FCP is pleased to host Dr. Martin Franklin again, on May 4, 2011 at the Doylestown Health and Wellness center in Warrington PA. This time, his workshop will focus on pediatric OCD. He will help us to better help kids with anxiety disorders.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for pediatric anxiety disorders has strong empirical support yet poses unique challenges even to experienced therapists. Dr. Franklin will discuss the use of CBT techniques in clinical practice with children and adolescents with OCD, and will describe adaptations of CBT for use with related conditions as well. He will also respond to audience members' questions about OCD and related conditions and their treatment with CBT.
Workshop Objectives:
At the end of this activity, the learner will:
•Demonstrate fluency in the nature and diagnosis of pediatric OCD.
•Extrapolate the current empirical evidence on the treatment of pediatric OCD.
•Demonstrate the rationale and nature of CBT of pediatric OCD.
Presenter: Martin Franklin, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology in Psychiatry at the Univ. of Pennsylvania, and Director of the Child & Adolescent OCD, Tic, Trich, and Anxiety Group (COTTAGe). He is also a Special Member of the Graduate School Faculty, Purdue University Graduate School and a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Anxiety Disorders and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health. Dr. Franklin's scholarly publications include scientific articles and book chapters on the treatment of adult and pediatric OCD, social phobia, trichotillomania, tic disorders, PTSD, and readiness for behavior change. Currently, Dr. Franklin is a principal investigator of several multicenter studies funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), including the treatment of pediatric OCD and Family-Based Treatment of Early Childhood OCD and a frequent invited lecturer around the United States and abroad.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
ADHD Workshop: Family School Success
Thomas Powers, Ph.D., presented today on “Family-School Success: A Psychosocial Intervention for Students With ADHD” When I saw this workshop advertised, I first thought “Oh no, another talk about medication effects on ADHD Symptoms”. I was right and I was wrong. Mostly wrong!
Dr. Powers’ presentation did talk about medications and improvement of ADHD symptoms for children. He also said that there is limited evidence that medication alone can help students gain academic skills over time, despite reduced symptoms. That woke me up! Everyone knows that psycho-stimulants reduce ADHD symptoms in 75% of children with this disorder. Everyone assumes that learning improves if ADHD symptoms are reduced. Dr. Powers presented research that suggests “everyone” is not correct. In short, reduction of ADHD symptoms does not always improve academic learning or life success.
Dr. Powers did a nice job of providing a brief overview of ADHD - genetic vulnerability and environmental interaction, and the current medical/behavioral treatments for this problem. In answer to a question from a participant, he acknowledged that the prevalence of ADHD has increased in the past 10-20 years. He suggested that improved survival rates for low-birth weight infants, increased expectations/standards of pre-school programs, and increased exposure to “environmental toxins” (stress) for young children contribute to the increased diagnostic prevalence for ADHD. He was also careful to acknowledge the impact of “co-morbid” conditions such as anxiety, oppositional defiance, learning disabilities, and other diagnoses, serve as complications for cause and treatment of ADHD.
Getting back to the title of the presentation, Dr. Powers presented a recent study that showed the importance of the parent-child relationship, the parent – teacher relationship and child-teacher relationship to decrease ADHD symptoms and to improve learning and peer relationships. Dr. Powers Presented results from the Family-School Success (FSS) study that was recently concluded. This study was supported, in part by the National Institute for Mental Health. Specifically, this study compares children receiving a traditional treatment for ADHD with Children receiving the FSS model of treatment. Parents were given the option of medication or no medication in both treatments. In short, the results indicate that the FSS model helps the student with ADHD improve in parent-child relationships, parent-teacher relationships, student teacher relationships, reduced ADHD symptoms and improved academic learning. Life success has not yet been measured.
In general, the scientist-practitioner model was supported in this workshop. Both a researcher and a clinician, Dr. Power was quick to point out that research, although important, took a back-seat to the clinical needs of the kids. He rejected or eliminated many children from the results of the study due to their clinical needs. During the presentation, Dr. Power provided succinct answers to questions from the quiet and attentive audience. He managed questions well to stay within the time allowed for the workshop. He also freely acknowledged limitations of the study, and was excited about the future of this research. I enjoyed his presentation.
PS: the last FCP Workshop on “Attachment Based Family Therapy” talked about the importance of relationship and bonding with the parent or caregiver. I suspect that the behavioral health field has returned to the importance of “rapport” as a necessary ingredient regardless of technique in parent training, psychotherapy, and education. Am I overstepping boundaries here? Please let me know!
Dr. Powers’ presentation did talk about medications and improvement of ADHD symptoms for children. He also said that there is limited evidence that medication alone can help students gain academic skills over time, despite reduced symptoms. That woke me up! Everyone knows that psycho-stimulants reduce ADHD symptoms in 75% of children with this disorder. Everyone assumes that learning improves if ADHD symptoms are reduced. Dr. Powers presented research that suggests “everyone” is not correct. In short, reduction of ADHD symptoms does not always improve academic learning or life success.
Dr. Powers did a nice job of providing a brief overview of ADHD - genetic vulnerability and environmental interaction, and the current medical/behavioral treatments for this problem. In answer to a question from a participant, he acknowledged that the prevalence of ADHD has increased in the past 10-20 years. He suggested that improved survival rates for low-birth weight infants, increased expectations/standards of pre-school programs, and increased exposure to “environmental toxins” (stress) for young children contribute to the increased diagnostic prevalence for ADHD. He was also careful to acknowledge the impact of “co-morbid” conditions such as anxiety, oppositional defiance, learning disabilities, and other diagnoses, serve as complications for cause and treatment of ADHD.
Getting back to the title of the presentation, Dr. Powers presented a recent study that showed the importance of the parent-child relationship, the parent – teacher relationship and child-teacher relationship to decrease ADHD symptoms and to improve learning and peer relationships. Dr. Powers Presented results from the Family-School Success (FSS) study that was recently concluded. This study was supported, in part by the National Institute for Mental Health. Specifically, this study compares children receiving a traditional treatment for ADHD with Children receiving the FSS model of treatment. Parents were given the option of medication or no medication in both treatments. In short, the results indicate that the FSS model helps the student with ADHD improve in parent-child relationships, parent-teacher relationships, student teacher relationships, reduced ADHD symptoms and improved academic learning. Life success has not yet been measured.
In general, the scientist-practitioner model was supported in this workshop. Both a researcher and a clinician, Dr. Power was quick to point out that research, although important, took a back-seat to the clinical needs of the kids. He rejected or eliminated many children from the results of the study due to their clinical needs. During the presentation, Dr. Power provided succinct answers to questions from the quiet and attentive audience. He managed questions well to stay within the time allowed for the workshop. He also freely acknowledged limitations of the study, and was excited about the future of this research. I enjoyed his presentation.
PS: the last FCP Workshop on “Attachment Based Family Therapy” talked about the importance of relationship and bonding with the parent or caregiver. I suspect that the behavioral health field has returned to the importance of “rapport” as a necessary ingredient regardless of technique in parent training, psychotherapy, and education. Am I overstepping boundaries here? Please let me know!
Monday, April 4, 2011
FCP Presents ADHD Workshop for Mental Health Professionals, Nurses and Educators
This presentation will review the diagnosis, developmental course and causes of ADHD. The primary focus will be on interventions for children with ADHD, including children from 3 to 18 years. The presentation will include a brief review of pharmacological interventions and Dr. Power will emphasize psychosocial treatment for promoting children's success in family and school settings. Workshop Objectives: At the end of this activity, the learner will be able to: • Identify comorbid conditions that frequently occur in conjunction with ADHD. • Illustrate several strategies for building parent-child relationships and improving children's self-regulation skills. • Examine several strategies for building collaborative family-school partnerships and resolving children's problems in school. Presenter: Thomas J. Power, Ph.D. is Professor, School Psychology in Pediatrics (CE), The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Interim Chief Psychologist, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Science and Director, Center for Management of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) for The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The recipient of many awards and honors, Dr. Power has held editorial positions at School Psychology Review, Journal of School Psychology, Journal of Attention Disorders, and the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. He has been an invited lecturer at many national conferences, including the American Psychological Association, National Association of School Psychologists, Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics and the International School Psychology Association. Dr. Power is co-author of the ADHD Rating Scale-IV and The Clinician's Practical Guide to Attention.
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