Full Course Description

Bipolar Disorders: Essentials for Clinical Practice

Program Information

Objectives

Contrast categorical (DSM-5) and dimensional (spectrum) approaches to unipolar and bipolar disorders, and mixed states. Synthesize these views in assessment of patients’ mood symptoms.
Utilize up-to-date instruments for identifying bipolarity, including the Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale, Bipolarity Index, and MoodCheck.
Compare criteria for PTSD, GAD, and personality disorders with bipolar disorder; and develop a system for managing ambiguous cases, including co-occurrence of two or more of these diagnoses.
Validate patients’ symptoms using recent literature on causes of bipolar disorder: explaining that while bipolar disorders are highly genetic, there is no biological diagnostic test on the horizon. Why?
Integrate elements from 5 bipolar-specific psychotherapies, including sleep rhythm regulation, chronotherapies, light and dark management, online CBT programs, and psychoeducation.
Contrast medications for bipolar depression in terms of their benefits and risks, their value in long-term mood stabilization, and other health effects.
Interpret guidelines regarding use of antidepressants in bipolar disorder, relative to psychotherapeutic and pharmacologic alternatives.

Outline

Diagnosis
- Spectrum and DSM approaches
- What is hypomania?
  - From obvious to subtle to normal human experiences.
  - Using categorical and dimensional approaches simultaneously.
- Non-manic bipolar markers: “How bipolar are you?”
- Family history, age of onset, course of illness, response to treatments.
- Routine assessment to prevent diagnostic confusion
- Efficient screening
  - Beyond the MDQ (Mood Disorders Questionnaire)
  - Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale, Bipolarity Index, MoodCheck
- Making assessment routine in clinical practice
- Bipolar or similar?
  - Anxiety is a bipolar symptom? Mixed States
    - Review from the International Society for Bipolar Disorders
  - Evolution of Mixed states: DSM-3 to DSM-5
    - From non-existence to remote occurrence to high prevalence
  - Differential diagnosis: PTSD, borderline, Generalized Anxiety Disorder
    - Extensive overlap of DSM criteria with Mixed States
    - Anxious depression with trauma history: PTSD or bipolar?
    - How to manage when diagnosis is ambiguous
- What causes bipolar disorder?
  - Helping patients reframe their illness
  - Genetics; gut inflammation; circadian stress; hormonal effects
  - Does trauma cause bipolar disorder?
Treatment
- Psychotherapy for bipolar disorders
  - Common elements of 5 research-tested therapies
  - Chronotherapy: focus on sleep
    - Using light boxes and dawn simulators
    - Dark therapy: simple ways to decrease light exposure
    - Social Rhythm Therapy and bipolar CBT-I
- Pills
  - Treating bipolar depression without antidepressants
    - 3 generics with international agreement
    - Newer medications – expensive, more unknown
  - Anti-cycling/anti-manics that are not antipsychotics
  - Antipsychotics: grouping by efficacy and risk
- Tapering antidepressants
  - The best treatment for bipolar depression?
    - Stop the cycling, stop the depressions
  - Antidepressants can promote cycling (and mixed states)
- Why slow tapers are essential
  - Sample taper schedules for different antidepressants
  - Careful patient education
- Implementing what you’ve learned
  - Immediate steps to change your practice
  - Routine screening
  - Routine patient education
  - Managing diagnostic ambiguity
  - Maximizing non-medication approaches
    - Social Rhythm Therapy, bipolar CBT-I, Dark Therapy
    - Dawn simulators and light boxes
    - Bipolar patient education
- Delivering your help where it’s needed
  - Reaching out to primary care providers
    - A systematic connection?

Target Audience

Counselors
Psychotherapists
Social Workers
Nurses
Psychologists
Case Managers
Addiction Counselors
Therapists
Marriage & Family Therapists
Other Mental Health Professionals

Copyright : 07/16/2019

The 10 Best-Ever Depression Management Techniques: Managing Depression Across the Lifespan

Program Information

Objectives

Utilize the DSM-5® for diagnosing depression, co-morbid disorders, and determine their treatment implications.
Differentiate the neurobiological factors of depression in relation to assessment and treatment planning.
Analyze the role of medications and its relationship with psychotherapeutic interventions for treating depression and co-morbid disorders.
Employ strategies to enhance motivation and mobilize clients with lethargy and low sense of reward.
Apply interventions that stop the damage of chronic stress, workaholism, and burnout.
Construct a model to stop the despair common to the depression of trauma survivors and interrupt self-destructive coping styles.
Use the healing impact of positivity to minimize perfectionism and pessimism by strengthening networks for positive cognition.
Prepare an approach that changes negatively biased attention, mood, cognition and hopeless/helpless style depressed thinking.

Outline

The Diagnosis of Depression, Including DSM-5® Symptoms and Co-morbid Diagnosis

The frequent comorbidity with anxiety disorders
The contribution of personality disorders to complex diagnosis and treatment
Differentiate grief and loss from depression and explore the interaction between them

The Neurobiological Basis of Depression

Endogenous depression
The effects of adult trauma, early childhood adversity, and chronic stress
Physiological problems such as vitamin deficiencies, diabetes, and sleep disorders
The impact of hormones including thyroid, testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone
The principles of neural networking that keep depression in place

Immediate Interventions

The role of lifestyle in causing and treating depression
Sleep
Exercise
Nutrition

The Role of Psychoeducation in Compliance with Treatment

The role of medication as interactive with psychotherapy
Burnout and establishing healthy boundaries

Treatment Goals Overview

Pragmatic view of methods to begin recovery or to manage depression
Clarify the 4 aspects of imbalance that undermine true wellbeing
Apply methods that create balance in the areas of attention, goals, cognition, and affect

CBT Goals

Alter imbalance in attention and change cognitions
Address meta-cognitions
Interrupt rumination

Behavioral Activation Goals

Break out of depression-reinforcing isolation
Shifting attention to positive experience
Utilizing habit formation and the psychology of compounding habits to increase compliance with other interventions

Positive Psychology Goals

Creating access to positive affect
Utilizing realistic hope in balancing affect
Gratitude Practice

Target Audience

Social Workers
Psychologists
Counselors
Marriage and Family Therapist
Case Managers
Addiction Counselors
Therapists
Nurses
Other Mental Health Professionals

Copyright : 10/14/2019

Suicide Assessment and Intervention: Today's Top Challenges for Mental Health Professionals

Program Information

Objectives

Conduct a thorough suicide assessment that includes both risk and protective factors.
Implement clinical techniques to support clients’ ability to self-regulate, problem solve, and communicate their needs.
Develop and monitor realistic safety plans that clients will participate in.
Create accurate and comprehensive documentation of clinical crises to protect all parties involved and minimize liability risks.

Outline

Assessment: Your Comprehensive Guide to Identify Suicidal Risk

Suicide, ideation, plan, means and intent
Why do people kill themselves?
Risk and protective factors
How to identify implicit suicidal intent
Strategies for asking direct questions (even when it’s uncomfortable)
How to engage shut down, withdrawn or resistant clients

Suicide Intervention Strategies: Supporting Clients From “Passive” Ideation to Full-Blown Crisis

Psychological interventions
Problem solving
Emotional regulation
Communication
Pharmacology: Short and long term interventions
Why “no harm” contracts are a dangerous idea (and what to do instead)
When to break client confidentiality
How and when to involve loved ones/caregivers
Hospitalization: Why, when, how
- Clinicians inside the ER: When to admit/planning for home
- After the ER: Limiting the risk
Documentation: Protect your client, protect your license

Other Clinical Considerations

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI)
Relationship between suicide, mental illness and trauma
Tips for managing clinician anxiety around suicidality

Target Audience

Social Workers
Psychologists
Counselors
Teachers
School Administrators
Marriage & Family Therapists
Case Managers
Addiction Counselors
Therapists
Nurses
Other Mental Health Professionals

15 Must-Have Mindfulness Techniques for Clinicians: Skills to Transform Your Treatment Plans for Stress, Depression, Anxiety, Anger, Trauma, Guilt and Shame

Program Information

Objectives

Assess the neurological processes and how mindfulness can to increase client’s motivation.
Determine how mindfulness practices can be used to shift clients to a relaxation response.
Integrate mindfulness interventions into your treatment plans to counter automatic patterns of negative thoughts.
Demonstrate how mindfulness and breathing techniques can be practiced in-session to increase emotion regulation.
Analyze the neurobiology of the traumatized brain and implement grounding techniques and breathing exercises.
Appraise the clinical utility of mindfulness-based therapies in regulating shame and guilt.

Outline

Reduce Stress with Mindful Coping Skills

Educate the client about the impact of stress
Practice makes perfect – transform the stress response
Exercises
- Strengthen awareness of the stress response
- Shifting to relaxation response: cultivate a foundation of groundedness, settledness, and ease
- Mindful transitions
Treatment limitations, risks and research

Manage Depression and Anxiety with Mindfulness Techniques That Work

The downward spiral and the brain’s default mode
Cultivate motivation and action
Witness the anxious mind
Get unstuck from anxious rumination
Exercise:
- Self-regulation practices for anxiety

Mindfulness as the Antidote to Anger

Understand the sources of anger
The body’s anger response
Identify early signs of the anger forest fire
Clarify the practice: What am I trying to remember?
Exercise:
- Rehearsal of the Stop-Breathe-Reflect-Choose practice

Calm the Traumatized Brain

Proceed with caution – avoid retriggering and retraumatizing
Retrain the dysregulated nervous system
Cultivate safety
Exercises:
- Grounding techniques
- Breathing techniques
- Positive visualization

Transform the Inner Critic: Mindfully Deal with Guilt and Shame

Identifying primary core negative belief
Cultivating a healthy and true vision of self
Exercises:
- The protective quality of mantras
- Exercises that promote self-forgiveness

Target Audience

Counselors, Social Workers, Psychologists, Marriage and Family Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Addiction Counselors, Case Managers, Therapists, Nurses, Other Mental Health Professionals