How Desensitization Works: The HPA Axis in Treatment for Trauma and Anxiety

Children and adolescents experiencing suicidal ideation, complex trauma, and severe behavioral challenges - and the practitioners who work with them - can need more than generic therapeutic approaches to navigate these high-risk situations successfully. Leo DeBroeck has dedicated his career to developing practical, evidence-based interventions for the most vulnerable young people, becoming an internationally recognised expert who has worked across every level of care from intensive inpatient settings to school-based services.

As President and Founder of Counselor's Choice Award LLC and Licensed Mental Health Counselor with Child Mental Health Specialist credentials, DeBroeck brings unique expertise that bridges clinical practice with professional education and product development. His MS in Clinical Psychology with thesis research on suicide factors, combined with his CBT Plus certification from the University of Washington and Harborview Sexual Assault and Traumatic Stress Center, demonstrates his commitment to understanding the complex factors that put young people at risk. His published children's therapy books and scientific research on suicidality in young adults reflect his ability to create practical resources that help both clinicians and families navigate difficult conversations about mental health.

DeBroeck's expertise spans child and adolescent mental health, suicide prevention and assessment, trauma therapy, ADHD treatment, codependency, abusive relationships, grief counseling, and addiction counseling. His approach recognises that effective work with high-risk youth requires understanding family systems, school environments, and community resources while maintaining safety as the primary concern. He specialises in cases requiring intensive intervention, situations where standard outpatient therapy hasn't been sufficient, and training practitioners to work confidently with suicidal and severely traumatised children and adolescents.

What sets his training apart is real-world crisis experience combined with practical resource development. DeBroeck doesn't just teach theory - he shows practitioners exactly what to do and say in high-risk situations, drawing from years of intensive inpatient work and wraparound services. His development of therapeutic tools and children's therapy books demonstrates his understanding that effective intervention often requires creative, engaging approaches that meet young clients where they are.

For your practice, expect to gain specific suicide assessment techniques, tools for engaging resistant adolescents, and frameworks for coordinating care across multiple levels of intervention. His approach particularly benefits clinicians working with high-risk youth, those needing confidence in crisis situations, or practitioners wanting to develop expertise in intensive mental health services.

Quick Win: DeBroeck's "safety scaling" technique helps practitioners quickly assess suicide risk while building therapeutic rapport with adolescents - which helps create a foundation for honest communication about difficult topics while maintaining appropriate clinical vigilance.

Qualifications

• MS, Clinical Psychology (thesis: factors in suicide)
• Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Washington State
• Child Mental Health Specialist (CMHS), Washington State
• Mental Health Professional (MHP)
• CBT Plus Certified, University of Washington and Harborview Sexual Assault and Traumatic Stress Center

Leadership & Business

• President & Founder, Counselor's Choice Award LLC, Washington State, current
• Continuing Education Course Provider, USA, Australia, Canada, UK, current
• Product reviewer for counseling and therapeutic tools
• International trainer and course developer

Professional Experience

• Mental Health Therapist, Community health center, Washington State (full-time with Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists team)
• Therapist, Intensive inpatient program, Spokane, Washington (children and adolescents focus, several years)
• Experience across multiple levels of care: long-term inpatient care, WISe wraparound intensive services, school-based therapy services, outpatient clinical settings

Clinical Specialties

• Child and adolescent mental health across all levels of care
• Suicide prevention, assessment, and intervention
• Complex trauma therapy for children and adolescents
• ADHD treatment and symptom management
• Codependency and relationship abuse recovery
• Grief counseling and loss processing
• Addiction counseling for adolescents and families
• Neglect and abuse recovery interventions
• Self-confidence building and resilience development

Ready to work confidently with high-risk children and adolescents while developing the crisis intervention skills essential for intensive mental health practice? Discover how Leo DeBroeck's evidence-based, practical methods can help you provide effective care across all levels of treatment intensity while maintaining safety and building genuine therapeutic relationships.