All Webinars

Our world is changing faster than at any moment in history, and technologies advancements are literally changing what it means to be human. “Future Technologies” explores the profound and inevitable impact emerging technologies will have on humanity. We will delve into how Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality, Brain-Computer Interface, Robotics, Gene Therapy, and Genetic Engineering, are set to advance in the next several decades – even sooner. Each tech technology’s potential benefits, such as AI’s improved healthcare diagnostics and AR/VR’s enhanced educational tools, are highlighted alongside associated risks, including job displacement and privacy concerns. A key theme is the transformative impact these technologies can, and likely will, have on human identity and social norms. Therapists can and should play a critical role in this technological evolution. They can help individuals adapt to changes, advocate for ethical standards, and support mental health through technological integration. This talk underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration to ensure that technological advancements benefit the future of humanity while mitigating potential harms. Currently, it is the sex tech industry developing a vision of the future of intimacy. The time is now for mental health professionals to join this critical conversation.

Sex tech is advancing at breakneck speed, and our intimate relationships are entering uncharted territory. From AI-driven chatbots that comfort, and seduce, immersive sex toys that blur the lines between physical and digital pleasure, haptic technologies, VR porn, to sex dolls and robots, tech is becoming an ever-present partner in our intimate lives. Cross-cultural trends reveal that people are having less sex together, spending more time with their screens, and reporting higher levels of stress and loneliness—a perfect storm fueling the rise of intimacy with technology.  These technological advances are already here, and research demonstrates that our clients are already engaging them.  In this webinar we will explore the latest sex tech and the complex questions they herald: Can a chatbot meet our deepest emotional needs? What happens to human connection when digital intimacy is always just a click away? And importantly, are therapists ready to help clients navigate these new frontiers of love and lust?  Join us for this enlightening and critical discussion as we explore the inevitable future of intimacy. 

Middle-aged and older adults experience the deaths of life partners, parents, siblings, friends, children, and beloved pets. Other losses can be related to poor health, moves, and loss of roles important to personal identity. Resiliency increases with age, and most bereaved individuals cope well. In addition to greater suicide risk for some subgroups, however, bereavement can lead to increased morbidity and mortality in middle-aged and older adults. Behavioral health clinicians report limited training in grief-related assessment and interventions and describe this as a high need area for professional development. This webinar features clinical strategies to support healthy grieving processes in midlife and beyond. Advances in the neuroscience of grief suggest that the grieving process is a form of learning that can be supported with the use of evidence-based screening tools and intervention strategies. This webinar will enhance clinicians’ confidence in differentiating among healthy grief reactions and prolonged grief disorder, clinical depression, and PTSD. Research-informed clinical strategies will be featured to help practitioners address the grief-related concerns of middle-aged and older adults, with case studies highlighting culturally congruent care across a range of clinical settings.

“Instructor was knowledgeable, easy to relate to and made the content interesting and easy to follow along with. Great reflective exercises!”-LisaA., Social Worker, New York

We all know that professional burnout is a problem, but what do we do about it? In this interactive seminar, Dr. Hartman-Hall provides information from the research literature and her clinical experience about the causes and consequences of clinician burnout. Recognizing that wellness is not a “one size fits all” concept, we will explore a variety of approaches for considering clinicians’ risk factors for occupational stress, improving our own self-care, and adjusting our approach to our work. Brief exercises to practice relaxation, mindfulness, and self-awareness will be utilized throughout the talk to provide participants the opportunity to practice concepts being discussed.

For many bereaved individuals, faith, religion, and spirituality can prove to be a supportive and comforting resource following the loss of anyone or anything that leaves a sense of deprivation and yearning. However, for some who are grieving, the relationship to their higher power or spiritual community is painfully wounded, leading to the secondary loss of his/her/their spiritual resources, connections, and spiritual crisis.
 

The painful religious and spiritual losses are referred to as complicated spiritual grief (CSG). CSG has been shown to exacerbate the bereavement experience for some religious and spiritually inclined grievers. Clinicians are confronted with religious and spiritual topics in psychotherapy, especially when working with bereft clients. Therefore, knowing how to identify the impact of CSG in the grieving process is imperative. Clinicians will be able to recognize the impact of CSG on the bereaved’s grieving process, increasing skills in conducting a comprehensive clinical assessment and development of effective treatment plans. As a result, grief therapy will more effectively identify and treat all domains of the client’s functioning following or anticipating a loss.

Mental health and healthcare professionals are faced with the often misunderstood and misdiagnosed symptoms of normative and prolonged grief. Formal education rarely, if ever, provides extensive enough training to accurately identify and treat those who are grieving. Unfortunately, grieving clients are diagnosed incorrectly because symptoms can mimic normative or prolonged grief. The grieving process is often pathologized, or misdiagnosed, resulting in potential exacerbation of the presenting issues because inappropriate interventions are utilized. As a result, those who are grieving are often inadvertently disenfranchised by providers, which can make the professional support they sought to reconstruct their previously shattered identities and worldviews ineffective, and even, at time, exacerbate other mental health difficulties. It is essential to be versed in identifying grief related constructs that may underlie, or even cause, mental health and behavior associated problems.
 

This presentation aims to provide current, research based information on the grieving process, clarify misconceptions of outdated theories, and differentiate between normative and prolonged grief. It also examines the changes in conceptualization, differential diagnosing, and effective, clinically proven interventions that may be utilized with grieving individuals and families. Attendees will leave with an improved clinical skill set they can immediately apply to identify and treat their clients.