Originally published: . Volume 4, No. 9. Source pages: 15, 16.
The Louisiana Psychological Association will host its annual convention on Thursday and Friday, May 30 and 31, to be held at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Baton Rouge.
Speakers will present educational sessions on Mindfulness in Working with Children, Music in Therapy, LGBTQ, ICD-10, Bullying, Exposure Therapy in PTSD, Psychoanalytic Topics in Therapy, Issues in Disability Evaluation, and Violence Risk Assessment.
Dr. Jana Martin, CEO of the APA Insurance Trust, will present on “Entrust Our Profession to the Future.” There is no question about whether or not our profession will experience change in the future,” the presenter explains. For those of us who have been in practice for years, we’ve seen many changes already. Key questions of importance are what changes are ahead, when will they take effect, how will they impact practice and our profession, and how can we be proactive rather than reactive? Participants will be able to identify drivers of change for the profession of psychology and be able to identify ways to ensure the relevance of our profession and their practices for a changing future.
Dr. Michelle Moore will present “The Benefits of Incorporating Mindfulness-Based Treatment in a School Setting,” with colleague Kate Cuno, M.A. “When mindfulness is practiced regularly, remarkable changes can occur even in children,” note the presenters. “Research has found that children who engage in mindfulness-based treatment can improve their concentration, increase their self-esteem, decrease their problem behaviors and develop greater empathy for others.”
Dr. Susan Andrews, author of Stress Solutions for Pregnant Moms: How Breaking Free from Stress Can boost Your Baby’s Potential, will present “How Music Plays Out in the Brain.”
The workshop will review the most current research on the use of music as therapy, the intentional use of music for growth and medicine, and musical training and neural plasticity. Different forms of music therapy or “soundwork” will be described with samples, demonstrations, and group participation. Andrews will explore different areas of application of music along with supportive research references. Dr. Andrews is a clinical neuropsychologist whose career has been dedicated to assisting children and their parents to improve their quality of life.
Participants will be able to describe the current state of the field of the intentional use of music for growth and as medicine, and leave will a better understanding of how to use music in their practice and in their daily lives.
Dr. Sherry Desselle will present, “LGBTQ 101: Providing Culturally Competent Therapy with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer or Questioning Clients.” This is an introductory workshop designed to educate clinicians about the diversity of sexual and gender orientation and expression. Participants will become familiar with the appropriate terminology when working with LGBTO clients and the unique challenges that LGBTQ families, couples, and individuals face.
Dr. K. Dayle Jones will present “Diagnosis with DSM-V an ICD.” Jones will provide an oerview of the DSM-V, including its development process, changes to the organizational structure, major revisions to existing diagnoses, and the addition of new disorders. Participants will also learn about the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), its designation as HIPPAA’s official codebook for diagnosing mental disorders, and its relationship to DSM-V.
On Friday, Dr. Bryan Gros will present, “Bullying: A Brief Review and Strategies for Treatment.” He will discuss bullying and its effects on children and adolescents, and also strategies for addressing this wide- ranging problem. Forms of bullying will be discussed and a review of signs and effects, including depression, anxiety, academic problems, and even suicide. Participants will be able to identify and understand the different types of bullying, the effects on victims, and issues for treatment.
Popular presenters Dr. Kelley Pears and Dr. Leslie Drew from the Alexandria Veterans Administration Medical Center, return. They will present, “Treating PTSD with Prolonged Exposure Therapy.” The presenters will help attendees understand how to use Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Participants will learn the rationale for PE as well as an in depth, session-by- session breakdown of how to implement the therapy. The vast majority of the workshop will be spent on using Prolonged Exposure Therapy with very little time on the diagnosis.
Dr. Carolyn Weyand, will present, “Contemporary Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy: The Four Psychologies and Implications for Technique.” Weyand, who serves on the faculty of the New Orleans–Birmingham Psychoanalytic Institute, will review Sigmund Freud's classical theory, which rests on the basic assumption that drives motivate human behavior, notes Weyand. Anna Freud explained defenses and refocused psychotherapy onto building adaptive function in her Ego Psychology. Melanie Klein established theoretical emphasis on Object Relations, the connection to other humans, being our primary motivator. From Object Relations, we get Attachment Theory. Heinz Kohut postulated self esteem regulation to be the primary human motivator in his theory, Self Psychology. Dr. Weyand will cover these four psychologies and implications for treatment.
Dr. Michael Chafetz, whose work is gaining increased attention around the country, will present, “Disability: A Practical and Ethical Guide for Psychologists.”
He explains that public disability programs arose in the 1950s from a desire to provide a social safety net when the primary wage-earner in families could not work due to illness or injury. In both public and private disability evaluations for mental or cognitive impairments, psychologists have a distinct and powerful role to play, Chafetz notes. The role should be unbiased, with the psychologist not acting as a doctor for a patient, or as a tool for the insurance company or government. The goal of this talk is to show how the role of the psychologist is exercised in careful assessment that answers the referral questions in disability examinations.
“Dangerousness in Clinical Practice Post Sandy Hook,” will be presented by Dr. Jesse Lambert, Dr. R. Stokes, Dr. Robert Storer, and Dr. Carolyn Weyand. This session will review what we know about school shootings over the past several years, current measures and methods of dangerousness assessment, and specifically discuss what can be done when a clinical patient appears to be dangerous. Participants will become familiar with common factors in recent school shootings and discuss how these might present in clinical practice. Also participants will become familiar with available measures and methods for dangerousness assessment and discuss options for how to ethically respond to and protect a clinical patient and the public.
Kevin Hayes, JD, will present a legislative update on Friday afternoon. He will address bills related to mental health and describe how legislation affects the practice of psychology.
A Casino Night will be sponsored by LPA Political Action Committee for a fun evening, including a raffle for a week in Costa Rica.
For information on how to register, go to http://www.louisianapsychologist.org/
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