“And what about me?” Self-care and value-based activities for family caregivers. VIRTUAL CE

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

This is part 3 of the implementation series for the optional manual by Dr. Wilz (in suggested readings) Psychotherapeutic support for family caregivers. 

Continuing Education

• Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
• This program provides one and a half (1.5) hours of CE credits.
• Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association is also approved by the NY State Education Department to offer psychology continuing education
• PBTA is also an authorized provider of CE credits for Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Clinical Social Workers licensed in the state of Pennsylvania.
• Full attendance with video display is required to obtain CE credit for this program. APA guidelines do not permit PBTA to issue partial CE credits. No refunds are provided for CE programs. No exceptions allowed.