• Satanic Sex: Understanding Satanism as a Diversity Issue for Sex and Relationship Therapists

Presenters: Eric Sprankle, PsyD, LP
Eric’s bio: Dr. Eric Sprankle is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Co-Director of the Sexuality Studies Program at Minnesota State University, Mankato.  He is also a licensed clinical psychologist and AASECT-certified sex therapist affiliated with the Minnesota Sexual Health Institute.  His research interests include the intersections of sexuality, stigma, and Satanism.

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

• Paternal Attachment and Adolescent Mental Health

Presenter: Elizabeth Adedokun, PhD, LMFT, PMH-C
Presenter’s Bio: Dr. Elizabeth Adedokun, PhD, LMFT is a licensed marriage and family therapist with 7 years of experience working with adolescents aged 12 to 17, and their families struggling with severe depression, anxiety and interpersonal relationship issues. Elizabeth received her Master’s degree at Northwestern University in 2014 and holds a Doctorate degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Drexel University. Dr. Adedokun currently works at Hennepin County assisting adults with severe mental health illnesses. Dr. Adedokun also works part time in private practice, providing therapy for new parents, young women and adolescents struggling with symptoms of depression, low self-esteem and anxiety. Additionally, Dr. Adedokun serves on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Association of Marriage and Family Therapy. In 2016, Dr. Adedokun published an article focusing on mental health in the Black community from a spiritual perspective. Her article is still being cited in scholarly articles to this day. As Dr. Adedokun continues to work closely with the Black community in Minneapolis, her hope is to help decrease the stigma around mental health by providing a safe space for clients to feel heard, seen and validated.

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: 1.5

• KEYNOTE: Clinical & Social Advocacy for BIPOC Community for Therapists

Presenter: Adriana Alejandre, LMFT

Presenter 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

•   Therapist Ambivalence with Challenging Clients: Navigating the Discomfort Ethically-APPROVED FOR 1.5 ETHICS CEUS

Presenters: Tessa Gittleman, MA, LMFT, AAMFT Supervisor Candidate
                            Eric Fawcett, MA
Presenters’ Bios: Tess is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and “Conversation Coach” working towards her AAMFT Supervisor Candidacy under the supervision of Shawn Neel, MS, LMFT, and Alex Iantaffi, PhD, LMFT. Tess graduated from St. Mary’s University and has worked in a variety of settings, including, but not limited to: school based, group practice, and private practice. Across the various settings, Tess has been passionate about helping intercultural, interracial, and intergenerational clients learn how to communicate through their differences to achieve a common goal. Tess’ office is in Golden Valley, MN, where she offers extended sessions and alternative solutions for short-term clients in conflict.
Eric is in his final month of graduate school at St. Mary’s University where he is pursuing his Master’s of Marriage and Family Therapy. Eric has been practicing at Edge’s Wellness in Minneapolis, working under the supervision of Mark Reese, MA, LMFT. Eric decided to pursue Marriage and Family Therapy after 25 years as a Creative Entrepreneur. Eric’s background working with artists from a variety of mediums - a job requiring him to bridge gaps between creative ideologies - ignited a passion for the “sacred collaboration” that can occur between individuals. After graduating, Eric plans to continue to see clients at Edge’s Wellness and work toward independent licensure.

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

•  I’m a Supervisor-WHEEEE! (Are We Having Any Fun Yet?)-APPROVED FOR 1.5 SUPERVISION CEUs

Presenters: Karen Irvin, PhD, LMFT, AAMFT Approved Supervisor and Jody Nelson, Ed.D, LMFT, Approved Supervisor

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

• More than a Mother: An Ecological Systems Perspective on Motherhood and Identity

Presenters:

• Rachel Gatlin, MBA 
• Leslie Boyle-Milroy
• Breanne Hivala Cahoy, EdD, LPC, CRC

Presenters’ Bios: A mother with prior experience in corporate America now pivoting to focus on mental health and wellness in American culture. Current graduate student in the Marriage, Couples and Family Counseling Program at Adler Graduate School.
Leslie Boyle-Milroy is a counseling graduate student at Adler Graduate School specializing in Marriage, Couples, and Family Counseling. Her interest in systems-oriented approaches stems from her experience working in urban design, planning, and community engagement. She received her master’s in Landscape Architecture from University of Minnesota.
Bre Hiivala Cahoy, EdD is a licensed professional counselor (LPC) and full-time Assistant Professor in the Counseling Program at Adler Graduate School. She has experience in career development, employee assistance programs, and has served as an advocate at a campus Women’s Center.

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

•  The Mother and Daughter Relationship and Daughter’s Positive Body Image

Presenters: Amanda Goslin, MA, TLMFT
                           Deborah Koons-Beauchamp, MBA, MA, TLMFT

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 hours

• Diversity in Clinical Practice- Beyond Awareness to Sustainable Progress

Presenter: 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