We know we have to talk to our kids about drugs and sex, but gaming and gambling are often not recognized as risky youth behaviors. Basic facts and trends in youth gaming and gambling will be presented as well as the warning signs of a possible addiction. Hear a story of gambling recovery and how we can prevent youth from going down the same path. Learn ways to have the conversation on gaming and gambling behaviors with the youth in your family or those that you serve. Resources for help will be discussed.

Individuals who face chronic distress and challenging behaviors may face a lifetime of reactive-based treatment in order to mitigate the most immediate crisis which may increase the likelihood of recidivism in said treatments. The application and outcomes of applied behavior analysis (ABA) is well documented with the autism spectrum population but very little has been shown outside of this group. This presentation will review how ABA principles are applied in an acute inpatient setting across varying populations. A framework is given to learners to identify the root cause of challenging behaviors that may aid in developing preventative strategies.

Many primary care health professionals feel uncomfortable screening for depression and suicide. The reasons are varied. Some do not feel adequately trained to address mental health issues, others feel these issues are overly complex as well as time and labor intensive within the context of a busy primary care practice. Our four presenters, representing the fields of psychiatry, psychology, and social work, will offer easily implemented screening tools and practices that will help flag patients at high risk for depression and suicide and recommend how to efficiently manage and refer them to the appropriate level of care. As completed suicides climb in the United States, particularly among youth, the elderly, and minority populations, the primary care provider may be the best professional able to identify those at high risk of suicide, especially in light of the finding that most people who complete suicide visited their primary care professional within three to six months of their death. Asking about depression and suicide in primary care can save lives!

This activity will improve learners’ competency/performance related to patient care, interpersonal and communication skills, and systems-based practice by teaching the latest evidence-based information about veteran suicide prevention. Collaboration with civilian providers with a diverse and sometimes inadequate understanding of military culture highlight a need to provide educational tools to detect illnesses prevalent in the military, such as posttraumatic stress disorder and mild traumatic brain injury. Advances in cultural competency education have improved the skills of providers caring for veterans to include the utilization of the Crisis Response Plan to aid in the prevention of suicidal behavior in at-risk veterans.

There are over four hundred approaches to psychotherapy, most of which branch from the primary streams of knowledge including clinical experience, empirical evidence, theoretical systems, and evidence from related disciplines. What is missing is an organized framework to guide and optimize treatment. The basic building blocks of psychotherapeutics that are fundamental to most approaches are well-documented. Strategic Psychotherapeutics uses these building blocks to inform evidence-based practices, combining the best empirical evidence and clinical expertise, with patient preferences and values. In this presentation, participants will be introduced to the system, which delineates the domains of knowledge that constitute the basic building blocks of psychotherapy. The therapeutic scope and impact of clinicians are enhanced when psychotherapists are grounded in these fundamental knowledge domains and understand how they can be blended. As clinicians gain an understanding of how these basics relate to approaches and technical interventions, more complex therapeutic activities such as assessment, treatment planning, clinical decision making, and alliance maintenance can be appreciated. In this symposium, participants will learn the 11 basic building blocks of psychotherapeutics that can be used to select the approaches and technical interventions best suited to each patient. The goal of this webinar is to enhance clinical expertise by providing the basic, intermediate, and advanced knowledge domains universal to all psychotherapeutics.

The evidence indicates that psychotherapists do not improve their outcomes over the course of their careers. Various methods have been offered for improving outcomes, including delivering evidence based treatments and using routine outcome monitoring (ROM). Neither of these methods has led to therapist development An understanding of what makes psychotherapy work suggests that improved facilitative interpersonal skills (FIS) will lead to improvement of outcomes. Deliberate practice of FIS in challenging interactions will improve outcomes gradually.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a common and often debilitating mental health condition characterized by unwanted intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repeated distress-reducing behaviors (compulsions). Frequently misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and mistreated, this series of lectures will demystify OCD and related disorders and the most effective protocols for helping those who suffer from them. Attendees new to or heavily experienced in treating OCD and related disorders will gain knowledge from multiple perspectives. This unique format features six lectures from top experts in the field, scheduled across three sessions over the Spring 2024 season. This series includes experts presenting on the concept of growth mindset in OCD treatment, the use of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in OCD treatment, an update on the state of pharmacology in OCD, and sessions on the treatment of perfectionism, hoarding, and health anxiety.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a common and often debilitating mental health condition characterized by unwanted intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repeated distress-reducing behaviors (compulsions). Frequently misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and mistreated, this series of lectures will demystify OCD and related disorders and the most effective protocols for helping those who suffer from them. Attendees new to or heavily experienced in treating OCD and related disorders will gain knowledge from multiple perspectives. This unique format features six lectures from top experts in the field, scheduled across three sessions over the Spring 2024 season. This series includes experts presenting on the concept of growth mindset in OCD treatment, the use of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in OCD treatment, an update on the state of pharmacology in OCD, and sessions on the treatment of perfectionism, hoarding, and health anxiety.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a common and often debilitating mental health condition characterized by unwanted intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repeated distress-reducing behaviors (compulsions). Frequently misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and mistreated, this series of lectures will demystify OCD and related disorders and the most effective protocols for helping those who suffer from them. Attendees new to or heavily experienced in treating OCD and related disorders will gain knowledge from multiple perspectives. This unique format features six lectures from top experts in the field, scheduled across three sessions over the Spring 2024 season. This series includes experts presenting on the concept of growth mindset in OCD treatment, the use of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in OCD treatment, an update on the state of pharmacology in OCD, and sessions on the treatment of perfectionism, hoarding, and health anxiety.

This presentation was originally reviewed on December 13, 2023, and broadcast live online on December 15, 2023, from 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM ET.