OCD & Anxiety Lecture Series: ERP Modifications when working with Autistic Clients
The real “autism epidemic” is not that one in 36 children are identified with autism (CDC, 2023), but rather that autistic individuals are often unable to access mental healthcare, including Cognitive Behavior Treatment (CBT). Autistic individuals across the lifespan experience higher rates of anxiety, OCD, depression, and other mental health conditions compared to the general population (Braconnier et al., 2022; Maddox et al., 2017). While many clinicians want to use CBT to address mental health needs, such as anxiety and OCD in autistic clients, they incorrectly believe that CBT's use with autistic individuals is inherently different (vs. a modified/tailored approach), and that treating this population is out of their competency. Research suggests that CBT is efficacious in reducing psychiatric symptoms in those with autism (Benevides et al., 2020, Braconnier et al., in press; Wang et al., 2021, Wood et al., 2020), and the reality is that most CBT practitioners will encounter autistic clients—diagnosed or not— within a therapy setting at some point in their career. This talk will bridge gaps for CBT practitioners who want to increase their knowledge and confidence in working with autistic clients. Attendees will learn about relevant autism information-processing differences that may impact symptom presentation and treatment, along with some practical strategies and modifications for both behavioral and cognitive interventions of CBT for this population.
Category
  • Anxiety/OCD
  • Neurodevelopmental
  • Psychotherapy
  • Workshop
Format
  • Interactive Synchronous Distance Learning
  • Live Webinar
Credits
  • 1.00 ACEP NBCC clock hours
  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
  • 1.00 Category I credits for Social Workers
  • 1.00 Psychologists
  • 1.00 MNA Contact Hours for Nurses
  • 1.00 Participation
Event date May 16, 2025
Cost $0.00
Meyerhoff Lecture: The Hero's Journey In Psychiatry
We will explore the profound impact that psychiatrists and therapists have on patient outcomes, known as the psychiatrist and therapist effects. Delving into the importance of reflective function, we will discuss how a psychiatrist’s ability to perceive and interpret mental states influences treatment effectiveness. Additionally, we will examine the dynamics of transference and countertransference, uncovering how awareness of these processes deepens therapeutic connection and clinical insight. Finally, we will share key steps in the psychiatrist’s own personal and professional journey toward growth, emphasizing self-awareness, reflective practice, and continual development.
Category
  • Grand Rounds
  • Meyerhoff Lecture
Format
  • Interactive Synchronous Distance Learning
  • Live Webinar
Credits
  • 1.00 ACEP NBCC clock hours
  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
  • 1.00 Category I credits for Social Workers
  • 1.00 Psychologists
  • 1.00 MNA Contact Hours for Nurses
  • 1.00 Participation
Event date May 22, 2025
Cost $0.00
Suicide Prevention and Resilience: Voices of Lived Experience
Most lectures on suicide assume an academic perspective by focusing exclusively on research related to suicide or clinical disorders associated with suicide. This presentation will take a different perspective by presenting information about evidence-based strategies for suicide prevention and then hearing from three survivors of suicide attempts about their experiences with some of these strategies. The participants will learn about the non-linear and unexpected path each survivor took to recover from their intense suicidality. What worked, what didn’t, and how unexpected interventions and social connection contributed to traditional treatments. The testimonies of the survivors will be honest in their appraisal of the behavioral health system, and the effort and commitment required to achieve recovery. The important takeaway of the presentation is that no single treatment for suicidality is effective for all patients, and each patient will experience periods of trial and error as they search for the treatment that is most effective for them. Ultimately, each person finds treatments that support their functionality realizing that treatments for suicidality are often not fully curative. Three persons will share their stories of resilience and recovery. 
Category
  • Grand Rounds
  • Suicide/Crisis
Format
  • Interactive Synchronous Distance Learning
  • Live Webinar
Credits
  • 1.50 ACEP NBCC clock hours
  • 1.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
  • 1.50 Category I credits for Social Workers
  • 1.50 Psychologists
  • 1.50 MNA Contact Hours for Nurses
  • 1.50 Participation
Event date June 10, 2025
Cost $0.00
Medications Have Meaning: Strategies for Discussing OCD Medication with Clients to Engage Them in Treatment
Psychotherapists are powerful and often under-utilized allies in engaging our patients in effective use of psychiatric medication. Learn how effective communication between prescribers and psychotherapists can advance “treatment-resistant” patients forward while simultaneously enhancing clinician’s fulfillment in their work. Go beyond discussing neurotransmitters and into the heart of what taking psychiatric medication means to our patients. Address fears of dependency, loss of identity, weakness, and loss of control. Understand how attachment styles, medical trauma, and minority status predict medication side effects. Cultivate in patients an internal locus of control and self-advocacy skills to reduce side effect burden. Learn what information psychiatric medication prescribers really want to hear from psychotherapists and vice versa. Together, we are powerful allies in moving treatment forward. This presentation will help clinicians discuss medications in ways that empower their clients to more effectively engage in psychiatric treatment.
Category
  • Anxiety/OCD
  • Psychotherapy
  • Workshop
Format
  • Interactive Synchronous Distance Learning
  • Live Webinar
Credits
  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
  • 1.00 Category I credits for Social Workers
  • 1.00 Psychologists
  • 1.00 MNA Contact Hours for Nurses
  • 1.00 Participation
Event date June 20, 2025
Cost $0.00
Placebo Effects: From Laboratory Mechanistic Research to Clinical Research
Despite growing evidence that placebo effects significantly impact outcomes in both pain and mental health treatment, clinicians often underutilize these mechanisms in everyday practice. This gap persists due to limited education on the neurobiology of placebo responses and how to ethically integrate expectancy, patient-clinician interaction, and learning history into care. This presentation addresses this clinical blind spot by translating laboratory-based discoveries into actionable clinical strategies. Attendees will gain practical tools to recognize and leverage placebo mechanisms to enhance therapeutic response, particularly in chronic pain and mental health contexts, leading to more informed, personalized, and effective patient care.
Category
  • Conceptual Psych
  • Grand Rounds
  • Psychopharmacology
Format
  • Interactive Synchronous Distance Learning
  • Live Webinar
Credits
  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
  • 1.00 Category I credits for Social Workers
  • 1.00 Psychologists
  • 1.00 MNA Contact Hours for Nurses
  • 1.00 Participation
Event date July 2, 2025
Cost $0.00
Beyond Psychedelics: Set and Setting in General Psychiatric Practice
This presentation will help clinicians optimize both patient mindset ("set") and treatment environment ("setting") to improve psychiatric outcomes through recognition of the impact of expectancy effects and therapeutic alliance. Application of “set” and “setting” principles to psychopharmacology will help clinicians improve adherence, leverage placebo effects and reduce nocebo effects. Ultimately, this presentation aims to shift the focus away from "what" treatments are delivered to "how" they are implemented. By attending, participants will gain actionable strategies to enhance therapeutic outcomes, improve medication adherence, and create supportive settings that foster patient stability and growth.
Category
  • Grand Rounds
  • Psychiatric Illness
Format
  • Interactive Synchronous Distance Learning
  • Live Webinar
Credits
  • 1.00 ACEP NBCC clock hours
  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
  • 1.00 Category I credits for Social Workers
  • 1.00 Psychologists
  • 1.00 MNA Contact Hours for Nurses
  • 1.00 Participation
Event date July 16, 2025
Cost $0.00
Anger and Rage in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder can appear in many different ways. While many people suffering from OCD know it causes high levels of fear and anxiety, fewer people realize just how much anger can be a part of it. In fact, for a large number of children, adolescents, and adults with OCD, anger or rage attacks are a regular and highly disruptive part of their lives. In this talk, Dr. Lack will discuss why irritability, anger, and rage are very prevalent in OCD and help clinicians better understand this often confusing issue as well as how to address it in session.
Category
  • Anxiety/OCD
  • Psychotherapy
  • Workshop
Format
  • Interactive Synchronous Distance Learning
  • Live Webinar
Credits
  • 1.00 ACEP NBCC clock hours
  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
  • 1.00 Category I credits for Social Workers
  • 1.00 Psychologists
  • 1.00 MNA Contact Hours for Nurses
  • 1.00 Participation
Event date August 15, 2025
Cost $0.00