Donald Meichenbaum – Don Meichenbaum, Ph.D. Presents: 2 Day Intensive Workshop: Treating Trauma Through the Integration of CBT and Constructive Narrative Therapy

Outline

Constructive Narrative Perspective (CNP) of Psychotherapy

• By way of introduction: Changing conceptions of cognition
• We are the stories we tell
• Psychotherapy as “narrative repair”
• Help clients build new “possible selves”
• Build resilience and adaptive coping skills
• Techniques that integrate CNP with CBT:
  • Emotional processing, restorative retelling, adaptive disclosure, imagery re-scripting, cognitive restructuring, Gestalt empty chair procedures, stress inoculation training, journaling, spirituality

The Nature and Impact of Trauma Exposure: The “Untold Story” of Resilience

• Controversies in the field of PTSD and Complex PTSD: “State of the Art”
• What distinguishes the 75% of individuals who evidence resilience VERSUS the 25% who develop persistent PTSD and related co-occurring disorders and adjustment difficulties
• The nature and neurobiology of trauma and resilience: Implications for assessment and treatment
• What resilient individuals DO and do NOT do

The Core Tasks of Psychotherapy: What “Expert” Therapists Do

• The “state of the art” of psychotherapy
• Case Conceptualization Model to inform treatment decision making
• How to develop, maintain and monitor the quality of the therapeutic alliance
• Use of treatment-informed feedback
• Engaging clients in treatment – Use of Motivational Interviewing procedures
• Handling “ruptures” in the therapeutic alliance
• Assessment: Comorbidity, risk to self/others, client strengths and resilience
• Cultural, gender and developmental considerations
• Psychoeducation: Use the art of questioning, CLOCK metaphor, time lines, identify strengths
• Promote self-monitoring and “homework” assignments
• Teach intra- and interpersonal coping skills
• How to achieve “lasting changes”: Generalization guidelines
• Address the needs of health care providers: Ways to bolster “vicarious resilience” in psychotherapists
• Bolster the client’s resilience in six domains: physical, interpersonal, emotional, cognitive, behavioral and spiritual
• Integrate spirituality and psychotherapy

Applications for Clinical Populations with Co-Occurring Psychiatric Disorders

• Treatment for individuals who experience:
  • Complicated and prolonged grief and traumatic bereavement
  • Borderline Personality Disorder
  • Anger control problems and aggressive behavior
  • Traumatic brain injuries
• Bolster resilience across the lifespan: High risk children and families, LGBTQ adolescents, adults and older adults

Treatment of Clients with Substance Abuse and Co-Occurring Disorders

• Integrated treatment for alcohol and opioid abuse
• Motivational Interviewing procedures
• CBT and Constructive Narrative coping skills training exercises:
  • Mindfulness training
  • Relapse prevention
  • Network interventions
• Take home checklists: Patient treatment, 12 Step AA, SMART Recovery, Recovery Strategies
  • Consumer guidelines to critically evaluate residential treatment centers
  • Take home Deliberate Practice TOOLKIT