Debra Alvis – Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional: Two Day Competency Training

Outline

The Neurophysiology of Anxiety

• Cognitive & amygdala pathways to anxiety
• Autonomic nervous system responses
• Polyvagal Theory
• Serotonin, dopamine and neurotransmitters
• The role of brain derived neurotropic factors
• The impacts of sleep and nutrition on the anxious brain

Assessment and Differential Diagnosis

• DSM-5 classification of anxiety Disorder
• Assessment from the whole person perspective
• Clinical approaches for ambiguous anxiety presentations
  • Phobia vs. OCD
  • Trauma, Axis II, or both?
  • Distinguish anxiety from agitated depression

Biological Treatment of Anxiety: Impacts of Psychopharmacology & Nutraceuticals

• How medication impacts neuroplasticity
• Frequently prescribed medications
• Common side effects
• Evidence-based supplements

From Avoidance to Proactivity: Strategies to Engage and Sustain Client Motivation

• Illustrate neuroscience concepts with stories & metaphors
• Link contemplative practices to brain change
• Address impasses with awareness based interviewing
• Reframes – replacing old neural patterns
• Co-create meaningful, values based-goals

Motivational Interviewing for Anxiety Treatment: Mobilizing & Sustaining Change

• Elicit change talk
• Elaborate on change indicators
• Coalesce motivation for exposure treatment
• Renew motivation when fear arises

Techniques to Address the Cognitive Pathway to Anxiety

• Strategies to dismantle automatic thoughts, core beliefs
• How to unwind troublesome thinking patterns
• When life feels overwhelming – stemming the tide techniques
• Apply Chain Analysis – when and how

Relaxation Skills: Help Clients Develop an Anxiety Resistant Brain

• Wire in relaxed, alert mood with deep relaxation
• Letting go with moment to moment exercises
• Breath and movement strategies to deactivate panic

Antidotes to Shame, Guilt and Self-Judgement

• How shame and self-judgement exacerbate anxiety
• Tools to identify anxiety fuel
• Appropriate & inappropriate guilt
• Anxiety interventions for the shame prone client
• Ease shame intensity with body witnessing and observing skills
• Self-compassion inquiry – inviting in parts of the self
• Counteract anxiety with gratitude

Attachment Anxiety

• Untangle developmental roots
• Contemplative applications – the Polyvagal Theory
• Techniques to prime secure attachment

Movement and Visual Meditations for Anxiety Relief

• Visual meditations for specific clinical concerns
• Prepare with movement, imagery and sound
• Draw from inner resources
• Instill a new perspective with movement and writing
• Individualized follow-up assignments

Mindful Recovery Tools for GAD and Social Anxiety

• Three steps for moving from reactivity to responsiveness
• Interrupt the worry cycle: from the meditation cushion to daily life
• Mindful exploration – predictions vs. what happened
• Bring curiosity to perceptions
• Prime secure attachment for social anxiety

Meditation for OCD Management

• How clients can recognize excessiveness
• Titrate exposure with breathing practices
• Reduce repetition with mindful response prevention
• Overcome obsession with mantra & breath

Research and Limitations