Weekend B:
- Thursday, June 20, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Friday, June 21, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Saturday, June 22, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Thursday, June 20, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
13-211b: The Native Language of the Unconscious
Peter Schlessinger, M.A., M.F.A.
COURSE CLOSED
An illustrated exploration of the nature and basis of symbolic imagery, and its manifestations in dreams, art, architecture, and life. The subject will be examined through the lenses of neurophysiology and evolutionary, archetypal, and Jungian psychology. Touching on developmental issues for both individuals and humanity as a whole, the course will consider the implications of the fact that we are the inheritors of a much
older way of thinking than the linear and sequential consciousness of alphabetic language and its ego-as-narrator, a way of thinking whose meaning-carrying vessels are energy-filled images rather than words - and that there is ample evidence to suspect that that older way of thinking is actually the more powerful of the two, regardless of whether that is acknowledged or not. The implications - for understanding the dreams and imaginings of ourselves, of our clients in clinical settings, or of our society as a whole - are powerful and pervasive.
Click here for Learning Objectives and References.
Faculty: Peter Schlessinger, M.A., M.F.A. At one time or another, Peter has been a photography teacher, practitioner, and project director, a picture book editor, a visual theorist, director of a graduate level holistic studies program, an exhibition designer and curator, a digital media advocate, a psychotherapist, and a dream-worker. The common thread uniting those avocations
and occupations is a fascination with the power and communicative capacity of images, and especially images with symbolic content determined by the unconscious.
13-212b: School Skills: Using DBT to Change Attitudes and Outcomes
Johanna Hammer, L.I.C.S.W.
With drop-out rates skyrocketing and social, emotional and behavioral issues requiring increasingly intensive interventions, School Skills is a school-based intervention model based on the philosophies of Positive Behavior Support and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Participants will receive training in increasing Executive Functioning as well as a new format for completing Functional Behavior Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans.
Click here for Learning Objectives and References.
Faculty: Johanna Hammer, L.I.C.S.W., is a consultant, trainer and outpatient clinician with James Levine & Associates. She specializes in Dialectical Behavior Therapy with Adolescents and has been consulting in school systems and a practicing DBT therapist for the past decade.
13-213b: Mixed-Race Experiences & Issues
Eric Hamako, M.A.
COURSE CLOSED
Today, Mixed-Race is a hot topic and a growing demographic in the United States. How prepared are you to identify and work with Mixed-Race/ Multiracial clients’ unique needs? How do you make sense of Mixed-Race identities, as a clinician? In this continuing education course, you’ll learn basic historical and demographic trends in the U.S. Mixed-Race population. We’ll then identify ways that racism and prejudice affect Mixed-Race clients in unique ways. And, finally, we’ll learn about and critique models of Mixed-Race identity and identity development.
Click here for Learning Objectives and References.
Faculty: Eric Hamako, M.A. is a doctoral candidate in the Social Justice Education program at UMass Amherst and an adjunct faculty member at the Smith College School for Social Work. Eric’s doctoral work focuses on how community education can support Mixed-Race people's political movements in the US and ways to incorporate stronger anti-racist frameworks into those educational efforts. Eric has been involved in Mixed-Race student- and community-organizing for more than a decade. Currently, he serves as the Multi-Ethnic Leaders’ Coalition’s representative to the US Census Bureau’s National Advisory Committee on Race, Ethnic and Other Populations. Eric has presented on Multiraciality to colleges and universities across the U.S. on topics including identity development, student affairs, and pop culture.
13-214b: Complex or Developmental Trauma:
Its Nature, Neurobiology, and Clinical Implications
Sally D. Popper, Ph.D.
The concept of complex or developmental trauma is a new one, but one which has become more and more central to our understanding of a number of intransigent clinical phenomena. We will discuss the nature of developmental trauma, its impact on the child’s psychological and neurobiological development, and its importance in clinical formulation of complex cases. Although we will focus on the relationship of developmental trauma in child development, we will also discuss its role in adult psychopathology.
The second half of the day will have a clinical focus. We will discuss the work of Bessel van der Kolk and colleagues, as well as that of John Briere and his Interpersonal Treatment for Complex Trauma. We will consider the usefulness of EMDR, DBT, and neurofeedback in ameliorating some of the more intractable symptom presentations of complex trauma. Participants will be encouraged to bring case material for class discussion.
Click here for Learning Objectives and References.
Faculty: Sally D. Popper, Ph.D. has worked as a researcher and clinician exploring the impact of attachment disruption and early trauma on the development of young children and working with their families to help them heal. As a board member of the national parent/professional organization. ATTACh, she worked to bring information from new research to the clinical practice and parenting of members. This work culminated in co-authorship of a book now in press entitled Attachment-Focused Therapy: A Professional Practice Guide. She is also author and co-author of a number of journal articles, and has presented locally and nationally on topics ranging from postpartum depression to the impact of early trauma and loss on the developing brain. She currently serves on the board of the Treehouse Foundation and is an active volunteer both at the Treehouse community and in the Treehouse inspired Reenvisioning Foster Care in America task force.
Friday, June 21, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
13-221b: Treating Emerging Adults, Boomer Parents, and The New American Family
Martha B. Straus, Ph.D.
COURSE CLOSED
At the same time emerging adults are supposed to stand on their own two feet, rely less on family support, and give up institutional structure, they are also proving to be the most vulnerable to life risks of any age group-for binge drinking, addiction to drugs and alcohol, depression, all types of major mental illness, life-threatening risk-taking, and antisocial acting out (more than a quarter of people in jail are emerging adults). Too many are under tremendous, debilitating stress as they attempt to function on their own.
Overwhelmed young adults-and their families-are seen in our offices, campus counseling centers, community agencies, and in-patient facilities in growing numbers. They are also moving back home in droves. In this course, we will consider the perfect storm of psychological, social, systemic, economic, and cultural factors that have led to a paradigm shift, redefining family relationships, the developmental transition to adulthood-and even what it means to be an adult. We will critically examine the assumptions underlying traditional psychological thought that hold--to the detriment of these young adults and their families-that separation and individuation must be the gold standard of parenting. Through a developmental-attachment lens, we will explore the new paradigm of non-hierarchical “accordion families:” emerging adults and their Boomer parents, mutually connected and often living together. By the end, you’ll be able to intervene more effectively by understanding the developmental tasks, opportunities and challenges for these new American families, discarding anachronistic and dangerous theories equating cut-offs with adulthood, and holding as a well-supported premise that secure love is, in fact, fundamental to successful developmental outcome.
Click here for Learning Objectives and References.
Faculty: Martha B. Straus, Ph.D. is a professor in the Department of Clinical Psychology at Antioch University New England Graduate School in Keene, New Hampshire, and adjunct instructor in psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical School. She maintains a small private practice in Brattleboro, VT and consults to schools, social service agencies and courts. Dr. Straus is the author of numerous articles and four books including No-Talk Therapy for Children and Adolescents, and more recently, Adolescent Girls in Crisis: Intervention and Hope. Dr. Straus trains and conducts workshops internationally.
13-222b: Introduction to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Scott Cardon Cornelius, Psy.D.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an empirically supported behavioral approach to treatment that incorporates mindfulness and acceptance processes, in conjunction with behavior change processes to help clients take steps towards lives that are valuable and meaningful. In this workshop, participants will be introduced to ACT and to the philosophical model (functional contextualism) that underlies it. They will learn about the six core processes which ACT addresses: Acceptance, Cognitive Defusion, Contact with the Present, Self-as-Context, Values, and Committed Action. Interactive self-reflective and experiential exercises will be used to facilitate learning. There will be an emphasis on clinical applications of ACT, enabling participants to begin using ACT strategies in their own therapeutic work.
Click here for Learning Objectives and References.
Faculty: Scott Cardon Cornelius, Psy.D., Director of Training, Northampton VA Medical Center, Leeds, MA; Staff Psychologist, Northampton VA Medical Center; Staff Psychologist, U.S. Department of Defense, Vilseck, Germany; Clinical Supervisor/Staff Psychologist, Gateway Center for Human Services, Ketchikan, AK; Presenter on PTSD and OEF/OIF veterans.
13-223b: Clinical Skills Working with Gender Nonconforming and Children and Transgender Youth
Arlen Istar Lev, L.C.S.W.-R., C.A.S.A.C.
This workshop is an overview of gender identity development in children and youth, focusing on assessment of gender nonconformity in children, and transgender and transsexual identity in adolescence. We will example the available treatment options for pre-pubescent and adolescent children, including the use of hormone blockers and cross-sex hormones. Gender diversity and expression is viewed as a normative process of identity development, albeit a challenging one within rigid socio-cultural environment. The focus is systemic in examining the role of family members, service providers, and educational institutions. Attention will be paid to the newly released Standards of Care developed by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health will be reviewed.
Click here for Learning Objectives and References.
Faculty: Arlene (Ari) Istar Lev L.C.S.W.-R., C.A.S.A.C., is a social worker, family therapist, educator, and writer whose work addresses the unique therapeutic needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. She is the Founder and Clinical Director of Choices Counseling and Consulting and The Institute for Gender, Relationships, Identity, and Sexuality (TIGRIS), a training program in Albany, New York. Arlene has been a part-time lecturer at the State University New York at Albany, School of Social Welfare for the past 23 years, and is also an adjunct at Empire College and Smith School of Social Work. Additionally, she is the Clinical Supervisor for Center Support: Counseling Services, a low-cost therapy program at the Pride Center of the Capital District. Arlene has authored numerous journal articles and essays including authoring two books: The Complete Lesbian and Gay Parenting Guide and Transgender Emergence: Therapeutic Guidelines for Working with Gender-Variant People and their Families, winner of the American Psychological Association (Division 44) Distinguished Book Award, 2006.
13-224b: Out Of Control Kids: Intervening With Temper Tantrums, Meltdowns & Rage Attacks
Garry L. Earles, M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W.
Extreme displays of emotion are frightening enough for those caught up in such impulsive episodes, let alone for those in close proximity subjected to them. While it is one thing to try to control the disruptive behavior of children and adolescents, it is quite another to contend with severe emotional episodes that “come out of nowhere.” Questions such as "What the heck is your problem? and What was that all about? abound. Reactions like "Go to your room and calm down" or "You better start
behaving" indicate the frustrations in trying to "manage" these situations. Unexpected, unpredictable, illogical and unreasonable outbursts leave us dazed, confused, frightened and wondering not only about what's going on but about what to do. As an "insider," your presenter has had to contend with these sorts of episodes since early childhood. In sharing his experiences, participants acquire empathy. Through the use
of metaphor, analogy and allegory, insight is gained into what really goes on “behind the scenes” regarding emotional and behavioral dysregulation. Accordingly, participants will be exposed to new paradigms regarding impulsive actions and their ramifications. Sometimes funny, sometimes irreverent, Garry’s sense of humor will provide you the much needed comic relief while discussing this most serious topic.
Learning Objectives and References coming soon.
Faculty: Garry L. Earles, M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W. Garry L. Earles is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, Black Belt MartialArtist and 19th Century American Historian. He earned his M.S.W. in Group & FamilyMethods from the University of Connecticut School of Social Work and his M.A. in
History from Fitchburg (Massachusetts) State University. Garry is challenged daily by his own co-morbid neuro-biological conditions (Tourette Syndrome, ADHD, OCD and Bipolar Disorder) and the emotional and behavioral challenges they engender. Specializing in child and adolescent mental health, Garry is a seasoned and highlyrated national trainer, speaker and consultant for both mental health professionals and educational personnel. The unique "inside-out" perspective and message he brings to his seminars is filled with resiliency and hope. That insight, perseverance in dealing with
his own conditions and delightful sense of humor insure a highly informative and entertaining workshop or public speaking event.
Saturday, June 22, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
13-231b: Undoing Aloneness: Strategies for Co-Regulation with Traumatized Adolescents and Families
Martha B. Straus, Ph.D.
COURSE CLOSED
Traumatized adolescents struggle with self-regulation. They are dysregulated across systems--neurologically, cognitively, physically, emotionally, behaviorally, socially, and spiritually. Anxious and vigilant, and unable to trust themselves or caregivers, they may experience even loving relationships as confusing and frightening. But to learn self-soothing, they must first be able to rely upon others, and discover the joy of co-regulation. They benefit from relationships with adults that provide them with the psychological (and physical) sense of containment they cannot supply themselves. In this workshop, we will discuss and practice mindful, empathic strategies to help these teens-and their parents-feel more secure, connected, present, and stable.
Click here for Learning Objectives and References.
Faculty: Martha B. Straus, Ph.D. is a professor in the Department of Clinical Psychology at Antioch University New England Graduate School in Keene, New Hampshire, and adjunct instructor in psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical School. She maintains a small private practice in Brattleboro, VT and consults to schools, social service agencies and courts. Dr. Straus is the author of numerous articles and four books including No-Talk Therapy for Children and Adolescents, and more recently, Adolescent Girls in Crisis: Intervention and Hope. Dr. Straus trains and conducts workshops internationally.
13-232b: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with Children & Adolescents Diagnosed with Anxiety Disorders
Jennifer Jencks, M.S.W.
This course will begin with an overview of cognitive behavioral concepts that are most effective with anxiety disorders, including exposure and response prevention, thought stopping, habit reversal, and many others. Next, information about developmental stages and cognitive development will be discussed in terms of the impact they have on CBT treatment with various age groups. Finally, specific anxiety disorders will be discussed; including obsessive compulsive disorder, Trichotillomania, specific phobias and generalized anxiety disorder, and specialized CBT techniques will be described using case material. Participants will be encouraged to present questions or case material for discussion. This interactive course is designed for participants with some experience using CBT for anxiety, but all levels of experience are welcome.
Click here for Learning Objectives and References.
Faculty: Jennifer Jencks, M.S.W. is a licensed independent clinical social worker, specializing in the treatment of pediatric and adolescent anxiety disorders. She has been in private practice since 1997 and she utilizes both psychodynamic theories and cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to assess and treat clients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Trichotillomania, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and specific phobias. She collaborates with many area agencies and professionals, including fellow therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, schools, and other educational organizations, such as Rhode Island Tutorial & Educational Services (RITES). She has also helped organize an Interactive Parent Workshop Series with RITES to provide the community with accessible, up-to-date information about such important topics as Sensory Processing Disorder, Anxiety, and how to support the development of organizational skills in children and adolescents.
13-233b: Intermediate Level Skills Training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Scott Cardon Cornelius, Psy.D.
Skills Training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is designed for clinicians who have either been through the one day Introduction to ACT course offered by Dr. Cornelius, or who have attended an introductory course elsewhere and have some familiarity with this model. This one-day training will have a strong experiential component with a particular focus on practicing skills that are relevant to ACT. Participants will gain experience conceptualizing cases from an ACT perspective. They will gain experience in recognizing in-session signs of experiential avoidance and misapplied control, and they will practice skills aimed at addressing these in a sensitive and compassionate manner. They will learn how to generate and maintain conversations that are present-focused, defused, and which help the client adopt a more flexible stance towards his/her problems while embracing and moving forward towards areas of life that are meaningful.
Click here for Learning Objectives and References.
Faculty: Scott Cardon Cornelius, Psy.D., Director of Training, Northampton VA Medical Center, Leeds, MA; Staff Psychologist, Northampton VA Medical Center; Staff Psychologist, U.S. Department of Defense, Vilseck, Germany; Clinical Supervisor/Staff Psychologist, Gateway Center for Human Services, Ketchikan, AK; Presenter on PTSD and OEF/OIF veterans.
13-234b: An Attachment-Informed Approach to Understanding and Treating Sexually Abusive Youth
Phil Rich, Ed.D., M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W.
COURSE CLOSED
Attachment theory and its application to work with sexually abusive youth has become a source of great interest for many clinicians working with sexually abusive youth. This course is designed for those with already somewhat familiar with attachment theory, and focuses on understanding and recognizing an attachment mediated pathway to sexually abusive behavior. The course describes hypothesized links between attachment patterns and the relationship between attachment, social connection, and the development of sexually abusive behavior.
The course will review the research and theories that examine and hypothesize links between attachment difficulties and patterns to adult and juvenile sexual offending, and discuss the possible connection between attachment difficulties and the later development of sexually abusive behavior in adolescents. We will consider the relationship between attachment, the development of intimacy and empathy, and the internalization of social mores and the development of morality, and consider implications for the treatment of sexually abusive behavior in children and adolescents and in a treatment environment that is both informed by attachment theory and developmentally sensitive.
Click here for Learning Objectives and References.
Faculty: Phil Rich, Ed.D., M.S.W., L.I.C.S.W.
Faculty Biography. Phil Rich holds a doctorate in applied behavioral and organizational studies and a master’s degree in social work, and is a licensed independent clinical social worker. Phil is the Clinical Director of the Stetson School, a residential treatment program for sexually reactive children and adolescent and young adult sexual offenders in Massachusetts. He presents, trains, and consults nationally and internationally, and is the author of several books, as well as chapters and articles, that address the development, assessment, and treatment of sexually abusive behavior in children and adolescents.
13-235b: Promoting Empathy and Relational
Skills in Children through Poetry Writing and Music
Georgia Sassen, Ph.D.
COURSE CLOSED
Helping children gain relationship building skills helps them resist bullying and learn to build connection across racial and class lines. To engage children in these pursuits, we will learn about an engaging intervention that also requires them to cooperate and see each other’s beliefs and strengths in action. Adapting music therapy and poetry therapy for this purpose, we learn to engage them in drumming and writing poems as a group rather than individually helping them express both feelings and playfulness and to help each other if writing is a challenge for them. This interactive course teaches the techniques of Drums and Poems, which has been successful with children in multi-cultural groups for four years.
After exploring the basics of the Relational-cultural Theory of development which underlies the program, we see and discuss the techniques of Drums and Poems and its differences from most music/poetry therapy. We then move on to the hands-on portion of the class. We will use students’ experiences in the field to provide case examples of children who might benefit from the intervention. Role playing these young people, we will practice the techniques of Drums and Poems, using student-made drums. We will role play using these with children we have worked with. We will look at the intervention group as a relational web as we explore how drumming and writing brings the group together, and learn to include children of all verbal abilities in the writing. Students will brainstorm how they can use the techniques with their own clients. She has taught at Smith, Clark University and University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Click here for Learning Objectives and References.
Faculty: Georgia Sassen, Ph.D. Georgia Sassen is a psychologist practicing in Harvard, Massachusetts, and the Executive Director of Building Resilience in Kids. Her interest in preventing the mental health problems of adolescents and adults led her to use the arts to work with young people. Her work is grounded in the Relational-Cultural Theory of psychotherapy, in which empathy is seen as an important part of teaching children to build mutually sustaining relationships, and good relationships are seen as a central goal of human development. She created Art from the Heart when working with girls in Lowell, MA. Recently she has added percussion and poetry to the modalities she uses to help children build relational skills in urban school settings. She has taught at Smith, Clark University and University of Massachusetts Medical School.
