P01 - Harnessing Mindfulness: Tailoring the Practice to the Person
Tuesday, May 17, 2016 | 8:30 am – 10:15 am
Mindfulness-based psychotherapy is the most popular new treatment approach in the last decade—and for good reason. Mental health professionals are enthusiastically discovering that mindfulness practices hold great promise not only for their own personal development, but also as remarkably powerful tools to augment virtually every form of psychotherapy. Mindfulness is not, however, a one-size-fits-all remedy. Techniques need to be tailored to fit the needs of particular individuals. This presentation will explore the core components of mindfulness practices, how they work to alleviate psychological distress, and how they can be creatively adapted to meet the needs of diverse people and conditions.
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Describe the three core components of mindfulness
- Identify the three essential skills that mindfulness practices develop
- Describe the principle clinical decisions involved in tailoring mindfulness practices to fit the needs of particular clients with particular disorders
Tuesday, May 17, 2016 | 10:45 am – 12:15 pm
What do we look for in a psychotherapist? When we are in pain, the answer probably isn’t academic knowledge or training. Rather, we hope that our therapist will be wise—have a deep understanding of how to live life—and compassionate—able to supportively enter into our suffering with us. This workshop will explore how wisdom and compassion can be cultivated in therapy, for both the therapist and the client. We’ll explore how to foster psychological insight, spiritual awakening, self-knowledge, cognitive flexibility, empathy, and caring action. We’ll see how to use mindfulness practice to become wiser and more compassionate ourselves, and in the process enhance our therapeutic relationships, prevent burnout, and deal skillfully with seemingly impossible situations.
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Describe the core components of wisdom and how it can be developed in psychotherapy
- Identify various dimensions of compassion and understand how it can be cultivated in therapeutic relationships
- Describe ways to help clients cultivate wisdom and compassion in their lives
W02 - Weapons of Mass Self-Destruction: Helping Recovering Clients Eliminate Self-Defeating Behaviors
Tuesday, May 17, 2016 | 10:45 am – 12:15 pm
This workshop will focus on identifying and eliminating behaviors that cause defeat and harm to people. Many “self-defeating” behaviors often are behaviors that once helped a person survive a crisis. Once the crisis is over, the behaviors--even though no longer needed--are maintained. Instead of helping the person, they now cause harm by limiting the potential to develop healthy behaviors. Some examples of self-defeating behaviors include procrastination, defensiveness, perfectionism, under-achievement, isolating yourself, taking too much control in relationships, workaholism, and so on. Using a cognitive behavioral approach, eliminating self-defeating behaviors and replacing them with life enhancing skills will be the goal of the workshop.
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Identify why and how self-defeating behaviors are developed and maintained
- Describe the techniques in eliminating these behaviors and replacing them with life enhancing skills
- Discuss the irrational fears that prompt self-defeating choices
- Understand the implications for self-defeating theory and appropriateness for those who have survived crisis situations or families
Tuesday, May 17, 2016 | 10:45 am – 12:15 pm
This didactic workshop will offer information, insights, and clinical vignettes on process addictions. Roseann Rook will present the criteria for a process addiction in direct reference to the DSM 5 criteria for Substance Use Disorder. The importance of integrated treatment will be discussed since process addictions often co-occur with or emerge during the eating disorder recovery process. Additionally, the presentation will address the underlying trauma often associated with process addictions and the impact trauma has on the development of an eating disorder. The benefits of group psychotherapy and the 12 step fellowship in recovery from process addictions will be introduced.
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Identify the similarities between all addictive behaviors and process addictions.
- Understand the impact of underlying issues, including trauma, has on process addictions.
- Recognize the importance of treating process addictions concurrently with eating disorders.
Tuesday, May 17, 2016 | 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Clinicians face multiple and ever-changing challenges as they guide their clients to sober lives. However, when “in the trenches” it can be easy to focus on only one aspect of wellness—a substance-free life. Clients will have better outcomes, and clinicians will feel more empowered, when a more holistic treatment plan is presented, with an emphasis on the potential to change. Join Harvard-educated behavioral healthcare and human development guru Paul Auchterlonie as he explores how to focus on clients’ potential for change and include educational and life planning in developing comprehensive strategies for engaging clients in meaningful lifestyle change.
Upon attending this session, attendees will be able to:
- Evaluate clients appropriately for holistic care strategies
- Incorporate educational and life planning into substance use treatment planning
- Understand how personal life planning impacts client care techniques
Tuesday, May 17, 2016 | 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Mindfulness is being touted lately as the cure of everything that ails us as human beings. How can a simple set of practices possibly help with so many psychological disorders? This presentation will examine the common factors in psychological difficulties, and explore how mindfulness practices can help us with two of the most common: anxiety and depression. You’ll learn practical mindfulness-based exercises that can be integrated with a wide range of therapeutic approaches to help resolve these disorders.
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Identify the common elements in anxiety, depression, and other psychological disorders
- Describe the use of “stepping into fear” and related mindfulness practices to work with anxiety
- Describe the use of mindfulness to enhance and enliven moment-to-moment experience, thereby challenging depressive postures
Tuesday, May 17, 2016 | 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Living with an addicted person is not a spectator sport. To one extent or another, addiction affects the entire family, regardless of whether it is a parent or adolescent family member who is addicted. Using a systems perspective and a strength-based model, this workshop will focus on the impact of addiction on the family, strategies for individual and family intervention, and suggestions to facilitate family transitions and recovery. Additional topics will include: using family rituals to facilitate change; helping family members to utilize emotional, social, and moral intelligences to encourage recovery; developing a family continuing care plan; and an appreciation for gender differences in the addiction process and in recovery.
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Analyze the role of neuro-science in the addiction process
- Identify a family systems model and how it applies to addiction in the family
- Analyze the reasons for why addicted families are not all the same
- Apply techniques for change in the addicted family at the individual and family levels using resilience and a strength-based model
- Illustrate intervention and developing a continuing care plan for families impacted by addiction
- Analyze the use of emotional, social and moral intelligences as protective factors while exposed to addiction and how they can be applied in recovery
Tuesday, May 17, 2016 | 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
This presentation will explore how perception is a powerful and often personal experience to each individual. Where a group of people can witness the same event yet have a totally different experience, interpretation and understanding of the event. Much like the lens of a camera, the individual has a lens with which they view the world, a lens that filters the information one encounters. For the trauma survivor this lens may have a series of deep scratches, smudges and all around distortions. In addition, this presentation will look at the way trauma, addiction and other self-destructive behaviors shape the lens with which a client views the world and interacts with it.
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Identify the impact trauma can have on an individual’s perception of the world.and recognize how addiction is often a symptom of trauma.
- Explain how an individual’s addiction can often create a repetition and reinforcement of their trauma.
- Assess the "broken lens" and how a history of addiction and trauma can distort an individual’s perception of the world and impair their ability to connect.
- Identify some of the interventions used by The Refuge to treat trauma and addiction and repair the broken lens
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Wednesday, May 18, 2016 | 8:30 am – 10:00 am
Complex trauma refers to the effects of multiple traumas, often starting in childhood, over the lifespan. These often include disturbed relational schema, posttraumatic stress, and affect dysregulation. This keynote will describe three developments in the field that are especially helpful in treating complex trauma effects: titrated exposure, affect regulation training, and mindfulness skills development. It will also discuss the specific and essential role of the therapeutic relationship in working with early relational traumas.
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Define complex, as opposed to “simple” trauma
- Describe the process of titrated exposure to trauma memories
- List two techniques that can be used to increase affect regulation and tolerance
Wednesday, May 18, 2016 | 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Based on recent research on the effectiveness of mindfulness training for a range of psychological symptoms and difficulties, this workshop will provide specific information on how to use mindfulness-based interventions for traumatized people. Information also will be presented on ways in which therapist mindfulness can decrease countertransference and vicarious traumatization.
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Define metacognitive awareness
- Describe “urge surfing”
- Outline the central aspects of mindfulness-based trauma processing
Wednesday, May 18, 2016 | 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Often getting sober is not enough. Leaving the wretched prison of active addiction is awesome and liberating but the traditional approach to treating addiction is far from perfect. Relapse rates are too high both during and soon after treatment. There are problems in the way addiction treatment is delivered today. Positive Recovery® (PR®) is a novel approach to treating addiction, developed by Dr. Jason Powers, which incorporates existing evidence-based modalities such as CBT, shame resilience (Daring Way) and 12-Step Facilitation and combines them with research from positive psychology, (aka, the science of well-being), to empower those struggling with addiction to beat the odds and thrive in recovery.
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Gain insight into, and appreciate the application of, positive psychology & PR®
- Understand--and appreciate the application of--resilience, especially shame resilience
- Experience one positive intervention that you can take back with you in your life (at work, home, or play)
W08 - Perfect Daughters & Silent Sons: Appreciating Gender Differences in Adult Children of Alcoholics & Familial Dysfunction in Treatment & Recovery
Wednesday, May 18, 2016 | 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
This workshop will focus on developing an appreciation for gender differences on adult sons and daughters of alcoholics and drug addicts. Additionally, it will focus on how dysfunctional families impact gender development and, in turn, to assess how this development affects personal change for women and men. This workshop will not treat women and men from dysfunctional families as victims, but rather as survivors and will concentrate on strengths found in those from dysfunctional families regardless of adverse conditions. An internal and external model for intervention and treatment will be presented.
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Identify differences and similarities of the impact of familial addiction on sons and daughters
- Differentiate the impact of addicted mothers and addicted fathers on daughters and sons
- Describe internal and external models of intervention and recovery for adult daughters and sons of addicted parents
Wednesday, May 18, 2016 | 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Moderator:
Doug Edwards
Panel:
This panel will discuss mindfulness-based interventions and modalities that have been shown to have utility in the treatment of medical, mental health and addictive disorders. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy are evidence-based and widely employed interventions that assist individuals in managing physical and mental health symptoms. Mindfulness-based interventions in addiction treatment and long-term recovery management are key, join your colleagues for this thought provoking panel.
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Recite mindfulness-based interventions and modalities to help in utility of treatments
- Gain knowledge on Cognitive Therapy interventions
- Gain knowledge on stress reduction techniques from panelists learning their different techniques and views
Wednesday, May 18, 2016 | 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
A common difficulty for many trauma survivors is the tendency to engage in dysfunctional avoidance behaviors (e.g., self-injury, “impulsive” sexual or aggressive behavior) or “acting out” in response to triggered memories. This workshop will describe how triggering specifically occurs, the subsequent imbalance between emotional activation and affect dysregulation, and the role of tension reduction behaviors. Interventions specifically useful for such individuals will be explored.
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- List two types of tension-reduction behaviors
- Outline the central aspects of trigger identification and intervention
- Describe mindful breath training
Wednesday, May 18, 2016 | 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
A fundamental principle of Buddhist psychology, on which Contemplative Psychotherapy is based, is that in order to work skillfully with others, we need to begin with ourselves. Through practices of mindfulness-awareness meditation, we “make friends with ourselves,” and develop the confidence that we can accommodate any experience which arises within us. This, in turn, allows us to be fully present with our clients. Without such confidence, we might inadvertently steer our clients away from feelings and topics which we ourselves are reluctant to experience. In this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to practice mindfulness-awareness practices including sitting meditation and “mindful wandering.” In addition, practices which cultivate “maitri” and self-compassion will be introduced.
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Practice and instruct clients in the “mindful wandering” exercise
- Define and practice “maitri”
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Thursday, May 19, 2016 | 8:30 am – 10:00 am
Conventional Western therapy can benefit from incorporating the Eastern approaches to wellbeing. Specifically, employing an acceptance strategy, rather than a change strategy, and using mindfulness can make treatment more effective. This workshop will present a comparison of Eastern and Western approaches and introduce ways of using mindfulness for the benefit of both the therapist and the client.
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Describe mindfulness in your practice
- Compare and contrast conventional talk therapy with mindfulness
- Explain and use an acceptance strategy in treatment
- Integrate mindfulness and acceptance in your personal and professional work
Thursday, May 19, 2016 | 10:15 am – 11:45 am
In this session, Dr. Ross will explain a dissociative structural model of psychological trauma. The model unifies a wide range of comorbid symptoms into a single process that requires a single, integrated treatment plan. Diagnoses unified within the model include PTSD, dissociative disorders, borderline personality disorder, somatization disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, impulse control disorder and some forms of schizophrenia.
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Explain the basic logic of the dissociative structural model of mental disorders
- Describe how the model accounts for a wide range of comorbid symptoms common in trauma survivors
- Explore the differences between treatment within this model and conventional treatment plans
Thursday, May 19, 2016 | 12:45 pm – 2:15 pm
Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental health problem. These disorders tend to be chronic, causing the sufferer to abandon hope for a cure and resort to medications for symptom relief. Conventional therapy has offered minimal relief for these persistent conditions. This workshop will present a different perspective on anxiety and an alternative approach to treatment based on mindful acceptance. Anxiety is presented as similar to an addiction in its excessiveness, repetitiveness, and loss of and craving for control. Anxiety is like a stimulant drug that excites, numbs, and possesses. The Twelve Steps of A.A., which have offered many with a variety of addictions hope of recovery, will be explained as a framework of recovery for those suffering fear and anxiety. The Steps propose a common sense way of transforming the habit of anxious reacting to conscious value-directed responding.
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Appreciate the addictive quality of anxiety as a stimulant drug
- Learn how to apply the wisdom of the Twelve Steps to treating those with anxiety
- Learn methods to help clients change their relationship with their anxiety and find relief
Thursday, May 19, 2016 | 12:45 pm – 2:15 pm
In this workshop Dr. Ross will explain three principles of Trauma Model Therapy (TMT): the problem is not the problem, just say ‘no’ to drugs, and addiction is the opposite of desensitization. This talk follows on from Dr. Ross’ earlier talk on treating depression and BPD but participants can attend either or both sessions. These principles of TMT are fundamental to the treatment of substance abuse within the model. The problem is not the problem summarizes the systems principle from family therapy: that the presenting problem is actually the solution to some problem in the background, which is true of substance abuse and other addictions. With TMT, the main treatment focus is on the problem in the background: once it is solved, it is much easier to maintain sobriety. Just say ‘no’ to drugs summarizes the choice aspects of recovery and the need to make a serious commitment to recovery. Addiction is the opposite of desensitization summarizes the principle that substance abuse is basically an avoidance strategy: once the addict says ‘no’ to the drug, and faces the underlying conflicts and feelings, the work of desensitization to those feelings and building healthy coping strategies is underway. Treatment strategies will be woven into the talk.
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Identify three components of Trauma Model Therapy (TMT): the problem is not the problem; just say ‘no’ to drugs; and addiction is the opposite of desensitization
- Explain how the problem is not the problem, just say ‘no’ to drugs and addiction is the opposite of desensitization guide substance abuse treatment
- Describe several treatment strategies for substance abuse within TMT
Thursday, May 19, 2016 | 12:45 pm – 2:15 pm
As therapists we aspire to treat all of our clients with skill and compassion. Despite our good intentions, sometimes it is difficult to find the experience of compassion within ourselves toward some of our clients. In this workshop, we will draw on traditional Buddhist practices for cultivating “bodhichitta” or “awakened heart.” These practices are designed to help us uncover our natural loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. Tuning into these natural capacities lets show up more fully with our clients and allows us to be more skillful in responding to them. In addition, an exercise called The Empty Mirror, provides an opportunity for participants to explore experientially what makes it difficult to feel their natural compassion with some clients and perhaps discover some softening toward them. The workshop will include guided contemplations and interactive exercises.
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Engage in one or more practices to cultivate “awakened heart”
- Use the Empty Mirror exercise as a method of self-exploration
- Use both bodhichitta practices and the Empty Mirror as methods of supervision with oneself and with supervisees
Thursday, May 19, 2016 | 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Mood disorders are common and persistent in our fast-paced society. These disorders tend to be relapsing, causing the sufferer to abandon hope for a cure and resort to medications or substances for symptom relief. Conventional therapy has offered minimal relief for these persistent conditions. This workshop will present a different perspective on depression and an alternative approach to treatment based on mindful acceptance. Depressive moods are presented as similar to an addiction in its excessiveness, repetitiveness, and loss of and craving for control. Depression can be like a sedative-hypnotic drug that numbs and possesses. The Twelve Steps of A.A., which have offered many with a variety of addictions hope of recovery, will be explained as a framework of recovery for those suffering depression. The Steps propose a common sense way of transforming the habit of depressive reacting to conscious value-directed responding.
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Appreciate the addictive quality of depression as a sedative-hypnotic drug
- Learn how to apply the wisdom of the Twelve Steps to treating those with mood disorders
- Learn methods to help clients change their relationship with their moods and find relief
Thursday, May 19, 2016 | 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm
In this workshop, Dr. Ross will explain two of the core principles of Trauma Model Therapy (TMT): the problem of attachment to the perpetrator and the locus of control shift. These are fundamental to the treatment of depression and BPD within TMT. Within the model, both BPD and depression are understandable reactions to childhood physical, sexual and emotional abuse in which the primary perpetrators are also the primary caretakers. Depression follows naturally from the dilemma of the small child who is sad, lost and lonely, and is reinforced by the self-blame and self-hatred that accompany the locus of control shift. The dynamics of BPD are the logical, understandable consequences of the problem of attachment to the perpetrator: secure attachment was impossible to attain with parents who were both caretakers and perpetrators. Treatment strategies will be woven into the talk. This talk precedes Dr. Ross’ later talk on treating substance abuse: participants can attend either or both sessions.
Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Identify two core components of Trauma Model Therapy (TMT): the problem of attachment to the perpetrator and the locus of control shift
- Explain how the problem of attachment to the perpetrator and the locus of control shift explain both depression and BPD
- Describe several treatment strategies for depression and BPD within TMT
