2010 Midwinter Luncheon Series

Once again the Brattleboro Retreat is pleased to offer four free mid-winter luncheons as part of our continuing education offerings for mental health and substance abuse treatment professionals. Each luncheon provides one free continuing education unit (CEU) plus a complimentary lunch. Registrations will be accepted by phone only. To reserve a seat please call Gay Maxwell at 802-258-4359.


Understanding Deliberate Self-Harm in an Adolescent Population

Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Noon to 1:00 pm
Jessica Shepley, Psy.D.
 
Deliberate self-harm in adolescents often brings up a wide range of feelings in families, school systems, medical personnel, and mental health care providers.  Emotional reactions to this behavior may include fear, frustration, sadness, disgust, hopelessness, etc.  With a more comprehensive understanding of self-harm, we are better able to set those valid emotional reactions aside and provide assessments and interventions that will best meet the needs of these adolescents. This presentation will provide an overview of self-harming behaviors in adolescents, highlighting information about risk-factors, warning signs, assessments and interventions.  Open and frank conversation about the emotional impact of working with self-harming adolescents will be welcome following the educational module.
 
Learning objectives:

  1. Participants will have an understanding of the warning signs indicating that an adolescent may be engaging in deliberate self-harm.
  2. Participants will have an understanding of the feelings, interpersonal dynamics, and potential diagnoses underlying deliberate self-harm in adolescents.
  3. Participants will have a basic understanding of therapeutic interviews and interventions aimed at assessing and reducing deliberate self-harm.


Making Your Practice Trans-Friendly    

Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Noon to 1:00 pm
Julie Praus, MD    

This roundtable discussion will focus how to welcome atypically-gendered clients to your practice setting. We will discuss their needs, health disparities, and discrimination. Specific foci will be on concrete changes in office policy and approaches to be more inclusive and welcoming.

Course learning objectives--participants will be able to:

  1. Describe why trans-friendly policies are needed.
  2. Implement significant changes quickly and painlessly.
  3. Discuss disparate client needs and how to address them.
  4. Access additional information that may be needed

Dr. Julie M. Praus is a psychiatrist and medical director of the LGBT program at the Brattleboro Retreat. Dr. Praus is trans-identified. Her career has focused in general hospital psychiatry. She has done research in HIV neuroimmunology.

 

Many Meanings of Recovery: History and New Initiatives in Addictions Treatment

Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Noon to 1:00 pm
Kurt White, LICSW

The concept of “recovery” has a long history in the field of addictions; indeed, many would say that the recovery concept is central to addictions treatment.  However, there has been an evolution of the meaning of “recovery’ over time, and variations in opinion about what this term really means. This has become more and more relevant in recent years, as the movement for “recovery oriented systems of care” has been a priority at the policy level in substance abuse treatment. Herein, we will explore some of the history of the recovery concept including similarities and differences in views, as well as the recent initiative at the federal, state, and agency level for “recovery oriented systems of care.”

Learning objectives:

  1. To have a working understanding of the “recovery oriented systems of care” initiatives of SAMHSA/CSAT.
  2. To have an understanding of some of the different historical meanings of the recovery concept in addiction and mental health treatment.
  3. Understand some ways that recovery concept can be used to guide and    direct the work of current therapists and counselors

 

Mindfulness & Acceptance-Based Treatment of Trauma Related Disorders

Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Noon to 1:00 pm
James S. Bastien, MSW, MHD 

Clinicians are becoming increasingly aware of the need to incorporate trauma informed treatment into their on-going work with clients. This workshop will explore recent innovations in trauma informed treatment that incorporate mindfulness and acceptance-based protocols such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) that draw on the ancient wisdom of the East to supplement cognitive-behavioral psychotherapies. This workshop will be of interest to mental health professionals who are interested in complimenting cutting-edge clinical protocols for trauma with eastern comtemplative wisdom traditions.
 
Learning Objectives. Participants will:

  1. Learn about the theory & practice of "Third Wave"  behavior therapies for trauma.
  2. Practice mindfulness & acceptance-based experiential exercises for treating trauma.
  3. Learn ways to integrate acceptance & mindfulness-based treatment into an overall treatment approach for treating trauma.

James S. Bastien, MSW, MHD, is the Director of the Retreat's Uniformed Services Program. Jim has more than 30 years experience in human services. He oversees clinical and administrative initiatives related to the Uniformed Services Program in addition to providing direct clinical care. He earned his master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan and his master’s degree in Human Development from the University of Kansas. Prior to joining the Retreat, Jim served as Chief Operating Officer for Peacemaker Community International based in Montague, MA. He has also served as Vice President of Residential Services for the Sisters of Providence Health System, based in Springfield, Mass.