Couples/Families/Groups

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.

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.

 “Enjoyed how this CEU went further than domestic violence education and actually educated us on how to apply that to mental health practice. Gave a nice range of materials to access and consider. She was also obviously knowledgeable about the topic and gave concise explanations on various items that was beneficial compared to just reading slides.”-Kelley K., Social Worker, Maryland

The field of domestic violence has been evolving over the past thirty plus years as the knowledge base has increased and new assessment and intervention techniques offer assistance to the families in which it occurs. This Webinar will begin by reviewing identification and assessment tools for victims, perpetrators, and children that can assist mental health professionals. We will then review the field of trauma and the psychological impact on victims. Finally, we will look at one specific treatment program that can be used with victims of domestic violence and other gender-based trauma.

“I enjoyed learning from this presenter. This helped me reevaluate what I have been doing in groups and helped me improve to create a better learning environment.”-Kaleena K., Counselor, Wisconsin 

Groups are a central part of virtually all treatment programs, whether in residential, intensive outpatient, hospital or forensic settings, and yet there is a dearth of useful and practical information on how to create and facilitate groups. This seminar is intended to provide pragmatic solutions to thorny group problems as well as coach the participant in ways to create exciting and compelling groups. Participants will learn new and effective ways of working with difficult group clients such as the Monopolizer, the Coach, and the Sleeper, specific techniques on providing structure, the importance of establishing and maintaining rules, and the elements needed to create a compelling group on any assigned subject or topic. 

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.

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.

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.

We are a part of a massive social experiment. Sex, gender, and relationship dynamics are changing faster than at any time in recorded history, all within a backdrop of exploding artificial intelligence (AI). Younger generations are increasingly comfortable with technology interfacing all aspects of their lives. The potential risks inherent in human:human sex have been highlighted by COVID-19.  Enter virtual reality porn and yes, sex robots. Experts predict that within 20-50 years, robots that move and interact in humanoid ways will be affordable for many. It is highly conceivable that an infant born today can have their first sexual experience with a robot. Mental health professionals will better serve their clients if they understand the increasingly powerful impact new developments in sex tech and AI have on sex and intimacy. The time is now for us to being this critical discussion.

We are a part of a massive social experiment. Sex, gender, and relationship dynamics are changing faster than at any time in recorded history, all within a backdrop of exploding artificial intelligence (AI). Younger generations are increasingly comfortable with technology interfacing all aspects of their lives. The potential risks inherent in human:human sex have been highlighted by COVID-19.  Enter virtual reality porn and yes, sex robots. Experts predict that within 20-50 years, robots that move and interact in humanoid ways will be affordable for many. It is highly conceivable that an infant born today can have their first sexual experience with a robot. Mental health professionals will better serve their clients if they understand the increasingly powerful impact new developments in sex tech and AI have on sex and intimacy. The time is now for us to being this critical discussion.

We are a part of a massive social experiment. Sex, gender, and relationship dynamics are changing faster than at any time in recorded history, all within a backdrop of exploding artificial intelligence (AI). Younger generations are increasingly comfortable with technology interfacing all aspects of their lives. The potential risks inherent in human:human sex have been highlighted by COVID-19.  Enter virtual reality porn and yes, sex robots. Experts predict that within 20-50 years, robots that move and interact in humanoid ways will be affordable for many. It is highly conceivable that an infant born today can have their first sexual experience with a robot. Mental health professionals will better serve their clients if they understand the increasingly powerful impact new developments in sex tech and AI have on sex and intimacy. The time is now for us to being this critical discussion.

“This was an excellent presentation that I think had information important to generalists that we don't often receive."-Krista B., Psychologist, Maryland

Who we are as sexual beings carries profound personal and interpersonal meaning for each of us.  Like it or not, our sexual self-image significantly impacts our broader sense of identity, as well as how we give and receive love in our most cherished relationships.  Research consistently demonstrates that for most people, sexual satisfaction is a critical component of relationship and life satisfaction.  For many people, love-making is the most intimate aspect of their lives.  Yet without specific focus on sexuality, general therapy tends not to alleviate sexual concerns.  As therapists, we have little training in these issues, making it difficult to assist our clients with their intimacy struggles.  In this talk, we will address the changing face of heterosexual sex that we and our clients are all experiencing – and gain an understanding of the “new normal.” 

This talk stands alone but is Part One of a two-part series on sex therapy for the general therapist.  It is recommended that this lecture be completed first in that series, thus offering a context for the treatment approaches addressed in Part Two.  

Psychological functioning is always embedded within the context of social systems.  Maladaptive patterns that bring clients to psychotherapy are often learned within the family-of-origin.  Psychotherapy can help clients explore and understand systemic patterns and social roles that may contribute to current psychological distress.  Clients can learn to recognize and modify maladaptive cognitions, emotions, and behaviors that may have been learned within their families. A systemic focus in individual psychotherapy can help clients function in new social systems in more effective ways.

This seminar will teach both systemic conceptualization and intervention methods that can be used in individual psychotherapy.  Systemic conceptualization will include looking at family structure, roles, and beliefs systems.  Webinar participants will learn to consider how homeostasis, family life cycle, and multigenerational patterns shape individual functioning over time.  In order to promote a unified approach to treatment, the webinar will highlight how families and other microsystems shape the way people think, feel, and act.

Foundational interpersonal skills will be described and demonstrated with role-play videos.  These skills will address three general processes: (1) Exploration and functional analysis of systemic patterns, (2) Guided discovery to uncover more adaptive social functioning, and (3) Enacting systemic adaptation outside of psychotherapy.  Practical skills that can be learned and utilized with clients will be described for each of these three phases of treatment.

At a more advanced level, this seminar will explore the way clients internalize aspects of the people who raised them in ways that continue to influence current functioning and affective states.  Current dysfunction is often related to the way family members and family experiences have been internalized in a manner that shapes schema modes.  Diversity is addressed in this seminar by describing the way cultural contexts shape families and other social systems and how families serve as a conduit for cultural socialization.

This seminar is part of Level Two of Training in Unified Psychotherapy (TUP), focusing on working contextually with external and internal influences.  An essential part of a unified approach to treatment is understanding the impact of systemic patterns on dysfunctional thoughts, feelings, and actions and fostering more adaptive responses.

Working with couples in the wake of an affair can be challenging for even experienced clinicians. The raw trauma and betrayal that clients experience is difficult to witness, and it can be tempting to sit back and primarily act as a supportive listener. However, this does not move couples forward through the pain to create an even stronger connection with each other. In this invaluable seminar for those who already work with infidelity or hope to start, Dr. Samantha Rodman Whiten will help you understand why and how infidelity occurs, explore your own biases that may be impeding your work with infidelity, guide you through understanding multiple theoretical models of healing and repair, teach you you practical strategies to normalize and validate your clients’ experience, and provide you with concrete frames and tools to facilitate deep empathy and healing in your post-infidelity couples clients.

Diminished desire and difficulty orgasming with a partner are the two most common concerns women bring to practitioners. Too often women report feeling they are the cause of these problems and are somehow “broken”, not recognizing the roles that culture, medical, and relational factors play. Furthermore, while many women feel challenged by these concerns, it is often only revealed to clinicians when directly asked. Yet, many clinicians have never received adequate training in assessing or dealing with these matters. In this webinar, Dr. Mintz will help participants better understand the cultural reasons for the high prevalence of these sexual problems among women. Participants will also become versed in the myriad medical, individual, and relational causes underlying both concerns. Most importantly, evidence-based treatments for both concerns will be presented. You will leave this webinar able to assess, normalize, and intervene with these common issues.

“Very well explained and organized. Easy to follow and understand. I will use his plans to help me with creating effective behavior plans.”-Deborah S., Professional Counselor, New York

Child and adolescent behavioral issues can cause significant disruption to family life.  In addition to the effects on family, it may impact academic and social life.  Although many parents understand the concepts of reward and punishment, they may not understand the most effective ways to implement behavior management techniques.In addition, many parents may be overly reliant on punitive consequences for negative behavior rather than focusing on ways increase positive,pro-social behaviors.  Dr. Hannan’s seminar Understanding and Implementing Parent Training in Clinical Practice will teach clinicians how to instruct parents in behavior management.  Parent training is essential to positive outcomes in treatment for both externalizing and internalizing disorders.  This webinar will include instruction on performing a functional behavioral assessment, case conceptualization, and devising an appropriate behavior plan.  Beyond positive reinforcement and punishment,this webinar will present a variety of behavioral techniques including shaping,extinction, and differential reinforcement of alternative behavior.  Clinicians will learn how to tailor treatment according to developmental level and co-occurring psychiatric conditions, as well as how to address problems within typical development.  Research into the factors associated with successful implementation of behavioral principles will be discussed as well.