Full Course Description

Practical Psychopharmacology: Application-to-Practice Strategies for Prescribers, Mental Health Clinicians & Nursing Professionals

Keeping up with the latest research, ever-changing treatments and updates in psychopharmacology can be overwhelming. 
 
Decode the complexities of psychopharmacology with award-winning researcher, author and board-certified clinical psychiatric pharmacist, David Dadiomov, PharmD, BCPP.  
 
Designed for healthcare and mental health clinicians – including nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, therapists, psychotherapists, psychologists and more – Dr. Dadiomov takes you beyond psychopharmacologic fundamentals in an easy and non-threatening way.  
 
You’ll get the knowledge you need to know to answer your patients' questions, manage complex side effects, understand medication reactions, and get specific strategies on…  
 
•    Warnings and contraindications for common medications to keep your patients safe 
•    How to give pregnant patients the highest level of care 
•    Disorder specific medication interventions to make treatment easier 
•    Treatment resistant psychiatric conditions, DSM-5-TR updates, and more 
 
Best of all, you’ll get access to case studies you can’t get anywhere else and a comprehensive reference guide so you can quickly apply your knowledge in any clinical or therapeutic setting. 
 
Whether you recommend or write prescriptions… you’ll get lasting treatment strategies you need to stay up to speed on a rapidly changing field to improve your treatment outcomes and protect your license!  

Program Information

Objectives

  1. Address misconceptions relating to psychopharmacology that can impact patient care
  2. Recognize evidence-based medication prescribing strategies to ensure optimal outcomes
  3. Ensure safety of prescribed medications through laboratory, patient assessment, and patient education
  4. Identify best counseling points for patient’s taking mental health medications
  5. Identify common concerns relating to medications for patients with mental health disorders
  6. Improve access to mental health care services 

Outline

Psychopharmacology for nursing professionals

  • Foundational concepts in psychopharmacology 
    • Drug targets
    • Neurotransmitters involved in treatment
  • Differential diagnosis in mental health conditions
    • Substance intoxication or withdrawal
    • Other mental health conditions
    • Other physical health conditions
    • How to screen and rule out other diagnoses
  • Practical Psychopharmacology for Depression Treatment
    • SSRIs
    • SNRIs
    • Atypical Antidepressants
    • New treatments
    • Adverse effects
      • Adverse effects that are applicable to the whole class
      • Specific adverse effect management
    • Efficacy of antidepressants and time course
  • Practical Psychopharmacology for Anxiety Treatment
    • SSRIs
    • SNRIs
    • Benzodiazepines
    • Buspirone
    • Hydroxyzine
  • Practical Psychopharmacology for Schizophrenia Treatment
    • Antipsychotics
      • 1st generation antipsychotics
      • 2nd generation antipsychotics
      • Clozapine
    • Therapeutic drug monitoring
    • Black box warnings
    • Long acting injectable antipsychotics
    • Management of acute agitation
  • Practical Psychopharmacology for Bipolar Disorder Treatment
    • Mood stabilizers
      • Lithium
      • Valproic acid
      • Lamotrigine
      • Carbamazepine
      • Second-generation antipsychotics
    • Therapeutic drug monitoring
    • Black box warnings

Pregnancy/lactation warnings

Target Audience

  • Addiction Counselors
  • Case Managers
  • Counselors
  • Marriage & Family Therapists
  • Nurses
  • Pharmacists
  • Psychologists
  • Social Workers
  • other Mental Health Professionals
  • other health care professionals
  • Physician Assistants
  • Nurse Practitioners

Copyright : 10/10/2022

Advanced Psychopharmacology for Clinicians: Using Psychopharmacology to Understand and Treat Addiction Disorders

Common medications used to treat substance use disorders like naltrexone, naloxone and methadone can be easy to confuse… and hard to understand even for the most seasoned professionals.   
 
And, that’s just the beginning…  Drug testing, poly-substance abuse, and co-occurring mental health problems create more obstacles. 
 
Not only does award-winning researcher, author and board-certified clinical psychiatric pharmacist, David Dadiomov, PharmD, BCPP bring clarity to the latest research on Substance Use Disorders (SUD) and the role antidepressants, antipsychotics, psychedelics can play…  
 
He’ll walk you through specific, easy-to-apply strategies on high-risk prescription opioid use, therapeutic drug monitoring, substance intoxication and withdrawal, treatment-resistant psychiatric conditions and more.  
 
 
Whether you work in direct patient care or allied health settings… you’ll be able to apply his interventions to immediately see improved outcomes for your patients.  
 
You’ll get unique and practical case studies and a simplified, comprehensive guide for medication and non-medication interventions for nearly most SUDs so you can quickly respond to signs of substance-use related emergencies and know how SUDs impact various health conditions… even for your most vulnerable patient populations.   
 
Whether you’re a prescriber or not, you’ll get you need to stay up to speed on a rapidly changing field to improve your treatment outcomes and protect your license!
 

Program Information

Objectives

  1. Identify the principles of harm reduction
  2. Recognize the signs and symptoms of substance intoxication and withdrawal
  3. Understand the diagnosis of substance use disorders
  4. Apply psychopharmacology to the treatment of addiction disorders (opioids, alcohol, stimulants, cannabis)

Outline

Psychopharmacology and Practical Application of Addiction Treatment

  • Psychopharmacology of addiction medications
  • Disparities in addiction treatment for patients
    • Alcohol 
    • Opioids
    • Stimulants
    • Nicotine
  • Strategies to increase treatment access for patients
  • Regulatory considerations for addiction treatment
  • Supporting therapy recommendations
    • Cognitive behavioral therapy
    • Contingency management
  • Harm reduction practices 
    • Needle exchange
    • Naloxone distribution 
    • Overdose education
    • Fentanyl test strips

Treatment of Behavioral Health Disorders with Psychedelics

  • Harm reduction approach to illicit substance
    • Principles of harm reduction
    • Providing unbiased information to patients
    • Providing important education on the risks of substance use in particular situations
    • Providing important education on the benefits of substance use in particular situations
  • Therapeutic evidence of treatment of mental health disorders with psychedelics
    • Psilocybin
      • Depression
      • Anxiety
      • Addiction
    • DMT
    • LSD
    • MDMA
    • Ketamine
  • Safety considerations for psychedelics
    • Drug interactions impacting safety
      • Classic psychedelics and antidepressants (SSRIs and SNRIs)
        • Becker 2022 
        • Introduction to serotonin toxicity
    • Drug interactions that reduce efficacy
    • Adverse effects of the different agents
  • Microdosing strategies/evidence
  • Psychedelics in conjunction with therapy
  • Integration strategies
    • Pre-trip preparations
    • Other therapy strategies

Target Audience

  • Addiction Counselors
  • Case Managers
  • Counselors
  • Marriage & Family Therapists
  • Nurses
  • Pharmacists
  • Psychologists
  • Social Workers
  • other Mental Health Professionals
  • other health care professionals
  • Physician Assistants
  • Nurse Practitioners

Copyright : 10/10/2022

Psychopharmacology of Trauma for Mental Health & Healthcare Professionals

You’ve seen clients and patients come in with a laundry list of medications and multiple diagnoses – PTSD, depression, anxiety and more.

Whether you’re a therapist, social worker, nurse or other healthcare practitioner knowing the in-and-outs of how trauma and comorbid mental health problems effect the brain and are impacted by medication is essential to your work.

In simple, easy-to-understand modules you’ll walk away with:

  • In-depth knowledge to enhance communication with treatment teams
  • Essentials of trauma’s impact on the brain and what it means for your work
  • Mastery of how medications interact with neurotransmitters to better understand medication function
  • Expertise on commonly prescribed medications, including side effects, benefits, side-by-side comparison of medications - including when and why they’re prescribed
  • Conjunctive strategies, lifestyle interventions & more!

Give your clients and patients the highest standard of care – learn the psychopharmacology of one of the most challenging and common clinical presentations, trauma and its comorbidities.

Program Information

Objectives

  1. Build foundational understanding of trauma including development and comorbidities.
  2. Build framework for understanding how trauma impacts the brain development and function.
  3. Investigate how neurotransmitters and medication interact and impact clients afflicted with trauma symptoms.
  4. Evaluate commonly utilized psychotropic medications, including adverse effects, applications, interactions and brain pathways utilized.
  5. Assess non-pharmaceutical interventions in treatment planning.

Outline

Trauma Epidemiology 

  • Thinking outside the box
  • The 4 steps of HELP 
  • Types of trauma
    • ACES
  • Manifestations of trauma
  • Symptoms, maladaptive coping
  • Adaptation responses & influencing factors
  • Pathology v learned resilience
  • Co-occurring disorders
  • Trauma & PDs
Laying the Foundation for Medication: Trauma and the brain 
  • Neurobiology of trauma
    • Stress and the developing brain
    • Personal narrative
    • Science of perception
    • Diagnostic Criteria for PTSD
  • Affected pathways/Brain regions affected by stress & trauma
    • Mechanisms 
    • Neurotransmitters and neurotransmission as it relates to medications used in trauma & comorbid conditions 
    • Serotonin, NE, DA, GABA, etc.
    • Easy-to-follow charts of pathways
    • Agonist spectrum
Psychopharmacology: Adverse effects, how they vary & knowing when a client is appropriate for referral:
  • Antidepressants – SSRIs & more
  • Anxiety medications
  • Anxiolytics 
  • Mood stabilizers 
  • Antipsychotics 
  • Frequent manifestations of trauma and pharmacological treatments. 
  • Sleep & nightmare medications 
Conjunctive Therapies
  • Self-care
  • Care Teams & coordination
  • Non-pharmacological therapies, modalities & more

Target Audience

  • Addiction Counselors
  • Case Managers
  • Counselors
  • Marriage & Family Therapists
  • Psychologists
  • Social Workers
  • Other Mental Health Professionals
  • Nurses
  • Advanced Practice Nurses
  • Clinical Nurse Specialists
  • Pharmacists
  • Nurse Practitioners
  • Physician Assistants

Copyright : 05/25/2022

Cannabis Pharmacology Updates

The cannabis plant has been used for thousands of years as a medicinal agent to treat pain, anxiety, and seizures. The widespread legalization of medical and adult-use cannabis programs at the state level have highlighted the need for medical professionals to be educated on the properties of cannabis and how they can be incorporated into responsible patient care programs. This educational program provides a comprehensive look at the clinical aspects of cannabis as medicine, from a pharmacology perspective. 

Program Information

Objectives

  1. Determine the pharmacokinetic properties of cannabinoids. 
  2. Differentiate cannabis dosage between forms. 
  3. Develop a cannabis dosing protocol. 
  4. Evaluate patients for appropriateness of cannabis therapy based on potential contraindications, precautions, and drug/drug interactions. 

Outline

  • Pharmacokinetics of phytocannabinoids 
  • Cannabis dosing 
  • Cannabis dosage forms 
  • Adverse effects, interactions, & contraindications 
  • Cannabis pharmacogenomics 
  • Cannabis addiction, withdrawal, and cannabis use disorder

Target Audience

  • Nurses
  • Nurse Practitioners
  • Pharmacists
  • Physicians
  • Physician Assistants

Copyright : 05/19/2022