All Webinars

“This was an excellent course. I was captivated for the entire 3 hours. Material was very up to date and use of media and PowerPoint was very effective.” -Mary Kate H., :icensed Professional Counselor, Florida

Profiling Mentally Ill Mass Murderers is an introductory seminar to the problem of spree killers. The spree killer, whether or not impacted by mentally illness, is a considerable scourge upon society. Factors like easy access to guns by dangerous mentally ill, inadequate commitment laws,the inability to predict dangerous behavior, and media frenzy, contribute to an increasing death toll. This seminar uses case studies to highlight the role played by diagnostic assessment (suicide by cop, psychopathic behavior, PTSD, major mental disorders), inadequate prevention civil and gun policy strategies, and stigmatization of the mentally ill as dangerous.

This course qualifies as an ethics course.

“Very informative. Very engaging. I really enjoyed the presenter and his attention to questions throughout the presentation. Clarified existing knowledge about mandatory reporting laws.”-Jared B., Licensed Professional Counselor, Alabama

This course will help practitioners who are subject to reporting requirements associated with child abuse, elder abuse, spouse abuse, and duty to warn about violence. Increasingly these requirements ensnarl mental health professionals into difficult ethical dilemmas as they navigate the obligation to maintain confidentiality on the one hand, and meet the expectations of reporting laws on the other.  Several factors are considered, including the variable state laws governing the duty to report, the need to report in a timely fashion, the intricacies of the reporting process (e.g. to whom, containing what information, etc.), and the ongoing concern about adverse consequences to clients and others (including oneself). Given these complexities, this topic has become essential knowledge for practicing clinicians. This course uses legal case studies, and hypothetical situations to highlight the critical nuanced knowledge needed to manage mandatory reporting requirements.

This course qualifies as an ethics course.

“Very informative. Very engaging. I really enjoyed the presenter and his attention to questions throughout the presentation. Clarified existing knowledge about mandatory reporting laws.”-Jared B., Licensed Professional Counselor, Alabama

This course will help practitioners who are subject to reporting requirements associated with child abuse, elder abuse, spouse abuse, and duty to warn about violence. Increasingly these requirements ensnarl mental health professionals into difficult ethical dilemmas as they navigate the obligation to maintain confidentiality on the one hand, and meet the expectations of reporting laws on the other.  Several factors are considered, including the variable state laws governing the duty to report, the need to report in a timely fashion, the intricacies of the reporting process (e.g. to whom, containing what information, etc.), and the ongoing concern about adverse consequences to clients and others (including oneself). Given these complexities, this topic has become essential knowledge for practicing clinicians. This course uses legal case studies, and hypothetical situations to highlight the critical nuanced knowledge needed to manage mandatory reporting requirements.

“The instructor clearly has a high level of expertise, presented the material in a well organized, comprehensive, and detailed manner, and maintained my interest throughout.”-Jay F., Psychologist, New Jersey

One in seven people over the age of 70 experiences dementia and another 22% demonstrate symptoms of cognitive decline that falls short of dementia. Those who escape the symptoms of dementia may spend a substantial portion of retirement years caring for a friend or family member with cognitive impairment. The rise of the baby boomer generation is expected bring unprecedented rates of cognitive syndromes like Alzheimer’s disease, yet most mental health professionals have no formal training to work with this vulnerable population. This workshop provides a clinical approach to understanding and assessing these syndromes.

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.

Psychotropic medications are a routine part of mental health treatment, yet psychotherapists are often asked to navigate medication-related conversations without being prescribers themselves. Clients may have questions about how medications work, whether side effects are expected, how long a medication may take to work, or whether medication is helping. Therapists are also uniquely positioned to observe changes in symptoms, functioning, adherence, and behavior over time and to communicate these observations as part of collaborative care.

Psychopharmacology for Psychotherapists provides clinicians with an accessible, clinically relevant foundation in psychopharmacology while maintaining a clear distinction between the roles of prescribing and non-prescribing professionals. Participants will begin by examining the biopsychosocial model and the neurobiological foundations of psychiatric treatment, including neuron structure, neurotransmission, major neurotransmitter systems, and basic principles of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics.

The webinar then translates this science into practical knowledge of commonly used psychotropic medications. Major medication categories—including antidepressants, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, anxiolytics, medications used in ADHD, sleep medications, and medications used in substance use treatment—will be reviewed with attention to mechanisms of action, common indications, side effects, safety considerations, and monitoring needs. Emerging and alternative approaches in mental health treatment will also be introduced.

Most importantly, the webinar focuses on what psychotherapists can do with this knowledge. Participants will explore medication adherence and ambivalence, culturally responsive medication conversations, recognition of clinical red flags, communication with prescribers, measurement-based care, and strategies for integrating psychotherapy with pharmacological treatment. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) principles will illustrate how therapists can help clients respond more flexibly to thoughts, emotions, stigma, and uncertainty surrounding medication while remaining within the psychotherapist's scope of practice.

The goal is not to teach psychotherapists to prescribe. Rather, it is to help clinicians become more informed members of the treatment team and more effective partners to clients navigating mental health treatment.

Psychotropic medications are a routine part of mental health treatment, yet psychotherapists are often asked to navigate medication-related conversations without being prescribers themselves. Clients may have questions about how medications work, whether side effects are expected, how long a medication may take to work, or whether medication is helping. Therapists are also uniquely positioned to observe changes in symptoms, functioning, adherence, and behavior over time and to communicate these observations as part of collaborative care.

Psychopharmacology for Psychotherapists provides clinicians with an accessible, clinically relevant foundation in psychopharmacology while maintaining a clear distinction between the roles of prescribing and non-prescribing professionals. Participants will begin by examining the biopsychosocial model and the neurobiological foundations of psychiatric treatment, including neuron structure, neurotransmission, major neurotransmitter systems, and basic principles of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics.

The webinar then translates this science into practical knowledge of commonly used psychotropic medications. Major medication categories—including antidepressants, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, anxiolytics, medications used in ADHD, sleep medications, and medications used in substance use treatment—will be reviewed with attention to mechanisms of action, common indications, side effects, safety considerations, and monitoring needs. Emerging and alternative approaches in mental health treatment will also be introduced.

Most importantly, the webinar focuses on what psychotherapists can do with this knowledge. Participants will explore medication adherence and ambivalence, culturally responsive medication conversations, recognition of clinical red flags, communication with prescribers, measurement-based care, and strategies for integrating psychotherapy with pharmacological treatment. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) principles will illustrate how therapists can help clients respond more flexibly to thoughts, emotions, stigma, and uncertainty surrounding medication while remaining within the psychotherapist's scope of practice.

The goal is not to teach psychotherapists to prescribe. Rather, it is to help clinicians become more informed members of the treatment team and more effective partners to clients navigating mental health treatment.

“Excellent presentation. Presenter was very knowledgeable and thorough. No improvements needed.”-Bruce G., Counselor, Illinois

The biology of reward has been well-studied and is linked to numerous mental health diagnoses. Researchers identified an anomaly in this reward cascade called Reward Deficiency Syndrome or RDS. This anomaly and its impact on psychotherapy are less evident in psychological literature, yet it provides useful knowledge in one of the most prevalent and challenging of all mental health disorders…addiction. This seminar will help you understand the cascade theory of reward and provide you with working knowledge of RDS. You will be able to talk about how RDS affects the brain, what research has found regarding the impact of RDS, as well as discuss a model of therapy that considers highly this biological aspect of mental illness. The focus of this seminar is biopsychological and psychopharmaocological in nature.

“Excellent presentation. Presenter was very knowledgeable and thorough. No improvements needed.”-Bruce G., Counselor, Illinois

The biology of reward has been well-studied and is linked to numerous mental health diagnoses. Researchers identified an anomaly in this reward cascade called Reward Deficiency Syndrome or RDS. This anomaly and its impact on psychotherapy are less evident in psychological literature, yet it provides useful knowledge in one of the most prevalent and challenging of all mental health disorders…addiction. This seminar will help you understand the cascade theory of reward and provide you with working knowledge of RDS. You will be able to talk about how RDS affects the brain, what research has found regarding the impact of RDS, as well as discuss a model of therapy that considers highly this biological aspect of mental illness. The focus of this seminar is biopsychological and psychopharmaocological in nature.