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2021 Annual Conference Thursday Pre-Recorded Webinar DescriptionsYou will receive all of these recordings with your Thursday registration Webinar details will be emailed to you on October 7th. |
Description/Knowledge gained: Appropriating the mythology of Satan as a god of carnality, modern Satanism began as a new religious movement in 1966 with the founding of the Church of Satan. Since then, the religion has experienced numerous schisms and factions, most recently with the formation of The Satanic Temple in 2012. Despite differences in the role of esoteric elements in the religion and other theological reasons for division, all Satanists are united in their shared values of sexual liberation and viewing sexuality as a form of authentic self-expression important to their religious beliefs. Conceptualizing Satanism as a non-dominant, sexpositive religion, sex and relationship therapists should understand how Satanists’ sexuality can benefit from a religious belief in sexual liberation but can also be hindered by religious minority stress. Unique challenges for Satanists and their implications for therapists relating to inter-faith relationships, religious identity concealment in therapy, and overcoming sex negativity from a childhood religion are discussed.
Course length: 1.5
Description: This will be a presentation on the benefits of paternal attachment and how father's involvement plays a key role in not only adolescent development, but adolescent mental health. The workshop will provide a brief overview of what research has highlighted regarding paternal attachment. Additionally, clinical implications and tips on how to engage fathers more in family therapy.
Course length: 1.5Presenter Bio: Adriana Alejandre is a Trauma Psychotherapist and Speaker from Los Angeles, California. She specializes in adults who struggle with PTSD and severe traumas at her own private practice. She has done disaster relief work for Hurricane Harvey and the Las Vegas shooting survivors. Adriana’s expertise has been featured inLA Times, Telemundo, USA Today, the New York Times and Buzzfeed, among many others.
Adriana is the founder of Latinx Therapy, a national directory of Latinx Therapists and global, bilingual podcast that provides education to combat the stigma of mental health on the ground, and in the digital spaces. In 2019, she won Hispanizice’s TECLA award for Best Social Good Content award, and in 2020 she was one of 5 Latinx influencers chosen for the #YoSoy Instagram and Hispanic Heritage Foundation award.Adriana’s mission is to create spaces to spark dialogue about mental health struggles and strengths in the Latinx community.
Description: A workshop discussing how psychotherapists can serve BIPOC clients, while also advocating outside of the therapy space and get involved. Decolonized strategies for BIPOC clinicians will also be shared. Actionable and recommended items for follow-up conversations will be provided.
Course length: 1.5 hours
Description: As the world continues to grow more ideologically polarized, we posit that it is a critical time to examine how provider ambivalence influences ethical practice in relational therapy. Ambivalence, or feeling two paradoxical ways about a singular thing, arises when an individual in any particular social/relational context experiences contradicting commands. When these commands cannot be followed simultaneously, it can result in anxiety, discomfort, and resistance. While this outcome has been well researched from client and cultural perspectives, little is understood about the provider’s own ambivalence towards certain client populations. As Marriage and Family Therapists, we are especially predisposed to ambivalence as we deal with multiple viewpoints from the same system. Learning how to identify, address, and leverage our own ambivalence for client gain is an opportunity we can no longer afford to miss. Graduate programs and supervision would benefit from incorporating conversations about ambivalence in their work towards producing interculturally and ethically competent professionals. To be clear, this is not a conversation about political orientation, spiritual practice, or to promote any particular stance on social justice. Instead, we aim to underscore the importance of being able to talk about these subjects with others who may hold competing or challenging viewpoints (whether they be clients, colleagues, or clinical trainees) to maintain our credibility as Relational Therapists. We also hope to provide some helpful strategies to overcome ambivalence and address these conversations in ethical, authentic, and productive ways.
Course length: 1.5
Presenters’ Bios: Dr. Karen Irvin taught at the secondary level for six years. She obtained her master’s and doctorate in Family Social Science from the University of Minnesota. She worked with Hennepin County Court Services Domestic Relations Division in Minneapolis, MN for six years, serving as a mediator, counselor, and custody evaluator, and working in a supervisory capacity for four of the six years. Dr. Irvin has been in private practice since 1981. She recently retired from her clinical practice in which she specialized in working with separating and divorcing individuals, couples, and families, providing mediation, parenting consulting, custody evaluations, and closure therapy. She has also provided mediation and parenting consulting workshops and training throughout the United States and internationally. Dr. Irvin was on the marriage and family therapy faculty of Argosy University for six years and is currently adjunct faculty in the Marriage and Family Therapy Program of St. Mary’s University. She was previously Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Ethics Board. Dr. Irvin’s current professional focus is teaching, training, supervision, and consultation.
Jody Nelson, Ed.D., LMFT is the Executive Director of Change Inc., a community-based social service agency with three main service areas: 1) GAP School, an alternative high school serving “opportunity youth” ages 16-24 leading to a high school diploma and an industry-recognized certificate in construction, health or IT – the student population includes a large percentage of immigrants and refugees; 2) the Community School Collaborative – providing school-based mental health services in 25 schools in the Twin Cities; and 3) The Change Institute providing supervision, training, and consultation in the areas of mental health and urban education. Nelson has served as Department Chair for the MA MFT and DMFT programs at Argosy University and currently teaches in the MA MFT program at St. Mary’s University in Minneapolis. She has trained school staff and clinicians locally and nationally in trauma-informed practices.
Description: Supervision, like therapy, is "serious business." It can feel particularly serious when we make a mistake, which we all do. This workshop will highlight some of the more serious responsibilities of supervisors as well as some of the mistakes and errors in judgment that can and have been made. The unique aspect of this workshop is that it will emphasize the use of a lens that includes fun and humor when examining some of these mistakes. We wholeheartedly endorse the ability to incorporate humor into serious learning that must occur in order for us to develop and grow in our work.
Course Length: 1.5
Marianna Branch, PhD is a full time Assistant Professor in the Counseling program at Adler Graduate School. Dr. Branch has experience providing counseling services in university, agency, and school settings. She has worked with adults, couples, children, and students presenting with a variety of clinical concerns: depression, anxiety, anger, gender identity, life transitions, and interpersonal conflict.
Description: Why is motherhood so hard? For many, Motherhood may be perceived as an all-consuming identity. Successful navigation may require redefining what an “ideal mother” looks like. In this interactive presentation, participants will explore role-salience and ecological identity models, shifting bias and expectations, and exploring relevant counseling applications and implications.
Course Length: 1.5
Presenters’ bios: Amanda Goslin and Deborah Koons-Beauchamp are Psychological and Quantitative Foundations doctoral students in the Couple and Family Therapy Program at the University of Iowa. They are also practicing Marriage and Family Therapists in both private practice and the University of Iowa LGBTQ+ Counseling Clinic.
Description: Research has demonstrated the transmission of negative body image and risk of eating disorders related to the mother-daughter dyad. Although the mother-daughter dyad is associated with body image and eating behaviors, there have been no known systemic reviews dedicated to how this relationship may serve as a facilitator for positive body image. Study outcomes were analyzed through thematic analysis resulting in three major themes relating to the mother-daughter relationship as a facilitator for daughter’s positive body image: 1) mother’s role as a role-model: healthy behaviors such as physical activity and intuitive eating, modeling self-compassion, and a focus on nonappearance domains such as self-care or sleep 2) communication/language- positive body talk and avoiding comparison and awareness of empowerment, media, and identify/gender roles 3) connections- relational safety in social support, discussions, trust, and close relationships
Course length- 1.5 hoursPresenter: Lambers Fisher, MS, LMFT, MDiv
Presenter’s Bio: Lambers Fisher, is a licensed marriage and family therapist, clinical supervisor, adjunct instructor, and national speaker on the topic of multicultural awareness and diversity. For over 19 years, Lambers has counseled individuals, couples, and families from a variety of cultural backgrounds, in private practice, nonprofit, as well as ministry environments. Lambers’ diversity trainings have helped thousands of professionals around the country increase their cultural competence and strengthen cross-cultural relationships. Lambers helps professionals in various fields feel more comfortable, competent, and confident in their ability meet the needs of whomever they have the opportunity to serve.
Description: Increased awareness of the impact of culturally influenced polarization and traumatic experiences on our clients has resulted in increased openness to cultural competence growth among mental health professionals. However, as time passes it can be easy to gravitate toward previously common and known standards of practice. This seminar will provide practical strategies for worrying less about reacting to the next social crisis, and instead building upon initial awareness and moving forward toward behavioral progress that can be reasonably incorporated into daily professional practices and sustained long term.
Course length: 1.5 hours