For decades social psychologists have described the phenomenon known as the “contagion of motion,” referring to how a mood state can be spread from one person to another through social interaction. Two very recent events have forced mental health professionals to re- think what we thought we knew about depression that lend support to the phrase “depression is contagious.” The first event is the huge jump in the rates of depression worldwide as a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The second is the widely disseminated authoritative research that has ultimately shown the “chemical imbalance/shortage of serotonin” hypothesis of depression to be mostly or even entirely incorrect. Given that antidepressant medications are the most common form of treatment, we are at a new nexus for redefining how we think about the nature of depression and the individuals who suffer with depressed mood.
There’s no escaping the dire reports about the high rates of anxiety and depression in teens and young adults. The theories about what is driving the increase are multiple and overlapping, from the pandemic to social media to parenting to the state of the world. And while therapists obviously want to help, are we truly doing what works? Or are we buying into the same mental health trends and assumptions as the young people we’re trying to help? In this keynote, Lynn encourages mental health providers to question the myths, trends, and sometimes surprising approaches to addressing youth mental health and to focus our efforts on treatment based on action, connection, and accurate psychoeducation.
Those suffering from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are like worry-making machines who become anxious about topics that can concern any of us: money, work, family, our health. The noise of worry is like a boombox in their heads with no offswitch. You will learn how to shift clients’ relationship with their fears and override the responses that perpetuate them. You will explore paradoxical strategies to help clients transform their anxieties and worries from intimidating threats into challenges that they can meet and conquer. The goal is to persuade clients to adopt a self-help protocol to voluntarily, purposely and aggressively seek out the unneeded worries of GAD headon and dispatch with them rather than trying to avoid them.
Karl Rogers said that empathy is the “necessary and sufficient condition” for therapeutic change. Aaron Beck said that Rogers was wrong, and that empathy was necessary but not sufficient, because cognitive techniques are also needed for change. Albert Ellis said that they were both wrong. He insisted that empathy wasn’t necessary, sufficient, or desirable, because patients have to do their “damn homework” if they want to get better. Who was right? And what happens when a computer provides the empathy? And how might this affect your clinical practice? Dr. Burns will describe the unexpected results of a recent beta test with the Feeling Great App.
The assessment and treatment implications of patient victimization will be critically examined from a constructive narrative perspective. A phase-oriented cognitivebehavioral treatment model will be presented for adults with PTSD, Complex PTSD, and related co-morbid disorders. A critical analysis will be offered of various forms of so-called "memory work" interventions.
This keynote address will provide an overview of the interdisciplinary view of the mind and mental health. Over 60,000 mental health providers have been asked about their formal education in these areas and less than 5% have had seminars defining these two basic aspects of psychotherapy. This presentation will offer a view based on science of the definition of the mind and well-being and explore ways in which brief therapy can foster rapid and lasting change.
Price:
$29.00Base Price - $59.00 Sale is $29.00price reduced from Base Price - $59.00
Through the special focus which therapy technique induces, therapists often lose touch with the power of such ordinary experiences as humor, friendliness, self-disclosure, approval/disapproval, banter, etc. via a live therapy session, Polster will show how these exchanges may join technique to tighten up the therapy experience and speed up the process.
Price:
$29.00Base Price - $59.00 Sale is $29.00price reduced from Base Price - $59.00
Multiculturalism is a fact of life. All counseling practices are culture-bound and contextual, influenced by historical, sociopolitical and economic factors. Multicultural competencies can guide effective working alliances, solution-oriented goals, and a valuing of individuals' cultural core identity.
Psychotherapy has the lowest remuneration among all health professions, according to U.S. Labor statistics. Most practices are languishing, while others are prospering. What are the elements that make the difference between success and failure? Hear from psychotherapy's leading entrepreneur how innovation and its implementation can not only change your practice, but also enable you to make a difference.
This presentation will cover the assessment and detection of spousal and partner abuse, as well as intervention strategies. Community resources, cultural factors and same gender abuse dynamics also will be discussed.