Psychopathology and Diagnosis

“This was a great webinar. The presenter shared content in an organized, yet interactive manner. The tools taught were very practical. Great presenter and would be awesome to teach future webinars.”-K.W., Social Worker, North Carolina

A high percentage of mental health clients have experienced some sort of trauma in their childhoods. That’s why it’s so important that we as clinicians use a treatment that is proven to work. This seminar will present an overview of child trauma and the evidence-based child treatment, Trauma Focused- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Attendees will gain an overview of child trauma, review the definition of child abuse and discuss the common affective, behavioral and cognitive reactions that children have to trauma. Then an overview of Trauma- Focused CBT will be given, including the specific components, real life examples of activities used and the evidence for why this approach works. At the end attendees will be provided with the next step to get certified in TF-CBT. Please note, this is an introduction overview course of a child focused treatment.

The relationship between trauma and addiction is becoming increasingly well established in the literature. This is no surprise, as clinicians working “in the trenches” know all too well that people with unresolved trauma and emotional wounds often turn to substances as a way to “numb out,” forget, or otherwise self-medicate to regulate their emotions. Conversely, people with addictive behavior disorders may drive while impaired, gravitate towards toxic relationships, go to dangerous places to get their substance of choice, or engage in many other behaviours that increase their risk of being traumatized and their vulnerability factors for developing PTSD or other trauma and stress related disorders.  It is also known that when cooccurrence is involved, this presents clinicians with a more complicated course of treatment and less favorable treatment outcomes that when clients present with only one or the other.
 

The good news is, there is hope! While neuroscience has taught us much about this phenomenon in recent years, evidence-based Cognitively based treatments are still being shown to  be at least as effective as many “newer” approaches, and in some circles seem to have almost gotten lost in the shuffle. 

Recent protocols have attempted to incorporate PE (prolonged exposure) and other cognitive behavioral treatments with substance use disorder treatments. While further research is needed in this area, the mandate for integration of treatments when dealing with this population seems integral to obtain more favorable outcomes for individuals with these complex conceptualizations.
 

Leave this full-day online training let by international CBT expert Jeff Riggenbach, PhD, with an improved understanding of the neuroscience of trauma, a integrated approach to treating PTSD and addictions, and armed with a plethora of evidence-based, yet practical new tools to equip and empower this group to find levels of recovery that have previously been eluding them!

The clinical interview is a critical component in any intake process for therapy, counseling or coaching. Additionally, the interview should be a standard component of any evaluation process. A comprehensive interview can provide a wealth of information necessary to best evaluate, understand and/or work with a client/patient. Surprisingly, this valuable component does not appear to be adequate taught in many graduate programs. The variability of the quality and depth of interviews that this presenter has reviewed is both unfortunate and easily correctable.
 

This seminar will provide you the framework necessary to conduct a comprehensive clinical interview. You will learn the important areas to cover during this seminar. You will be able to historically track the major areas of psychological functioning throughout the interviewee’s life. You will be able to understand the unique strengths and weaknesses of the interviewee. You will be able to make an appropriate diagnosis. You will be able to use all of the information gathered to help create a treatment/counseling/coaching plan with the interviewee.

“This was my favorite webinar. I learned the most about myself as a therapist and a great deal about the borderline elicitation of counter transference. This webinar was a revival of things I learned in graduate school and that I needed a refresher course in.”-Jane K., Social Worker, New York

Recent research suggests that the therapeutic alliance and the ability to heal ruptures in the therapeutic relationship are key elements of successful treatment for individuals with personality disorders.  Yet, these patients tend to stimulate strong countertransference reactions that can derail the treatment.  This seminar elucidates common countertransference reactions to each of the personality disorders.  There is also discussion about how to manage these reactions and to use them to better understand the patient and thus, provide better care.

When we joined the ranks of helping professionals, one of the last things that probably crossed our minds was what, if any, risk we would face in our careers. Would our forensic patient who had killed their parents ever corner us in a room and try to assault us? Would our inpatient teenager ever cyber-stalk us online? Would our outpatient client ever try to kill us in our office? Daunting questions to think about; however, these are the very questions that we should be addressing while also helping our client population in need. This course looks back over the past decades to review where mental health treatment has come and what about those shifts may contribute to our vulnerability in our professions; it helps identify the vulnerabilities we should be addressing; and it offers suggestions of actions we can take to protect our work, our clients, our livelihood, and our lives. In addition to receiving the training and education we need to make us the best helping professionals we can be, we also need training such as this to help protect ourselves from any harm that could come in the course of our work.

“Dr. Hannan was extremely informative, knowledgeable, and easy to listen to. His clinical examples enhanced the learning experience. Great presentation. I learned techniques on how to effectively engage in a therapeutic relationship with a BPD patient.-Shayna S., Professional Counselor, Illinois

This seminar will talk about the All-or-None Phenomenon in Borderline Personality (BPD), looking at it from both a psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral perspective.  The talk will define the All-or-None Phenomenon, as well as providing clinical examples.  It will also look at the reactions this elicits in treating professionals.  You will leave this webinar will techniques that are useful in helping patients who suffer from BPD.

A review of the DSM across the decades reveals a complicated history of the inclusion and exclusion of grief-related emotional difficulties for bereft clients. Starting with the DSM-III, uncomplicated bereavement was introduced as a condition that may be the focus of clinical attention. As research on complicated grief progressed, changes in subsequent DSMs has led to controversy, extended research, and, eventually, the inclusion of prolonged grief disorder in the release of the DSM-5-TR in March 2022. This 3 hour presentation explores the history of how bereavement has been addressed in previous and current DSMs and the ICD, an examination of the bereavement exclusion in major depressive disorder and adjustment disorder, the development and inclusion of persistent complex bereavement disorder in the DSM-5, and the diagnostic criteria for prolonged grief disorder in the DSM-5-TR and the ICD-11. Additionally, the presentation will explore differential diagnosing so the practitioner will be skilled in making sound clinical judgment in treatment planning. 

Who we are as sexual beings carries profound personal and interpersonal meaning for each of us. Research consistently demonstrates that for most people, sexual satisfaction is a critical component of relationship and life satisfaction. Yet as important as sex can be, sexual concerns are strikingly common, even among non-clinical populations. Most therapists feel they’ve been inadequately trained to address sexual issues with their clients. This talk offers actionable advice for general therapists treating sexual dysfunction in men and women, with a focus on heterosexual relationship dynamics.

“Fantastic webinar. Dr. Paquette was very knowledgeable, very personable, and open with comments and questions. He maintained my interest, and had great examples for explanation.”-Marilyn H., Counselor, Mississippi

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective forms of psychotherapy, a gold standard treatment that can be applied to a wide range of psychological disorders. With hundreds of randomize controls trials to demonstrate its impact, cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to be one of the most efficacious and well-validated forms of treatment within the mental health community. However, many clinicians struggle to effectively implement it a powerful way with their clients. Join clinical psychologist, author, and international speaker Jonah Paquette for an exciting hands-on workshop aimed to help bring your knowledge and skills related to CBT to the next level. Complete with over 50 techniques aimed towards changing thoughts and behaviors, this workshop can transform your practice.

This seminar will provide you with a deeper understanding of how CBT can be applied to a wide range of problems, and will help you master the core competencies of CBT treatment. In addition, attendees will be provided with powerful, practical, and easy-to-use tools that you can use in your clinical practice starting right away. Through didactic presentation, hands-on practice, and opportunities for reflection, you’ll learn how to expertly apply these approaches into your life and your clinical work. You’ll leave equipped to improve your clinical skills and achieve better therapeutic outcomes with even your most challenging clients.

Personality disordered individuals are often considered to be some of the most difficult consumers of mental health services for psychologists and others mental health clinicians to treat effectively. Clearing the fog surrounding the different conditions and getting to the core of each individual client makeup is vital to successful treatment outcome. Drawing from the most recent literature, outcome trials, case studies and 20 years of clinical experience, Jeff Riggenbach, PhD will describe the latest evidence based treatment options and show you how to avoid common pitfalls and therapeutic traps of these individuals who often leave clinicians feeling frustrated, stuck, and disheartened. In this full day virtual training, Jeff will describe each of the DSM-5 personality disorders and give you simple but effective engagement, management, and treatment techniques for each. Empirically supported strategies from DBT, CBT, and Schema Therapy will be incorporated into an integrated treatment approach that will transform the way your work with this challenging population. You will leave this conference feeling revitalized - equipped with a new, comprehensive, empowering approach to assess, conceptualize, and treat this difficult population in a way that offers hope for patients and reinvigoration for providers.

Personality disordered individuals are often considered to be some of the most difficult consumers of mental health services for psychologists and others mental health clinicians to treat effectively. Clearing the fog surrounding the different conditions and getting to the core of each individual client makeup is vital to successful treatment outcome. Drawing from the most recent literature, outcome trials, case studies and 20 years of clinical experience, Jeff Riggenbach, PhD will describe the latest evidence based treatment options and show you how to avoid common pitfalls and therapeutic traps of these individuals who often leave clinicians feeling frustrated, stuck, and disheartened. In this full day virtual training, Jeff will describe each of the DSM-5 personality disorders and give you simple but effective engagement, management, and treatment techniques for each. Empirically supported strategies from DBT, CBT, and Schema Therapy will be incorporated into an integrated treatment approach that will transform the way your work with this challenging population. You will leave this conference feeling revitalized - equipped with a new, comprehensive, empowering approach to assess, conceptualize, and treat this difficult population in a way that offers hope for patients and reinvigoration for providers.

“Dr. Satir was excellent. She kept my interest and is obviously very knowledgeable and experienced. I learned a lot about how to deal with eating disorders.”-Richard H., Psychologist, Colorado

This training will offer the opportunity to learn about the diagnosis, assessment, theory, and treatment of eating, weight and shape disorders. While working with clients with eating disorders (EDs) can present unique challenges, we will explore the perception/stigma that these clients are notoriously difficult to treat. We will focus on the importance of integrative treatments, and the role of behavioral, symptom focused techniques in addition to psychodynamic approaches that explore underlying characterological and developmental issues. This training will also consider potential challenges clinicians may face when working with clients with eating disorders and how to cope with feelings that may arise when working with this population.

“This was my favorite webinar. I learned the most about myself as a therapist and a great deal about the borderline elicitation of counter transference. This webinar was a revival of things I learned in graduate school and that I needed a refresher course in.”-Jane K., Social Worker, New York

Recent research suggests that the therapeutic alliance and the ability to heal ruptures in the therapeutic relationship are key elements of successful treatment for individuals with personality disorders.  Yet, these patients tend to stimulate strong countertransference reactions that can derail the treatment.  This seminar elucidates common countertransference reactions to each of the personality disorders.  There is also discussion about how to manage these reactions and to use them to better understand the patient and thus, provide better care.

For many bereaved individuals, faith, religion, and spirituality can prove to be a supportive and comforting resource following the loss of anyone or anything that leaves a sense of deprivation and yearning. However, for some who are grieving, the relationship to their higher power or spiritual community is painfully wounded, leading to the secondary loss of his/her/their spiritual resources, connections, and spiritual crisis.
 

The painful religious and spiritual losses are referred to as complicated spiritual grief (CSG). CSG has been shown to exacerbate the bereavement experience for some religious and spiritually inclined grievers. Clinicians are confronted with religious and spiritual topics in psychotherapy, especially when working with bereft clients. Therefore, knowing how to identify the impact of CSG in the grieving process is imperative. Clinicians will be able to recognize the impact of CSG on the bereaved’s grieving process, increasing skills in conducting a comprehensive clinical assessment and development of effective treatment plans. As a result, grief therapy will more effectively identify and treat all domains of the client’s functioning following or anticipating a loss.

This webinar provides a research and practice update on Alzheimer’s disease, with a focus on (1) new treatments, (2) diagnostic guidelines that rely heavily upon biomarkers and enable asymptomatic detection and diagnosis, and (3) growing prevention science. This workshop will use the 2021 APA Guidelines for the Assessment of Dementia and Age-Related Cognitive Decline as a framework to guide clinicians in navigating these developments and will provide attendees with a broad overview of Alzheimer’s disease and the psychologist’s role in assessment and intervention. The workshop describes an emerging practice opportunity for helping older adult and middle-aged clients to navigate a rapidly changing landscape.

“I was very impressed. The presentation was clear, informative and definitely added to my knowledge base.”-Mary H., Psychologist, New Jersey

Psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia are considered to be among the most debilitating and distressing mental health conditions. Despite impacting approximately 3% of the population, many clinicians lack the training and resources to recognize and best work with this vulnerable group of people, leaving many with psychosis isolated, stigmatized, and without help. Nonetheless, growing evidence suggests that, with tailored early intervention, many people with psychosis can recover from illness and lead a life of their choosing in the community. This seminar will familiarize you with psychosis, emphasizing the early phases of illness. It will then demonstrate strategies for reducing stigma, increasing empathy, and facilitating early identification. I will share screening tools and briefly touch on treatment strategies, as well as provide clinical resources for comprehensive specialty care.

Psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia are considered to be among the most debilitating and distressing mental health conditions. Despite impacting approximately 3% of the population, many clinicians lack the training and resources to recognize and best work with this vulnerable group of people, leaving many with psychosis isolated, stigmatized, and without help. Nonetheless, growing evidence suggests that, with tailored early intervention, many people with psychosis can recover from illness and lead a life of their choosing in the community. This seminar will familiarize you with psychosis, emphasizing the early phases of illness. It will then demonstrate strategies for reducing stigma, increasing empathy, and facilitating early identification. I will share screening tools and briefly touch on treatment strategies, as well as provide clinical resources for comprehensive specialty care.

Accurate diagnosis is critical for treatment planning and documentation of medical necessity. Misdiagnosis is common. Therapists can think more deliberately by using critical thinking and being aware of ways to reduce the likelihood of cognitive biases. You will have a practical, systematic way of making diagnoses using the DSM-5-TR and being aware of questionnaires that can facilitate the gathering of necessary information. Cultural factors will also be considered within the context of the DSM-5-TR. There will be a focus on differential diagnoses in exploring major depressive disorder and PTSD.

“This was a great webinar. The presenter shared content in an organized, yet interactive manner. The tools taught were very practical. Great presenter and would be awesome to teach future webinars.”-K.W., Social Worker, North Carolina

A high percentage of mental health clients have experienced some sort of trauma in their childhoods. That’s why it’s so important that we as clinicians use a treatment that is proven to work. This seminar will present an overview of child trauma and the evidence-based child treatment, Trauma Focused- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Attendees will gain an overview of child trauma, review the definition of child abuse and discuss the common affective, behavioral and cognitive reactions that children have to trauma. Then an overview of Trauma- Focused CBT will be given, including the specific components, real life examples of activities used and the evidence for why this approach works. At the end attendees will be provided with the next step to get certified in TF-CBT. Please note, this is an introduction overview course of a child focused treatment.

Individuals experiencing psychosis can present with debilitating symptoms that negatively impact their quality of life and daily functioning. Despite the mounting evidence for the effectiveness of non-pharmacological treatments for psychosis, many clinicians report feeling ill-equipped to provide such treatment. This webinar will provide you with a foundational understanding of psychological treatments for psychosis, with an emphasis on cognitive-behavioral approaches. You will be introduced to the most cutting-edge treatments for thispopulation and the key mechanisms that make these treatments effective. Finally, strategies for addressing common challenges in treating psychosis will also be discussed. Attendees should leave the webinar with an understanding of the current evidence base for the treatment of psychosis and best outlets for further study.

Self-harm, or non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is most common among adolescents and young adults. Although NSSI typically decreases in late adolescence, this behavior is one of the strongest antecedents of suicide in youth; and those who engage in repetitive NSSI seem to be at high risk for continuing to use dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies, even after discontinuing NSSI. People engage in NSSI for a wide array of reasons (including a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder, or BPD), but usually this involves an inability to manage emotions in some way, making Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) an ideal treatment for this population.

While most mental health clinicians will encounter NSSI at some point, there is still a paucity of research about this behaviour and why it happens; and education programs rarely teach about this behaviour and how to work with clients who are engaging in it. This workshop will help you understand NSSI, factors to consider when assessing and working with clients, and will take a DBT approach to helping clients eliminate this behaviour.

“This may have been the best training overall I have seen in the 30 years of my professional life. If not the best, then clearly in the top five. Dr. Hannan maintained the pace and energy and held my attention for six hours, no mean feat whatsoever. Hats off to him!.”-James B. Counselor, Armed Forces

In this webinar, Keith Hannan, Ph.D will talk about the diagnosis and treatment of disruptive behavior disorder.  He will help you distinguish between benign mischievousness and malignant antisocial behavior.  He will explore the literature on delinquency in girls.  There will be a review of risk assessment.  Information will also be presented on the cognitive style and deficits of delinquent youth.  He will present a model for effective psychotherapeutic intervention.

“Fantastic webinar. Dr. Paquette was very knowledgeable, very personable, and open with comments and questions. He maintained my interest, and had great examples for explanation.”-Marilyn H., Counselor, Mississippi

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective forms of psychotherapy, a gold standard treatment that can be applied to a wide range of psychological disorders. With hundreds of randomize controls trials to demonstrate its impact, cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to be one of the most efficacious and well-validated forms of treatment within the mental health community. However, many clinicians struggle to effectively implement it a powerful way with their clients. Join clinical psychologist, author, and international speaker Jonah Paquette for an exciting hands-on workshop aimed to help bring your knowledge and skills related to CBT to the next level. Complete with over 50 techniques aimed towards changing thoughts and behaviors, this workshop can transform your practice.

This seminar will provide you with a deeper understanding of how CBT can be applied to a wide range of problems, and will help you master the core competencies of CBT treatment. In addition, attendees will be provided with powerful, practical, and easy-to-use tools that you can use in your clinical practice starting right away. Through didactic presentation, hands-on practice, and opportunities for reflection, you’ll learn how to expertly apply these approaches into your life and your clinical work. You’ll leave equipped to improve your clinical skills and achieve better therapeutic outcomes with even your most challenging clients.

When we joined the ranks of helping professionals, one of the last things that probably crossed our minds was what, if any, risk we would face in our careers. Would our forensic patient who had killed their parents ever corner us in a room and try to assault us? Would our inpatient teenager ever cyber-stalk us online? Would our outpatient client ever try to kill us in our office? Daunting questions to think about; however, these are the very questions that we should be addressing while also helping our client population in need. This course looks back over the past decades to review where mental health treatment has come and what about those shifts may contribute to our vulnerability in our professions; it helps identify the vulnerabilities we should be addressing; and it offers suggestions of actions we can take to protect our work, our clients, our livelihood, and our lives. In addition to receiving the training and education we need to make us the best helping professionals we can be, we also need training such as this to help protect ourselves from any harm that could come in the course of our work.

“This was my favorite webinar. I learned the most about myself as a therapist and a great deal about the borderline elicitation of counter transference. This webinar was a revival of things I learned in graduate school and that I needed a refresher course in.”-Jane K., Social Worker, New York

Recent research suggests that the therapeutic alliance and the ability to heal ruptures in the therapeutic relationship are key elements of successful treatment for individuals with personality disorders.  Yet, these patients tend to stimulate strong countertransference reactions that can derail the treatment.  This seminar elucidates common countertransference reactions to each of the personality disorders.  There is also discussion about how to manage these reactions and to use them to better understand the patient and thus, provide better care.

The clinical interview is a critical component in any intake process for therapy, counseling or coaching. Additionally, the interview should be a standard component of any evaluation process. A comprehensive interview can provide a wealth of information necessary to best evaluate, understand and/or work with a client/patient. Surprisingly, this valuable component does not appear to be adequate taught in many graduate programs. The variability of the quality and depth of interviews that this presenter has reviewed is both unfortunate and easily correctable.
 

This seminar will provide you the framework necessary to conduct a comprehensive clinical interview. You will learn the important areas to cover during this seminar. You will be able to historically track the major areas of psychological functioning throughout the interviewee’s life. You will be able to understand the unique strengths and weaknesses of the interviewee. You will be able to make an appropriate diagnosis. You will be able to use all of the information gathered to help create a treatment/counseling/coaching plan with the interviewee.

“Dr. Hannan was extremely informative, knowledgeable, and easy to listen to. His clinical examples enhanced the learning experience. Great presentation. I learned techniques on how to effectively engage in a therapeutic relationship with a BPD patient.-Shayna S., Professional Counselor, Illinois

This seminar will talk about the All-or-None Phenomenon in Borderline Personality (BPD), looking at it from both a psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral perspective.  The talk will define the All-or-None Phenomenon, as well as providing clinical examples.  It will also look at the reactions this elicits in treating professionals.  You will leave this webinar will techniques that are useful in helping patients who suffer from BPD.

Grief is disenfranchised when a person is denied the right to grieve, does not have the social support essential to adapting to his or her loss, and is deprived of the social validation in order to heal. When the griever is disenfranchised, he or she may withdrawal from others or question his or her own grieving process, may not acknowledge the reality of the loss and its implications, or adapt to the loss in healthy ways. As a result, their grieving process remains private, intensifying the grieving process, which increases the risk of complicated grief. Disenfranchisement comes from several sources, including one’s cultural expectations, expectations of others, professionals who serve in “expert” roles, and even from the griever himself. Since every mental health professional will work with bereaved clients, it is essential that he or she know how to recognize disenfranchisement, understand the impact of disenfranchisement on the griever’s mourning process, learn how to reduce the chance of disenfranchising his or her clients, and provide guidance and interventions for disenfranchised grievers as they navigate through the social interactions that may include unhelpful expectations and judgments. Attendees will engage in didactic lecture, case studies, and videos to meet these goals.