US Journal Presents 

The 8th National Counseling Advances Conference

The latest research advances will be shared with practical applications for those working in the mental health and addictions fields. The format will include insightful plenary sessions by nationally recognized experts with afternoon concurrent workshops offering focused interaction and skill building opportunities. Valuable networking opportunities will be available. 

Topics Include:

• Treating Complex Trauma
• The Family and Addiction
• Neuroscience and Therapy
• Ways to Wreck (and Fix) Relationships 
• Treating the Emerging Young Adult
• Intimacy: Women, Men and Relationships
• Advances in Co-occurring Disorders 
• Precursors to Change 
• Problem Solving Theater 
• Worry and How to Manage It 
• “Girly Thoughts™” and Women’s Treatment 
• Brain Based Therapy and PTSD
• Wisdom Recovery 
• How Trauma Numbs Sexuality
• Managing Depression by Raising Energy
• The Art and Science of Healing

 8:00am

Continental Breakfast sponsored by American Addictions Center

8:50am

Opening and Welcome

        Dan Barmettler and Gary Seidler, US Journal Training, Inc.

9:00–10:00am

New Developments in the Treatment of Complex Trauma

        John Briere, PhD

Associate Professor Psychiatry at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, and Director of the USC Adolescent Trauma Training Center of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. He is recipient of the Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Science of Trauma Psychology from the American Psychological Association. Author of numerous books including Principles of Trauma Therapy: A
Guide to Symptoms, Evaluation and Treatment.

As our field has discovered the complexity of trauma effects, a variety of new approaches have been developed to treat them. This keynote will outline clinical developments in three areas: titrated exposure, affect regulation training, and mindful processing as they apply to the treatment of traumatized people.

10:00–10:30am

Refreshment Break - Refreshment breaks will be held every AM and PM in the Exhibit Area

10:30–11:30am

You’re Tearing Us Apart: Ways to Wreck a Relationship and Strategies for Fixing Them

        Pat Love, EdD

Dr. Pat Love is known for her warmth, humor, and practical, research based wisdom. Distinguished professor, licensed marriage and family therapist and long-standing clinical member and approved supervisor in American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and served as President of the International Association for Marriage and Family Counseling. Pat has authored/co-authored six books including Never Be Lonely Again: The Way Out of Emptiness, Isolation and a Life Unfulfilled, and her most recent book You’re Tearing Us Apart: Several Ways to Wreck a Relationship and Strategies to Fix Them, and numerous professional articles.

While it is tempting to think it takes two to tango or tank a relationship, personal choices can unilaterally destroy a union. I don’t make you drink; you don’t make me gamble; and one of us can get a divorce if we desire. This presentations examines relationship-challenging issues, the underlying psychology, detrimental effects and
strategies for repair.

11:30–12:30pm

Chemical Dependency and the Family: Using a Strength-Based Model for Treatment & Recovery

        Robert J. Ackerman, PhD

Formerly Professor and Program Director of Sociology, University of South Carolina at Beaufort. Editor of COUNSELOR, The Magazine for Addiction and Behavioral Health Professionals. Previous Director of the Mid-Atlantic Addiction Research and Training Institute in Pennsylvania. He is a co-founder of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics; author of thirteen books including Perfect Daughters and Silent Sons.

Living with an addicted person is not a spectator sport. To one extent or another addiction affects the entire family, regardless of whether it is a parent or adolescent family member who is addicted. Using a systems perspective and a strength-based model, this workshop will focus on the impact of addiction on the family, strategies for individual and family intervention, and suggestions to facilitate family transitions and recovery. Additional topics will include using family rituals to facilitate change, helping family members to utilize emotional, social, and moral intelligences to encourage recovery, developing a family continuing care plan, and an appreciation for gender differences in the addiction process and in recovery.

2:00-3:30pm 

Concurrent Workshops

Working with the Pain Paradox

        John Briere, PhD

Although our culture teaches us to avoid “negative” experience, Buddhist and Western psychologies agree that avoiding pain leads to long-term suffering, whereas engaging pain ultimately reduces it. In this way, ongoing trauma-related distress represent access to experiences that can be cognitively, emotionally, and existentially processed. Work with this paradox offers clients the opportunity to change their relationship to the past, thereby decreasing its power over their lives. 

Loneliness: The Hidden Ingredient in Relationships, Recovery and Real-life Contentment

        Pat Love, EdD

Clients rarely come for help citing loneliness as the primary problem yet this issue may just be the true elephant in the living room. Presentation takes a comprehensive look at the underlying issues of loneliness; five different types of loneliness and practical strategies for recovery and life contentment.

The Child is Father of the Man; Neurobiological Crossroads of Trauma, Addiction and Mood Disorder

        Christopher La Tourette La Riche, MD

A board-certified psychiatrist, award-winning psychotherapist and board-certified addiction psychiatrist. He is a Diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and specializes in treating patients with addictive disorders, anxiety, depression, panic disorder, bipolar disorder and adult ADHD having entered medicine after a career in education and the arts. Prior to joining Lucida as their Medical Director, he served as Assistant Professor at Florida International University’s College of Medicine and Lead Author, Neurobiology of Mood Disorders: Neuroendocrine Mechanisms, at the University of Miami. He is currently writing a book on recent advances in addictive disorders and cognitive deficit/cognitive health post-addiction for families and patients.

This presentation examines the three basic elements of the neuro-endocrine system altered in early life trauma that can affect mood, anxiety and addiction.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders

        David Koehn, PhD

Site Training Director, Sovereign Health. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a PhD in Psychology, Dr Koehn is a licensed psychologist in North Carolina and Florida. Over a span of 40 years, Dr Koehn led and transformed a variety of major organizations to include rehabilitation centers, hospital and school systems, manufacturing, consulting, high-tech, research based private/nonprofits and federal, states, DoD, and security government agencies. His clinical interests include dual diagnosis, aging and veterans.

Dr. Koehn will provide the history of PTSD and its associated treatment modalities as well as current trends in dealing with PTSD, from inpatient to outpatient services. He will explore how PTSD impacts intimacy and the wellness of the patient’s eco-system, and view PTSD from a systems thinking perspective as well as a holistic approach to wellness.

Intimacy: Women, Men and Relationships

        Robert J. Ackerman, PhD

Regardless of the issues that bring people to seeking help, relationship problems are often at the core. This workshop will focus on common relationship issues for women and men. Such topics as why people are attracted to high risk relationships, forms of intimacy, characteristics of healthy relationships, patterns of behaviors that destroy relationships, and suggestions for achieving positive emotional intimacy will be addressed.

4:00–5:30pm

CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS

Working with Easily Triggered and ‘Acting Out’ Trauma Survivors

        John Briere, PhD

Many of the most troubling long-term effects of interpersonal trauma is the tendency for some survivors to be involved in externalizing or “acting out” behaviors. This workshop will describe the typical process through which this occurs, including the notion of “triggering”, affect dysregulation, and tension reduction behaviors. Interventions specifically useful for such individuals will be explored.

Occam’s Razor: Sometimes the Simplest Solution is Best

        Pat Love, EdD

It’s rare to attend a conference or professional meeting without hearing about yet another new training or approach to therapy. With all the theories, techniques, and trainings; strategies, science and support groups: acronyms, Apps and affirmations, how does one make a decision? Well, perhaps it doesn’t have to be that complicated; simple may be best. A three-step model of therapy designed to work with individuals, couples, families or groups will be presented. Opportunity for discussion, clinical demonstration and case study will be available.

WISDOM RECOERY MEDICINE BAG For Healing Relationships

        Mary Faulkner, MA

Holds a master’s degree in Religious Education with a focus in Pastoral Counseling and Spiritual Direction. She is a pioneer in the field of mind/ body healing, having been in practice for 30 years. She was the former director of women’s services at Nashville’s Cumberland Heights, a trauma specialist at The Ranch in Nunnelly, TN, and co-founder of Integrative Life Center in Nashville, TN. She teaches professionals how to integrate
hypnotherapy into their healing practice.

        Lee McCormick

Lee McCormick is co-founder of Integrative Life Center, and founder of Spirit Recovery Inc., which produces recovery conferences, Sacred Journeys, workshops and other personal growth experiences. Author of Spirit Recovery Medicine Journal and Spirit Recovery Medicine Bag (with Mary Faulkner). He is executive director of Dreaming Heaven, a documentary on spiritual awakening, and co-creator of Dreaming House in Teotihuacan, Mexico, a group retreat center at the foot of the pyramids.

Broken relations are the identified underpinnings of addiction and these patterns must be addressed for recovery to take hold. In this experiential workshop, we’ll integrate intention, symbol and ceremony to access deep healing states where insight resides. Transforming relationships the ‘Medicine Bag Way’ belongs to an ancient wisdom tradition. It is both simple and profound and continues to be the perfect modern day RX to help clients navigate their way through the maze of relationships, including relationships with self, spouses, partners, children, parents, jobs, bosses, Higher Power . . . even the family pet.

Developing Healthy Families: Show Me the Way to Grow Home

        Robert J. Ackerman, PhD

Healthy families are made not born. Not all healthy families are healthy all the time and not all dysfunctional families are dysfunctional all the time. However, many families suffering from dysfunctions such as addiction, abuse, divorce and other stress related problems need help in creating or re-creating healthy family patterns. Using a family system and an individual developmental perspective this workshop will focus on understanding the emotional and behavioral impact of dysfunction on healthy family interactions. Strategies for individual and family intervention and suggestions to facilitate change and recovery will be addressed. Finally, ideas to develop resiliency skills in children and methods to help raise the confidence of parents will be included.