FCP 2011 Fall Workshops!

On Wednesday, November 2, 2011, FCP will begin the 2011-2012 Behavioral Health Workshops .
The FCP Fall 2011 Workshop series will feature three workshops.

November 2, 2011
Morning Workshop - 8:30 - 12:00 a.m. - Risk Taking in Adolescence

As children enter adolescence there is a significant increase in their engagement in risky behavior, such as experimenting with drugs, driving recklessly, and engaging in risky sex. These behaviors often lead to devastating outcomes, including drug dependence, incarceration, serious injury, and contraction of sexually transmitted diseases. This workshop will help participants identify when risky behavior becomes pathological. It will also cover the genetic, psychological, and environmental etiology and the treatment of pathological risky behavior.

Presenter: Bradley T. Conner, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology at Temple University. The recipient of many awards and honors, Dr. Conner’s research involves examining impulsivity, sensation seeking, treatment motivation, and risk taking behavior. He helped develop Temple University’s Addictive and Risky Behaviors Laboratory, and he has been published in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders, Clinical Psychology Review, the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, and Psychiatry Research. Dr. Conner has presented at the Institute for the Study of Child Development, the American Psychological Association, and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.
At the end of this activity, the learner will be able to:
Articulate an etiological model of risky behavior in adolescents.
Identify, in adolescents, when risky behavior becomes pathological.
Evaluate treatment modalities for treating pathological risky behavior in adolescents.


Afternoon Workshop - 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. - Ethics and Record Keeping Practices in Pennsylvania for the Mental Health Professional

This interactive, practical workshop will focus upon recordkeeping practices and Licensing Board Rules and Regulations that impact mental health professionals in Pennsylvania. Topics include content of records, what constitutes the record, record retention practices, the release of records, response to subpoenas and court orders, child abuse reporting requirements, and the duty to protect by warning. The workshop includes a discussion of case management issues and concerns, and handouts specific to Pennsylvania.

Workshop Objectives

At the end of this activity, the learner will be able to:
Describe Licensing Board record keeping rules and regulations.
Classify specific information that is required to be maintained in a patient's record.
Infer a working understanding of record access and release issues.

Presenter: Alan Tepper, J.D., Psy.D. is a renowned psychologist/attorney specializing in representing mental health and medical professionals in licensing and disciplinary board proceedings. He also serves as an expert witness in forensic matters, with an emphasis in criminal, civil, and professional ethics matters. Dr. Tepper’s dual training, coupled with his trial and clinical experience, helps bring an additional element to the review, analysis, and presentation of ethical issues for mental health professionals.

December 7, 2011

Morning Workshop: 8:30 - 12:00 a.m. - Latest Treatments of Bipolar Depression

In this informative presentation, participants will learn how to identify bipolar depression and gain an understanding of the latest treatments. The role of traditional antidepressants in bipolar depression and when it is appropriate to use these agents will be discussed. The workshop will also cover the use of mood stabilizers and antipsychotic medications in the treatment of bipolar depression, and present novel treatments, such as Transmagnetic Stiumulation and psychosocial treatments.

Workshop Objectives

At the end of this activity, the learner will:
Identify bipolar depression.
Strategize the newest medications for bipolar depression.
Explore the role of adjunctive psychosocial treatment in bipolar depression.

Presenter: Claudia F. Baldassano, M.D. is Director of the Bipolar Outpatient Resident Teaching Program and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Formerly the Medical Director of Reserach at Friends Hospital, Dr. Baldassano has spoken at the American Psychiatric Association, American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists and her research has been published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Psychiatry Review, and Comprehensive Psychiatry.

Thanks Dr. Levy - Greeart Workshop in March, 2011

Dr. Dan said...
Great workshop today! Dr. Suzanne Levy from the Center for Family Intervention Science at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia talked about Attachment Based Family Therapy (ABFT). Although her workshops are usually one or two days, she managed to squeeze into three hours, enough information to intrigue me to obtain more education about this topic. Dr. Levy’s presentation was dynamic and she was very knowledgeable. I especially enjoyed her brief explanation of the research and the theory behind this approach to family therapy. As I looked around the room, I noticed several folks whose training began in the 1960’s and early 1970’s, much as mine did. As she spoke, I recalled those early days with Dr. Sal Minuchin at the Child Guidance Clinic and the introduction of “Structured Family Therapy”, with nostalgia. Dr. Levy’s discussion of the research reminded us that family therapy techniques, enhanced with attachment theory etc, have evolved into an “empirically based” treatment approach.

I thought that Dr. Levy did a nice job of presenting the ABFT overview, with both benefits and risks of the family described as factors in the treatment. Although not intending to make the audience experts in ABFT, her presentation of the “Five Tasks” hit the mark to help us appreciate the “guidance” provided by the model, without the “cook-book” approach of other empirically based psychotherapy techniques (Honestly, do you always follow the rules of your “theory” of choice?). Dr. Levy’s emphasis on intentionality at each session to stay focused on the goals, allows use of clinical judgment (and the many years of training) to choose the appropriate strategies to reach the goals. I don’t know about you, but this point helps me feel more like a professional and less like a technician.

Dr. Levy was not trying to “sell” this technique to all. She acknowledged that the research supports success with this approach to a selected, but very large population of families (including single parent, alternate caregivers and other nontraditional families) with adolescents. Research is being conducted with families of younger children. Dr. Levy was quick to acknowledge that this technique is not for everyone. My understanding of her comments excluded adolescents or parents with intellectual disability or other developmental problems, serious mental illness, drug or alcohol addiction, and families where physical abuse is prevalent. In short, this treatment approach appears most effective when both the adolescent and the caregiver are capable of insight. Also, limited to therapists with a tolerance of raw emotions.

I can always tell when the audience is satisfied with a workshop by the quiet attending to the speaker and the appropriateness of questions. The audience was quiet throughout her talk. Questions were relevant and did not detract from her presentation. She responded to all questions thoroughly and checked back with each person to make sure. The audience appeared satisfied with Dr. Levy's Presentation presentation.

March 2, 2011 2:55 PM

Great Pediatric OCD Workshop

This was a great presentation today by Dr. Martin Franklin on Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in children and adolescents. This was his return visit to the Foundations Community Partnership behavioral health lecture series by popular demand. Dr. Franklin presented last fall on “Trichotillomania” in adolescents. Today’s workshop was a full house. He was welcomed back.

Today’s presentation was both enjoyable and informative. This was one of the few times where I’ve seen the audience readily postpone a break in the middle of the three hour workshop, to learn more about the presenters treatment techniques. The 3 hours went by quickly. His workshop included the necessary elements including: Phenomenology and description of the disorder, assessment instruments and strategies, research to support the theory and treatment, and an overview of treatment techniques. He did not simply read his slides, he told humorous but very relevant stories, provided case examples and included research studies. He quickly came back to his point for each item. Overall, I thought that his presentation was well balanced, and all elements were covered. He really knows this stuff!

Sometimes, I attend workshops where the presenter is stilted, defensive, or awkward at handling questions. In some cases, questions from the audience appear as an attempt to “hurry” the presentation, with the presenter saying “I will get to that later.” All questions today appeared relevant and current to the items being presented. Dr. Franklin listened carefully and answered each question fully. He also allowed questions at the end. Questions did not interrupt the flow of his workshop. He was gracious and thorough in response to questions. The audience was satisfied.

As usual, I learned a bunch of things from Dr. Franklin this morning. His focus on the Obsessive Compulsive Cycle (Obsession-Distress-Compulsion-Relief) is important. He reiterated that his treatment will increase obsessive thoughts and distress, while limiting or eliminating compulsive behavior. Tolerating and habituating to the obsessive thoughts and eliminating the compulsion is essential in treatment. He described many creative techniques to increase exposure to the obsessions that need to be challenged without the relief provided by the compulsive behavior. At one point during Dr. Franklins presentation, I almost thought that it would be fun to be a kid with OCD, so I could participate in his treatment (I said almost!). Dr. Franklin pointed out that these techniques also work with children and others who do not have high ability for insight. He said that the clinician must work hard to find creative but concrete opportunities for exposure to obsessions, because the person may not recognize that the obsessions and compulsions are unreasonable. As usual with CBT research, combination of medication (SRI’s) and CBT treatments appear most effective.

Dr. Franklin mentioned that research often explains very complex things in complex ways. He was trying to make it simple in his presentation. As the former college linebacker and current coach, father, Philly sports fan, and everyday guy that he appears, Dr. Franklin did just that. As he stated, his daughter, at age six did better. She described his treatment methods in a couple of sentences.

“Blah, blah blah, do the thing you’re afraid of.
Blah, blah, blah, the more you do it, the easier it gets.”

Any other thoughts?

Workshop by Dr. Martin Franklin on OCD for kids

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.

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!

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.

FCP 2011 Spring Workshop

FCP has a great lineup of woekshops for the Spring 2011 professional education series. The first workshop of the season "Attachment Based Family Therapy" will be presented by, Suzanne A. Levy, Ph.D. on Wednesday, March 2, 2011 - 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Attachment Based Family Therapy (ABFT) is the only manualized empirically informed family therapy model specifically designed to target family and individual processes associated with adolescent suicide and depression. ABFT initially focuses on repairing or strengthening attachment and then turns to promoting adolescent autonomy. This workshop will provide an overview of the theoretical principles and clinical strategies of ABFT using lecture and tape review.

Workshop Objectives:
At the end of this activity, the learner will be able to:
• Formulate the theoretical foundation of ABFT.
• Extrapolate the purpose of the five treatment tasks of the model.
• Evaluate the strategies used in the five treatment tasks.
Presenter: Suzanne A. Levy, Ph.D. is Director of Training of Attachment Based Family Therapy, Center for Family Intervention Science at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She is also Trainer and Facilitator, Master Resilience Trainer Course at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Levy is a reviewer for Addiction Magazine and she has also been published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Health Psychology, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Pediatrics Magazine. The recipient of the University Research Council Grant at the University of North Carolina and a Pre-doctoral Training Fellowship from the National Institute of Drug Abuse, Dr. Levy has presented nationally at the Society for Prevention Research, Society for Research in Child Development, Society for Research on Adolescence, American Association of Suicidology, and the Joint Council on International Children's Services.