Instructors: Frank Greenagel, MPAP, MSW, LCSW, LCADC, ACSW, ICADC, CJC, CCS  and   Steve Seibelts, LCSW

Ongoing multi-family therapy groups are not often seen in treatment programs, despite the family being a critical element for individuals in early recovery.  We will discuss the three integral parts of a multi-family therapy program: more curative power, additional avenues for learning with less resistance, and therapist ease and economy; these factors work together to enhance the therapeutic effectiveness of the group.  We will review the four key components that should be utilized at the start of a multi-family group. Specific interventions for working with families will be discussed along with the benefits of multi-family therapy. We will review techniques and answer questions about working with parents, spouses, siblings, children and close friends. Boundaries and resources will also be discussed.

CE Credits: 6 Clinical

Instructor: Anthony Tobia, MD

Home Alone is a 1990 comedy written by John Hughes that follows Kevin McCallister as he defends his home from burglars after his family accidentally leaves him behind on their vacation to Paris. We will analyze this holiday classic and discover the true meaning of the Christmas spirit, archetypal warnings (you better be good), and the root cause of dissociation. The physiology of dissociation will be presented, allowing for a creative and festive discussion of the dissociative disorders.
Movies have long been utilized to highlight varied areas in the field of psychiatry including the role of the psychiatrist, issues in medical ethics, and the stigma toward people with mental illness. At Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, comprehensive curricula have been created utilizing films as fictional case accounts of mental disorders. At the Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies, facilitated discussion of a selected film is achieved via social media as well as traditional PowerPoint didactic. Each seminar will show a feature-length film with a live Twitter feed on the screen that will transform the movie into an educational didactic.

CE Credits: 6

Instructors: Crystal Wytenus, MA, MPA, LPC, LCADC, NCC, ACS

This workshop encourages increased awareness on the current substance use trends among youth in the country as well as specifically in the State of New Jersey.  The workshop will place emphasis on the importance of early detection of youth at risk and proactive actions to reduce substance use in this population.  The workshop highlights the benefits of appropriate utilization of engagement techniques, including techniques from motivational interviewing and the nurtured heart approach, in order to effectively detect and address substance use issues in this population.  Lastly, this will introduce the Wraparound Model of Care, which is a holistic approach that includes a focus on family and community engagement to “wrap” around a youth and can be utilized with youth struggling from substance use.  Participants will learn how this model of care can be used promote prevention, compliment traditional treatment services, and reinforce sustained recovery from substance use for our youth.

 6 Clinical CE Credits

Instructor: Regina Ford, MA

Every community, population, and group has its own culture, but how is culture understood when it is mainly comprised of unwritten rules? Culture is more than age, race, gender, and socioeconomic status. However, it can be difficult to assess the way culture shapes the identity of self and the way identity guides how we serve others. How does cultural competence differ from cultural sensitivity? And where does cultural awareness come into play? Participants will be able to list the components that constitute culture: norms, values, language, artifacts, technology, and symbols. Participants will be guided in critiquing their self-identified culture. The impact of implicit bias on professionalism will be discussed. Participants will be able to state the difference between cultural competence, cultural awareness, cultural sensitivity, and cultural humility. Participants will demonstrate the differences in approach to those in positions of power, while illustrating skills needed to build trustful relationships. Participants will construct effective strategies for communication that addresses potential barriers and builds relationships of trust.

CE Credits: 6 cultural

Instructor: Stephen Andrew, LCSW, LADC, CCS, CGP

This two-day training will provide information on how to use groups as a treatment strategy and incorporate Motivational Interviewing. We will address why using Motivational Interviewing in a therapeutic support group format is extremely effective. Group work provides several important steps that help break isolation often experienced by a consumer.  This training experience will provide information on the issues and care of special populations (adolescents, dual diagnosis, addiction, intimacy, low-income families, parents, etc.) through the use of support groups in care.  We will also explore the issues of assessment, interaction, group norms, and various forms of support for the consumer within the context of Motivational Interviewing..  We will also address “why” the therapeutic support group format is extremely effective.  We will also assess how the role of the group leader and the roles of the participants play in the group process and explore the importance of therapeutic contracts, goal setting, group frequency, duration and process some stages of group development.

CE Credits: 9 clinical

Instructor: Roseann Cervelli, MS, LCADC, CCS, CPS

No matter our profession or role in life, if we are engaged with people, the skill of Compassionate Listening is an essential one to develop and own. Compassionate Listening is the ability to sustain a sense of caring connection and belonging to others in their experiences of suffering or discomfort.  It is a quality of therapeutic presence, in which one is able to provide-just through their listening-an authentic sense of value and validation to the ones they serve. In this class, adapted from the work of Kristen Neff’ Mindful Self-Compassion Program, participants will discover how to listen from the neck down, or what is termed “embodied listening.”  With Compassionate listening, one is mindfully and compassionately present, not only to the client’s experience, but also to the thoughts, sensations, feelings etc. that arise within oneself as the recipient of the client’s story.

CE Credits: 3 Clinical 

Instructor: Ana Guerra, LCSW, LPC, LCADC, CCS

An estimated 12% of children in America live with a parent with a Substance Use Disorder (SAMHSA, 2017). The increase in Opioid Use Disorders has contributed to the prevalence of the problem. Both children and professionals wonder why love isn’t enough to triumph over parental use. This course will address the question “Why can’t they just stop?” and the brain disease of “addiction”. The “family illness” will also be examined as it relates to the impact of substance use on the individual and family members. Misconceptions about such families and substance use disorders as well as potential counselor biases will be explored. Participants will be presented with resources and techniques designed to enhance services for children or families challenged by substance use disorders.

CE Credits: 6 Clinical 

Instructor: Julianne Price, PhD

Participants will discuss modern theories of addiction as a neurobiological disorder and relevant clinical implications. Historical models of biobehavioral addiction research and their evolution into the current biopsychosocial model of addiction will be dissected. We will explore the ways in which moves toward the disease model of addiction has both helped and hindered clinical practice.

CE Credits: 3 Clinical