This information is forwrded from MindFreedom International. Ron Unger is a a therapist in Oregon who embraces the CS/X movement and teaches cognitive approaches to recovery from serious mental health issues.
-Rick
MindFreedom Oregon – 12 May 2008
http://www.mindfreedom.org – human rights in mental health
FORWARDED PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
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Oregon alternative treatment in mental health seminar:
Ron Unger is a longtime MindFreedom member, and coordinator of
MindFreedom Lane County, who advocates for a treatment alternative
called “cognitive therapy for psychosis.”
This therapy might sound like common sense to many of us: noticing
that people who sound “crazy” can really be understood if we try,
noticing that their problems aren’t that much different than anyone
else’s, and finding the story of how the problems got going and
looking for practical ways to shrink the problem.
However, this therapy is revolutionary in a mental health system that
insists that “psychosis” is a biological brain disorder that can only
be treated with medications!
Details on the seminar are below: this seminar is very affordable to
mental health workers who need CEU credit, and is free to consumers
who might be interested.
************************************
Cognitive Therapy for Psychosis: an evidence-based psychological
approach for delusions, hallucinations, and paranoia
A Seminar In Corvallis, Oregon, on Friday June 27, 2008
Learn to:
– Conceptualize psychosis as an understandable reaction to life events
– Use proven cognitive methods to reduce psychotic thinking
– Help clients recover by activating their own rational and self-
organizing process
– Offer an effective alternative to people who receive limited
benefit from medications or who prefer less dependence on medications
Most current treatment approaches frame psychotic experiences as non-
understandable, address them only with medication, and then ask
clients to resign themselves to living with the symptoms medication
does not control.
Cognitive therapy for psychosis, developed mostly in the UK and still
little known in the US, is an evidence-based method with a different
perspective. In this seminar, you will gain insight into the
connections between everyday psychological difficulties and the more
extreme ones we call psychosis. You will become able to track the
story of how psychosis develops and how people became trapped in it.
Then, by hearing about basic cognitive therapy principles,
participating in exercises, and exploring case examples, you will
learn how to collaborate with clients in exploring evidence and
explanations for experiences, and in testing coping ideas. This
process works to restore the client’s role as an active problem
solver capable of making decisions that reduce psychotic symptoms,
and as an active partner in a journey toward recovery.
Speaker:
Ron Unger, LCSW, is a therapist specializing in cognitive therapy for
psychosis. He has given numerous seminars about cognitive therapy and
other psychosocial approaches to psychosis, and on trauma and the
relationship between trauma and psychosis. His presentations
emphasize simple, practical, and humanistic ways of understanding and
relating to human difficulties that can too easily be perceived as
being “beyond understanding.”
Objectives:
* Refute misconceptions that have often discouraged professionals
from attempting psychotherapy for schizophrenia or other psychotic
disorders
* Learn about research showing that medical model explanations
actually increase stigma, and identify a better approach
* Understand psychotic symptoms as existing on a continuum with other
human reactions to distressing circumstances
* Utilize the style and the essential steps of cognitive therapy for
psychosis.
* Explore a variety of case examples that illustrate effective
strategies
* Identify 3 ways to integrate this psychological approach with
existing treatment methods
*Outline:*
*Introduction
A cognitive perspective on psychosis
Continuum from “normal” to “psychotic”
Inter and intra-personal dialogue and its breakdown
Nonlinear causality in psychosis
Stress and trauma as factors
Limits of biological explanations
Multi-factorial understanding and hope for recovery
*Therapeutic Style
Relationship considerations always primary
Goals structured around client concerns
Balance between confrontation and collusion
Collaborative Empiricism
Drawing out client’s rationality
Empathy even when it is challenging
Self disclosure of unusual experiences by therapist
*Two Key Procedures
“Normalizing” psychotic experiences
Developing a formulation
*Approaches for specific issues
Delusions
Hallucinations and voices
Paranoia
Thought disorder
Negative symptoms
*Putting it into practice
Case examples
Difficulties and possible solutions
Three levels of integration with the existing system
Target audience:
Counselors, Social Workers, Psychologists, Psychotherapists, Case
Managers, Addiction Counselors, and other mental health professionals.
Cancellation Policy:
If you contact us before the seminar date, you can receive a tuition
refund, less a $30 cancellation fee.
Seminar Schedule for Friday, June 27, 2008:
8:00 Check in/Continental Breakfast
8:30 Program Begins
11:50-1:00 Lunch /(on your own)/
4:30 Program ends
Questions? Call 541-513-1811, or email ronunger@efn.org
Credit Information: 6.25 NASW CEU credits approved – attendees
registering for CEUs must attend the full seminar.
Guarantee: If the quality of this seminar does not meet your
expectations, simply explain the reasons for your dissatisfaction, by
mail or email, and you will receive a full refund.
Call early with your ADA needs!
Seminar Location Details:
LaSells Stewart Center
875 SW 26th Street, Corvallis
541-737-2402
http://oregonstate.edu/lasells/gettinghere.html for more details on
finding the site, and on parking. Note that while the website says
parking costs $5, it is actually free the day of the seminar due to
OSU being out of session.
Include the book listed below with your seminar registration and save!
*Cognitive Therapy of Schizophrenia (Guides to Individualized
Evidence-Based Treatment) (Paperback)*
by David G. Kingdon and Douglas Turkington
Drawing on the authors’ decades of influential work in the field,
this highly practical volume presents an evidence-based cognitive
therapy approach for clients with schizophrenia. Guidelines are
provided for collaborative assessment and case formulation that
enable the clinician to build a strong therapeutic relationship,
establish reasonable goals, and tailor treatment to each client’s
needs. Described in thorough, step-by-step detail are effective
techniques for working with delusional beliefs, voices, visions,
thought disorders, and negative symptoms; integrating cognitive
therapy with other forms of treatment; reducing relapse risks; and
enhancing client motivation. Special features include reproducible
client handouts and assessment tools. List Price $25: available with
this seminar for just $20!
To Register, please complete entire form (to notify you of any
seminar changes):
Name_________________________Profession__________________________
Employer Name_________________________________
Address___________________________Dep/Floor/Suite__________________
City______________________________State______Zip__________________
Home/Cell Ph ( )______________Dept. Ph ( )___________________
Email address______________________________
To register together with another person: send both registrations in
at the same time, and write in the name of the other person(s) here:
______________________________________________________________
Please note: Confirmation/receipts are sent only via email.
Please return entire registration form
Register by Fax: 541-686-2440
Register by Phone: 888-214-3263
Register by Mail:
Ron Unger LCSW
1257 High St. Suite 7
Eugene, OR 97401
Check tuition (includes refreshments)
_____ $99 single registration postmarked three weeks prior to seminar
date
_____ $79 per person for 2 or more pre-registering together
postmarked three weeks prior to seminar date
_____ $89 per person for 2 or more pre-registering together if *not
*postmarked three weeks prior to seminar date
_____ $109 Standard
_____ Scholarship (free attendance for consumer/survivors and family
members who want to learn more about this approach)
_____ $20 to purchase the book */Cognitive Therapy for Schizophrenia /
*(See below for a description of this book. It will be distributed at
the seminar – saves you $5 plus shipping costs!)
Indicate method of payment (All registrations must be prepaid):
_____ Check enclosed payable to Ron Unger LCSW
_____ MC (16 digits)
_____ VISA (13-16 digits)
_____ AE (15 digits)
_____ Discover Novus (16 digits)
Card #______________________________ Card Exp. ______________________
Signature:______________________________________________
V-Code #*: ________________
(MC/VISA/Discover: last 3 digit # on signature panel on back of card.
American Express: 4-digit # on face of card.)
Registrations due one week in advance of the seminar! Walk-in
registrations at the seminar are welcome, but admission cannot be
guaranteed.
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