2021 Virtual Conference Schedule

7:50 AM — Welcome!

Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy

8:00 AM — 9:00 AM

Dr. Diane R. Gehart, PhD, LMFT | The Future of Doing Psychotherapy: Beyond Our Footloose Past and Our Manualized Present (1 CE hour)

When I received my master’s degree in counseling in 1994, I learned a total of 8 theories. Then, I learned another 6 to get my doctorate in MFT a few years later. Training over the years has clearly changed. The introduction of EBTs, neurobiology, and effectiveness research has greatly clarified “what works,” but it has done so in a way that is nearly impossible for new or experienced clinicians to meaningfully practice it.

As an educator and supervisor, I believe we have to find a better way to not only train new professionals but also to help experienced clinicians stay current with the rapidly expanding evidence base.

In this workshop, I will outline where we’ve been, where we are, and where I believe we are going as a profession. I envision a future where we are working from larger “systems” or “frameworks” that draw on multiple theories and the research to create coherent intervention systems. I also envision that many of our “traditional” theories will be taught from a historical perspective with relevant elements extracted for contemporary practice.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Identify 2 challenges in contemporary training/practice.
2. Describe 3 key elements that will characterize future practice approaches.
3. Identify at least one way they can expand how they conceptualize how they practice.

9:00 AM — 9:30 AM : Break

Discussion Lounges — Exhibitors — Demos — Games

Take 30 minutes to reset, network, and engage with the amazing resources our exhibitors have to offer. Don’t miss out on the games – there will be some amazing prizes!! You can also jump into the Discussion Lounge for Q+A with the speaker you just heard.

9:30 AM –11:00 AM : Keynote

Dr. Jamie Marich Ph.D., LPCC-S, LICDC-CS, REAT, RYT-500, RMT | What does it mean to redefine therapy? (1.5 CE hour)

In 2015, Dr. Jamie Marich and her team launched a hashtag #RedefineTherapy which directly flowed from a chapter title in her book Dancing Mindfulness: A Complete Path to Healing and Transformation. Marich contended that even though she was proud to be a therapist, what she saw happening in clinical offices did not nearly excite her as much as what she saw happening in the realm of community advocacy, community care, and in well-delivered holistic modalities for healing and growth. Marich often says that as it relates to healing, it’s not enough to think outside the box, we must be willing to challenge existing paradigms and smash the boxes that do not work for people altogether. Known for keeping what works from tradition and honoring research, while also advocating for fresh ideas and a return to the indigenous roots of healing, Marich will challenge all of you to “redefine therapy” in this presentation. She will lead you in an honest inventory about what may still work about our helping professions and what may need to be radically changed, particularly if you are committed to anti-racism work and removing the stigma around mental health care.

After this course, participants will be able to:

1. Explain and discuss the working tenants of the Redefine Therapy movement as birthed in the Dancing Mindfulness approach to expressive arts therapy
2. Evaluate critically the elements of the existing helping professions that may work on a larger scale, and determine what might need a complete overhaul
3. Integrate skillfully more holistic and healing arts modalities into clinical care, or at very least explore best practices for making appropriate referrals for clients
4. Implement the “self-care” and self-nourishing strategies inherent in the Redefine Therapy movement to one’s own life, and explain how such implementation can directly impact quality of services that clients receive

11:00 AM — 12:30 PM : Break

Discussion Lounges — Exhibitors — Demos — Games

Take time to reset, network, and engage with the amazing resources our exhibitors have to offer. Don’t miss out on the games – there will be some amazing prizes!! You can also jump into the Discussion Lounges for Q+A with the speaker you just heard and important conversations with experts and colleagues.

11:30 AM — 11:50 AM : Lunchtime Discussion

How Can Therapists Actually Retire?! | Hosted by David Frank, Turning Point Financial Life Planning (Non-CE)

Does the idea of retiring sound overwhelming? Come join this discussion where we’ll discuss not only how to set up a plan to retire, but also how to navigate the fear, anxiety or even shame often experienced when dealing with retirement finances.

12:30 PM — 1:30 PM : Break Out Sessions

Tiffany McLain, LMFT | Working with Fees in the Clinical Situation (Non-CE)

In this course, we will explore the symbolic function of money within the clinical setting. Relational enactments around financial matters are one way our clients communicate their unconscious experience. By listening to what occurs in the field between the client and therapist, clinicians can move beyond fear when it comes to discussing issues, such as raising fees or enforcing the cancellation policy, and instead begin to utilize the conversation around money as a clinical tool that can expand our insight into our client’s internal world.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Identify the practical applications of discussing financial matters and setting fees in a clinical setting.
2. Describe 3 ways unaddressed money anxieties may arise in the transference and/or countertransference.
3. List 3 ways race, class and gender may influence the therapist’s and the client’s expectations around money in the clinical setting.

Patrick Casale, MA, LCMHC, LCAS | Good Enough? Navigating Impostor Syndrome Through An Attachment Focused Lens (1 CE hour)

Impostor Syndrome is a phenomenon that plagues the helping profession. No matter the professional and clinical experience and hours worked, the feelings of fraudulence and incompetence still paralyze and impact us. Impostor syndrome typically shows up when we are stepping into an area of professional growth and development. “Am I competent?” “Why would someone hire me?” And “when will someone find out that I’m fraudulent” are the most common ways that it shows up. People who struggle with impostor syndrome tend to have a difficult time with perfectionism and the mentality that nothing is ever good enough. We’ll examine how our early childhood development impacts our sense of self, insecurities, and the association between achievement and self-worth.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Identify 5 different ways that impostor syndrome shows up for helping professionals and how it negatively impacts their sense of self
2. Compare and contrast 3 ways that impostor syndrome differs from low self-esteem
3. Articulate 3 different techniques to combat and move through impostor syndrome
4. Examine 3 ways that cultural diversity impacts impostor syndrome in the workplace

1:30 PM — 2:00 PM : Break

Discussion Lounges — Exhibitors — Demos — Games

Take 30 minutes to reset, network, and engage with the amazing resources our exhibitors have to offer. Don’t miss out on the games – there will be some amazing prizes!! You can also jump into the Discussion Lounges for Q+A with the speakers you just heard.

2:00 PM — 3:00 PM Keynote presented by SimplePractice

Jacob Martinez, MA, LPC | Setting Yourself up for Success from your First Session (1 CE for CAMFT only – Not eligible for NBCC CE credit)

The initial session with a client is one of the most critically important moments in the therapeutic process, it has the potential to make or break the relationship between client and therapist. In many clinical settings the most common number of sessions is one, meaning clients attend one session but never return! This talk will provide key strategies for setting yourself up for success in the first session. Learn how to increase the likelihood that clients will be engaged in the work, generate their own achievable goals for therapy, and be excited to complete homework from the very first visit. Participants will learn how to set up expectations for the first session for newcomers to therapy, how to set the stage for ongoing clinical work, and how to use a collaborative treatment planning tool called the ACT Matrix to sidestep unworkable treatment goals and generate highly achievable therapeutic goals for treatment while also making assigning homework a breeze.

Participants will be able to:

1. Define the three types of clients that seek out therapy.
2. Structure the initial session to ease clients into the therapeutic context.
3. Facilitate the ACT Matrix activity for collaborative treatment planning.

3:00 PM — 3:30 PM : Break

Discussion Lounges — Exhibitors — Demos — Games

Take 30 minutes to reset, network, and engage with the amazing resources our exhibitors have to offer. Don’t miss out on the games – there will be some amazing prizes!! You can also jump into the Discussion Lounge sponsored by SimplePractice for Q+A.

3:30 PM — 4:30 PM

Rwenshaun Miller, MA, LCMHC, NCC | Finding your way in a new norm (1 CE hour)

The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated an immediate and large-scale uptake of mental health attentiveness and demands on therapists.  The pandemic has heightened anxiety, depression and racial and political unrest which in turn is compounding clients’ stress.  Therapists are struggling trying to strike a balance between meeting the increased demand for services and managing their schedules in a conducive way to sustain their own mental health.  Therapists are experiencing busier schedules, clients with increased trauma, their own pandemic-related stressors and compassion fatigue – all leading to burnout.

Getting a grasp on self-care is critical for therapists and clients.  It is furthermore important to enhance our knowledge about the many interacting forces, social determinants, that between them shape individual and collective levels of mental health and well-being, and set out actions to promote and protect good mental health.  While we find ourselves in a place and time of uncertainty and suffering, we need to work towards transformation versus adaptation.

Learning Objectives:

1. Demonstrate at least three effects of social systems on a client’s mental health
2. Describe the impacts of self-reflection as a professional in the mental health field impacting on the therapist’s mental health and client outcomes
3. Explore three ways that stigma and trauma and affect the mental health perceptions of various communities and their willingness to seek treatment

4:30 PM — 5:00 PM : Break

Discussion Lounges — Exhibitors — Demos — Games

Take 30 minutes to reset, network, and engage with the amazing resources our exhibitors have to offer. Don’t miss out on the games – there will be some amazing prizes!! You can also jump into the Discussion Lounge for Q+A with the speaker you just heard.

5:00 PM — 6:o0 PM : Break Out Sessions

Sonny Jane Wise | The Uniqueness and Importance of Lived Experience in Therapy (Non-CE)

Lived experience is much more than just an experience of mental ill health but also includes an understanding of marginalisation, oppression and discrimination at the hands of our lived experience and identities. Using our lived experience as clinicians can assist in challenging the power imbalance present and allow us to create a more collaborative and authentic therapeutic relationship. However, the stigma and dominant narratives present often lead to therapists keeping a firm divide between their professional persona and lived experience. In this discussion, we will explore how lived experience can provide therapeutic and healing possibilities as well as challenge stigma and misconceptions of living with a mental illness. We will also explore the topic of self-disclosure within the therapeutic relationship and why centering lived experience and our identities is so valuable. Throughout this discussion I’ll draw on my own lived experience as a consumer and a clinician with experience supporting individuals as someone who shows up with their lived experience.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the benefits and risks of disclosing our dual identities and lived experience to clients
2. Identify both formal and informal self-disclosure strategies
3. Identify ways stigma and dominant narratives show up in our field

Hillary Bolter, MSW, LCSW, LCAS | YOU Are The Cake: How You Show Up as a Therapist (1 CE hour)

Early on in my days as a therapist, a mentor said to me, “YOU are the cake, Hillary.” What does cake have to do with being a therapist?! She explained further, “Who YOU are, how YOU show up with clients, THAT is the bulk of our work as therapists. The skills and tools we bring to sessions are the icing, but remember, YOU are the cake.” In this session, we will play around with the synthesis of the roots of humanistic psychology, Motivational Interviewing spirit, and who we are as therapists as tools to enhance the change process with clients. We are in this business to help people change! Come learn about the key ingredients to this process! Enhance your flavor of cake, and learn evidence-based methods of showing up in the room.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Explore and assess internal and external expressions of three research based therapeutic factors
2. Describe 8 evidence based relational therapeutic factors
3. Compare and contrast three communication styles

6:00 PM — 6:30 PM : Closing the Day

Discussion Lounges — Exhibitors — Demos — Games

Take 30 minutes to reset, network, and engage with the amazing resources our exhibitors have to offer. Don’t miss out on the games – there will be some amazing prizes!! You can also jump into the Discussion Lounges for Q+A with the speakers you just heard.

8:00 AM — 9:00 AM : Break Out Sessions

Dr. Kristen Syme, PhD | Conflict, Culture, and Mental Health: What an anthropological approach reveals about depression and suicidality (1 CE hour)

Popular Western narratives of depression frame it as a disease that is caused by a ‘chemical imbalance’ in the brain. This model, however, is not supported by empirical evidence. Data from western and non-western societies instead indicate that depression and suicidality are closely associated with, and likely caused by, adversity, conflict, and powerlessness. There is often not a direct translation of depression across diverse languages. There are terms, however, that denote psychological and behavioral manifestations that overlap with depression, such as low mood and withdrawal, but these terms also situate those phenomena in social contexts. A cross-cultural investigation of suicidality further revealed that suicide threats, attempts, and deaths were usually preceded by conflicts, such as forced or thwarted marriages, with powerful others.

Taking an evolutionary approach, my collaborators and I have proposed that depression and suicidality are functional responses to conflict and adversity that, like pain, indicate the presence of threats and motivate change. This does not mean that depression and suicidality should not be treated. Rather, depressed and suicidal individuals stand to benefit from knowledgeable specialists who can help identify strategies and resources to ameliorate adversity and resolve conflict. Resolving conflict is often beyond the scope of what therapists can accomplish in the setting of individual therapy. I will briefly discuss how therapists might draw inspiration from restorative rituals found across societies to develop novel approaches to aid individuals in restoring social relations.

Learning Objectives:

1. Contemplate three ways depression and suicidality are different across cultural and social contexts
2. Evaluate and apply evolutionary models of health and disease to depression and suicidality
3. Conceptualize three ways that depression and suicidality are often caused by adversity and intractable conflicts with others

Laura Reagan, LCSW-C | When Is the Mental Health Field Going to Catch Up with the Research on Trauma? (1 CE hour)

Integrative trauma therapist and podcaster Laura Reagan, LCSW-C is on a mission to shift the understanding of what causes mental health issues. Research indicates that 90% of people who seek mental health treatment have a trauma history, but many therapists claim, “I don’t work with trauma.” In this presentation participants will learn about the prevalence of trauma in therapy populations and the common misdiagnoses that are often assigned to trauma survivors. Laura will share how different types of trauma can be treated most effectively with tailored interventions and the importance of using bottom-up methods alongside top-down approaches. And most importantly, Laura will share the importance of accurately representing one’s expertise and specialization in therapy with trauma survivors when helping clients find our services online.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Identify the research support on the prevalence of trauma and its impact in the US
2. Identify 3 common diagnoses which are often incorrectly assigned to trauma survivors
3. Recognize 2 types of trauma and one type of therapy which is effective with each type
4. Identify 2 types of “bottom up” therapies

9:00 AM — 9:30 AM : Break

Discussion Lounges — Exhibitors — Demos — Games

Take 30 minutes to reset, network, and engage with the amazing resources our exhibitors have to offer. Don’t miss out on the games – there will be some amazing prizes!! You can also jump into the Discussion Lounges for Q+A with the speakers you just heard.

9:30 AM — 10:30 AM

Dr. Joy Cox, PhD | Unpacking Fatphobia to get to the Source of Oppression (1 CE hour)

Many wonder what are the keys that unlock doing social justice the “right” way? Everyone wants a prescription of sorts. A step by step guide to achieve “success” in social justice.

But what if there was no guide? What if the keys we’re so eager to find actually required us getting our hands dirty and really learning about those who live differently than we do? That’s what this program is all about!

Through unpacking the layered complexity of fatphobia and weight stigma, we’ll take a journey that centers learning, and more importantly, doing that reconnects ourselves to our bodies and the lived experiences of others.

In this program you can expect to learn the ways that fatphobia is interconnected to racism, sexism, and ableism in fat and smaller bodies. You’ll also learn how weight stigma is perpetuated in society that shows up in our daily practices and professions. Not leaving the importance of practice out, we’ll cover some things that you can do to unpack how fatphobia shows up in your own lives and practices and what can be done to start the process of dismantling the “golden calf” that is diet culture.

Buckle up and get ready to take this ride! It will be wild and even uncomfortable at times, but I promise it’ll be worth it!

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Better understand the ways that fatphobia is connected to systems of oppression not limited to racism, ableism, sexism, and healthism
2. Learn how fatphobia is pervasive and impacts the lives of everyone including those in smaller bodies
3. Develop a plan for reducing internalized racism in your life and practice
4. Start the process of unpacking internalized weight bias

10:30 AM — 11:00 AM : Break

Discussion Lounges — Exhibitors — Demos — Games

Take 30 minutes to reset, network, and engage with the amazing resources our exhibitors have to offer. Don’t miss out on the games – there will be some amazing prizes!! You can also jump into the Discussion Lounge for Q+A with the speaker you just heard.

11:00 AM — 12:00 PM

Adriana Rodriguez, MA, LMFT | Lost in Translation: Bilingual Clinicians (1 CE hour)

Clinical supervision is often provided by monolingual supervisors in a field that is increasingly seeing diverse clients with services provided by binlingual clinicians. Lost in the supervisory relationship are culturally relevant nuances that lead supervisees to receiving inadequate support and training. This workshop explores how monolingual supervisors can support bilingual supervisees who work with bilingual/bicultural clients develop a linguistically and culturally nuanced practice.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the difference between cultural competence and cultural humility
2. Develop a plan for monolingual supervisors to best support bilingual clinicians working with diverse clients
3. Identify three strategies to support bilingual supervisees’ skill development

12:00 PM — 1:00 PM : Break

Discussion Lounges — Exhibitors — Demos — Games

Take time to reset, network, and engage with the amazing resources our exhibitors have to offer. Don’t miss out on the games – there will be some amazing prizes!! You can also jump into the Discussion Lounges for Q+A with the speaker you just heard and important conversations with experts and colleagues.

12:30 PM — 12:50 PM : Lunchtime Discussion

Sponsored by Buying Time, LLC (Non-CE)

Come together with experts to have a meaningful discussion on topics we did not learn in grad school.

1:00 PM — 2:30 PM : Keynote

Dr. Bandy X. Lee, M.D., M.Div. | Societal Therapeutics: How Therapists Can Contribute to the Betterment of Society (Non-CE)

We live in a “psychological age,” where gaining an understanding of our own psychology will be the most critical in determining whether we can overcome a pandemic, not war with one another, and help humanity survive its own self-destructiveness, such as we see through global inequality and the climate crisis.  Many of the same therapeutic principles that apply to individuals apply to societies, and therapists can play an important role in helping to heal our world.

2:30 PM — 3:00 PM : Break

Discussion Lounges — Exhibitors — Demos — Games

Take 30 minutes to reset, network, and engage with the amazing resources our exhibitors have to offer. Don’t miss out on the games – there will be some amazing prizes!! You can also jump into the Discussion Lounge for Q+A with the speaker you just heard.

3:00 PM — 4:00 PM : Break Out Sessions

Lindsay Bryan-Podvin, LMSW | Your Fee Isn’t The Only Measure of Accessibility (1 CE hour)

Therapists in private practice don’t just do therapy: they are small business owners. For many clinicians, setting their fee comes with a lot of rumination. While a fee is absolutely a measure of mental health accessibility, the fee isn’t the only thing preventing potential clients from seeing a therapist. Attendees will learn how to set their fee in a way that supports their needs and include other measures of accessibility in their private practice.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Describe four other factors of mental health accessibility that aren’t money-related
2. Identify four ways to be financially accessible that don’t involve a sliding scale
3. Practice need- and values-based fee setting to formulate a fee tailored to meet their unique needs

Dr. Sonya Lott, PhD. | Pandemic Related Loss and the Incidence of Prolonged Grief Disorder: Are We Prepared? (1 CE hour)

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a significant amount of death and non-death related loss and has also impacted the way in which we are able to grieve. As a result, some grief experts have predicted a significant increase in the incidence of disenfranchised, traumatic, and prolonged grief. Other grief experts suggest that despite the negative impact of the pandemic, the type of therapeutic intervention may also have a significant impact on offsetting this predicted increase in types of grief.

In this workshop, non-death, and death related loss because of the pandemic will be discussed. Participants will be encouraged to reflect on their own non-death losses. The ways in which Black and Indigenous People of Color and the aged have been disproportionately impacted by loss during the pandemic will be addressed.

Aspects of the pandemic that have complicated the grieving process and are expected to increase the risk for Prolonged Grief Disorder will also be a focus of the workshop. An overview of effective interventions based on theoretical models of grief will be offered.

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. List three types of non-death pandemic related losses
2. Analyze their own non-death pandemic related losses
3. Describe at least three theoretical models of death-related grief.
4. Explain the diagnostic criteria for Prolonged Grief Disorder
5. Describe three ways in which aspects of the pandemic may increase the risk of Prolonged Grief Disorder
6. Describe three effective clinical interventions for pandemic related grief.

4:00 PM — 4:30 PM : Break

Discussion Lounges — Exhibitors — Demos — Games

Take 30 minutes to reset, network, and engage with the amazing resources our exhibitors have to offer. Don’t miss out on the games – there will be some amazing prizes!! You can also jump into the Discussion Lounges for Q+A with the speakers you just heard.

4:30 PM — 5:30 PM

Katie Vernoy, MS, LMFT and Curt Widhalm, MA, MS, LMFT | Beyond Reimagination: Moving the mental health field from thought to action (1 CE hour)

The changing field of psychotherapy has impacts on improving client accessibility, while bringing with it legal and ethical hurdles. Claims of the effectiveness of asynchronous and app-based therapy don’t necessarily match with public opinion from clients. This workshop explores the types of clients that are best benefiting from app-based approaches, what is working effectively for them, and how therapists who have been providing traditional psychotherapy can add opportunities to greater enhance client growth while following legal and ethical guidelines.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify three characteristics of clients that are seeking out and benefiting from app-based therapy
2. Describe three laws that impact brick and mortar psychotherapists when adding these steps to practice.
3. Compare and contrast the long-term effects of app-based therapy with traditional outpatient and telehealth psychotherapy.

5:30 PM — 6:00 PM

Closing out our virtual conference together

Join us for final words, prizes, and plans for the future!