We live in turbulent times with increasing levels of stress and challenge across all age groups and across a wide range of work and life contexts. This workshop is the first of a an experiential and participatory series designed to introduce mental health professionals and those training in this field to explore how mindfulness-based approaches (MBAs) may be best used and adapted to meet the particular needs of different populations and contexts to build resilience and to ease suffering and support well-being. See https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2015.01.006
Mindfulness-based approaches (e.g. MBCT, MBSR, MBRP etc) as well as mindfulness-informed approaches (e.g. A.C.T.) are increasingly applied world-wide in group and one to one contexts to meet a wide variety of common emotional and psychological disorders and promote wellness. See Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review - 10.1093/bmb/ldab005
The workshop will invite participants to engage in some of the standard skills-based practices used in MBAs to develop emotional regulation, perspective and resilience so that the learning is experienced-based and grounded. We will use this grounded experience to better assimilate and understand how mindfulness-based approaches have their positive effect in relation to these increasingly common emotional, relational and psychological challenges. In addition we will outline how competency and integrity are being protected and encouraged in this field. See Mindfulness-Based Interventions - Teaching Assessment Criteria.
Finally, as an aspect of integrity we will explore how adaptations of these mindfulness-based approaches may be effectively tailored and assessed to meet emerging challenges. See https://doi.org/10.1177/21649561211068805
Required Reading (click citation to download)
Loucks, E. B., Crane, R. S., Sanghvi, M. A., Montero-Marin, J., Proulx, J., Brewer, J. A., & Kuyken, W. (2022). Mindfulness-based programs: why, when, and how to adapt?. Global Advances in Health and Medicine, 11, 21649561211068805.
Suggested Reading
Crane, R. S., Eames, C., Kuyken, W., Hastings, R. P., Williams, J. M. G., Bartley, T., ... & Surawy, C. (2013). Development and validation of the mindfulness-based interventions–teaching assessment criteria (MBI: TAC). Assessment, 20(6), 681-688
Crane, R. S., Karunavira, & Griffith, G. M. (Eds.). (2021). Essential resources for mindfulness teachers. Routledge.
Marx, R., Strauss, C., & Williamson, C. (2014). The eye of the storm: a feasibility study of an adapted Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) group intervention to manage NHS staff stress. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 7, e18.
J Gu, C Strauss, R Bond, and K Cavanagh (2015) How do mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction improve mental health and wellbeing? A systematic review and meta-analysis of mediation studies Clinical Psychological Review
D Zhang, E Lee, E Mak, C Ho and S Wong, (2021) Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review. British Medical Bulletin., N.I.H.
CE Learning Objective:
By the end of this program, participants will be able to:
Describe 2 guidelines for adapting Mindfulness-Based Programs (MBPs) while maintaining integrity of the evidence-based & first generation MBSR & MBCT training programs.
ABOUT PRESENTER
Dh .Karunavira
Karunavira studied Mindfulness Based Approaches at the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice (CMRP), Bangor University gaining his M.Sc. in 2010. He currently is a senior trainer for CMRP. He is also a founding director of, ‘Mindfulhealth’, training mindfulness teachers in the UK
He has taught mindfulness-based approaches (MBCT and MBSR) and trained mindfulness teachers within the local and wider (international) community since 2005, specialising in working with Carers, Young People, NHS Staff and traditional Arab and Far Eastern communities. He leads mindfulness retreats in the UK and across Europe. He previously trained as a Psychotherapeutic Counsellor specialising in working within the NHS with parents/carers of children with complex needs, working with this population as a Mindfulness Therapist.
Karunavira left his initial career as Headteacher in Primary education in 1982 to pursue Buddhist studies. From 1990 he taught meditation and Buddhist studies in the UK and between 2000 and 2010 he was the spiritual director of the Brighton Buddhist Centre (UK)
This presentation is intended for licensed mental health professionals and advanced graduate student trainees seeking licensure and with some clinical experience. The instructional level of this presentation is INTERMEDIATE.
To sustain their well-being and continuously provide care, family caregivers must nurture their own needs and goals. However, many family caregivers neglect self-care because they feel guilty, selfish, or frivolous when tending to their own needs. Moreover, many family caregivers find it difficult to find and create space for self-care within the extreme constraints of the caregiving situation.
In this training, participants will learn how to impart the necessity of self-care and facilitate caregivers’ motivation to change; address caregivers’ dysfunctional thoughts about self-care (e.g., “I can’t do something nice for myself while my husband is suffering”); address practical barriers to self-care (e.g., limited time and mobility; lack of professional help); and help caregivers to identify and implement suitable self-care and value-based activities in their everyday lives. Techniques from cognitive-behavioral therapy, problem-solving therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy will be discussed.
Suggested reading
Wilz, G. (2023). Psychotherapeutic support for family caregivers of people with dementia. Hogrefe Publishing.
Risch, A. K., Lechner-Meichsner, F., & Wilz, G. (2024). Telephone-based acceptance and commitment therapy for caregivers of persons with dementia: Results of a randomized controlled trial. Clinical Gerontologist, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/07317115.2024.2393307. Advance online publication.
Töpfer, N. F., Sittler, M. C., Lechner-Meichsner, F., Theurer, C., & Wilz, G. (2021). Long-term effects of telephone-based cognitive-behavioral intervention for family caregivers ofpeople with dementia: Findings at 3-year follow-up. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 89(4), 341–349. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000640
Wrede, N., Töpfer, N. F., Risch, A. K., & Wilz, G. (2024). How do care-related beliefs contribute to depression and anxiety in family caregivers of people with dementia? Testing a cognitive vulnerability-stress model. Aging & Mental Health, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2024.2386079. Advance online publication.
CE Learning Objectives
Following this presentation, participants will be able to:
· Describe 2 typical barriers of self-care for family caregivers
· Name at least 3 common dysfunctional thoughts about self-care
· Outline 2 essential therapeutic strategies for fostering self-care and value-based activities for family caregivers
· Describe 1 aspect of the therapeutic relationship that can help caregivers to focus on their own needs
ZOOM LINK SENT 48-Hours before & morning of the event to all without balance due.
Presenter
Gabriele Wilz, PhD, is Professor and Head of the Department of Counseling and Clinical Intervention as well as Director of the Psychotherapeutic Outpatient Clinic and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Qualification at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena in Germany. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and clinical supervisor with licensure in cognitive behavioral therapy. Her research and clinical work focus on supporting family caregivers of people with dementia and older people in need of care. Her intervention concept for family caregivers incorporates elements of cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and client-centered psychotherapy. The intervention can be delivered to groups or individuals; face-to-face, via telephone, or online. Six randomized controlled trials have confirmed the effectiveness and feasibility of the intervention. For a full biography, please visit https://www.klinisch-psychologische-intervention.uni-jena.de/
Target Audience
Pediatric OCD presents significant symptoms, comorbidity, and functional impairments that can persist into adulthood, yet effective treatments, particularly cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) combined with exposure plus response prevention (ERP), have been established. Drs. Franklin and Piacentini will commence with a critical review of the pediatric OCD treatment literature, highlighting key randomized trials that demonstrate the efficacy of ERP alone and in conjunction with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs). They will delve into common clinical barriers to optimal outcomes, including low motivational readiness, unusual obsessional fears (such as being buried alive or trapped in someone else’s dream), and the management of suicidal ideation linked to obsessive thoughts. Additional complexities include the effects of psychiatric comorbidity, family accommodation, and other factors that can negatively impact OCD treatment outcomes. The presentation will incorporate case examples to illustrate recommended clinical procedures for navigating these challenges. Furthermore, there will be ample opportunity for audience questions and discussions, allowing participants to share their own theoretical and clinical experiences, including case presentations. Emphasis will be placed on providing effective clinical services for pediatric OCD patients and their families, particularly those who have previously shown partial or no response to CBT, pharmacological interventions, or combined treatment approaches, alongside addressing family-related complexities that may hinder effective treatment delivery.
Freeman, J., Benito, K., Herren, J., Kemp, J., Sung, J., Georgiadis, C., Arora, A., Walther, M., & Garcia, A. (2018). Evidence base update of psychosocial treatments for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder: Evaluating, improving, and transporting what works. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology: The Official Journal for the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, American Psychological Association, Division 53, 47(5), 669–698. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2018.1496443
Ivarsson, T., Skarphedinsson, G., Kornør, H., Axelsdottir, B., Biedilæ, S., Heyman, I., Asbahr, F., Thomsen, P. H., Fineberg, N., March, J., & Accreditation Task Force of The Canadian Institute for Obsessive Compulsive Disorders. (2015). The place of and evidence for serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in children and adolescents: Views based on a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychiatry Research, 227(1), 93–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2015.01.015
Kemp, J., Barker, D., Benito, K., Herren, J., & Freeman, J. (2021). Moderators of psychosocial treatment for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder: Summary and recommendations for future directions. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology: The Official Journal for the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, American Psychological Association, Division 53, 50(4), 478–485. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2020.1790378
Piacentini, J., Wu, M., Rozenman, M., Bennett, S., McGuire, J., Nadeau, J., Lewin, A., Sookman, D., Bergman, R. L., Storch, E. A., & Peris, T. (2021). Knowledge and competency standards for specialized cognitive behavior therapy for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder. Psychiatry Research, 299, Article 113854. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2021.113854
Peris, T., & Piacentini, J. (2014). Addressing barriers to change in the treatment of childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 32, 31–43.
Peris, T., O’Neill, J., Rozenman, M., Bergman, R. L., Chang, S., & Piacentini, J. (2017). Developmental and clinical predictors of comorbidity for youth with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 93, 72–78.
Skarphedinsson, G., Weidle, B., Thomsen, P. H., Dahl, K., Torp, N. C., Nissen, J. B., Melin, K. H., Hybel, K., Valderhaug, R., Wentzel-Larsen, T., Compton, S. N., & Ivarsson, T. (2015). Continued cognitive-behavior therapy versus sertraline for children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder that were non-responders to cognitive-behavior therapy: A randomized controlled trial. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 24(5), 591–602. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-014-0613-0
Tuerk, P., McGuire, J., & Piacentini, J. (2024). A randomized controlled trial of OC-Go for childhood obsessive-compulsive disorder: Augmenting homework compliance in exposure with response prevention treatment. Behavior Therapy, 55, 306–319.
Peris, T., Rozenman, M., Sugar, C., McCracken, J., & Piacentini, J. (2017). Targeted family intervention for complex cases of pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 56, 1034–1042.
1. Recognize the three most common psychiatric comorbidities in pediatric OCD and the accompanying clinical strategies to mitigate their effects.
2. Name the recommended strategies used to address predictors of negative response including low motivation and suicidal ideation in the context of obsessions pertaining to suicide.
3. Identify the clinical strategies used to address family accommodation at various stages of treatment and promote empirically supported techniques to encourage families to work together towards productive solutions in treatment.
4. Identify the two core OCD symptoms in youth and the rationale for CBT Apply a method of clinical decision-making when comorbid disorders are present
5.Be able to identify and address the three most common barriers to successful intervention
6. Recognize the potential augmentative value of family-based interventions to address accommodation
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS
Dr. John Piacentini
Dr. John Piacentini is Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the UCLA Semel Institute where he directs the Child OCD, Anxiety and Tic Disorders Clinic/Tourette Association of America (TAA) Center of Excellence and the Center for Child Anxiety, Resilience, Education and Support (CARES). A board-certified psychologist, his work focuses on the development and dissemination of treatments for youth with OCRDs, anxiety and tics. He has authored over 350 scientific publications, including nine books and treatment manuals, and received research funding from NIMH, PCORI, IOCDF, and other foundations. Dr Piacentini has been an IOCDF Behavior Therapy Training Institute faculty member for almost 20 years and he has led numerous other national and international therapy trainings for OCD and related disorders. In addition, he is a member of the IOCDF Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board, and chairs the TLC Foundation for BFRBs and Tourette Association of America Scientific Advisory Boards.
Dr. Martin E. Franklin
Martin E. Franklin is an internationally recognized expert in the phenomenology, assessment, and cognitive-behavioral treatment of OCD and related conditions across the developmental spectrum. Dr. Franklin is Associate Professor Emeritus of Clinical Psychology in Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and OCD Service Line Leader at Rogers Behavioral Health in Philadelphia. He has published over 260 scholarly articles, chapters, and books, lectured around the world on these and other topics, and has been awarded for teaching excellence three different times during his 20 years at Penn.
From Zindel Segal, Ph.D., co-founder of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
“Chris Molnar, Ph.D. offers a high quality MBCT training that adheres to the principles of participant experiential learning and treatment fidelity”
“There is no better way to learn mindfulness and MBCT than to experience it for yourself. "
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is an adaptation of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) that integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with much-older wisdom practices. Originally developed to prevent relapse in people with recurrent depression, MBCT and its adaptations have been shown to not only reduce relapse of mood disorders, but also reduce current symptoms and /or protect from relapse in conditions such as PTSD, OCD, Panic, GAD, other anxiety, & related disorders (e.g., substance abuse). Broadly speaking, MBPs are of benefit for people with disorders marked by Neuroticism as described by Costa & McCrae, X and Barlow, X) and associated experiential avoidance (Hayes, X). Through effective integration of scientific findings and theory about emotional processing and the cognitive, physical, and overt and covert behavioral elements of emotion, MBCT has been shown to be a trans-therapeutic intervention of benefit to those with a range of transdiagnostic disorders. This is in part through increasing metacognition (aka "decentering" , "deidentification", etc.) and changing how one relates habitually with unwanted internal experiences in mind and body. Moreover, the mindfulness skills developed in MBCT are foundational for the range of compassion-based interventions that also have transtherapeutic benefits for those with emotional disorders.
The path for competently and ethically teaching MBCT to those with emotional disorders includes, but is not limited to, participation in the traditional 8-session MBCT program in the role of participant-practitioner. The participant-practitioner model of competence development supports professionals in implementing MBCT with the population they already have expertise serving. It also offers the opportunity to observe experienced professionals modelling implementation of the MBCT curriculum elements with people exhibiting symptoms the trainee practitioner wants to develop skills for treating. Importantly, the model offers opportunities for receiving feedback from peers in role plays in a consultation setting to enhance competence through deliberate practice in a community of peers.
In this workshop, developing clinician teachers will directly experience the MBCT treatment protocol . Professionals will also practice guiding short MBCT practices & receiving feedback from professional peers and expert MBCT instructors. Feedback is offered in the context of a relational mindfulness practice that invites contemplation, reflection, & inquiry about implementing the "Guiding Practice" Domain of the Mindfulness-Based Interventions - Teaching Assessment Criteria (MBI-TAC). The Guiding Practice Domain outlines the "bones" or essential elements of each MBCT formal practice including: the 3 step breathing space - regular & responsive versions; body scan; mindfulness of sounds and thoughts; two ways of knowing; sitting & movement formal practices, and mindful eating. Professional participants will also practice implementing the relational mindfulness practice of Mindful Case Consultation (MCC), with a focus on implementing MBCT with challenging cases in individual sessions while maintaining self-care.
Practitioners will develop foundational skills for implementing all elements of the MBCT curriculum in this training. Further, through developing the habit of formal and informal personal mindfulness practice in the role of participant they can enhance both intra- & inter-personal effectiveness in responding to challenges that arise in MBCT skill development and implementation with clients. For more about training pathway & becoming an MBCT teacher visit https://www.mbct.com/mbct-training-pathway/ or read article by MBCT co-developer Zindel Segal, Ph.D. at www.philabta.org/EBP about increasing access to high quality professional training Home - Access MBCT .
The Mindful Way Workbook: An 8-Week Program to Free Yourself from Depression and Emotional Distress.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, Second Edition 2nd Edition
Mindfulness-Based Interventions - Teaching Assessment Criteria (MBI-TAC)
Baer, R., Crane, C., Miller, E., & Kuyken, W. (2019). Doing no harm in mindfulness-based programs: conceptual issues and empirical findings. Clinical psychology review, 71, 101-114.
Crane, R. S., Eames, C., Kuyken, W., Hastings, R. P., Williams, J. M. G., Bartley, T., ... & Surawy, C. (2013). Development and validation of the mindfulness-based interventions–teaching assessment criteria (MBI: TAC). Assessment, 20(6), 681-688.
Dimidjian, S., & Segal, Z. V. (2015). Prospects for a clinical science of mindfulness-based intervention. American Psychologist, 70(7), 593.
Kramer, G. (2007). Insight dialogue: The interpersonal path to freedom. Shambhala Publications.
Molnar, C. (September, 2017). Playing in the ocean of awareness: Innovations in mindfulness training. The Pennsylvania Psychologist Quarterly, pages 16-17.
Molnar, C. (June, 2014). Peer groups as a reflecting pool for enhancing wisdom. The Pennsylvania Psychologist Quarterly, pages 9-10.
1. Describe the structural elements of four formal mindfulness practices that adhere to evidence-based Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) designed to teach participants to deconstruct emotion (pleasant or unpleasant) into the mind, body, and behavior elements.
2. Describe two examples of covert (mental) or overt (observable) behaviors that reflect the “doing mode of mind” that arises when there is a discrepancy between one’s desired verses actual internal state.
3. Describe one specific way that an unpleasant emotion state can contribute to the risk of recurrence of transdiagnostic emotional disorders.
4. Describe examples of typical automatic thoughts (ATs), measured by the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ), and how a negative / & or depleted mood / emotion state impacts retrieval processes of ATs.
5. Describe two examples of the “being (present) mode of mind” that serves as an antidote for the doing mode of mind’s focus on the past & / or future.
6. Describe one way that the being mode of mind can reduce the risk of recurrence of distress in transdiagnostic emotional disorders associated with automatically perceiving thoughts as facts.
7. Describe two examples of the difference between conceptual and non-conceptual information (& associated) emotional processing and how each mode of processing can reduce or increase risk of distress and / or dysphoria.
8. Describe the difference between an avoidance / aversion and an approach mode of relating with experience and how each can influence level of distress and dysphoria.
9. Describe the concept of ruminative brooding and how it worsens mood and predicts onset, maintenance, and recurrence of transdiagnostic emotional disorders.
10. Describe the components of the regular three-step "breathing space" practice and how it supports implementation of MBI skills in everyday life.
11. Describe the components of the responsive three-step "breathing space" practice and how it can support the application of mindfulness skills & compassionate responding in stressful situations.
12. Describe how the body scan practice can be viewed as a behavioral experiment with an intention of noticing the impact of non-conceptual information processing of experience; disengagement of attention from stimuli increasing distress; and a broadening of the attentional field.
13. Describe MBI-adherent elements of formal sitting meditation practice and how it can be considered a micro-laboratory that supports awareness of not only sensations but also habitual mental phenomena and one’s intra-personal relationship to feeling states.
14. Describe three of the nine “Foundational Attitudes” that are ways of relating with experience to support both formal and informal mindfulness practice implementation.
15. Describe elements of the informal practice of monitoring pleasant and unpleasant events and how event logs are used to support deconstruction of emotion states into their co-arising & interacting elements.
16. Describe the implementation of the informal practice of logging nourishing and depleting events and how this supports identification of factors associated with relapse prevention and self-kindness intra-personally.
17. Describe a specific way that intention and personal values clarity can reduce barriers to development, and support strengthening, of MBCT skills implementation.
18. Describe how brief assessments of mindfulness, ruminative brooding and compassion can be integrated into the MBCT curriculum to motivate practice and track outcome.
19. Describe the physiological outcome of fighting or attempting to eliminate unwanted internal experiences and how it contrasts with allowing one’s unwanted experiences and relating with kindness to the self.
20. Describe two specific ways that participation in the MBCT group supports the strengthening of mindfulness and compassion in relationship with self and / or others.
21. Describe the six teaching competence domains measured by the Mindfulness-Based Interventions - Teaching Assessment Criteria (MBI-TAC)
22. Implement the Mindfulness-Based Interventions - Teaching Assessment Criteria (MBI-TAC) using examples from live formal MBCT sessions.
23. Observe an MBCT teacher implement live formal MBCT sessions while in the role of a participant followed by relational mindfulness practice and feedback designed to strengthen teaching competence.
24. Describe and observe the practice of mindful inquiry after formal guided practices with participants who meet diagnostic criteria for anxiety & related disorders.
About Presenters
Mark Lau, PhD, is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia, and a registered psychologist in private practice at the Vancouver CBT Centre. Dr. Lau has over 25 years experience providing Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) to individuals and groups; conducting MBCT and CBT research; providing leadership in developing models of mental health care delivery including innovative ways of delivering MBCT & CBT; and, providing leadership in training and education including providing MBCT single and multi-day professional trainings across North America, Europe and Australia for mental health professionals. Mark is also an MBCT teacher trainer/mentor with the UCSD Mindfulness-Based Professional Training Institute and is one of a handful of MBCT trainers who provide the 5-day MBCT Professional Training in North America. He has provided MBCT & Fostering Resilience workshops to psychiatrists, physicians, UBC internal medicine residents, university research administrators and college staff. Dr. Lau’s research interests include investigating the mechanisms underlying MBCT’s effectiveness, the development and validation of the Toronto Mindfulness Scale, and evaluating effective methods of disseminating MBCT and CBT. He is a former Associate Editor of the journal Mindfulness.
Chris Molnar, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist and clinical investigator, founded Mindful Exposure Therapy for Anxiety and Psychological Wellness Center (META Center) in 2007. She completed post-doctoral fellowship training in traumatic stress, neuroscience, and psycho-physiology and is an expert in the assessment and treatment of anxiety, OCD, PTSD, emotional, and stress-related conditions using evidence-based practices. She teaches both Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and has also developed adaptations for highly distressed clients, using Relational Mindfulness Practices (RBPs), to meet the needs of people in both individual and group therapy settings. At META Center, she offers integrative interventions grounded in findings about the brain, emotion, and learning to facilitate mental and behavioral habit change, even in the face of severe distress. Before founding META Center, she served as a clinical investigator and therapist supported by grants from the National Institute of Health and other agencies. She is also on the editorial board of Behavior Therapy and serves the public in many ways, through professional presentations, workshops, publications, and affiliations.
This presentation is intended for licensed mental health professionals and advanced graduate student trainees seeking licensure. The instructional level of this presentation is BEGINNER.
Note: This workshop does not require attendees to have a formal mindfulness practice.
Copyright Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association
