Upcoming Courses

 

 

Young and In Love: Relationship Issues For Young Survivors of Breast Cancer (BRCA) Presents the current psychological theory and empirical evidence relevant to the applied clinical practice among this distinct patient population — young BRCA survivors and their partners. Specific relationship issues relevant to young BRCA survivors and their partners (e.g., sexuality; infertility; communication with young children) are identified. Techniques and skills to improve patient/partner adjustment (e.g., communication facilitation; practice of stress and pain management; revision of the marriage "contract" and "sexual script" are reviewed.

 

CLINICAL INTERVENTIONS

 

Harm Reduction Therapy: An Evidence-Based, Humane Approach to Treating Patients with Co-occurring Substance Use and Mental Health Problems Harm Reduction Therapy (HRT) is a pragmatic, humane, respectful approach to working with substance users that has emerged over the past 15 years. Based on research on the effective ingredients of psychotherapy and behavior change, HRT makes extensive use of the therapeutic relationship to help patients with co-occurring disorders make healthy changes. This course will cover the basic philosophy and techniques of HRT and will present extensive case material demonstrating how HRT works in practice.

Imagery in Medicine and Psychology The concept of imagery and its medicinal uses date back to the origins of Western Medicine (e.g., Asclepius, Aristotle, Hippocrates, and Galen) and psychology. However, with the advent of Behaviorism in American psychology, the study of imagery declined significantly, but began to re-emerge in the 1960’s. This resurgence in Imagery’s popularity and use continues to grow among health-related disciplines (i.e., researchers, clinicians) and across disease models. This course discusses Imagery as (1) a phenomenon or process in its various forms, and (2) as a vital element in numerous therapeutic techniques – whose labels may or may not contain the term “imagery” (e.g., guided imagery, hypnosis, and meditation). Imagery-related techniques, the differences between them, their utilization in health care and any supporting efficacy research will be presented. Theories about the relationship of imagery to physiological change, healing and the immune system will also be discussed.

Practice of Positive Psychology: Theory and Application in Behavioral Medicine Positive psychology is a relatively recent scientific enterprise with the central objective of understanding and facilitating happiness and subjective well being and studying predictive factors that influence such states. This course provides a comprehensive overview of the various constructs associated with positive psychology along with their underlying background and theory. The assessment of positive emotions, character strengths, and meaning will be presented. The application of these constructs at the subjective, individual, and group level will be addressed and the rationale for why positive psychology interventions are efficacious in medical/health care settings will be examined.

Promoting  Sexual Health Among Young Adults: Getting Past the Stigmas of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) Even today, sexual health remains a sensitive, personal, and relatively taboo topic to address, for both patients and health professionals. Not surprisingly, many social stigmas and misinformation have evolved around this topic, perpetuating a climate of confusion and, at times, anxiety. Most importantly, these barriers can impede the effective dissemination of important information regarding "risky" health-related behaviors and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), particularly among sexually active teens and young adults. Mental health professionals can play a vital role in facilitating communication, suppressing stigmas, disseminating accurate information, and promoting realistic expectations and behaviors regarding sexual health- among this at-risk group.  To this end, this course reviews the commonly held beliefs, attitudes and stigmas associated with STIs (e.g., HIV, Herpes Simplex Virus [HSV], Human Papilloma Virus [HPV], Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Trichomoniasis) among sexually active youth and their psychosocial repercussions. Ways to demystify and debunk associated myths and replace them with accurate health-related expectations and goals are addressed.

Stress and Health: Mind - Body Approaches to Disease Prevention and Healing Meditation, yoga and other "mind/body" approaches are more widely turned to today to complement, or as alternative to, western traditional medicine. Such approaches often involve lower costs than standard care and have proven efficacious in the treatment of a variety of diseases (e.g., heart disease, headaches, low-back pain), as well as in the amelioration of treatment-related symptoms (e.g., chemotherapy-related), just to name a few applications. This course summarizes the impact of stress on health and wellness, and presents the current state-of-the-science of mind/body Interventions - including relaxation, meditation, yoga and other energy therapies - as a means to managing stress, preventing disease and promoting health. Research findings from the mind-body literature will be presented and implications for clinical practice will be considered.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY

 

HIV, Substance Use, and Health-Related Disparities: Building Cultural Competence in Working with Transgender Individuals The term ‘transgender’ applies to a range of diverse individuals whose gender identity and/or gender expression is not concordant with the gender they were assigned at birth. Some transgender people seek hormonal and/or surgical intervention, while others do not. Transgender people face multiple social and institutional barriers to competent mental and physical healthcare in addition to life challenges that often contribute to substance abuse and HIV risk behaviors. Healthcare providers who work with transgender people often express the desire to treat their patients with competence and respect, but also acknowledge frustration with the lack of information and resources available to inform their practice and expand their awareness of this highly varied population. This course provides an introduction to the range of gender expressions and experiences providers may encounter in their practice along with treatment guidelines and ways to address the multiple barriers that transgender people often encounter in their search for culturally competent care. An overview of substance use and HIV prevalence and risk behaviors in transgender communities will be provided, along with risk reduction strategies and recommendations for enhancing quality of care for transgender clients.

 

 

 

 

Effective Therapy Techniques for Use with Persons Diagnosed with Autism and Other Intellectual/Developmental Disorders and Their Families The number of persons diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disorders (IDD) is steadily increasing, largely due to the rising notoriety of Autism Spectrum Disorders, which fall within the IDD category. There are many maladaptive behaviors associated with IDDs that are routinely treated with evidence-based behavior management techniques. Additionally, the families of persons diagnosed with IDD likely benefit from Family Therapy methods. The purpose of this course is to provide practitioners an understanding of how these 2 modalities, along with psychoeducation, can prove beneficial within this population.  After reviewing basic defintions, in-depth, practical applications of evidenced-based behavior management, psychoeducation, and family therapy techniques for families dealing with intellectual and developmental disorders are presented.