Ways to Embody Your Symposium Experience Jody Wager & Naomi Nim While at Symposium’s end you may feel exhilarated by all the new ideas you’ve been exposed to, that excitement may, despite your best intentions, dissipate once you return to your habitual routines. In this experiential workshop, you’ll have the opportunity to consolidate your SymposiumRead More…
Working with Kids and Their Parents Mitchell Greene Sports, even at the youngest developmental levels, has become a source of great stress for kids and their parents. The final results of games and kids’ individual statistics are immediately broadcast on the internet, and recruiting videos of middle school age athletes are all over YouTube. RecreationRead More…
Beyond Medication Chris Aiken There’s much debate about bipolar disorder—both how to diagnose it and the role of non-pharmacological approaches in its treatment. Recently, however, there have been important advances that can help clinicians more accurately diagnose this condition as well as treatment approaches that go beyond the limited effectiveness of traditional talk therapy. ThisRead More…
Exploring the Insights of Advanced Practice Jay Efran & Robert Fauber Clinicians like to believe that they’ve become more accomplished and more effective as they accumulate “clinical wisdom” over the course of their careers. But what exactly does that mean? This workshop, designed for both senior therapists and those at earlier stages of their careers,Read More…
Strategies for Generating Referrals Joe Bavonese Although the internet has become the biggest referral source for private practitioners, many therapists feel overwhelmed when trying to keep up with all the latest marketing approaches, newest mobile devices (which now account for 60 percent of searches for therapy), and other ways to promote their practices online. DesignedRead More…
A Mindful Approach to Value-Based Action DJ Moran Despite the popularity of mindfulness, not all our clients want to embrace an Eastern philosophy and sit on a meditation cushion every day. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) offers a way to use the power of contemplative practice while promoting concrete and quantifiable change. In this workshop,Read More…
Strategies for Change Terry Real We’ve all met troubled men who are irresponsible, oppressive, or emotionally absent. Treating them requires a range of strategies. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to effectively work with issues of shame and grandiosity, as well as toxic engagement and disengagement. You’ll focus on how to identify and develop differentRead More…
Taking Charge of Your Practice Casey Truffo Many private practitioners think the only answer to increasing income is seeing more clients. But it takes more than marketing and good clinical work to have a financially viable practice. This workshop will offer a model for approaching your practice as a small business of which you areRead More…
Is It Gender . . . And/Or Something Else? Margaret Nichols & Laura Jacobs Transgender identity has achieved so much cultural support and affirmation that it may be easy to overlook—or miss—the fact that some young clients may be struggling with issues other than, or in addition to, gender dysphoria. With many of these childrenRead More…
Gratitude and Meaning in Caring for Aging Parents Barry Jacobs & Julia Mayer While caring for aging parents is often portrayed as a physical, psychological, and financial burden, there’s a growing body of research suggesting that caregivers can derive important benefits from their role, including increased life satisfaction and even improved health. In fact, caregiversRead More…
Enhancing Your Practice and Enriching Your Life Barbara Van Dahlen Most of us enter the field with a desire to help those who are struggling in life and suffering emotionally, but we may not always see the opportunities to contribute to the broader issues that affect all of our communities. This workshop offers an opportunityRead More…
Gentle Protocols for Rewiring the Brain Courtney Armstrong Hypnosis is making a comeback as research demonstrates its effectiveness in relieving anxiety, resolving traumatic memories, breaking habitual patterns, and reducing chronic pain. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to safely guide your clients into hypnotic states, effectively frame suggestions, clear subconscious blocks, and activate the client’sRead More…
Harnessing an Underutilized Therapeutic Resource Joan Klagsbrun The “felt sense”—our implicit body wisdom—is a resource in each of us that typically lies at the edge of awareness but has the capacity to accelerate the healing process and make therapy more effective. When therapists welcome and encourage exploration of the felt sense, clients speak from theirRead More…
We’re Older. Are We Better? Daniel Siegel & Bessel van der Kolk On the occasion of the Symposium’s 40th anniversary, two of the most influential figures in our field reflect on the most important advances of the past four decades as well as the prospects for improving our therapeutic effectiveness in the future, with aRead More…
Applying Dyadic Mindfulness in Your Work Parts 1 & 2 Halko Weiss & Maci Daye While traditional talk therapy relies largely on conscious awareness, research shows that explicit brain functions have only limited impact on our feelings and behaviors. In this experiential workshop, we’ll explore how to use Hakomi’s mind-body approach to transform limiting beliefsRead More…
How to Stay Steady and Sturdy Parts 1 & 2 Wendy Behary When anger enters the treatment room, whether or not it’s directed at us, it can often take us by surprise, rattle our composure, sidetrack the therapy session, and overwhelm us with fear, fury, humiliation, or other triggered emotions. If we allow our clients’Read More…
Clarifying Boundaries in 21st-Century Practice Parts 1 & 2 Mary Jo Barrett & Linda Stone Fish The ethical rules for therapists used to be straightforward and unambiguous: no gifts, no dual relationships, and no out-of-session contact. But the ease of digital connection and the shift in our profession’s norms have introduced new questions about professionalRead More…
Exploring Our Untold Stories Parts 1 & 2 Kenneth Hardy For all the progress we’ve made since the Civil Rights movement, racism is woven into the very fabric of our economic, social, and political institutions. And despite the progressive political attitudes of most therapists, people of color still experience special challenges in the mental healthRead More…
A Dialogue with Salvador Minuchin Parts 1 & 2 Salvador Minuchin, Jeffrey Zeig & Susan Johnson At 95 years old, Salvador Minuchin is the world’s most famous living family therapist and probably the most imitated practitioner ever. In this special workshop, he’ll show a series of excerpts from some of the most memorable therapy sessionsRead More…
How We Can Help Our Clients and the World at the Same Time Parts 1 & 2 William Doherty Let’s face it: we therapists have had an ambivalent relationship with commitment, often opting for Polonius’s individualistic admonition “to thine own self be true.” But now that we’re coming out of an historic era where weRead More…
Exploring an Alternative Career Path Leslie Austin Despite all the parallels between therapy and coaching, relatively few therapists have been able to launch successful coaching practices. This workshop will focus on three key elements in becoming a successful coach: establishing a solid business model, understanding how the goals and boundaries of coaching differ from therapy,Read More…
Creating the “Good Enough” Ending Christine Courtois All therapy must eventually end, but endings can come about for any number of reasons: from the positive (successful treatment of a specific issue) to the negative (treatment stalling or insurance running out) to outside factors (relocation, retirement, illness, death). Whatever the case, endings can evoke many issues,Read More…
Special Issues in Working with Marginalized Clients Anita Mandley If you work with African Americans, Native Americans, Holocaust survivors and their descendants, or any other disenfranchised clients, you’re often working with the legacies of cultural and historical trauma. This workshop will open a path toward addressing wounds and issues that too often go ignored andRead More…
A Family Approach Jean Malpas Therapists working with the families of transgender and gender-expansive youth (TGEY) are facing questions for which there are no easy answers. What’s the best way to respond when parents of a transgender teenager refuse to give access to hormone therapy? Or when the parents of an 8-year-old gender nonconforming childRead More…
Helping Clients Rediscover Real Life Linda Graham We’re used to exploring how addictions can lead to broken relationships with family and friends, but what about ways in which our digital addictions can negatively affect those same things? Think about it: on average, American adults check their cell phones every 6.5 minutes. American teenagers spend almostRead More…
Collective Trauma as a Clinical Issue Patrick Dougherty While we know the regular eruptions of violence from mass shootings, police brutality, and acts of terrorism that dominate the news cycle often trigger anxiety, anger, and genuine despair in many of our clients, most of us have no training in how to bring up the impactRead More…
A Radical Approach to Healing Interpersonal Wounds Janis Abrahms Spring Forgiveness has been held up as the gold standard of recovery from interpersonal injuries, but in real life, hurt parties often find that they can’t or won’t forgive, particularly when the offender is unrepentant or dead. In this workshop, you’ll learn to reframe the healingRead More…
Separating Myths from Reality Frank Anderson With so much controversy and contradictory research about the effectiveness of psychopharmacological interventions, it’s hard to know how to best work with your clients around the issue of meds. What are the new most promising medications on the market? Are antidepressants really any better than placebos? Why are so manyRead More…
Virtual Reality in Therapy Michael Greene Long touted as a potentially powerful and disruptive technology, virtual reality (VR) has moved into the mainstream, with low-cost consumer products becoming readily available. Some people believe that VR has vast implications for therapists, both as a tool to be used with specific types of issues and more broadlyRead More…
Adventures in the Physics of Vulnerability Brené Brown Research has shown that fully owning our stories of our most significant stumbles and falls can help us take our life narratives in empowering new directions. This workshop will introduce you to The Rising Strong Process, an approach to turning toward the pain of our setbacks, ratherRead More…
Enhancing Your Therapeutic Impact Parts 1 & 2 Jeffrey Zeig There’s something both inspirational and humbling about watching the clinical work of master therapists like Virginia Satir, Carl Whitaker, Salvador Minuchin, and Milton Erickson. While it’s tempting to think they have a unique therapeutic gift, it’s even more helpful to ask: “How do they doRead More…
How to Set Limits and Hold Them Accountable Parts 1 & 2 Wendy Behary Narcissists are notoriously difficult to work with. They can be arrogant, condescending, lacking in empathy, and so self-absorbed they seem incapable of forming genuine relationships with anyone, including their therapist. Since being nice is usually ineffective with such clients, in orderRead More…
Turning “Resistance” into Opportunity Parts 1 & 2 Clifton Mitchell The key to navigating through therapeutic standstills is to use them as valuable clues for steering the therapeutic conversation more skillfully, rather than seeing them as obstacles to be overcome. In this highly practical workshop, you’ll explore how to use critical junctures in a sessionRead More…
New Perspectives on Gender Diversity Parts 1 & 2 Margaret Nichols & Laura Jacobs Transgender and gender-expansive people are more visible today than they were in the past, and there’s been a corresponding acceptance of gender diversity as normal and varying along a continuum. Indeed, you’ve probably seen or heard of clients who describe themselvesRead More…
Breaking Eggshells Parts 1 & 2 Kenneth Hardy Rather than signaling an end to racism, the Obama presidency has revealed how much stereotypes and tensions about race still pervade much of American society. But even though we may want to broach the issue of race openly, honestly, and respectfully, too often, we typically feel constrainedRead More…
An Internal Family Systems (IFS) Approach Parts 1 & 2 Richard Schwartz One of the chief obstacles to effective trauma treatment can be the therapist’s view of trauma symptoms like dissociation, rage, and suicidal thoughts as frightening evidence of deep pathology, rather than an expression of the natural human impulse toward self-protection. This workshop willRead More…
From Devastation to Hope Lisa Ferentz Although it’s important for therapists to help clients process the painful and often demoralizing effects of trauma, it’s also crucial to nurture their potential for new possibilities of healing through post-traumatic growth (PTG). In fact, learning respectful ways to plant seeds of hope and resilience can make all theRead More…
A Game Show Approach Clifton Mitchell We all want to do what’s ethical, and get the CEs to boot, but slogging through most ethics courses can be a tiresome bore. Not this time! This workshop (back by popular demand) features a game show that’s entertaining, engaging, and high-spirited. Participants will be divided into teams andRead More…
What Works and What Doesn’t Jonah Paquette While the field of positive psychology emphasizes building on clients’ internal strengths rather than their “pathology,” many therapists remain unsure of how to put its emphasis on gratitude and optimism to practical use in the consulting room. In addition, they often don’t know how to present positive psychologyRead More…
Using Your Photos to Inspire Your Writing Dick Anderson How often have you looked at a photograph and found yourself laughing, or crying, or overwhelmed by a wordless sense of awe? Often such images have little to do with F-Stops, aperture settings, or light meters. Rather, they’re the result of serendipitous, unexpected encounters with theRead More…
A Day of Exploration through Writing, Vocalizing, and Movement Licia Sky Vocalizing and physical synchrony are the earliest forms of communication. This workshop will explore ways of finding your own authentic voice and becoming a more active agent in your life. Spend the day engaging in wide-ranging vocal and mind-body exercises designed to free up yourRead More…
Discovering a Path to Connection and Creativity Noa Baum Humans have been telling stories since the beginning of time that ignite our connection to self and affirm our belonging to community. When we can connect our personal stories with traditional stories we can access a deeper wisdom about life. In this workshop, you’ll explore theRead More…
Learning to Live from the Self Amy Weintraub This day of LifeForce Yoga practices will nourish your physical, emotional, and mental body, and prepare you to take full advantage of your Symposium experience. You’ll learn unique breathing, meditation, and movement practices, adapted for clinical settings, that will enhance your capacity for openness and authentic connection.Read More…
Finding Your Voice Dana LaCroix Public speaking can be an exciting, joyful experience—or a nerve-wracking ordeal. This experiential workshop will help you learn to speak comfortably, confidently, and persuasively in public. You’ll dance, sing, laugh, improvise, and have the chance to push your boundaries in a safe, supportive environment. Through group and individual exercises, ledRead More…
A Day of Movement, Meditation, and Dance Daniel Leven The heart is our core, our vital energy center. In this full-day experiential workshop, awaken your heart to new energy through a balanced blend of movement, meditation, and dance. You’ll discover a sense of aliveness and compassion that’s the source of healing joy, well-being, and deepRead More…
Self-Discovery through Painting Barbara Barry Do you remember the freedom of painting as a child? It was simple: yummy paints, lots of imagination, and nothing was ever considered a mistake. This was how we told our stories before we could speak. Now is your chance to reconnect with your lost nonverbal language, taking you pastRead More…
The Keys to Transforming Habitual Patterns Betsy Polatin Expand the capacity to express yourself by using a unique approach that combines the Alexander Technique for neuromuscular reeducation, breathing coordination, and somatic experiencing. This workshop will offer hands-on guidance and simple exercises to enhance sensory skills by exploring the musculoskeletal, respiratory, and nervous systems. While manyRead More…
Learning to Let Yourself Move Baba Richard Gonzalez We all admire the grace, fluidity, and freedom dancers express, and their ability to step out of ordinary life into the realm of pure, rhythmic movement. But few of us feel we have the ability—or the nerve—to do much dancing ourselves. In this workshop, you’ll learn the practicalRead More…
