All Webinars

"Excellent content - very knowledgeable and experienced presenter Greater understanding of instruments - research on just how limited our ability to predict violence is, and the ethical/scientific issues with sex violent predator laws/dynamics."-Kevin D., Psychologist, California

The ability to predict  future violent behavior has long been an issue for mental health professionals.  Initially it was merely assumed that we could make such predictions accurately based on our clinical skills alone.  Many decisions in the judicial system hinge on an accurate assessment of violence, such as  bond, probation, and parole decisions, committment to and release from psychiatric facilities, and even whether or not a defendant should be sentenced to death.

Recent research has demonstrated however that such predictions are not as accurate as once assumed and that the methodology used was sadly lacking in  validity.   A tremendous amount of research has gone into risk assessment for future  violence ; still,,  the accuracy remains in question even to this day; nevertheless, judicial decisions are continually made which ignore our limited ability to assess violent behavior.

This webinar will explore  the factors necessary to do competent work in this area and demonstrate the ways that risk assessment can become more precise.

This webinar will satisfy your ethics requirement.

Ever since 1976 with the landmark case of Tarasoff versus Regents of the University of California, there has been a dizzying array of cases dealing with various approaches to this topic. In some states, there is a Duty to Warn, in others a Duty to Protect Third Parties. In some states, the duty is mandatory and in others discretionary. Some states are also distinguished in terms of permissive or non-permissive duties. Small wonder that with all these variations, mental health professionals are often confused in terms of their obligations. Sometimes, the case law is inconsistent with the statutes within the same state. Research done regarding the knowledge of licensed men¬tal health professionals in 1988 showed that 93% of the sample surveyed did not fully understand the laws in their own states. Twenty years later, with continued exposure to the topic through continuing education, the number dropped to 76% who did not understand the laws in their own states. This webinar will attempt to reconcile these differences and provide the mental health professional with concrete steps to take in order to crystalize and under¬stand the laws and the ways to manage practices so as to minimize the risk of legal action.

This webinar will satisfy your ethics requirement.

Ever since 1976 with the landmark case of Tarasoff versus Regents of the University of California, there has been a dizzying array of cases dealing with various approaches to this topic. In some states, there is a Duty to Warn, in others a Duty to Protect Third Parties. In some states, the duty is mandatory and in others discretionary. Some states are also distinguished in terms of permissive or non-permissive duties. Small wonder that with all these variations, mental health professionals are often confused in terms of their obligations. Sometimes, the case law is inconsistent with the statutes within the same state. Research done regarding the knowledge of licensed men¬tal health professionals in 1988 showed that 93% of the sample surveyed did not fully understand the laws in their own states. Twenty years later, with continued exposure to the topic through continuing education, the number dropped to 76% who did not understand the laws in their own states. This webinar will attempt to reconcile these differences and provide the mental health professional with concrete steps to take in order to crystalize and under¬stand the laws and the ways to manage practices so as to minimize the risk of legal action.

This course will satisfy your ethics requirement.

All mental health professions have their own code of ethics; for the most part, they are very similar, but  there are some important differences which impact in different ways on practitioners; these are sometimes difficult to reconcile with one another, and with various state licensing board regulations.  This webinar will present  an in depth look at the major areas covered by all codes, such as competence, multiple relations, advertising, avoidance of harm, assessment, therapy, and involvement in forensic activities.  It will look at major areas that need to be carefully considered and thought through, such as what constitutes a multiple relationship, what are limits on advertising, what kinds of testing should be used and what kinds should be avoided, and what kinds of relationships outside the therapy session are allowed and which are prohibited.

This course will satisfy your ethics requirement.

All mental health professions have their own code of ethics; for the most part, they are very similar, but  there are some important differences which impact in different ways on practitioners; these are sometimes difficult to reconcile with one another, and with various state licensing board regulations.  This webinar will present  an in depth look at the major areas covered by all codes, such as competence, multiple relations, advertising, avoidance of harm, assessment, therapy, and involvement in forensic activities.  It will look at major areas that need to be carefully considered and thought through, such as what constitutes a multiple relationship, what are limits on advertising, what kinds of testing should be used and what kinds should be avoided, and what kinds of relationships outside the therapy session are allowed and which are prohibited.

This course will satisfy your ethics requirement.

All mental health professions have their own code of ethics; for the most part, they are very similar, but  there are some important differences which impact in different ways on practitioners; these are sometimes difficult to reconcile with one another, and with various state licensing board regulations.  This webinar will present  an in depth look at the major areas covered by all codes, such as competence, multiple relations, advertising, avoidance of harm, assessment, therapy, and involvement in forensic activities.  It will look at major areas that need to be carefully considered and thought through, such as what constitutes a multiple relationship, what are limits on advertising, what kinds of testing should be used and what kinds should be avoided, and what kinds of relationships outside the therapy session are allowed and which are prohibited.

This course will satisfy your ethics requirement.

All mental health professions have their own code of ethics; for the most part, they are very similar, but  there are some important differences which impact in different ways on practitioners; these are sometimes difficult to reconcile with one another, and with various state licensing board regulations.  This webinar will present  an in depth look at the major areas covered by all codes, such as competence, multiple relations, advertising, avoidance of harm, assessment, therapy, and involvement in forensic activities.  It will look at major areas that need to be carefully considered and thought through, such as what constitutes a multiple relationship, what are limits on advertising, what kinds of testing should be used and what kinds should be avoided, and what kinds of relationships outside the therapy session are allowed and which are prohibited.

This webinar will satisfy your ethics requirement. 

 “I felt this was a very strong presentation and the clarity was extremely helpful. I liked the way the presenter listed components of ethical conduct - they are achievable and straightforward, easily applicable in practice with clients and in relationships with colleagues/supervisors.”-Bethanne S., Social Worker, Illinois

This concrete and lively seminar explores the origins of our personal ethics, along with ways to use our ethics in working with clients. Using a model for thinking about ethics in a practical, real-world action-focused manner, this lively seminar uses lecture, video and personal reflection activities as building blocks to renewed selfawareness of personal ethical behavior. 

Knowing when – or how – to do the right thing has never been easy. Behaving ethically is even harder in today’s fast-paced world of fluid values and changing social climate. The increasingly present expectation to tweak personal ethics in service of compassion, workplace requirements, cultural issues or sheer mental/physical exhaustion further complicates the dilemma of knowing when – and how to do the right thing. 

Beginning with a new way to look at ethics-in-practice, participants will discover a fresh awareness of their own ethics and will gain practical tips for ethical behavior that promotes common ground. Concrete techniques for behaving ethically in an increasingly fragmented world, without compromising personal values., will be presented.

This webinar will satisfy your ethics requirement. 

 “I felt this was a very strong presentation and the clarity was extremely helpful. I liked the way the presenter listed components of ethical conduct - they are achievable and straightforward, easily applicable in practice with clients and in relationships with colleagues/supervisors.”-Bethanne S., Social Worker, Illinois

This concrete and lively seminar explores the origins of our personal ethics, along with ways to use our ethics in working with clients. Using a model for thinking about ethics in a practical, real-world action-focused manner, this lively seminar uses lecture, video and personal reflection activities as building blocks to renewed selfawareness of personal ethical behavior. 

Knowing when – or how – to do the right thing has never been easy. Behaving ethically is even harder in today’s fast-paced world of fluid values and changing social climate. The increasingly present expectation to tweak personal ethics in service of compassion, workplace requirements, cultural issues or sheer mental/physical exhaustion further complicates the dilemma of knowing when – and how to do the right thing. 

Beginning with a new way to look at ethics-in-practice, participants will discover a fresh awareness of their own ethics and will gain practical tips for ethical behavior that promotes common ground. Concrete techniques for behaving ethically in an increasingly fragmented world, without compromising personal values., will be presented.

“I was very impressed. The presentation was clear, informative and definitely added to my knowledge base.”-Mary H., Psychologist, New Jersey

Psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia are considered to be among the most debilitating and distressing mental health conditions. Despite impacting approximately 3% of the population, many clinicians lack the training and resources to recognize and best work with this vulnerable group of people, leaving many with psychosis isolated, stigmatized, and without help. Nonetheless, growing evidence suggests that, with tailored early intervention, many people with psychosis can recover from illness and lead a life of their choosing in the community. This seminar will familiarize you with psychosis, emphasizing the early phases of illness. It will then demonstrate strategies for reducing stigma, increasing empathy, and facilitating early identification. I will share screening tools and briefly touch on treatment strategies, as well as provide clinical resources for comprehensive specialty care.

Psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia are considered to be among the most debilitating and distressing mental health conditions. Despite impacting approximately 3% of the population, many clinicians lack the training and resources to recognize and best work with this vulnerable group of people, leaving many with psychosis isolated, stigmatized, and without help. Nonetheless, growing evidence suggests that, with tailored early intervention, many people with psychosis can recover from illness and lead a life of their choosing in the community. This seminar will familiarize you with psychosis, emphasizing the early phases of illness. It will then demonstrate strategies for reducing stigma, increasing empathy, and facilitating early identification. I will share screening tools and briefly touch on treatment strategies, as well as provide clinical resources for comprehensive specialty care.

“I was very impressed. The presentation was clear, informative and definitely added to my knowledge base.”-Mary H., Psychologist, New Jersey

Psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia are considered to be among the most debilitating and distressing mental health conditions. Despite impacting approximately 3% of the population, many clinicians lack the training and resources to recognize and best work with this vulnerable group of people, leaving many with psychosis isolated, stigmatized, and without help. Nonetheless, growing evidence suggests that, with tailored early intervention, many people with psychosis can recover from illness and lead a life of their choosing in the community. This seminar will familiarize you with psychosis, emphasizing the early phases of illness. It will then demonstrate strategies for reducing stigma, increasing empathy, and facilitating early identification. I will share screening tools and briefly touch on treatment strategies, as well as provide clinical resources for comprehensive specialty care.

Psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia are considered to be among the most debilitating and distressing mental health conditions. Despite impacting approximately 3% of the population, many clinicians lack the training and resources to recognize and best work with this vulnerable group of people, leaving many with psychosis isolated, stigmatized, and without help. Nonetheless, growing evidence suggests that, with tailored early intervention, many people with psychosis can recover from illness and lead a life of their choosing in the community. This seminar will familiarize you with psychosis, emphasizing the early phases of illness. It will then demonstrate strategies for reducing stigma, increasing empathy, and facilitating early identification. I will share screening tools and briefly touch on treatment strategies, as well as provide clinical resources for comprehensive specialty care.

High rates of adolescent depression and suicide present as a major international public health problem.  Suicidal adolescents are often a daunting population for clinicians to work with given their high-risk. Of the few effective treatments for this population, many are often multi-modal involving individual and group therapy, medication, etc.  An empirically supported family therapy for adolescents struggling with depression and suicide that requires only weekly sessions and which can be conducted on an outpatient, home-based, or inpatient basis is Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT).  ABFT emerges from interpersonal theories suggesting adolescent depression and suicide can be precipitated, exacerbated, or buffered against by the quality of interpersonal family relationships. It is a trust-based, emotion-focused psychotherapy model aiming to repair interpersonal ruptures and rebuild an emotionally protective, secure-based, parent-child relationship. The therapy is trauma-focused while also being brief and structured. Treatment is characterized by five treatment tasks: a) reframing the therapy to focus on interpersonal development, b) building alliance with the adolescent, c) building alliance with the parents, d) facilitation conversations to resolve attachment ruptures and e) promoting autonomy in the adolescent. 

In this workshop, Dr Levy will use lecture and case studies to provide an overview of the theoretical principles, research support, and clinical strategies forABFT. Dr. Levy will review how attachment theory,emotional regulation, and trauma resolution informthe delivery of this treatment approach.  She will review the goals and structureof the five treatment tasks that provide a roadmapfor delivering this interpersonally focused psychotherapy effectively and rapidly in community mental health.