All Webinars

“I really enjoyed the expertise of the presenter. He had so much useful knowledge to share. The case studies really went deeper into my personal knowledge and helped me to process and analyze situations differently.”-Kristie C., Social Worker, New York

It is essential that that schools and communities know the incidence of school violence and be up to date on the best safety and prevention practices. This presentation will review numerous state and national initiatives that have focused on school safety and the recommendations from a variety of foundations started by parents who lost their in tragic school shootings. Many school shooters died by suicide and this presentation will outline the major theory of murder suicide. The presenter has a wealth of practical experience responding to school crises and participants, whether they are parents, school personnel or community members will learn many lessons from school tragedies and practical strategies to prevent future school violence.

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.

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.

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.

“Dr. Gibson is very knowledgeable and experienced on this topic. She also has a very pleasant, engaging method of teaching. Excellent session!”-Jeffrey T., Social Worker, New York

During a time of unprecedented crisis in the face of a global pandemic, many individuals across the globe are unfortunately impacted by another stressor detrimental to their health: racial trauma. Those who experience racial trauma have feelings of distress that lead them to seek counseling for symptom relief. Psychotherapists are charged with creating safe spaces to help clients heal from such dreadful life occurrences through the use of therapy services. 

The current webinar led by Dr. Lillian Gibson will provide mental health professionals with a practical framework to assess and treat racial trauma. The importance of recognizing both the likenesses and dissimilarities of clients’ and clinicians’ worldviews within the context of treatment will be explained. Participants will learn how to apply culturally-specific approaches when exploring trauma experiences and implement client-centered interventions. 

The on-line training will use a case vignette to guide the presentation and uncover mistakes that can be made when cultural considerations are not utilized. 

Participants will leave the webinar with a clear understanding of racial trauma, an awareness of racial trauma assessment options, the biopsychosocial impacts of trauma, symptom tracking measures, clinical pitfalls to avoid, steps to strengthen a therapeutic alliance, and a list of treatments that may be useful to decrease the effects of racial trauma (when appropriately applied).

“The presentation was great.  The speaker gave great insights. I would have not changed anything about it. I learned different ways to view personality disorders to help better treat them. This will help me better serve individuals who make up this population.”-Nicolas F. Social Worker, Maryland

Personality disorders are a common co-occurring condition in about half of the patients seeking outpatient mental health treatment. While most clinicians regularly see patients with a personality dysfunction, it is not always identified and may complicate treatment. Left untreated, personality disorders place a great burden on health care systems, families and communities. When you are equipped with a basic knowledge of personality disorders and their treatment, you can incorporate strategies to increase effectiveness in reducing therapeutic ruptures and achieve better outcomes. Personality dysfunction complicates and reduces efficacy of first line treatment approaches to clinical syndromes such as anxiety, depression, and addiction, as well as increasing the challenge of working with couples and families. When patients with personality dysfunction are unidentified and untreated, therapist frustration may ensue and lead to unintended therapeutic ruptures and treatment dropouts. Early identification and appropriate treatment reduce susceptibility to addictions and other comorbid disorders. Clinicians who understand and identify personality disorders and possess a cohesive conceptual framework can effectively treat personality dysfunction, optimize treatment and Improve outcomes. This seminar provides you with the foundation necessary for identification, conceptualization, effective management, and treatment of personality dysfunction. 

This course will satisfy your ethics requirement.

“I found it extremely insightful and helpful in my day to day professional life. I wasn't aware of the origins of informed consent and I learned a great deal about case law that formed it.”-Gina F., Social Worker, New York

Informed consent is an essential aspect of all professional services provided by mental health professionals and helps to set the tone for the relationship to follow. While it is a requirement, it also plays a very important role in the treatment relationship and process. Yet, many questions exist about how to appropriately provide informed consent, the details of what should or shouldn’t be included, who should provide informed consent, and how diversity factors may necessitate modifying how we provide informed consent. This webinar will address each of these issues and provide practical guidance on how to meet ethics and legal requirements, and client needs, and how to utilize informed consent to promote a good working relationship with clients, as well as how to utilize it to promote the goals of treatment for our clients. Common pitfalls and dilemmas, practical suggestions and recommendations, and relevant options to consider will each be addressed. Clinical examples will be provided to illustrate key issues to include informed consent with minors, with couples and families, third-party requests for services, and the use of informed consent for the wide range of professional relationships mental health professionals may have.

This course qualifies as an ethics course.

“The information presented in this course will be very helpful with my documentation of psychotherapy and enlightened me about potential risk and legal issues. The presentation was clear and he gave real life examples to illustrate what he was saying. I learned the difference between a supoena and a court order, and specifically what goes into effective documentation of psychotherapy notes."-Claire H., Social Worker, Vermont

This webinar explains the goals and potential benefits of effective clinical documentation as well as the ethical and legal requirements for doing so. Documentation is addressed from a clinical and risk management perspective. Specific recommendations are made for how to document the clinical services provided in a competent and effective manner. Additionally, common pitfalls to avoid are addressed. How to store and maintain records is addressed for both paper and electronic records. Precautions to take to protect and preserve records are described in detail along with how and when to dispose of them. Guidance is provided for following HIPAA and other laws and regulations relevant to documentation and record keeping. Participants in this webinar will receive practical guidance that can be integrated into daily practice to document more effectively, to better achieve the goals of thoughtfully created treatment records, and to meet and exceed professional standards and practice guidelines relevant to documentation and record keeping.

This course qualifies as an ethics course.

“The information was well organized and presented in a clear, interesting manner. It gave me a good opportunity to think about how many different ways I inevitably disclose information about myself to clients; it's not possible to avoid this but I must ensure what I disclose is beneficial to the client.”-Cynthia L., Social Worker, Arkansas

Boundaries and multiple relationships are common occurrences for mental health clinicians. Yet, they may at times be challenging, confusing, and even overwhelming for those who may not know how to effectively manage boundaries and how to determine which multiple relationships are acceptable or appropriate. Taking a rigid and avoidant approach typically can be just as harmful as an overly loose approach. Participants in this webinar will learn a rational, practical, and reality-based approach for addressing and managing boundaries and multiple relationships in clinical practice. The role of a decision-making process and consideration of multiple relevant issues will be addressed and their use in clinical practice will be demonstrated. Clinical examples will be presented and discussed to illustrate the points being made. Participants will learn specific skills and strategies to integrate into their clinical practices on a daily basis.

This course will satisfy your ethics requirement.

“I thought the activity was very engaging, informative, and really organized. I learned a lot about what can and cannot be done and also how to go about doing online counseling ethically.”-Abbee T., Professional Counselor, Louisiana

A wide range of technologies to include the Internet, e-mail, text messaging, social media, Apps, and the like have altered how most individuals communicate with each other, stay connected, and form and maintain relationships, to include in mental health practice. This workshop will provide information about the ethical, legal, and clinical issues relevant to integrating various technologies into our practices. Additionally, common pitfalls and areas where the use of various technologies, to include social media, is contraindicated will be discussed. Research on how various technologies may be effectively integrated into clinical practice to treat a wide range of presenting problems and disorders is reviewed and their implications for our practices is discussed. Guidance on decision-making for when and how to do this is provided to include the provision of clinical services across distances and the use of various technologies to enhance or augment in-person services. Clinical examples are provided to illustrate some of the benefits and challenges of utilizing these technological innovations in clinical practice.

This course will satisfy your ethics requirement.

"Jeff Barnett gave the best Supervision course I have ever taken. It was so comprehensive and concise that a supervision plan could be developed from start to finish from his course. He was calm and organized and linear in his approach. I listened to every word."-Martha H., Social Worker, Arkansas

Clinical supervision is central to the training of every mental health clinician. Ensuring it is conducted in an ethical and effective manner is of great importance for our professions and for the public we serve. This webinar is designed for all health professionals engaged in clinical supervision of trainees in clinical settings. The focus of this webinar is on ethics, legal, and practical aspects of clinical supervision. Important issues to be addressed include the supervision contract between supervisor and supervisee; and the supervisor’s responsibilities to the supervisee, to the supervisee’s clients, to the public at large, and to the profession. A developmental perspective on supervision will be presented that focuses on the supervisory process in the face of the supervisee’s evolving training needs. How to balance the at times competing obligations of the role of supervisor (supportive teacher vs evaluator and gatekeeper for the profession) will be addressed. Specific ethical dilemmas and challenges that frequently arise in clinical supervision and legal issues relevant to all supervisors and their supervisees will be discussed. Clinical examples will be presented to stimulate discussion and to help illustrate options for addressing these situations. Strategies for effective clinical supervision will be discussed that can be utilized by all supervisors.