Spring Virtual Conference 2025

Behavior disorders including oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder that co-occur with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are among the most common presenting issues among families of young (3 to 8 years old) children. Without effective treatment, early-onset behavior disorders can predict cascading problems in adolescence and adulthood (e.g., delinquency, depression, substance use), and in turn dramatically increase criminal justice, education, and health care costs for individuals, families, and society. Research shows that Behavioral Parent Training (BPT; also called Behavioral Parenting Interventions, Parent Management Training) works better than any other treatment and is therefore considered the standard of care for early onset behavior disorders; however, there are multiple BPT programs in which clinicians can be trained potentially creating confusion regarding which to use and why. Moreover, BPT training can be expensive and time-intensive, which can be cost-prohibitive to many agencies and providers. Finally, there is a common misconception that because BPT is a “manualized” intervention it does not align with other orientations (e.g. attachment theory) or allow for clinical judgement and experience. To begin to address these challenges, this workshop will: 1) Provide an overview of the common history, theory, and skills that characterize this family of evidence-based interventions; 2) Highlight how understanding these common elements allows clinicians to integrate BPT with other theoretical orientations and techniques that may be relevant to the case conceptualization; and 3) Provide examples regarding how BPT demands clinical judgement and decision making if we are to benefit more children and families.

Trauma-informed supervision is a supervisory approach that integrates knowledge about trauma into all aspects of supervision. It recognizes the prevalence of trauma and its potential impact on individuals and aims to provide a safe and supportive environment for supervisees. It applies when working with any supervisee, but especially those with trauma in their history, as well as when supervising clinicians engaged in trauma therapy. Theory and interventions will be based, in part, on SAMHSA’s principles of trauma-informed care and phases of trauma therapy and supervision. In this presentation, we will also consider cultural, identity-based, and environmental factors, as well as systems of oppression for the supervisor, supervisee and client. We emphasize collaboration, empowerment, and respect for individual and cultural experiences. This training will provide didactic, experiential, and interactive components in order to inform your clinical and supervisory practice. Julie and Stephanie infuse feminist-multicultural and systems-based approaches in their clinical work; this will also be included in the discussions and interventions.

Most couples seen in this practice have not engaged in sex for many years, and they are not comfortable with their current expression of intimacy. One such couple reported that their last experience of intercourse was 18 years prior. Another couple reported that they had infrequent sex, but it was more the default behavior of avoidance of one partner that left the other partner feeling disconnected intimately. Consultations with other therapists noted some improvement, but prior therapy proved limited in addressing core issues. When presenting for consultation with this therapist, the underlying concern was that they were uncomfortable with their emotional and physical expression of love and care. In addition to evaluating each couple's ways of relating intimately and physically, a schema therapy evaluation was conducted to identify early maladaptive schemas (beliefs about the world) and maladaptive coping modes (emotional and behavioral forms of expression). Several interventions, primarily ones utilized within the Schema Therapy model, helped shift the relationship course of these couples. This case presentation includes the obstacles to intimacy that had not been sufficiently addressed in prior therapeutic experiences and the interventions that proved more successful with these challenging couples. Most importantly, the interventions that assisted the couple in strengthening the skills of their Healthy Adult Mode and the play capacity of their Happy Child will be highlighted.

This talk will discuss the nature of ARFID and the importance and challenges of early detection in young children. I will examine the experience of various features of ARFID (e.g., disgust, anhedonia, fear) and the treatment considerations for these. I will then describe an ongoing clinical trial for ARFID that employs two different approaches for ARFID management.