AMCAP Fall 2008 Convention



AMCAP 2015 Convention Schedule

40 Years of AMCAP

Spirituality and Psychotherapy: Past, Present, and Future

Joseph Smith Memorial Building, 9th Floor, SLC

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Wednesday, September 30, 2015 (Total of 2.0 CE hours Pending Approval)

6:30-8:30 pm Ethics Training (2 CE Hours): Ethics Involved with Juvenile Spirituality: Maintaining a balance between psychotherapy and spirituality when treating juveniles, Michael Dunn, M.A., L.M.F.T., C.S.A.T., M.A.C.

Presentation Summary: Conflict between a parent and child challenges any therapist. When you include the differences between the parent’s beliefs and the child’s beliefs, an ethical dilemma is created. This workshop will explore the ethical dilemma that all clinicians face when working with child/parent relationship with conflicting spiritual ideology. This workshop will also explain the role of the therapist that shares the same religion as the clients he/she treat.

This training is FREE to current AMCAP Members and $35 for Non-AMCAP Members (fee NOT included with convention registration). Pay at the door or contact the AMCAP Office. Location to be determined.

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THURSDAY, October 1, 2015 (Total of 6.5 CE Hours Pending Approval)

8:00-8:30 am Registration/Check-In

8:30-8:45 am Welcome

8:45-10:15 am Keynote Address (1.5 CE Hours): Eternal Advantages of a Temporal Existence: Implications and practical applications integrating time perspective and timelessness in theistic psychotherapy, Ryan J. Hulbert, PhD

Presentation Summary: This interactive workshop will engage the participants in the fascinating exploration of psychological time functioning related to promoting therapeutic change. The advantages and potential pitfalls for self-concept development, self-worth, and spiritual growth from living in a time(temporal)-bound world will be highlighted. Practical methods will be shown and discussed related to life-style and therapeutic applications.

10:15-10:30 am Break

10:30-12:30 pm Concurrent Workshops (2 CE Hours)

1. Forgiveness: Healing from grievances and shame, Ash Johstoneaux, MS, LMFT, and Melanie Smith, MA, LMFT, RPT

Presentation Summary:

2. LDS LGB/SSA Therapy 101, Principles and Best Practices, Lisa Tensmeyer Hansen, LAMFT, and Ty Mansfield, LMFT

Presentation Summary: Families, bishops, and individuals rely on LDS counselors and psychotherapists to help them understand treatment for mental health issues related to same-sex attraction. This session will help practitioners explore what clients may be seeking when they come for therapy, how to assess what interventions will help individuals and families, and how to avoid common mental health/spiritual pitfalls in working with LDS people who experience SSA or identify as LGB.

3. "And the Prisoners Shall Go Free"--Part II: Healing complex trauma through effective short-term therapy, Patrick Poor, MS, MFT, Alan Spendlove, CMHC, Rand Martel, MCoun, LMFT, LCPC, and Mindy Lundgreen, MSW, LCSW

Presentation Summary: Part of the reason the treatment of PTSD has had such a bad track record over the past 35 years is twofold: the essential part that dissociation plays in PTSD has not been well understood, and dissociation and dissociative disorders are not clearly defined or understood. Recently there has been a return to the concept now described as “structural dissociation” as described by Dutch psychologist Ellert Nijenhuis, Ph,D. Pierre Janet coined the term “dissociation” and believed it involved a structural dividedness of the personality. Perhaps the time for his conceptualization has come.

Drawing on the studies and writings of noted researchers and authors Ellert Nijenhuis, Ph.D., article “Ten Reasons For Conceiving and Classifying Posttraumatic Stress Disorder As A Dissociative Disorder”, D.J. Stein, et. al., study “Dissociation in posttraumatic stress disorder: Evidence from the World Health Surveys”, L.C. Waelde, et. al., study “A taxonomic investigation of dissociation in Vietnam veterans” , O. Van Der Hart, et. al., article “Trauma-related dissociation: Conceptual clarity lost and found”, J.D. Bremner, et. al., study “Dissociation and posttraumatic stress disorder in Vietnam combat veterans”, we will consider “structural dissociation” as a root cause of PTSD symptoms, and a panel discussion giving anecdotal clinical evidence from several therapists to support the belief that PTSD is a dissociative disorder and treating it as structural dissociation is very effective.

12:30-1:45 pm Lunch

1:45-2:45 pm Concurrent Workshops (1.0 CE Hour)

1. Implementing DBT Skills within the Culture of the LDS Faith, Reva Manon Kraus, LCSW

Presentation Summary: Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is shown in the research to be very effective in reducing nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and reducing suicidal ideation. (Linehan, 2015) DBT draws heavily upon Eastern philosophy in teaching skill of mindfulness with a focus on practicing a more observant and nonjudgmental stance to life and life events. This can be problematic for those who come from a Christian culture where life events and choices are often seen as either blessings or punishments. The eastern concept of mindfulness can also feel very foreign to those who are raised in a culture of constant self-evaluation. This presentation reviews how to approach teaching the DBT Skills in the framework of a Christian culture. Specific concepts covered will be teaching nonjudgmental stance and the concepts of willingness versus willfulness. This presentation will give therapists tools to make DBT more accessible and be more effective within a Christian culture.

2. Developing self-care practices in a trauma treatment course, Rachel E. Crook Lyon, PhD

Presentation Summary: This presentation describes the development of self-care practices of social work students who were part of a larger study of students’ experiences in a graduate course on the treatment of trauma. Consensual qualitative research methods were used to analyze 17 participant journals submitted at 4 times during the course. Findings indicated that students benefited from being introduced to evidence-based practices for mediating the stress of trauma education, including journaling and mindfulness-based stress reduction. Although students reported struggling with developing effective self-care practices, they demonstrated an ability to integrate self-care into their professional practice behaviors. The presenter reviews recommendations for research and pedagogy of self-care practices in courses on trauma treatment.

3. Sex Guilt and Religion: Differences between Baptists, Catholics, and Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormons) in experiences of pre-marital sex guilt, Mark O. Bigler, LCSW, PhD

Presentation Summary: Formal study of sexuality among Latter-day Saints has focused largely on sexual abuse and trauma, same-sex attraction, and plural marriage. This presentation shares data from a study of 250 college students who were predominantly LDS. An online survey assessed the following variables: personality, sexual experiences, sexual guilt, strength of religious faith, religious fundamentalism, and demographic indicators (e.g., gender, religious affiliation, frequency of religious behaviors, age, education level, current relationship status, time of first sexual experience, previous sexual education, previous chastity commitments, and incidents of abuse). This study tested the hypothesis that sexually active college students who have fundamentalist Christian/LDS beliefs (conflicted sexually active) have higher levels of sexual guilt than those with fundamentalist beliefs who abstain from sexual activity (committed virgins) and those who are sexually active who do not have strong religious beliefs (non-conflicted sexually active).

2:45-3:00 pm Break

3:00-5:00 pm Plenary Address (2 CE Hours): Same-sex Attraction: Theoretical implications for ethical practice and enhancing client self-determination, Jeffrey W. Robinson, PhD, LMFT

Presentation Summary: Substantial research over the past 50 years has yet to fully explain the causes of same-sex attraction. Reviews of research literature indicate that a wide variety of beliefs exist among clinicians, researchers and the public, regarding the etiology and malleability of same-sex attraction. Sexual orientation change efforts have been widely criticized in the literature. There is substantial evidence that complete reversal of sexual orientation is highly improbable and, used as a treatment goal, can produce harm to some clients. At the same time, sexual fluidity and the experience of sexual and romantic attraction outside of one's self identified sexual orientation are also increasingly present themes in research on homosexuality. Also, among highly religious clients, the goal of achieving “chastity” has been documented in the literature. The wide range of beliefs, values and desired outcomes regarding same sex attraction greatly increases the probability of value conflicts between therapists and their clients who experience same-sex attraction. Significant research indicates that therapists’ values influence clients even when the therapist attempts to be “value neutral.”

This presentation will explore and discuss in the following: 1. Five general approaches to understanding the etiology of same-sex attraction; 2. Factors that influence therapists toward favoring one of these approaches; 3. Ways a therapist's beliefs and values regarding-sex attraction may influence their client; 4. The need for therapists to be able to articulate and their own beliefs and values regarding same sex attraction; 5. The ethical need for therapist transparency regarding their beliefs concerning same-sex attraction both in their informed consent and in their ongoing conversations with clients. Time will be left for questions and discussion.

5:00-6:00 pm Keynote Address: Elder Craig C. Christensen of the Presidency of the Seventy

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FRIDAY, October 2, 2015 (Total of 5.0 CE Hours Pending Approval)

8:00-8:30 am Registration/Check-In

8:30-8:45 am Welcome

8:45-9:30 am Keynote Address: Elder Robert E. Wells, emeritus General Authority

9:30-9:45 am Break

9:45-11:15 am Plenary Address (1.5 CE Hours): The Power of Here and Now: Mindfulness as a Psychotherapeutic Tool, Lili Anderson, LCSW, Ph.D. and Christian Anderson, LCSW

11:15-11:30 am Break

11:30-1:00 pm Concurrent Workshops (1.5 CE Hours)

1. Parenting in a World of Porn, Daniel G. Oakes, MEd, LPC, CSAT

Presentation Summary: As professionals we work hard to help repair the wounded hearts and trouble lives of those that struggle with pornography and sexual addiction. This presentation will explore and discuss prevention of the harmful effects of pornography from a parent training prospective. The presenter will train parents by teaching and exploring the neurological impact of pornography and/or early exposure to sexuality on a child's brain. He will discuss how to integrate an understanding of the exposure to pornography into parental sex education and relationship development to enhance openness and reduce shame. He will identify three critical areas for parent training 1) understanding the characteristics of pornography that harm the brain as a motive for protection 2) development of a trusting open relationship with our children as a primary preventive measure and 2) how to protect our homes from the constant cultural hyper-focus on sexuality.

2. Mission Possible, L. Marlene Payne, M.D.,  Psychiatrist 

Presentation Summary: This presentation will focus on the goal of helping missionaries to complete their missions when they are challenged with mental health issues.  We will briefly discuss some common disorders that interfere with the ability to successfully perform missionary work, their diagnosis and treatment.  We will then consider the best ways to counsel with mission presidents and stake and ward leaders to help them sustain missionaries in their work or to help those who have to come home early due to mental illness.  Finally we will examine the spiritual growth that comes from serving a full mission.

3. Engaging in Compassion Fatigue Awareness and Compassion Resilience, Rod Jeppsen, MS, CMHC, CSAT, Louise Belnap Jorgensen, PhD, LCMHC, and Debi Gilmore, MA, LMFT

1:00-2:15 pm Lunch, AMCAP Business, Bookstore

2:15-4:15 pm Concurrent Workshops (2 CE Hours)

1. A Dynamic Partnership: Blending Third Wave Behavioral Psychotherapies with Spiritually- Based Problem-Solving, Russ Seigenberg, Psychologist, Ph.D.

Presentation Summary: Psychotherapy that is problem-based presents singular challenges. Goals may be complex and difficult to achieve and resistance to change is a frequent concern. In reality, people have limited power to order the outcomes in their lives. The main control we possess is to create a meaningful life by maintaining a values-based, positive lifestyle. A therapeutic focus on spirituality, defined in this presentation as the art of creating and maintaining positive emotions, can increase motivation and bring quick results. A study done by Gallup and Johnson performed in 2003 showed that 39 percent of the U.S. population identified themselves as spiritual, but not religious. A spiritual approach to change transcends religious beliefs, and can appeal to both religious and non-religious clients.

Three approaches stand out in this regard. Positive psychology, which has been advanced by the work of Martin Seligman, takes an indirect route toward change by focusing on the cultivation of “positive emotions, positive traits, and positive institutions.” Jon Kabat-Zinn has been one of the leading contributors to the body of mindfulness research. Mindfulness involves the practice of formal meditation as well as focusing on being aware and nonjudgmental in the present moment. Acceptance and commitment theory (ACT), as developed by Stephen Hayes, advocates living by one’s values and accepting and “defusing” negative thoughts as they arise. All these approaches do an impressive job of moving the focus of the change process away from immediately solving the problems and have been proven to reduce mental health symptoms.

This presentation will propose that there is a way to integrate more direct problem-solving with the above-mentioned spiritual strategies and provide a more comprehensive treatment approach. This method involves gaining skills in communicating with the emotional system of the brain (the seat of desires, emotions, and emotionally-based thoughts). Some of the leading neuroscientists who study the dual mind system of the brain are C.S. Soon, John Dylan-Hayes, and David Eagleman. Some of the main tools that will be discussed are radical acceptance, the use of paradox, truth in thoughts, humility, compassion, and the use of corrective experiences.

2. Same sex attraction: theoretical implications for clinical practice, Jeffrey W Robinson PhD, LMFT

Presentation Summary: Research indicates that a significant population of individuals exists who experience mental and emotional distress when they perceive that their feelings of same-sex attraction are in conflict with their conservative religious beliefs and values. When working with these individuals therapist should respect both the client's right to self-determination and the diversity of such beliefs and values. Sexual orientation change therapy has been widely criticized in research literature. Although controversy remains, there is widespread belief that the efficacy of such efforts has not been empirically established. There is also evidence that complete reversal of sexual orientation is unlikely and that seeking such reversal as a treatment goal can be harmful to some individuals.

This workshop will explore an approach to treatment, based on the presenter’s doctoral research, which respects the self-determination of clients, who wish to live according to conservative religious values, without fostering unrealistic expectations of orientation change. Borrowing heavily from the social constructionist perspective, this approach invites clients to accept their experience of same-sex attraction as something they “know how to do” and which is unlikely to change. It offers an social constructionist framework which helps the client sees themselves as not emotionally broken or defective and not as evil or morally corrupt. In doing so it seeks to reduce their anxiety, shame and guilt as well as their over focus and over analysis of feelings. It allows clients to broaden their range of perceived options and thus reduces their sense of helplessness. This approach achieves these aims without suggesting to clients the need to change their sexual orientation Learning parenting is often an academic activity, with parents passively waiting for the dissemination of information for enhanced performances beyond their locus of control: their children’s behaviors. Using a fun and experiential approach parents can become active participants in sharing their personal values with their children by creating an environment where learning takes place and all members become responsible for their own behaviors. This is a unique approach to parenting supported by the theories of C. Terry Warner, Carl Rogers, Virginia Satir, Julian Rotter, Albert Bandura, Steven Bacon and others.

3. Positive Body Image: The Essential Resilience Tool for Helping Girls to Navigate the Minefield of Adolescence, Peggy A McFarland, MS, LPC, NCC, and Garrity O’Crowley, MS, LPC

Presentation Summary: Positive body image is a vital resilience factor for nearly all mental health issues girls face today, i.e. perfectionism, depression, anxiety, self-harm behaviors, peer bullying, early sexual experimentation, and eating disorders. Seven essential factors in building positive body image cited by Laura Choate, PhD (2008) in Girls and Women’s Wellness: Contemporary Counseling Issues and Interventions, American Counseling Association, provide the framework for this wellness approach to preventing and treating mental disorders in pre-adolescent and adolescent girls. A wellness approach looks at the bigger pictures of girls’ health behaviors and builds upon existing strengths. Specific body awareness and “mindfulness” strategies which support emotional regulation will be practiced. Specific hands-on activities for decoding and challenging harmful media messages will be experienced. Leaders and professionals of pre-adolescent and adolescent girls will come away with hands-on tools that can be incorporated in individual and group therapies or in prevention programs.

4:15 pm Wrap Up & Raffle

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