This 6 CEU seminar addresses the factors over the past 5-10 years in society which have created an increase in anxiety in clients.  Research findings regarding the influence of news, the covid epidemic, natural disasters, crimes, and other factors on shaping self determination, self efficacy and human agency will be shared.  Several treatment considerations and practical techniques for therapists to respond to client’s heightened anxiety will be taught.

Dealing With Emotional Manipulators

This 6 CEU seminar assists clinicians in increasing the awareness of predisposing factors to being an emotional manipulator or being on the receiving end of emotional manipulation.  Triggers for emotional manipulators and their codependent counterparts will be taught.  Ways of assisting clients in insight into the words and strategies emotional manipulators use will be offered.  Education will be provided regarding long terms schemas which keep toxic interpersonal dynamics continuing to produce a neurotic entanglement will be explained.  Strategies for dealing with narcissism, gaslighting, emotional abuse as well as codependency will be given.  Finally, guidelines for cultivating healthy relationships, building survival narratives, and discerning between various relationship choices will be explored.

Doing Culturally Sensitive Assessment And Treatment Planning
This 6 CEU seminar highlights the importance of employing culturally sensitive strategies throughout every stage of therapy from assessment and treatment planning, throughout therapy and onto termination.  Considerations to improve cultural competency are suggested.  Various theories for approaching cultural similarities and commonalities as well as attending to individual differences are taught to maximize therapeutic effectiveness.  The importance of responding to each client's cultural narrative effectively is considered.  Areas where cultural differences impact definitions of "normal" versus "abnormal", beliefs about the causes and solutions of problems. and concepts regarding health and sickness are explored.  Participants of this seminar will be better able to more effectively consider the impact each client's personal narrative has on every stage of the therapeutic process. (This seminar meets the board requirement for cultural diversity).

Ethical Decision Making: A Proactive Multidimensional Approach to Preventing Violations

This 6 CEU seminar assists clinicians in considering multiple dimensions which influence ethical decision making. Several theoretical models of ethical decision making are applied to ethical considerations.  Clinicians are taught how to delicately consider multiple factors related to ethics at all stages of the therapeutic process.  By considering several factors simultaneously and proactively therapists will be able to reduce the likelihood of ethical allegations and violations.  (This seminar meets the board requirements for ethics).

Ethics For Mental Health Professionals

This 6 CEU seminar assists mental health professionals in consideration of ethics issues to keep in mind working with mental health clients.   Number of topics from start to termination in the therapeutic process are raised.   (This seminar meets the board requiremenst for ethics).

From Shame To Compassion

This 6 CEU seminar trains clinicians about how to work with clients to identify family of origin messages, long term schemas, and toxic codependent and emotionally abusive patterns which can contribute to shame.  Participants will understand the distinction between shame which focused on characterological flaws and negative critical talk versus guilt which focuses on shifting to alternative healthy behavioral outcomes.  Using CBT and DBT to confront irrational thought and behavior patterns, mindfulness, strengths based solutions and building restorative narratives are just some of the techniques focused on. 

Finding Positives in The Problems of Life

This 6 CEU seminar helps clinicians learn how to reframe presenting problems and perceived stuck points in client’s lives as opportunities for growth.  Resiliency factors and strength based skills are highlighted including overlooked strengths clients already have as well as skill building.  The seminar highlights shifting from a problem focus to a positive psychology focus of studying and increasing the frequency of times in which the problem does not exist or is better managed.

Managing Interpersonal Tensions

This 6 CEU seminar reminds participants that prosocial skills do not automatically happen when a person physically enters into adulthood. The seminar is designed to build a therapist’s toolbox of communication, stress management, conflict management, emotional regulation, decision making, problem solving and other skills which lay critical foundations for healthier personal baselines and effective prosocial interactions.

Mattering: Assisting Clients In Developing Their Place In The World

This 6 CEU seminar highlights ways in which clinicians can have significant impact on client’s sense of mattering.  Various models of shaping and defining self will be discussed.  The role of cultural, group, and individual factors will be considered in effectively relating to clients.  Clinical strategies will be taught for dealing with shame and destructive schemas so that clients can learn how to overcome toxic scripts.  Ways to build empathy for oneself and others, maximize distress tolerance, and reappraising or reframing attributions that affect mattering will be taught.

Moving Beyond Procrastination To Action

This 6 CEU seminar will begin by identifying and challenging myths regarding motivation, goal attainment, and productivity. Clinicians will learn how to create an individualized plan for identifying and addressing the ends and motivating factors of clients who struggle to follow through on tasks.  The emphasis will be on strategies for building executive functioning skills including developing emotional regulation skills, realistic goal planning, improving follow through, time management, stress and anxiety reduction, and improved decision making regarding what factors are most important to attend to.  In addition clinicians will learn to apply principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to develop values based committed actions.  Finally, participants will be taught how to move clients beyond problem saturated narratives of procrastination to intentional follow through on tasks.

Once Upon Another Time: Developing Healing Restorative Narratives

This 6 CEU seminar highlights important foundational principles of  the narrative therapy approach.  Clinicians will be taught ways to modify problem saturated narratives to assist clients in moving toward healthier restorative narratives.  Methods for deconstructing and reconstructing narratives will be offered,   Examples will be offered to demonstrate ways in which narrative treatments can be helpful for overcoming substances abuse, trauma and victimization, chronic pain, shame, and conflict.  Participants will learn to help clients identify important factors to ultimately assist in moving clients towards a preferred future.

The Art of Changing Client Self Talk

This 6 CEU seminar reminds participants of the critical function of working with client’s internal dialogues and perceptions to change skewed thoughts and behaviors to rational, realistic  reasonable ones.   Identifying thinking errors from CBT and learning cognitive debating skills as well as narratives which focus on committed actions tor reinforce healthy values and goals for hope filled future orientation and internal locus of control of the client are highlighted.

The Many Dimensions of Culture (meets ethcss and cultural diversity requirements)                                                                                                        

This 6 CEU seminar starts with identifying the many facets and dimensions of culture which simultaneously exist in each client’s life.  The seminar highlights ways of personalizing culturally competent counseling to that unique individualized combination of areas for each client.  The second portion of the seminar more specifically defines ways in which clinicians can be culturally relevant across all these dimensions with regards to assessments and treatment. This seminar meets the requirements for ethics and cultural diversity.                                 

Trusting: When To and When Not To

This 6 CEU addressing the important issues of decision making regarding relationships.  Healthy assertive communication principles as differentiated from passive or aggressive communication are highlighted.  Boundary setting skills are taught. In addition, skills for processing interpersonal wounds which contributed to distrust and isolation are shared. Finally, vulnerability is framed in terms of a healthy attribute where with wisdom can foster quality reciprocal relationships with clear communication and expectations.

What Supervisees Teach Their Mentors

This 6 CEU seminar assists clinicians in better understanding what concerns and perceptions are common to understand supervisee’s experience well.  Participants will learn guidelines they can give supervisees for giving feedback, hearing constructive criticism, and exhibiting professional growth.  In addition, participants will come to a greater understanding of what supervisees typically see as sources of threats and how these can be addressed.  Through this seminar supervision will be reconceptualized as a relationship in which the supervisee and supervisor mutually impact each other.  (This seminar meets the board requirements for supervision).