need to learn new ways in which their needs can be met in less violent ways. To counsel a gang member effectively, you must have a full understanding of gang culture, norms, and values. Read as much as you can on the subject. Ask your client to explain these things to you. Over the years I have seen more and more at-risk youth “posing” as gang members, when indeed they are not. It is important to be able to tell the difference!

I have heard colleagues talk about “de-programming” gang members. Not only do I believe that approach is dangerous, I also believe it is disrespectful to the client. I believe it is more beneficial to work with a client’s self-identity and goals in life (or lack thereof), to explore ways to meet needs in a non-violent manner, and to encourage hope. If you personally feel that you are not the person to work with a gang member in this manner, please find someone else who can. One of the worst things we, as therapists, can do to our clients is impose our values and beliefs upon them.

Another program I’ve found successful is Aggression Replacement Training (ART). ART has proven itself effective with gang members in St. Louis and in Colorado (it is being used elsewhere across the United States and abroad). The thought behind ART is that youthful offenders, including gang members, are dyssemic. Dyssemic people have space boundaries (either physical or verbal) and are deficient in empathy, anger management and basic social skills. ART is based on Dr. Arnold Goldstein’s theory, which was tested in Harlem, NY. You can read about it in his book,  “The Prepare Curriculum.”  ART stresses personal responsibility and uses structure over time to change the behavior of violent youth.  Aggression is a learned behavior and ART uses role-playing activities, mind/gym exercises, and body movement to inculcate appropriate behaviors and social expectations. A school that utilizes ART would have a schedule of three hours of social skill building, academics, a parent component, and more.”                                         – Lisa Taylor-Austin, NCC, LPC, LMHC, CFMHE, CFBA