APA Convention 2015: Society Programs and Events
Thursday, August 6, 2015
SAP sponsored collaborative program: Clinical supervision around the globe—small world isn’t it?
8:00 – 9:50 Convention Centre, Room 716A
Chair
Carol Falender, Ph.D.
Discussant
Rod Goodyear
Symposium: Anti-Oppression Psychotherapy™—The Diverse Client
8:00 AM – 8:50 AM Convention Centre Room 206B
Cochairs
Roberta K. Timothy, PhD, MEd
Mercedes D.C. Umana, MEd
This introductory training workshop will examine how Anti-Oppression Psychotherapy (AOP) can be used with diverse clients. Firstly, the historical and contemporary context in relation to the impact of racism and other determinants of health will be briefly explored. Secondly, the importance of theoretical and methodological concepts and practices of AOP will be discussed and essential definitions of AOP will be described. Secondly, some of the principles of AOP will be explained in the context of issues relating to anti-oppression, health, and psychotherapy looking at how its implementation impacts diverse communities in Canada, America, Caribbean, Latin America and transnationally. Thirdly, the ³diverse client´will be explored indicating the importance of addressing intersectional factors of identity such as race, indigeneity, class/SES, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, age, (dis)ability, and spirituality in psychotherapy praxis. Fourthly, the real experiences of intersectional violence in client’s lives will be looked at. Finally, the importance of the use of resistance and resiliency as empowering therapeutic tools for clients, practitioners, and communities will be examined. This presentation will utilize several case studies to indicate how AOP can be used with diverse clients and the importance of addressing intersectionality in our praxis.
Symposium: Supervision—Master Supervisors of Various Orientations Show and Discuss Their Supervision Session Videos
8:00 AM – 9:50 AM Convention Centre Room 104C
Cochairs
Hanna Levenson, PhD
Arpana G. Inman, PhD
Participants/1st Authors
Joan E. Sarnat, PhD
Brian McNeill, PhD
Elizabeth Holloway, PhD
Discussants
Hanna Levenson, PhD
Arpana G. Inman, PhD
Although clinical supervision is one of the main ways we transmit the culture, technique, principles, and professionalism involved in the competent practice of psychotherapy, very few supervisors have ever seen another psychologist supervising a trainee, let alone watched a master supervisor doing so. In order to address this situation, APA has undertaken a new video series (Expert Psychotherapy Supervision DVD Series) spearheaded and co-hosted by the chairs of this proposed symposium. In the filmed Supervision Series (now underway) 12 renowned supervisors will each conduct a 45-minute supervision session with one of his/her supervisees. Three of these eminent psychotherapy supervisors have completed their DVDs thus far. In this symposium these experts will showcase video excerpts from their actual supervision sessions. Each expert represents a different approach to supervision (i.e., dynamic, integrated developmental, and systems), cutting across the range of psychotherapy theory-based and supervisionbased orientations. These master supervisors will discuss the central tenets of their models as illustrated by their videos and present empirical evidence for their approaches. In addition, they will show how they handle common supervisory dilemmas (e.g., legal/ethical considerations, difficult supervisees, multicultural issues, power dynamics). The discussants will address the commonalities across all three models necessary for the competent practice of supervision. Interaction with the attendees will foster a compare and contrast dialogue.
Skill-Building Session: Enhancing Client Motivation by Accessing Positive Emotions Through Positive Psychology
11:00 AM – 12:50 PM Convention Centre Room 204
Cochairs
Michael J. Scheel, PhD
Collie W. Conoley, PhD
Skill-Building Session: Applications of Positive Psychology in Counseling and Psychotherapy
1:00 PM – 1:50 PM Convention Centre Room 203D
Chair
Jeana L. Magyar-Moe, PhD
Positive psychology, the scientific study of optimal human functioning, is a relatively new and rapidly growing field of psychology that is finding applications in a number of disciplines and professions. Research from positive psychology suggests that the principles and theories from this area of study are highly relevant to the practice of counseling and psychotherapy. To date, however, there have been few continuing education and skill-building workshops available to psychologists that focus upon guiding practitioners through the varied uses of positive psychological interventions. As a result, practitioners may not be using positive psychology to inform their practice or they may be struggling to find ways to consistently and meaningfully infuse positive psychological theories and interventions. This workshop is designed to meet the needs of such practitioners who are interested in positive psychology, but do not have time to sort through all of the scholarship from this field and figure out for themselves how to apply it appropriately with their own clients. In this workshop, participants will: (a) learn what positive psychology is (and is not) and why it is important in therapy; (b) understand the core connections between positive psychology scholarship and the practice of counseling and psychotherapy with emphases upon methods for balanced client conceptualizations and assessment; and (c) learn multiple activities and interventions informed by positive psychology to utilize with clients.
Symposium: Developing Cultural Competence in Supervision—A Multicultural Framework
2:00 PM – 2:50 PM Convention Centre Room 104B
Chair
Jorge Wong, PhD
Participants/1st Authors
Richard H. Enriquez, BA
Melinda M. Joseph, BA
Kammy K. Kwok, MA
Lynn Y. Hsu, MA
Discussant
Jorge Wong, PhD
The increase of supervisees of color in Psychology and the expanding diversity of the U.S. population have increased the focus on multicultural competence (Jernigan et al., 2010). Clinical programs¶focus cultural competency training through didactics, however, it is best learned experientially with culturally diverse clients, and consultation within culturally responsive supervision (Lee & Khawaja, 2012). When culturally responsive supervision is provided, it benefits the supervisee and clients (Burkard et al., 2006). However, few trainees benefit from this training model, as most supervisors report lacking multicultural training (Constantine et al., 2005). As a result, trainees are inadequately prepared for multicultural work. Supervisees of color report that supervisors who are unresponsive to cultural inquiries in supervision receive lower working alliance ratings. Culturally matched dyads have also reported low working alliances when led by supervisors perceived as low in racial identity development. Supervisors without multicultural training or strong racial identity development feel uncomfortable addressing culturally sensitive subjects with their supervisees (Burkard et al., 2006).
Case studies will highlight experiences of cultural competency training within a diverse clinical supervision group. The presenters are clinical supervisees from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, all of whom trained under a multicultural clinical supervisor. Experiences in supervision related to cultural competency in patient care will be presented, along with a comparison working with a minority vs. a majority supervisor, an examination of a culturally matched therapist-patient dyad fostering stronger therapeutic alliance, and how awareness of culturally-based stigma influences successful clinical intervention.
Symposium: Stalking the Best Response—Gifts, Money, and Client Curiosity about the Therapist
3:00 PM – 3:50 PM Convention Centre Room 103A
Chair
Randolph B. Pipes, PhD
Participants/1st Authors
Caroline Burke, PhD
Charles Waehler, PhD
Randolph B. Pipes, PhD
Issues of client curiosity about (and searching to find out about) the therapist, gifts to therapists, and the meaning of money in the therapy relationship are three issues which challenge psychotherapists, yet which are likely at least somewhat neglected in graduate training programs. This symposium addresses these three issues, mindful of the fact that therapy is an interpersonal process profoundly impacted by the meanings associated with gifts, money, and curiosity about the therapist. Thus, for example, in training, students’ reactions to being “googled” by their clients on the internet may stimulate anxieties about how well-known they want to be by their supervisor. Furthermore, following graduation, even seasoned psychotherapists themselves may be deeply ambivalent about the extent to which they want to be known by their client and may be unsure as to whether “secrets” discovered by their clients, when this fact is communicated to the therapist, are more confession, more boast, or more striving to make contact. These three topics implicitly raise questions about what can be taught, or should be taught, in graduate psychology training programs (e.g., Korman, 1976; Lambert et al 1986; Lazarus, 1990; Peterson, 1995). Obviously one view holds that training is primarily about using manuals to build student skills in specific therapy methods. An alternative view is that training is more centrally about developing student therapists whose skills, among others, include the capacity to be in a certain kind of relationship with clients. In turn, when therapists are in this “certain kind of relationship,” how does this inform the way we go about dealing with client curiosity, client gifts, and discussions of money? These are the three areas addressed by the three papers of the symposium. There is no discussant because we are committed to saving time for audience participation–something we deeply believe should characterize convention programs.
Reception with Masters
5:00 PM -6:50 PM Intercontinental Toronto Centre Hotel, Grenadier Room
Friday, August 7, 2015
Committee Meeting: Psychotherapy Journal Editorial Board- invitation only
8:00 AM – 8:50 AM Intercontinental Toronto Centre Hotel Humber Room
SAP Presidential symposium: Ecologically and culturally appropriate treatment – The present and future of indigenous psychotherapy
9:00 AM – 10:50 AM Convention Centre Room 104B
Chair
Rodney Goodyear, PhD
Participants/1st Authors
Frederick T.L. Leong, PhD
Patrick Leung, PhD
Louise K.W. Sundararajan, PhD, EdD
Poster Session I
11:00 AM – 11:50 AM Convention Centre Exhibit Halls D and E
Amrita Pain, MA
Krista D. Socholotiuk, MA
Lisa Do Couto, MA
Lisa Do Couto, MA
Hui Xu, MA
Satoko Kimpara, PhD
Kayla R. Nalan-Sheffield, MA
Claudia V. Crawford, MEd
Michael D. Saleeby, MA
Evan J. Lima, MA
Sneh Kapoor, PhD, MA
Andrew Pomerville, BA
Clifton E. Watkins, Jr., PhD
Dennis M. Kivlighan III, BA
Kristina Fredericksen, BS
Sara Miller, MA
Geoffrey C. Tan, PhD, MD
Dakota J. Kaiser, MS
Alex Lengerich, MS
Shannon O’Neill, MA
Business meeting and Award Ceremony
4:00- 4:50 Fairmont Royal York Hotel Confederation Room 3
Social Hour
5:00 – 5:50 Fairmont Royal York Hotel Library
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Symposium: Client Feedback in Psychotherapy—Where We Are and Where We Are Going
8:00 AM – 8:50 AM Convention Centre Room 204
Chair
Robert J. Reese, PhD
Participants/1st Authors
Robert J. Reese, PhD
Michael J. Lambert, PhD
Barry L. Duncan, PsyD
Monitoring treatment outcome, or “client feedback”, is recommended by the American Psychological Association (APA) for both practice (APA Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice, 2006) and training (APA Commission on Accreditation, 2011). As a result, client feedback has become more prominent in practice, training, and research. Although we believe these advances are encouraging they are far from ubiquitous. Moreover, care needs to be taken as more feedback approaches emerge and more research is conducted. The purpose of this symposium is to discuss the current state of client feedback and to discuss future directions for practice, research, and training. Drs. Michael Lambert and Barry Duncan, two premiere client feedback pioneers, will each focus on their particular feedback system to shape the discussion. Their systems, the Outcome Questionnaire System (OQ System; Lambert, 2010) and the Partners for Change Outcome Management System (PCOMS; Duncan, 2012) are the only systems that have substantial research evidence, both being listed on SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices.
Dr. Jeff Reese will summarize the client feedback research. Research has consistently demonstrated that client improves psychotherapy outcomes (e.g., Lambert et al., 2011; Reese et al., 2014) and can benefit the training process (Grossl et al., 2014; Reese et al., 2009). In summarizing the research, Dr. Reese will also pose questions for Drs. Lambert and Duncan to address regarding the similarities and differences in the OQ System and PCOMS. Do these differences, both in process and research findings, matter?
Dr. Michael Lambert will discuss the research involving the OQ System. The OQ System has the most research support and has generally driven the feedback research agenda. In addition to addressing the aforementioned questions posed, Dr. Lambert will discuss the direction he is going with his research.
Dr. Barry Duncan will present on research involving PCOMS. Dr. Duncan will also address the questions posed and will discuss his upcoming research agenda.
Symposium: A Contextual Approach to Treating Dissociation
9:00 AM – 9:50 AM Convention Centre Room 205B
Chair
Steven N. Gold, PhD
Participants/1st Authors
Steven N. Gold, PhD
Amy E. Ellis, PhD
Bryan T. Reuther, PsyD
Discussant
Laura S. Brown, PhD
The objective of this symposium is to provide participants with an understanding of dissociation and an approach to its treatment grounded in Contextual Therapy (Gold, 2000). Research indicates that dissociative difficulties are much more widespread than is commonly believed. Even the most extreme form of dissociation, Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), has a prevalence rate of between 1% and 3% in the general population (Johnson, Cohen, Kasen, & Brook, 2006), roughly equivalent to that of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Other forms of dissociation, such as depersonalization and dissociative amnesia, are even more commonplace. In fact, depersonalization is the third most frequently occurring type of psychological symptom after anxiety and depression (Guralnik et al., 2001). However, few clinical training programs provide more than a very cursory introduction to dissociation. While psychological trauma is a frequent precursor to dissociative reactions, it is not the only contributor to dissociative problems. A substantial body of research suggests that insecure attachment, and in particular disorganized attachment, is often related to problematic dissociation (Liotti, 2009).
This symposium will provide an overview of the dissociative territory in both its pathological and nonpathological manifestations, explore major pathways to problematic dissociation, describe a model for conceptualizing dissociation in the context of family of origin environment and child development, and delineate approaches to treatment based on this Contextual Therapy model that have been clinically observed to help clients resolve dissociative difficulties. Relevant research on dissociation will be summarized, aspects of the therapeutic relationship and specific interventions that are effective in helping clients overcome dissociative problems will be covered, and illustrative case examples will be presented. A guiding theme in the presentation will be that dissociation reflects insecure attachment, and that therefore over and above any concrete interventions, the development of an experientially connected therapeutic relationship is essential to successful treatment.
Poster Session II
11:00 AM – 11:50 AM Convention Centre Exhibit Halls D and E
Sang-Hee Hong, MA
Gargi Roysircar Sodowsky, EdD
Changming Duan, PhD
Cheri L. Marmarosh, PhD
Jonathan Kodet, EdS
Elizabeth A. Harwood, PhD
Marty Amerikaner, PhD
Maria Lauer, MEd
Leora Trub, PhD
Amy M. Mitchell, MA
Xu Li, MEd
Igor Vasilj, MS
Jessie Wall, MA
Rachel Nicholson, BS
Courtney L. Henry, PhD
Lori F. Merling, MS
Amber J. Gorzynski, BS
Norah C. Slone, PhD
Hannah M. Kersting, BA
Joanna M. Drinane, Med
Symposium: Psychotherapy Revealed—A Glimpse of Eminent Psychotherapists in Session
11:00 AM – 12:50 PM Convention Centre Room 707
Chair
Jeffrey J. Magnavita, PhD
Participants/1st Authors
Jeffrey J. Magnavita, PhD
Sue Johnson, EdD
Peter C. Costello, PhD
Howard Liddle, EdD
Discussant
Nadine J. Kaslow, PhD
In this symposium four eminent psychotherapists will present brief vignettes of either their APA videotapes or other videotapes demonstrating some of the important theoretical, technical, and process aspects of conducting psychotherapy. Each presenter will select a vignette or series of brief vignettes distilled from psychotherapy sessions with a patient demonstrating important aspects of their approach to psychotherapy. Following the four presentations, a discussant will compare, contrast and seek to find the common elements that are essential components of effective psychotherapy. Audience feedback and discussion will be encouraged.
Symposium: Straddling Allegiances—A Client-Centered Therapist Does REBT on a Dare and for Science
12:00 PM – 1:50 PM Convention Centre Room 205C
Chairs
Stevan Lars Nielsen, PhD
Participant/1stAuthor
David M. Erekson, PhD
Raymond A. DiGiuseppe, PhD
Arthur Freeman, EdD
Charles J. Gelso, PhD
Abraham M. Wolf, PhD
This symposium will present video excerpts and outcome data from psychotherapy conducted by a psychologist who learned to do a kind of therapy distinctly different from the client-centered therapy (CCT) that is his preferred approach. The therapy he learned was rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). The therapist accepted the challenge to learn REBT as a research therapist participating in a randomized clinical trial (RCT) of REBT. The therapist agreed to participate in the RCT for reasons of scientific curiosity. His participation provides a one-therapist examination of allegiance effects (Wampold, 2001). The material to be presented recapitulates and enlarges upon the famous demonstrations conducted by Carl Rogers and Albert Ellis when they used CCT and REBT to treat the client known as Gloria. This comparison, however, examines one therapist doing CCT and REBT with many clients. The presenter will present video recordings from four different clients for review by psychotherapists with acknowledged expertise in CCT, cognitive therapy, psychodynamic therapy, or REBT. The four commentators will select excerpts from the recordings to be shown in conjunction with their comments. Two of the four sessions reviewed come from the therapist¶s pre-training, CCT cases, two from post-training, REBT cases. Of the two REBT sessions, one will be a typical REBT session, the other will be an REBT session that integrates the client’s religious beliefs in the session’s interventions. The latter version of REBT is central to the RCT, which is being conducted with clients who self-identify as devoutly religious. The chair, who is the RCT’s principal investigator, will summarize results from session-by-session, 45-item Outcome Questionnaire scores (Lambert et al., 2004) from 20 to 30 clients treated with CCT by the research therapist before REBT training, and from 20 to 30 clients treated with REBT after the training.
SAP sponsored collaborative program: Ethical practice in multicultural contexts
12:00 PM – 1:50 PM Convention Centre, Room 714B
Chair
Jean Carter, Ph.D.
Presenters
Andrea Barnes, JD, PhD
Mihaela Robila, PhD.
Armand Cerbone, PhD
Maria Riva, PhD
Lisa Suzuki, PhD.
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Skill-Building Session: Understanding Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD and Body-Oriented Techniques
8:00 AM – 8:50 AM Convention Centre Room 709
Chair
Hsin-Tine Tina Liu-Tom, PhD
Participants/1st Authors
Hsin-Tine Tina Liu-Tom, PhD
Mimi M. Andjelic, PsyD
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that can be debilitating in the lives of those who suffer from the insidious effects of its symptoms. Approximately 7 or 8 out of every 100 people (or 7-8% of the U.S. population) will have PTSD at some point in their lives (http://www.ptsd.va.gov). Additionally, these symptoms can have a deleterious effect on the quality of their intimate relationships. At the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center (WCCHC), located on the West side of Oahu, in Waianae, Hawaii, the population serviced is a uniquely multiracial, multicultural population, living under economic duress. Much of the serviced population suffers from PTSD and a range of co-morbid disorders, such as substance abuse (De Leon & Myhre, 2006-2007). Oftentimes, couples therapy is requested because the relationship with their significant other serves as another layer of distress and disturbance. CognitiveBehavioral Conjoint Therapy (CBCT) for PTSD (Monson, C. & Fredman, S., 2012) has been offered as a treatment modality for couples suffering from PTSD. It is an evidence-based, time-limited intervention consisting of 15 treatment sessions and progresses through 3 stages of treatment. CBCT for PTSD has the two-fold goals of 1) improving the couple’s relationship functioning and 2) decreasing the PTSD symptoms in one or both members of the couple. Ultimately, the couple can move towards becoming “unstuck” and is able to “R.E.S.U.M.E.” living. Additionally, body-centered methods have been found to be amongst the most effective treatments for trauma (Levine, 1997). The utilization of yoga and mindfulness-meditation may be used as an adjunct method for couples suffering from PTSD and can serve as a shared exercise of presence and awareness to cultivate the healing process for the couple. Interventions from both of these approaches will be delivered through case examples, role plays, and guided exercises. Audience participation is encouraged.
Symposium: Determining Standards of Care for Clients With Access to Lethal Means
9:00 AM – 9:50 AM Convention Centre Room 206C
Cochairs
Bruce Bongar, PhD
Joyce Chu, PhD
Participants/1st Authors
Lori J. Holleran, MA
Megan McCarthy, PhD
Larry E. Beutler, PhD
Discussants
Gerald P. Koocher, PhD
Larry E. Beutler, PhD
This symposium will examine standards of care for suicidal clients with access to lethal means. Two past presidents of Division 29 will discuss crucial role of evidence based approaches as highlighted in the presentations. First, pilot data will be presented from a national survey of State Attorneys General considering desired actions for psychologists and mental health workers in response to patients presenting with imminent risk and access to lethal means. To further illustrate the importance of this data, an article from Oxford University Press will be highlighted, detailing the impact of lethal means on suicide completion rates. Data gathered from city police will also be discussed, as this group is one that has many interactions with individuals in personal crisis. The second presentation will be focused on the lethal means counseling approach developed by Harvard School of Public Health. This will include a particular focus on effective approaches for suicidal youths and adolescents, an age group that is particularly risky due to normal levels of impulsivity. This symposium may help professionals make lasting, important decisions about a standard of care for clients who are in extreme crisis.
Symposium: REBT in the 21st Century—Theoretical, Training, and Empirical Advances
10:00 AM – 10:50 AM Convention Centre Room 205B
Chair
Michael Hickey, PhD
Participants/1st Authors
Kristene A. Doyle, PhD
Mark D. Terjesen, PhD
Elena Moioli, PhD
Lindsay Nicolai, PsyD
Discussant
Raymond A. DiGiuseppe, PhD
While considerable research advances are being made in the field of applied psychology to guide and develop Evidence Based Practice (EBP), the only true way to further the impact of this research is to disseminate these findings to practitioners. While many professional organizations have highlighted the importance of EBP and its dissemination, there are many obstacles that impact upon the ability to do so (Addis, 2002). Certainly not least among these obstacles is consideration of the barriers that may be in place when attempting to implement EBP internationally. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is a cognitive-behavioral approach that historically the science behind its efficacy has been debated. The theory and practice of REBT has seen an resurgence in the last decade, and to that end, the presentations offered as part of this symposium will discuss current development in the training and science of REBT. The first presentation will discuss efforts to disseminate the practice of REBT globally and highlight efforts and barriers to train practitioners and researchers towards competency. The second presentation will review the outcome data on REBT and discuss whether REBT is in effect an evidencebased intervention and will examine specific cognitions as they relate to symptom distress. This presentation will also include data from multiple single case interventions to test the theory of REBT and provide a model for evaluating outcome on an individual level. The third and fourth presentations will present some international research that examine different models of cognitive therapy with adult and child populations in Italy and Vietnam respectively.
Symposium: Applying Reflective Practices in Clinical Supervision to Promote Evidence-Based Psychotherapy
10:00 AM – 11:50 AM Convention Centre Room 103A
Chair
David F. Curtis, PhD
Participants/1st Authors
Patty Duran, PhD
Kat T. Green, PhD
Stephanie G. Chapman, PhD
Discussant
Caroline L. Watts, EdD
Supervision in psychology, particularly for psychotherapy, aims to promote clinical and professional competencies for learners while ultimately ensuring the effective and ethical delivery of patient care. While clinical psychologists receive intensive education and training about the use of reflective practices in psychotherapy, little preparation is typically received for applying these behaviors within clinical supervision. The purpose of this symposium is to introduce ways of incorporating reflective practices to improve the quality and effectiveness of clinical supervision. First, we present how reflective practices can achieve and extend the quality of evidence-based clinical interventions within hospital-based clinic for children with disruptive behaviors. Second, we introduce a vertical supervision model and discuss ways in which reflective practices are hierarchically applied across intervention team structures, roles, and processes. Third, we introduce a variety of supervision modalities that can be incorporated, while consistently modeling, prompting, and discussing reflective practices with learners. Finally, we reflect upon the role of the psychologist working within a multidisciplinary behavioral healthcare team. Specifically, we illustrate how psychologists may employ reflective practices commonly used within their clinical roles when collaborating with other providers in integrated primary care settings. In concluding the symposium, we discuss implications for these processes for scaffolding the development of clinician self-efficacy for advanced practicum learners, pre-doctoral interns, postdoctoral fellows, our peers, and clinicians from other disciplines who are contributing to the behavioral healthcare of our patients.
Symposium: Emotion-Focused Therapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder
11:00 AM – 11:50 AM Convention Centre Room 206D
Chair
Jeanne Watson, PhD
Participant/1stAuthor
Leslie Greenberg, PhD
Robert Elliott, PhD
Jeanne Watson, PhD
Symposium: Ego Development in Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse—Clinical Implications
12:00 PM – 12:50 PM Convention Centre Room 202A
Chair
Steven N. Gold, PhD
Presenters
Nicole Sciarrino, MA
Amy E. Ellis, PhD
Steven N. Gold, PhD
Discussant
Bryan T. Reuther, PsyD
The construct of ego development refers to the progression of an individual¶s character development throughout the lifespan and accounts for a substantial portion of human variability, after intelligence (Loevinger, 1966; Loevinger, 1976). Ego development stages occur sequentially and build on one another, providing insight into an individual¶s character traits, worldview, and belief system. Recent research has explored the role of ego development on outcome variables such as identity (Jespersen, Kroger, & Martinussen, 2013), changes in stages across the lifespan (Lilgendahl, Helson, & John, 2013) and involvement in serious relationships (Kosaka, 2013). However, there is a dearth of research studying ego development among survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). It is hypothesized that CSA hinders ego development, yielding a larger percentage of survivors at lower stages as compared to a nonclinical population. Contextual Trauma Theory proposes that CSA survivors commonly are reared in chaotic, unresponsive and ineffective family environments that fail to provide the resources for the achievement of adequate adult development beyond the impairment engendered by child abuse itself. The study presented here assesses the validity of this perspective by examining the relationship of abuse characteristics, demographic variables, family environment, and attachment style with ego level. Component presentations will discuss the theory of ego development and its intersection with trauma, empirical findings from a study examining the variables of interest, and clinical implications for understanding the impact of CSA on ego level.
Skill-Building Session: When the Heart Runs Away With the Mind Even Smart People Do Crazy Things
1:00 PM – 1:50 PM Convention Centre Room 203D
Chair
Lorna Smith Benjamin, PhD
Unexplained gaps between the mind and the heart, between reality and fantasy, have long fascinated novelists and vexed clinicians. The discrepancy is especially remarkable in intelligent, highly functional people for whom all is well, but who suffer from irrational anger, anxiety and depression- including privately held dangerous suicidality and other forms of self-sabotage. It appears that their hearts, not their brains, are broken. The new natural biology for Interpersonal Reconstructive Therapy (IRT for anger, anxiety and depression; Benjamin, in press with APA; and Benjamin, 2003/2006: Guilford Press) explains how and why this can be and uses that understanding to guide the clinician’s choice of interventions from the broad array of possibilities offered by cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, client-centered, humanist- existential approaches. The IRT case formulation and treatment models can be helpful to everyone with average intelligence and above, regardless of level of functioning and severity of disturbance. Effectiveness research shows that focus on the purported mechanisms of psychopathology and change enhances outcome, even in IRT’s most challenging population called CORDS. These patients are Comorbid, Often Re-hospitalized, Dysfunctional and Suicidal. Their comorbidity includes personality as well as affective disorders. This workshop will include sketches of IRT’s natural biology, a relevant version of dual cognitive processing theory, explanations of the IRT case formulation and treatment models with case examples and a very brief summary of outcome research conducted with Kenneth Critchfield. Time permitting, there will be a demonstration of the approach with a volunteer participant therapist role playing one of his or her most difficult cases.
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