Workshops

ABCT's workshops provide participants with up-to-date integration of theoretical, empirical, and clinical knowledge about specific issues or themes. Participants in these courses can earn 3 hours of continuing education credits per workshop.

Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon

Workshop 1

Core Strategies in the Assessment and Treatment of Health Anxiety

Heather Hadjistavropoulos, University of Regina

Patricia Furer, University of Manitoba

John Walker, University of Manitoba

Theo Bouman, University of Groningen

Moderate level of familiarity with the material

Health anxiety (HA) refers to fears and preoccupation about bodily sensations or changes in health, and ranges from mild concerns to severe health-related anxiety and preoccupation. HA has four key components: (1) worry and preoccupation with health, (2) interpretation of health-related information, including bodily sensations, as threatening, (3) reassurance-seeking and body-checking, and (4) hypersensitivity to somatic symptoms. Most research has focused on severe HA (i.e., hypochondriasis) in the absence of medical conditions. However, HA may also present in individuals with chronic medical conditions, and may be comorbid with other mood, anxiety, or somatoform disorders. Cognitive-behavioral (CB) treatment protocols for HA have been supported in the research literature. The goal of this workshop is to provide participants with core skills used to assess and treat HA, with attention to the diverse disciplines called upon to deal with persons with high levels of health anxiety. The workshop will be in four parts: (1) assessment of HA, (2) treatment rationale and psychoeducation in the community and medical settings, (3) cognitive interventions and exposure strategies for addressing death anxiety, and (4) behavioral approaches for HA. Integration of acceptance-based strategies and existential approaches with the CB treatments will be discussed. Research evidence for these strategies will be presented, but the focus of the workshop will be on demonstrating skills through case examples, videotapes, role-plays, and handouts. Workshop participants will have a better understanding of and capacity to use these core strategies in their practice.

You will learn:

  • How to conduct a comprehensive assessment of health anxiety
  • Psychoeducational approaches for management of health anxiety in community and medical settings
  • Cognitive and behavioral treatment for health anxiety and fear of death.

Recommended Readings:

Bouman, T. K., & Buwalda, F. M. (2008). A psychoeducational approach to hypochondriasis: Background, content and practice guidelines. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 15, 231-243.

Furer, P., Walker, J. R., & Stein, M. B. (2007). Treating health anxiety and fear of death: A practitioner’s guide. New York: Springer

Taylor, S., Asmundson, G. J. G., & Coons, M. J. (2005). Current directions in the treatment of hypochondriasis. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy, 19, 291-310.

Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon

Workshop 2

Schematic Mismatch in the Therapeutic Relationship: Using Roadblocks as Opportunities for Change

Robert L. Leahy, Ph.D. American Institute for Cognitive Therapy, New York, NY

Moderate level of familiarity with the material

Patients and therapists each come to the therapeutic relationship with their own conceptualization of what an effective relationship will be and how emotions are to be handled. Patients’ schemas may focus on threats of abandonment, humiliation, or loss of autonomy, while therapists may have schemas reflecting demanding standards, need for control, and approval-seeking. Moreover, both patients and therapists may have “emotional schemas” where emotions may be viewed as threatening, overwhelming, needing regulation, or incomprehensible. These schema mismatches may lead the therapist to view emotions as a waste of time, complaining, or a sign of rumination; they make it difficult for the therapy to elicit emotionally significant material or allow for important experiential exposure.

In this workshop, mutually self-fulfilling interpersonal strategies and schema mismatches between patient and therapist will be identified. Techniques for using and modifying these conflicts will be illustrated. Participants will be encouraged to engage in role-plays that represent problematic impasses in CBT. These role-plays will help identify core beliefs, assumptions, and dysfunctional strategies (held by patient or therapist) that can be reversed using conceptualizations and models of schematic-mismatch. Resistance and noncompliance will be viewed as a window into the past, present, and future interpersonal world of the patient. A variety of cognitive, behavioral, and experiential strategies will be identified. Finally, the therapist’s own dysfunctional beliefs and strategies are amenable to cognitive and behavioral techniques that can be used on an ongoing basis to enhance therapeutic effectiveness and reduce the risk of burnout.

You will learn:

  • How to avoid falling into “schema traps” where you inadvertently confirm the patient’s worst fears
  • How to identify your own dysfunctional personal and emotional schemas in therapy
  • How to use the mismatches in relationships as a way to gain insight into the patient’s relationship problems outside of therapy and move therapy to a deeper level.

Recommended Readings:

Leahy, R. L. (2001). Overcoming resistance in cognitive therapy. New York: Guilford.

Leahy, R. L. (2007). Schematic mismatch in the therapeutic relationship: A social-cognitive model. In P. Gilbert & R. L. Leahy (Eds.), The therapeutic relationship in the cognitive behavioral psychotherapies (pp.229-254). London: Routledge.

Leahy, R. L. (2009). Resistance: An emotional schema therapy (EST) approach. In G. Simos (Ed.), Cognitive behaviour therapy: Vol. 2. A guide for the practising clinician (pp. 187-204). New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis.

Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon

Workshop 3

Group Treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder

Stefan G. Hofmann, Boston University

Moderate level of familiarity with the material

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is one of the most common mental problems in the population and in clinical settings. Traditional cognitive-behavioral techniques have only shown moderate effects. More recent research has led to a greater understanding about the maintaining factors of this disorder. Based on this knowledge, a new treatment model has been developed that is associated with considerably greater treatment efficacy than earlier formulations. This treatment focuses on expectations about social standards, goal-setting strategies, self-focused attention, self-perception, and emotional control. Some of the treatment techniques include video feedback, attention modification, mirror exposures, and in vivo social mishap exposures. Participants of this workshop will become familiar with the theoretical basis of this intervention and learn the specific therapeutic techniques that are necessary to carry out effective treatment of this pervasive and debilitating disorder.

You will learn:

  • The empirical literature on the factors maintaining social anxiety
  • How to identify these factors in individual patients
  • How to implement these techniques in practice.

Recommended reading:

Hofmann, S. G., & Otto, M. W. (2008). Cognitive-behavior therapy of social anxiety disorder: Evidence-based and disorder specific treatment techniques. New York: Routledge.

Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon

Workshop 4

DBT and CBT for Emotion Dysregulation and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Adolescents

W. Edward Craighead, Emory University School of Medicine and Emory University

Lorie A. Ritschel, Emory University School of Medicine

Moderate level of familiarity with the material

This workshop is designed for clinicians who provide services for adolescents who struggle with pervasive emotion regulation difficulties and engage in non-suicidal self-injurious behavior (NSIB). In Part I, an overview of emotion regulation difficulties as they occur in adolescents will be provided. Discussion will center on diagnostic criteria for Axis I and II pathology in teens, and common clinical presentations will be reviewed, including comorbid conditions such as substance abuse, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders. Clinicians will learn the distinction between suicide and NSIB and will learn to conceptualize these behaviors within DSM-IV nosology. Part I will conclude with a discussion of the rationale for developing early interventions targeting emotion regulation difficulties in this vulnerable population. In Part II, the newest empirical evidence regarding best-practice interventions for emotion dysregulation in adolescents will be reviewed, with a focus on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Data will be presented from the most recent published literature as well as from the Child and Adolescent Mood Program (CAMP) at Emory University School of Medicine. Part III will focus on the application of these interventions in clinical practice, including individual and group DBT and standard CBT for teens. Videos from sessions conducted at CAMP will be shown, and the audience will have the opportunity to participate in role-play demonstrations to illustrate how to implement CBT and DBT techniques with various clinical presentations of adolescent problems.

You will learn:

  • About emotion regulation in adolescents and how to conceptualize NSIB as an emotion regulation strategy
  • The status of current outcomes regarding the use of CBT and DBT for treatment of mood and related disorders among adolescents
  • Clinical applications of basic CBT and DBT techniques with adolescent clients struggling with emotion dysregulation

Recommended Readings:

Curry, J. F., & Becker, S. J. (2008). Empirically supported psychotherapies for adolescent depression and mood disorders: In R. G. Steele, T. D. Elkin, & M. C. Roberts (Eds.), Handbook of evidence-based therapies for children and adolescents: Bridging science and practice (pp 161-176). New York: Springer.

Miller, A. L., Rathus, J. H., & Linehan, M. M. (2007). Dialectical behavior therapy with suicidal adolescents. New York: Guilford.

Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon

Workshop 5

Natural Setting Therapeutic Management (NSTM): A Multiple Model Approach to Maintain Individuals with Developmental Disabilities and Severe Behaviors in Community Settings

Michael R. Petronko, Rutgers University

Russell J. Kormann, Rutgers University

Doreen DiDomenico, Rutgers University

Basic level of familiarity with the material

The provision of effective behavioral support to individuals with a developmental disability and an accompanying mental health and/or behavioral challenge (i.e. a dual diagnosis) residing and working in the community is a topic of great importance. As individuals with increasingly complex behavioral challenges move from congregate care settings to community-based programs, the challenges faced by parents and staff who must manage these dangerous behaviors (i.e. self-injury, serious aggression) are enormous. Unfortunately, many training models have not historically emphasized the “behavioral competence” of the direct service caregiver. Project: Natural Setting Therapeutic Management (NSTM) was designed to address these treatment barriers by teaching family and/or staff members methods to construct and maintain a therapeutic environment in the home or work setting for persons with dual diagnoses. The Project focuses on the development of behavioral competency via the use of a multiple-model, psycho-educational training program designed to transfer treatment ownership from clinician to family or staff members. This workshop will present the structure and format of Project NSTM with particular emphasis on system management issues. It is well-suited for a variety of audiences, including psychologists, individuals providing behavioral support services in community settings, supervisory staff managing direct care workers, or administrators.

You will learn:

  • A working knowledge of Project NSTM
  • To understand a community-based family training model designed to address severe behaviors
  • An introduction to a multi-factor behavioral assessment, and clinical problem-solving models
  • A method to analyze the effects of cultural and system challenges to community-based support.

Recommended Readings:

Kormann, R. J., & Petronko, M. R. (2003). Crisis and revolution in developmental disabilities: The dilemma of community-based services. The Behavior Analyst Today, 3, 434-440.

Petronko, M. R., Harris, S. L., & Kormann, R. J. (1994). Community-based training approaches for people with mental retardation and mental illness. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62, 49-54.

Nezu, C. M, Nezu, A. M., & Gill-Weiss, M. J. (1992). Psychopathology in persons with mental retardation: Clinical guidelines for assessment and treatment. Champaign, IL: Research Press.

Friday, 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Workshop 6

Hands-on Training in CBT for Insomnia in Those With Anxiety Disorders, Depression, and Other Comorbid Conditions

Rachel Manber, Stanford University Medical Center

Colleen E. Carney, Ryerson University

Basic level of familiarity with the material

Consistent with the Conference’s focus on adapting evidence-based treatments to complex clinical cases, this Insomnia and Other Sleep Disorders SIG-sponsored workshop will provide a step-by-step guide for using Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) in those with anxiety disorders, depression, and chronic pain. By using case examples, handouts, and exercises, this hands-on workshop is relevant across disciplines and clinical settings, and provides relevant strategies to handle the types of complex cases you are most likely to encounter in clinical practice. While most workshops and books provide advice for treating the relatively straightforward case of Primary Insomnia, this workshop focuses on the most prevalent type of insomnia and the insomnia that you are most likely to encounter —insomnias that occur with another disorder, such as anxiety, depression, or chronic pain. The presenters are authors of the only CBT workbook written expressly for comorbid insomnias, and they share their challenges. They review the evidence that CBT for insomnia improves both the insomnia and symptoms of the comorbid disorder, and focus on how to adapt CBT for insomnia for specific conditions. Virtually all health professionals encounter insomnia as either a primary or comorbid disorder; this workshop will provide the tools necessary to implement effective sleep treatment strategies.

You will learn:

  • The evidence and theory behind CBT for insomnia
  • Step-by-step instructions in how to implement CBT for insomnia effectively
  • How to conduct CBT for insomnia in those with Major Depressive Disorder, Chronic Pain, Panic Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Social Phobia

Recommended Readings:

Carney, C. E., & Manber, R. (2009). Quiet your mind and get to sleep: Solutions to insomnia for those with depression, anxiety or chronic pain. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.

Edinger, J. D., Olsen, M. K., Stechuchak, K. M., Means, M. K., Lineberger, M. K., Kirby, A., & Carney, C. E. (2009). Cognitive behavioral therapy with primary and comorbid insomnia: A randomized clinical trial. Sleep,32, 499-510.

Manber, R., Edinger, J. D., Gress, J. L., San Pedro-Salcedo, M. G., Kuo, T. F., & Kalista, T. (2008). Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia enhances depression outcome in patients with comorbid major depressive disorder and insomnia. Sleep, 31, 489-495.

Friday, 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Workshop 7

Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics

Douglas W. Woods, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Christine A. Conelea, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Brown University School of Medicine

Basic level of familiarity with the material

Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurological condition consisting of multiple motor and vocal tics that are presumably due to failed inhibition within cortical-striatial-cortical motor pathways. In recent years, there has been a growing recognition among psychiatry and neurology about the utility of behavior therapy procedures in managing the symptoms of TS in children and adults. Recently, the National Institute of Mental Health funded a multi-site group of researchers working with the Tourette Syndrome Association to conduct two parallel randomized clinical trials investigating the efficacy of these procedures in adults and children with TS. The procedures being tested in the study combine elements of habit-reversal training with psychoeducation and function-based behavioral interventions, yielding a Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT). Unfortunately, very few clinicians have been trained in evidence-based treatments for TS and tic disorders, and in most U.S. cities there are no behavior therapists who provide this treatment.

In the workshop, the presenter will describe CBIT and other relevant interventions used in the treatment of children and adults with TS. In addition to learning the general therapeutic techniques, attendees will learn to appreciate the diagnostic complexities associated with tic disorders, and will learn about the underlying theory for behavioral intervention, the data supporting the model, and data on the efficacy of the treatment. Various instructional technologies will be employed including didactic instructions, videotaped samples of actual treatment, and role-play demonstrations.

You will learn:

  • To recognize tic disorders and understand their key phenomenological features
  • The core elements of behavior therapy for tic disorders
  • The evidence base supporting the efficacy of behavior therapy for tic disorders.

Recommended Readings:

Conelea, C. A., & Woods, D. W. (2008). The role of contextual factors in tic expression. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 65, 487-496.

Cook, C. R., & Blacher, J. (2007). Evidence-based psychosocial treatment for tic disorders. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice. 14, 252-267.

Woods, D. W., Piacentini, J. C., Chang, S., Deckersbach, T., Ginsburg, G., Peterson, A. L., Scahill, L. D., Walkup, J. R., & Wilhelm, S. (2008). Managing tourette’s syndrome: A behavioral intervention for children and adults (therapist guide). New York: Oxford University Press.

Friday, 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Workshop 8

ACT in Practice: Case Conceptualization in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Daniel J. Moran, Pickslyde Consulting

Patricia Bach, Illinois Institute of Technology

Moderate level of familiarity with the material

This workshop will provide a step-by-step framework for functionally conceptualizing client behavior problems and will discuss selection and application of specific Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) interventions. The workshop will also help attendees develop their own ACT-consistent interventions, exercises, and metaphors. Attendees will become familiar with the six core ACT principles of defusion, self-as-context, acceptance, values, committed action, and contacting the present moment. They will be able to conceptualize clinically relevant behaviors as functional response classes and discriminate when they are amenable to an ACT approach. Attendees will learn to select ACT interventions appropriate for addressing specific core principles and will learn how to apply specific ACT interventions based on the case formulation. Participants will learn methods of assessing effectiveness of interventions

The workshop will use a case-based approach beginning with instructor-supplied cases, and later use participants’ cases for practice in ACT case formulation, selecting interventions, and assessing the effectiveness of interventions. There will be demonstrations, large group exercises, and case-based practice. Participants will be provided with handouts to use with their clients for assessment and homework assignments to augment in session interventions. Worksheets will also be distributed for the participants to use to facilitate ACT case formulation.