In anticipation of APA's convention, I wanted to highlight some of the clinically-focused presentations by Div. 43 members that you do not want to miss.
Incoming Div. 43 President Susan Regas, PhD, will give her presidential address entitled, "Can You Leave Self-of-the-Therapist Out of Clinical Training and Therapy?" When asked about how this presentation will be helpful for clinicians, Regas writes, "Not only is it imperative that psychologists become experts at connecting, assessing and intervening with clients, but we also need to focus on our unresolved issues, our own growth and relationships with people. Substantial evidence suggests that effectiveness in therapy depends greatly on therapists' emotional maturity and self-understanding. The lack of attention in psychology training to therapist's emotional maturity stems in part from a traditional resistance to merging personal and professional growth, as well as the lack of operationalized frameworks that integrate the personal and professional." Regas will present a self-of–the-therapist model of training and supervising. Although the training may be therapeutic, it is not therapy. The focus is to help the trainees become better clinicians. Therapists can better understand the thinking, feelings and behaviors of their clients by understanding their own psychology. When training programs put energy into directing trainees to develop self-awareness and self-acceptance in way that encourages them to address their own issues, they are able to take responsibility for what they bring to the table when are in the room with clients.
In "Love, Infertility and Addiction: Assimilative Approaches to Couple Therapy," Pat Pitta, PhD, and Corinne Datchi, PhD, president-elect of Div. 43, will discuss assimilative integration in couple and family therapy as a method to enhance treatment responsiveness and effectiveness with complex contemporary issues such as infertility and addiction. They will demonstrate how to integrate research, concepts and interventions from diverse couple and family therapies into a specific theoretical framework. They will also use real-life examples from their clinical practice to illustrate the application of assimilative models of systemic treatment in this incredible skill building session.
Anthony Chambers, PhD, a past president of Div. 43, is participating in two presentations. The first is "Integrative Systemic Therapy: A Model for Treating Couples," which will be co-presented with Jay Lebow, PhD; Doug Breunlin, PhD; and Bill Pinsof, PhD. Chambers writes, "In the 21st century, couple psychologists are able to stay current with best practices when their clinical approach is both systemic and integrative. A systemic perspective enables therapists to address the always complex nature of the relationships in which clients' concerns are embedded. An integrative perspective recognizes that therapy is most effective when it is tailored to the needs of the clients. Such an approach requires that therapists transcend specific models of therapy and cohesively incorporate a wide and evolving range of clinical concepts and interventions into their practice. Based on the book recently published by APA, this workshop will use Integrative Systemic Therapy (IST) to demonstrate a comprehensive perspective for the practice of couples therapy. The presenters will begin by articulating the specific merits of integrative and systemic therapy. The heart of the presentation will demonstrate how a systemic and integrative approach is operationalized in IST. The presenters will discuss how IST can advance the profession by providing a comprehensive approach to planning and decision-making for the many therapists who prefer to practice a systemic and integrative therapy."
Chambers' second presentation is with Steve Sayers, PhD, Div. 43 vice president for science, and Karen Petty, PhD, entitled, "Clinic-Based Couple and Family Therapy Research: Using Measurement to Improve Treatment." When asked about this presentation, Chambers writes, "Support for couple and family treatment research has been declining for decades. The National Institute for Mental Health, for example, has taken the position of not funding research on couple and family functioning and treatment of couple and family problems, unless the specific focus is an outcome representing individual psychopathology. As the largest funder of scientific research in mental and behavioral health, this policy has limited the opportunities for researchers to advance the treatments for couple and family problems. The presentations in this symposium will describe findings from research conducted in three large treatment clinics."
I also encourage everyone to attend the invited address on Thursday, Aug. 9, where Nadine Kaslow, PhD, and Susan McDaniel, PhD, will discuss how two women members of Div. 43 become APA presidents. Finally, hearing these Div. 43 members and clinicians present is one thing, but conversing with them and engaging with them is quite another — do not miss the social hour on Thursday, Aug. 9.
The full Div. 43 convention program schedule is available onlineopens in new window (PDF, 241KB).