Clinical Intervention Trainings

Thursday, November 16, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM

Presented by:

Lisa W. Coyne, Ph.D.,

Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School; CEO, New England Center for OCD and Anxiety

Participants earn 7 continuing education credits

Lisa W. Coyne, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the department of Psychiatry and Harvard Medical School and the CEO of the New England Center for OCD and Anxiety. She is a licensed clinical psychologist who has worked to improve the psychological well-being of children, teens and adults for nearly 25 years. She is the past President of the Association for Contextual Behavior Science, and serves on the Pediatric and Clinical Advisory Boards of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF). She has published numerous books, peer-reviewed articles, and chapters on anxiety, OCD, and parenting.

Categories: Child-Anxiety; Adolescent – Anxiety; Transdiagnostic; Treatment- Mindfulness and Acceptance; Treatment – CBT

Keywords: ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy); Child; Adolescents; Parenting; Evidence-Based

Moderate to advanced level of familiarity with the material

This workshop for clinicians with some experience with cognitive behavior therapy, behavior therapy, or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) will explore how to use ACT to enhance psychological flexibility with children, adolescents, and parents through supporting curiosity, willingness, mindfulness, and values-guided trial and error learning.

Specifically, the presenter will introduce a transdiagnostic process-based developmental model of ACT (the DNA-V; Hayes & Ciarrochi, 2015) and discuss how to shape psychological flexibility through incorporate specific ACT strategies in exposure-based treatment. Clinical examples, role play demonstrations, and opportunities for participants to practice will augment the workshop’s didactic content to illustrate case conceptualization and pragmatic applications of therapeutic techniques.

Clinicians can expect to leave the workshop with an understanding of how to identify and address skills deficits contributing to psychological inflexibility in disorders of childhood and adolescence. The practical skills in contextual behavioral, process-based assessment and treatment they will gain can be used as stand-alone intervention or may be incorporated into other cognitive behavioral or behavioral approaches.
 

At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:

1. Describe the theoretical underpinnings of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
 
2. Identify the behavioral processes targeted in an ACT intervention.
 
3. Describe psychological flexibility as a set of behavioral skills that can be shaped as a target of contextual behavioral intervention.
 
4. Explain how to shape the processes involved in psychological flexibility, including present moment awareness, defusion, valuing, and committed action.
 
5. Identify skills deficits that contribute to psychological inflexibility.
 
6. Describe the DNA-V model and the three functional classes of behavior it addresses.

Long-Term Goals:

Engage child and adolescent clients using valuing as action and direction to “contextualize” exposure and place exposure-based tasks under appetitive control.
 

Outline:

I. Part 1 (Morning) – Introduction to A Process-Based Contextual Behavioral Approach to Disorders of Childhood and Adolescence

a. Overview of Contextual Behavioral Science and theoretical underpinnings
i. What is a contextual behavioral approach?
ii. Underlying assumptions
iii. Implications for understanding “disorder” from this perspective

b. Description of processes targeted in treatment

i. Understanding psychological flexibility as a set of skills
ii. Six processes of ACT (present moment awareness, acceptance, defusion, perspective-taking, valuing, committed action)
iii. Treatment targets and goals from a process-based contextual behavioral perspective

c. Evidence base for ACT

i. Brief review of treatment research to date

d. Introduction to the DNA-V model

i. Overview of the DNA-V
ii. Theoretical underpinnings
iii. Experiential presentation of DNA-V components

e. The Therapeutic Alliance and Stance

i. Creating a context for acceptance and change
ii. Key processes for therapists

 

Break for Lunch

 

II. Part 2 (Afternoon) – Application of the DNA-V Model: Shaping Psychological Flexibility

a. DNA-V as Assessment Tool
i. Understanding skills deficits using the DNA-V
ii. The Comfort vs. Discovery Zone Worksheet

b. Shaping Noticing Skills

i. Identifying deficits in noticing
ii. Shaping stronger noticing skills

c. Shaping Advising Skills

i. Identifying deficits in using the “Advisor”
ii. Shaping more effective use of the Advisor

d. Shaping Discovery Skills (Exposure engagement)

i. Identifying deficits in discovery skills
ii. Shaping flexible, self-directed discovery

e. Shaping Valuing Skills

i. Identifying deficits in valuing
ii. Shaping connection to and embodiment of valuing

III. Part 3: Case Conceptualization, Consultation, & Discussion

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Recommended Readings:

1. Gloster, A. T., Walder, N., Levin, M. E., Twohig, M. P., Karekla, M. (2020). The empirical status of acceptance and commitment therapy: A review of meta-analyses, Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 18; 181-192, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2020.09.009.

2. Han A, Yuen HK, Jenkins J. Acceptance and commitment therapy for family caregivers: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Health Psychology. 2021;26(1):82-102. doi:10.1177/1359105320941217

3. Hayes, L. and Ciarrocchi, J. (2015). The Thriving Adolescent: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Positive Psychology to Help Teens Manage Emotions, Achieve Goals, and Build Connection. Context Press: US.

4. Puolakanaho, A., Lappalainen, R., Lappalainen, P. et al. Reducing Stress and Enhancing Academic Buoyancy among Adolescents Using a Brief Web-based Program Based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Youth Adolescence 48, 287–305 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-018-0973-8

5. Shuanghu Fang, S. Dongyan Ding, D. (2020). A meta-analysis of the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy for children, Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 15; 225-234, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2020.01.007.

6. Thompson, E. M., Destree, L., Albertella, L., Fontenelle, L. F. (2021). Internet-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: A Transdiagnostic Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis for Mental Health Outcomes, Behavior Therapy, 52; 492-507, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2020.07.002.

7. Whittingham, K. & Coyne, L. W. (2019). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: The Clinician’s Guide to Supporting Parents. Elsevier: UK.

Thursday, November 16, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM

Presented by:

Russell Kolts, Ph.D.,

Professor of Psychology, Eastern Washington University

Participants earn 7 continuing education credits

Russell Kolts, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, Professor of Psychology at Eastern Washington University for the past 24 years, and a proud alumnus of the Clinical Psychology program at the University of Mississippi.

An internationally recognized trainer in Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) who regularly conducts CFT trainings around the world, Dr. Kolts has authored a number of books on compassion and CFT, including CFT Made Simple, Experiencing Compassion-Focused Therapy from the Inside Out, and The Compassionate Mind Guide to Managing Your Anger. He has also conducted and published research in the area of compassion and compassion-focused therapy.

Categories: Treatment – Other

Keywords: Compassion, Treatment, Psychotherapy Process, Therapeutic Relationship

Basic to moderate level of familiarity with the material.

Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) is a form of cognitive-behavior therapy that draws upon contextual behavioral science, evolution science, affective neuroscience, and attachment theory in assisting individuals who suffer with emotional difficulties.

Utilizing the purposeful cultivation of compassion, mindfulness, and a host of treatment strategies such as imagery, chair-work, breath-body work, and behavioral and thought experiments, CFT is a transdiagnostic therapy developed to assist clients who struggle with issues of shame and self-criticism. In this training, participants will learn an operational definition of compassion and why it can be a helpful component of psychotherapy.

We’ll introduce a behaviorally-based framework for approaching CFT, and participants will learn a way of organizing CFT into a set of layered processes and practices that will allow them to systematically understand, train, and begin to implement the practices of CFT. We’ll explore the therapeutic relationship in CFT, the role of modeling and shaping in applying compassion-work in therapy, and participants will gain exposure to a number of core CFT concepts and we’ll explore how to implement them through experiential practice.

Ultimately, the goal of the workshop is to provide therapists of all behaviorally-oriented modalities tools they can use to help clients overcome avoidance and shame.
 

At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:

1. Describe an operational definition of compassion and how it can be useful in helping psychotherapy clients.
 
2. Articulate a behaviorally-oriented model of how to integrate compassion work into psychotherapy.
 
3. Describe the roles of the therapist in Compassion-Focused Therapy.
 
4. Describe the three-systems model of emotion.
 
5. Guide clients in exploring the ways that different motives and emotions organize their mental experience.
 
6. Describe the acting approach taken to compassionate-self work in CFT.

Long-Term Goals:

• Integrate a compassion-focus into existing therapeutic approach.
 
• Facilitate client shifts from avoidance to responsibility-taking.

Outline

• What is compassion and why is it important in psychotherapy?
 
• A behavioral framework for approaching compassion in CFT
 
• Layered Processes and Practices
 
• The Therapeutic Relationship in CFT
 
• Facilitating Compassionate Realizations
 
• Mindfulness in CFT
 
• An Introduction to Compassionate Self Work

Recommended Readings:

Craig, C., Hiskey, S., & Spector, A. (2020). Compassion focused therapy: a systematic review of its effectiveness and acceptability in clinical populations. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, DOI: 10.1080/14737175.2020.1746184

Gilbert, P. (2020). Compassion: From its evolution to a psychotherapy. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1-31. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.586161

Gilbert, P., & Simos, G. (2021). Compassion focused therapy: Clinical practice and applications. Routledge.

Kolts, R.L., Bell, T., Irons, C., & Bennett-Levy, J. (2018). Experiencing Compassion-Focused Therapy from the Inside Out: A Self-Practice/Self-Reflection Manual for Practitioners. New York: Guilford.

Kolts, R.L. (2016). CFT Made Simple: A Straightforward Guide to Learning and Applying Compassion-Focused Therapy. Oakland: New Harbinger.