2023 NJPA Spring Conference

JOIN US AT OUR SPRING HYBRID EVENT!

Hot Topics in

Psychology (5 CE) Friday, April 28, 2023 8:00 am - 4:00 pm Hanover Manor East Hanover, NJ

SEE YOU THERE!

Schedule Registration & Breakfast

8:00 am - 9:00 am

Welcome to the Conference/Housekeeping Notes

9:00 am - 9:10 am

Keynote Speaker: Forgiveness Therapy for Healing From the Trauma of Injustice (1 CE)

9:10 am - 10:10 am

Break

10:10 am - 10:30 am

MDMA Assisted Therapy for PTSD (1 CE)

10:30 am - 11:30 am

Lunch

11:30 am - 12:40 pm

Using Virtual Reality Therapy to Treat Mental Health Disorders and Beyond (1 CE)

12:40 pm - 1:40 pm

Break

1:40 pm - 2:00 pm

Navigating Genderland: Gender Diversity in Children and Adolescents (2 CE)

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

End of Day Announcements

4:00 pm

Registration Fee: (includes all programs, continental breakfast, and buffet lunch)

Hanover Manor 16 Eagle Rock Avenue East Hanover, NJ 07936 (973) 887-2682

NJPA Member: $200 NJPA Sustaining Member: $170 NJPA ECP Member: $150 NJPA Emeritus Member: $100 NJPA Student Member: $100 Non-Member: $300

Programs Forgiveness Therapy for Healing From the Trauma of Injustice (1 CE)

9:10 am - 10:10 am

Keynote Speaker: Robert Enright, PhD Program Narrative: In this Keynote Address, Dr. Robert Enright will be discussing how Forgiveness Therapy can heal people who have been traumatized by deep injustices against them. First, the construct of forgiveness will be examined carefully because forgiveness is easily misunderstood as excusing inappropriate behavior by others, automatically reconciling, and abandoning the quest for justice. Next, an empirically-verified model of how people forgive, the Process Model of Forgiveness, will be described. This will be followed by an examination of empirical interventions in forgiveness therapy and four meta-analyses examining the effectiveness of forgiveness in the mental health professions. The talk will conclude by pointing out features that seem to work when forgiveness is part of the treatment plan.

Learning Objectives: 1, Learn what forgiveness is and how it differs from excusing and reconciling 2. Become familiar with the empirically-based Process Model of Forgiveness as a way to assist clients, who choose to do so, to forgive those who have been unfair to them 3. Learn about the scientific studies of forgiveness interventions, including four meta-analyses that have examined different groups’ approaches to forgiveness 4. Understand what kinds of approaches work best in the forgiveness interventions for mental health improvement Level of Learning: Intermediate Target Audience: Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Social Workers, Nurses, Educators, Mental Health Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Graduate Students, Undergraduate Students, Nurses, Physicians Robert Enright holds the Aristotelian Professorship in Forgiveness Science within the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a founding board member of the International Forgiveness Institute. Because he is the first to publish empirically-based journal articles on the moral development of forgiveness, with continuing research in this area for the past 37 years, he was given the APF Gold Medal Award for Impact in Psychology by the American Psychological Association in 2022.

MDMA Assisted Therapy for PTSD (1 CE)

10:30 am - 11:30 am

Presenter: Crisula Tasiopoulos, LCSW Program Narrative: This workshop will focus on the use of psychedelics in psychotherapy, more specifically, MDMA Assisted Psychotherapy to treat PTSD. The presenter will provide a brief overview of the history of psychedelics, development and research, uses, and impacts with various populations, as well as current research outcomes and expectations for the future.

Learning Objectives: 1. Learn about the history of plant medicine use in indigenous communities, as well as in Western medicine and research, and the intersection of the two 2. Obtain a brief overview of psychedelics and their uses 3. Understand more specifically the use of MDMA, its mechanism of action, uses for trauma and other conditions, and its outcomes thus far in the research 4. Learn about future research, MAPS training, Public Benefit Corporation, and how to become more involved Level of Learning: Introductory Target Audience: Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Social Workers, Nurses, Educators, Mental Health Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Graduate Students, Undergraduate Students, Nurses, Physicians Chrisula Tasiopoulos (she/her), is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of New Jersey, and the Owner/Director of a private practice. She earned her Master's Degree in Social Work from New York University, and has been practicing for close to 20 years. She is also an EMDR Certified Therapist, as well as an EMDR Consultant-in-Training. Her experience has primarily been working with survivors of abuse and trauma, in particular sexual violence, domestic violence, and child abuse and neglect.

Registration Now Open!

Using Virtual Reality Therapy to Treat Mental Health Disorders and Beyond (1 CE) Presenter: JoAnn Difede, PhD

12:40 pm - 1:40 pm

Program Narrative: The interface of technology and medicine has created exciting possibilities for psychiatry and the behavioral sciences. A particularly intriguing advancement is the marriage of Virtual Reality (VR) technology to established psychotherapeutic principles and techniques for the treatment of anxiety disorders. Together with established psychotherapeutic principles and techniques, Virtual Reality technology can be used to treat a variety of mental health disorders. This presentation by Dr. JoAnn Difede will introduce VR and how it has been used as an effective treatment method for PostTraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), as well as anxiety and stress disorders caused by specific events and situations. Dr. Difede will describe her previous research on the use of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) to treat PTSD for groups such as World Trade Center survivors, military veterans, healthcare workers, police officers, firefighters, disaster rescue and recovery workers, and other occupations at risk; as well as those who have suffered natural disasters and/or have phobias like fear of flying, storms, heights, bridges, and public speaking. Dr. Difede will identify updates in research surrounding the use of VR for psychological treatment, as well as in other domains. This presentation will conclude by detailing the future directions of Virtual Reality therapy, by providing a glimpse into Dr. Difede’s research on the rise, such as one study, which aims to treat healthcare workers who have PTSD consequent to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learning Objectives: 1. Introduction, rationale, and background on the use of Virtual Reality (VR) in treating mental health 2. Describe how Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) has been used to treat PTSD for World Trade Center Survivors, Military combat survivors, and Occupations at risk (firefighters, police officers, healthcare workers, disaster workers) 3. Describe how VRET has been used to treat anxiety and stress related disorders: Fear of flying, storms, heights, bridges and public speaking 4. Identify other research and fields in which VR can be used for the use of VR during painful procedures in burn patients 5. Describe future directions in using VR to treat healthcare workers with COVID-19 related PTSD, using Social VR usability and efficacy in older trauma patients and using Virtual Reality in Sickle Cell Disease Level of Learning: Advanced Target Audience: Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Social Workers, Nurses, Educators, Mental Health Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Graduate Students, Undergraduate Students, Nurses, Physicians JoAnn Difede, PhD, is the founding director of the Virtual Reality Lab, Program for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Studies (PATSS), and NYP Military Family Wellness Center at the Weill Cornell campus. Dr. Difede is internationally recognized for her pioneering work using virtual reality technology in the treatment of PTSD consequent to the WTC attack of September 11, 2001, and more recently in treatment of combat-related PTSD and pain. Her treatment research involving virtual reality simulations spans survivors of burn injuries, terrorism, and occupations at-risk for PTSD, including healthcare workers, US soldiers deployed to OIF/OEF, firefighters, police officers, and disaster rescue and recovery workers. Dr. Difede is now the Principal Investigator of two COVID-related studies underway, one which seeks to develop and pilot virtual reality environments to treat PTSD in healthcare workers and COVID-19 patients.

Navigating Genderland: Gender Diversity in Children and Adolescents (2 CE) Presenter: Sarah Burgamy, PsyD

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Program Narrative: This program will focus on the current psycho-social landscape of gender diverse identities, evolving nomenclature, developmental considerations, as well as the implications for mental/behavioral healthcare in navigating gender identity, family systems, and clinician role.

Assessment, treatment, support, advocacy, ethics, professional standards, and multidisciplinary care with gender diverse children and adolescents and communities will be discussed.

Learning Objectives: 1. Conceptualize gender identity in youth through a developmental lens 2. Identify and assess for unique challenges and considerations of gender diverse children and adolescents 3. Explain the role of the behavioral health provider in multidisciplinary care (e.g. collaborating with medical providers), as indicated, in support of gender diverse youth and family/support systems Level of Learning: Intermediate Target Audience: Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Social Workers, Nurses, Educators, Mental Health Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Graduate Students

Sarah Burgamy, PsyD is the founder of a private practice in Denver, Colorado, PhoenixRISE, with specialty offerings in identity development, sexual orientation diversity competency, as well as transgender and gender diverse identities in adults, adolescents, and children. Dr. Burgamy received her doctorate degree from the University of Denver, Graduate School of Professional Psychology, in Clinical Psychology, with an emphasis on child and adolescent development. Dr. Burgamy has provided presentations and trainings in diverse professional settings, both on a local and national level in educational settings from preschools to colleges and universities, in healthcare settings such as the Colorado Children’s Hospital, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Denver Health, and the Department of Veterans Affairs in New Haven, CT, as well as in the public and private community and professional sectors for organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), Parents Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), and Google.

Registration Now Open!

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