About the Presenter
Donald Meichenbaum, Ph.D., is Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada and Research Director of The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment of Victims of Violence, (www.melissainstitute.org). Dr. Meichenbaum was instrumental in developing www.warfighterdiaries.com which is an IPOD technology for soldiers and their families. He is one of the founders of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and in an American Psychologist survey was voted “one of the ten most influential psychotherapists of the century”.
Dr. Meichenbaum's prolific work has been published in numerous journals, chapters, and books. His books include Cognitive Behavior Modification: An Integrative Approach, Stress Inoculation Training, Pain and Behavioral Medicine, Facilitating Treatment Adherence: A Practitioner's Guidebook, Treating Adults with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and most recently a clinical handbook on Treatment of Individuals with Anger-Control Problems and Aggressive Behaviors. For his exceptional teaching skills, Dr. Meichenbaum was awarded the prestigious NEEI Mental Health Educator of the Year award in 2000. For his contributions to the field of psychology, Dr. Meichenbaum was honored in 2008 with a Lifetime Achievement Award from Division 12 of the American Psychological Association.
Symposium Description
Research indicates that 50% of psychiatric patients have a history of victimization which is often overlooked in both assessment and treatment. In this workshop, Dr. Meichenbaum will highlight recent developments in the treatment of patients with PTSD, Complex PTSD and comorbid disorders. He will consider the assessment and treatment implications of neuroscience research from a life-span perspective and highlight ways to provide integrated treatments in a culturally-sensitive fashion. Participants will learn how to conduct evidence-based trauma-focused CBT and spiritually-oriented interventions with children, adolescents and adults and specific ways to treat returning soldiers and their family members.
SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULE
Monday
Persistent and chronic PTSD and Complex PTSD
A constructive narrative perspective of trauma
Recent research
Case Conceptualization Model
Ways to bolster resilience
Tuesday
The core tasks of psychotherapy with victimized patients
Role of therapeutic alliance
Psychoeducation
“Memory work”
Exposure-based interventions
Bolstering coping skills: Acceptance-based interventions
Stress inoculation training
Relapse prevention interventions
Guilt, shame, and complicated grief interventions
Adherence counseling
Wednesday
PTSD and substance abuse disorders, anger-control problems, depression, suicidality and anxiety disorders
Traumatic brain injury
Need for culturally-sensitive interventions
Thursday
Psychotherapeutic interventions with combat veterans and their families, victims of torture and family violence
Role of spiritually-oriented psychotherapy
Friday
Critique of post-trauma interventions
How not to make your clients worse
Helping the helpers: Vicarious traumatization
