All Webinars

Multicultural guidelines and ethical standards dictate that White therapists examine their own racial identity, privilege, and fragility to better serve BIPOC clients. Dr. Fat- ter will review current trends in multicultural competency and discuss the clinical cost of the therapist being ‘colorblind’. This webinar will specifically focus on aspects of White supremacy culture, White privilege, White fragility, and Helms’ White racial identity model to help therapists self-assess their own White racial identity. Dr. Fatter will discuss clinical examples of ways ‘whiteness’ can show up relationally in clinical settings as well as skills needed to build racial stamina. In addition, Dr. Fatter will also describe examples of specific types of microaggressions that can dam- age the therapeutic relationship. Dr. Fatter will also discuss practical ways to bring up racial identity with all clients, practical ways to honor cultural strengths using a Commu- nity Cultural Wealth approach in therapy, and how to do a therapeutic repair when a relational rupture has occurred.  

One of the biggest challenges in trauma recovery is managing both when clients get emotionally overwhelmed and when clients numb out and shut down. Learning how to pace therapy and navigate clients’ emotional window of tolerance are key foundations of successful trauma treatment. In this webinar, Dr. Fatter will review the impact of traumatic stress on the brain in tangible ways to help clinicians better conceptualize how trauma alters the body’s arousal system. Dr. Fatter will discuss in detail symptoms of hyperarousal, hypoarousal and calm states of our autonomic nervous system based on Polyvagal Theory. This will help clinicians know signs of what state clients are in and help clinicians be able to educate clients about their nervous system. We will address one of the most important aspects of the therapeutic relationship based on what we know about the traumatized brain. A phase-oriented treatment approach will be presented so clinicians learn an evidence-based structure for pacing the intensity of trauma treatment. In addition, we will explore four research-informed adjunctive therapies to help clients maintain stabilization and regulate arousal.

“The instructor was excellent! She was compassionate, listened well and was attentive to questions. I got so much more out of this webinar than I have from the in person seminars I've attended! I will watch for her other seminars! I learned how to more effectively work with trauma. I used one of the techniques taught in the session I had immediately after the seminar.”-Eve S., Professional Counselor, Alabama

After clients are stable enough to begin delving into traumatic memories, many clinicians struggle with determining which method to use for trauma processing. This webinar will specifically focus on the second phase of trauma recovery, processing and integrating traumatic memories in trauma treatment. Dr. Fatter will review the nature of traumatic memory and how it differs from non-traumatic memory. The two “gold standards” evidence-based models for trauma exposure therapy will be presented: prolonged exposure therapy and cognitive processing therapy. In addition, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and internal family systems, two research-supported models, will also be discussed. This webinar will describe how each model differs in its conceptualization of trauma and specific treatment approach in integrating traumatic memories. Clinical considerations including strategies to know your client is or is not ready for trauma processing will be presented in addition to ways to determine your client is “done” with the trauma processing stage of treatment. Cultural considerations and culturally adapted models will be reviewed. Common transference and counter-transference issues that arise in trauma treatment will be described. Vicarious trauma, clinician burn out and what clinicians need to watch out for in absorbing traumatic stress from their clients will be addressed.

This course will satisfy your ethics requirement.

They say that Artificial Intelligence (AI) won’t replace you in the workplace, but someone who knows how to use AI will. This is particularly true for social workers, counselors, and psychologists because we were not trained in AI, but AI is transforming our work. It is becoming harder to avoid AI, yet it remains critical that we understand how AI works so that we can make informed, ethical decisions that protect both our clients and the public. We are mandated by our professional codes to do this. The widespread use of AI is recent, and it is not easy to learn all about AI and how it is being used in our professions. At the end of this course, you will understand how AI works, the different types of AI, and how it is being used in our work. You will better understand all the ethical considerations and current research findings about AI in the social work/counseling/psychology space, and walk away with frameworks on how to mitigate risk.

This course will satisfy your ethics requirement.

They say that Artificial Intelligence (AI) won’t replace you in the workplace, but someone who knows how to use AI will. This is particularly true for social workers, counselors, and psychologists because we were not trained in AI, but AI is transforming our work. It is becoming harder to avoid AI, yet it remains critical that we understand how AI works so that we can make informed, ethical decisions that protect both our clients and the public. We are mandated by our professional codes to do this. The widespread use of AI is recent, and it is not easy to learn all about AI and how it is being used in our professions. At the end of this course, you will understand how AI works, the different types of AI, and how it is being used in our work. You will better understand all the ethical considerations and current research findings about AI in the social work/counseling/psychology space, and walk away with frameworks on how to mitigate risk.

Most therapists recognize the power of the past as it is revealed in the way partners respond to each other. The therapist can be baffled by emotionally intense reactions that seem way out of proportion to the moment.  Repeated conflict themes also suggest that the ways partners interpret each other’s behavior can only be understood by exploring their individual lived experience. This seminar presents an overview of an object relations approach to working with couples, and describes dynamics that are unique to this clinical approach. You will understand how unfinished business from the past and each partner’s relational past can unfold in patterns and postures that work against intimacy. You will also be able to understand how extreme emotional reactions and black & white thinking create instability and specific relationship problems. The seminar will explain a range of techniques that can help couples acquire new ways of responding to each other and strengthening intimacy. You will also understand how the therapist’s intuition and reaction to partners is an important source of information that allows insight into the core themes and facilitates the partners ability to heal past wounds while forging deeper intimacy.

Therapy with adults or couples with children frequently presents opportunities to help parents understand and improve parent-child dynamics. Parenting reveals implicit and unconscious expectations about raising children that are often culturally determined, and based on each parent’s own childhood experiences. This seminar draws on theories from systems, object relations and the parenting literature to show how unconscious factors get played out in the parent-child relationship. Therapists can help parents identify ways that their own childhood experiences, and aspects of the marital relationship, are played out in the parenting process. Through presentation of theory, and case examples, participants will be able to understand how to raise and explore parenting dynamics in the therapy session, and help parents find new ways of relating to their children and each other. This is particularly import in work with highly conflicted couples, even those who have divorced but have difficulty co-parenting.

Many clients who enter individual or couple therapy have difficulty managing emotions. This workshop will focus on the processes involved in emotional dysregulation, drawing on current findings in the fields of neurobiology and emotional memory research. Students will learn about universal triggers as well as ways to explore personal triggers that lead to poorly managed emotional reactions.
 

These findings will be translated to clinical interventions through the theoretical lenses of mindfulness, object relations and narrative therapies. Case presentations will demonstrate ways to apply these insights in individuals and couple therapy to demonstrate how clients can be guided to subdue strong emotions and generate more thoughtful and appropriate responses.

Many clients who enter individual or couple therapy have difficulty managing emotions. This workshop will focus on the processes involved in emotional dysregulation, drawing on current findings in the fields of neurobiology and emotional memory research. Students will learn about universal triggers as well as ways to explore personal triggers that lead to poorly managed emotional reactions.
 

These findings will be translated to clinical interventions through the theoretical lenses of mindfulness, object relations and narrative therapies. Case presentations will demonstrate ways to apply these insights in individuals and couple therapy to demonstrate how clients can be guided to subdue strong emotions and generate more thoughtful and appropriate responses.

“Really good, well organized, great pace, easy to follow with good examples - I learned a lot and feel energized and ready/equipped to put what I learned into practice.”-Vicki T., Social Worker, Maine

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness are two methods on the cutting-edge of evidence-based psychotherapy today. Together these techniques are highly-effective in the treatment of anxiety and depressive disorders. Even disorders found to be often resistant to treatment, such as substance abuse and personality disorders, are responding to this unique integration of therapeutic skills.

By attending this webinar you will learn not only to the basic techniques in CBT and Mindfulness, but also the application of more advanced methods. This approach is designed both to inform those who are new to this field as well as provide more advanced clinical options to those already familiar with the basics. The seminar will include PowerPoint slides, case examples and experiential learning.

Finding Your Why & Finding Your Way uses a simple, user-friendly approach to applying Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). In this webinar, Dr. DJ Moran will demonstrate how this new approach formulates the ACT model into the Mindful Action Plan (MAP), and how you can use the MAP to guide yourself  and your clients towards a meaningful lifestyle with values-based behavior change. If your clients feel stuck, directionless, or unmotivated, or may be seeking a new path in life—one that feels rewarding, inspiring, and purposeful. The question is, where do they begin? As a clinician, you’ve likely heard all about mindfulness—a powerfully effective tool for helping people find focus, balance, and a greater sense of purpose. But how does the client actually apply mindfulness to their life?
 

Finding Your Why & Finding Your Way is a step-by-step webinar that can help clinicians learn to help clients put mindfulness into action—every day. Using the Mindful Action Plan (MAP) approach—a fully customizable set of skills grounded in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)—you’ll work with the client to identify what they deeply care about, increase motivation, and start moving forward toward meaningful goals. Most importantly, clients can learn to make a commitment to create the positive change they desire. And you can learn this so well, you can apply it to yourself, as well.
 

Incorporating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy into your treatment approach will have a significant impact on your clinical effectiveness and the well-being of your clients. ACT is a  rich, integrative approach, and has been shown to be effective for many clinically-relevant concerns. Because ACT takes a different perspective on psychotherapy, some clinicians wonder how to blend the applications into their own therapy approach. Other clinicians who have embraced the ACT concepts still have questions about certain aspects of the therapy.
 

This webinar will explain ACT in a very clear, concise, user-friendly manner.

“Very much enjoyed the seminar and look forward to using ACT it in my practice. I am relatively new to ACT so the entire seminar was useful.”-Kristen W., Professional Counselor, Texas

Incorporating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy into your treatment approach will have a significant impact on your clinical effectiveness and the well-being of your clients.  ACT is a rich, integrative approach, and has been shown to be effective for many clinically-relevant concerns. Because ACT takes a different perspective on psychotherapy, some clinicians wonder how to blend the applications into their own therapy approach. Other clinicians who have embraced the ACT concepts still have questions about certain aspects of the therapy. This webinar will explain ACT in a very clear, concise, user-friendly manner.