The Fundamentals Of Establishing Your Online Counselling Practice - Intermediate

Clients everywhere are asking for online services. And many counsellors want to respond to the demand and get online. But there are serious ethical, practical and clinical considerations. 

How secure is the technology? Do some therapeutic methods fit better with specific online modalities than others? Can face to face policies and procedures simply be tweaked or are new P&P's required? What about boundaries for counsellors? What does the research tell us about indications and contraindications? What about marginalized populations? Are certain clinicians better suited to online work? How does one compensate for the absence of tone and non-verbals in text-based work? Is moving into video counselling as simple as it seems, or are there important considerations before going with video? What about texting with clients? What about insurance? And what about the USA PATRIOT Act?

All of these questions and more will be covered as we work towards giving you the tools necessary for your own online practice. This workshop is suitable for private practitioners, multi-counsellor agency representatives, educational counselling services and all points in between. It will be valuable both for those planning a practice and for those already working online.

Lawrence Murphy  is the founder of Therapy Online, the world’s first online practice. Over the last 23 years, he has set up private practitioners, EAP’s, Family Services and educational institutions online.

The Social Styles Workshop - Intermediate (CANCELLED)

People approach their jobs in a variety of ways. Some people think and act quickly, while others like to take more time; some people are more friendly and sociable, while others are more reserved. At times, these differences can create freshness, balance, interesting relationships and innovative solutions. But all too often differences in “work style” lead to misunderstanding, mistrust and frustration – not to mention lowered productivity and poor results.

The Social Styles Model is a simple, practical tool for understanding these differences and for working well with others who are very different from you, so that everyone’s strengths are respected and used well.

In this workshop, participants use a questionnaire to identify their own Social Style, or preferred style of interaction with others. Activities are done in small and large groups to explore the characteristics of each style, when they might be useful, and how to adapt to other styles’ preferences, when appropriate. This workshop is highly interactive and participants will learn various techniques that will foster versatility, which is key in any relationship (client-therapist, student-educator, supervisor-supervisee, etc.) The skills acquired can easily be transferrable to client relationship needs.

Vicki-Anne Rodrigue works for the federal public service. She’s been a crisis counsellor, a senior conflict resolution practitioner and a senior harassment complaints advisor.

Promoting Professionalism In Clinical Supervision: Embracing Supervisory Identity And Illuminating Competence - Advanced

This one-day advanced-level workshop is designed to promote professionalism in the practice of clinical supervision. Participants will further consolidate their professional identity as a clinical supervisor through targeted concept refinement and skill development. Clinical supervision competencies will be enhanced as participants engage in applied and experiential workshop activities that call for integration of prior conceptual and skill-based learning with a heightened critical analytic focus. 

Selected areas of exploration in this workshop reflect needs that have been identified by practicing Canadian clinical supervisors. These include (a) operationally differentiating clinical supervision from other supporting roles and practices (e.g., mentoring, coaching, consulting); (b) establishing a framework for comprehensive clinical supervision sessions (e.g., content coverage, methods employed); (c) competency-based and growth-promoting assessment, feedback, evaluation, and reporting; (d) ethically-congruent clinical supervision documentation (e.g., session summaries, formative reports, summative reports); (e) clinical supervision challenges leading to difficult conversations and/or remediation plans); and (f) crystallizing clinical supervisor identity. 

Integral to each of the investigations above will be attunement to the balancing of relationship and process, recognition of the omnipresent power differential given the hierarchical relationships and evaluative components in pre-service and licensure supervision, navigation of ethical conundrums, and fostering deeper diversity awareness, sensitivity, and competence.

Dr. Blythe Shepard, a University of Lethbridge counsellor educator, teaches the CCPA course in counselling supervision, and is co-editor of the textbook, Supervision of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Profession.

Dr. Beth Robinson is a counsellor educator at Acadia University. The primary focus of Beth’s scholarly and service work is in the areas of clinical supervision and counselling ethics.

Dr. Kate Gignac is an Acadia University counsellor educator. Her research interests include professional identity issues, program development and evaluation, case study methodology, counsellor supervision training, and advancing practitioner-researcher initiatives.

Working With Families Experiencing High-Conflict Divorce: Ethical Issues And Clinical Practices - Advanced

High conflict post-separation families pose a great challenge to counsellors. Children experience elevated substance misuse, school problems, earlier sexual activity, antisocial behavior, emotional problems, poorer relationships with parents, and loyalty binds. Parents preoccupied conflict and litigation with a former spouse have less time and energy to devote to their children, and fewer financial resources. With parental time, energy, and resources diverted to litigation, children typically pay the psychological price.

Practitioners who work with children of high-conflict parents are often themselves conflicted. These children often require therapy and one parent’s compelling narratives of the misdeeds of the other parent can be inviting. On the other hand, high conflict parents are often the most litigious and child custody matters lead to more ethical complaints than any area of practice. Accordingly, many practitioners avoid these families altogether, leaving children underserved.

In this workshop, Jeff will:
- review the literature on high conflict post-separation parenting
- describe how to position therapy for maximum effect and minimal ethical risk
- provide steps to develop a treatment focus
- discuss how to invite parents to understand the distress of their children
- suggest how to decide who to see when

Dr. Jeff Chang is Associate Professor at Athabasca University. He is a Registered Psychologist (AB), and Approved Supervisor and Clinical Fellow of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

Narrative Assessment And Storylistening: 4 Toolkits To Build Skills And Knowledge - Intermediate

How can we listen to clients’ stories in ways that increase hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism? When clients’ thinking is disorganized and “jumbled,” storytelling and storylistening can help them gain clarity, unjumble thinking, and feel more confident.

Join this session to learn an evidence-based narrative method (Franklin, Yanar, Feller, 2015), coupled with an Online Storyteller for blended delivery. Completing the Storylistening Narrative Assessment beforehand, participants learn 4 practical and skill-building toolkits beginning with Narrative Assessment Report debrief. We then learn how to listen to client stories using an interactive life sketch – into which assessments such as MBTI, True Colors, Strengthsfinder can be integrated. Next, we learn how to support clients to become empowered by verbalizing and owning their personal statement emerging from their narratives. Finally, we learn to build exploration plans where clients follow clues and take inspired action.

Used successfully with over 4000 diverse clients across the lifespan and from 80 countries of origin, the Storylistening Narrative Assessment framework is an intermediate to advanced toolset with deep theoretical underpinning that builds and relies on practitioners’ professional judgment. Over 1000 practitioners have used it successfully in counselling, coaching, career services, postsecondary education, school counselling, pre-retirement and private practice.

Mark Franklin is the award-winning practice leader of CareerCycles, cofounder of OneLifeTools, instructor at University of Toronto. Mark and a team of Associates have enriched the wellbeing of 4000+ clients.

Gray Matters: Neuroscience And Psychotherapy - Introductory (CANCELLED)

CANCELLED

This 3-hour workshop explores the pivotal role of neuroscience in the theory and practice of psychotherapy. It starts with a brief overview of critical gains relevant to psychotherapy that have emerged from the field of neuroscience including a discussion of 7 Brain-Based Principles of Psychotherapy formulated by the Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Eric Kandel. This leads to a re-description of the process of the therapeutic process, theory of change, and psychopathology. More specifically, the seminar addresses the neural correlates of anxiety and depression as well as an exploration of the role of compassion cultivation practices in enhancing therapeutic and compassionate presence by clinicians. The seminar is interspersed with clinical vignettes from the presenter's clinical experience.

Dr. Rolf Nolasco is Professor of Counselling Psychology at Providence Theological Seminary. His interest lies in the intersection of spirituality, psychology, and neuroscience in informing and promoting human flourishing.

La Santé Mentale Des Immigrants Et Réfugiés Francophone Et Leur Recours Aux Services De Soutien - Préliminaire

Les personnes immigrantes, réfugiées ou de groupes ethnoculturels minoritaires sont plus à risque de souffrir des problèmes de santé mentale car de multiples facteurs personnels et contextuels associés au processus d’immigration, à l’adaptation et à l’intégration dans le pays d’adoption sont déterminant pour leur état de santé mentale. Le manque de sensibilité culturelle se fait sentir dans l’organisation du système de santé, avec un accès limité à des services dans la langue officielle minoritaire et à des professionnels issus de diverses origines ethnoculturelles. Cette présentation vise à enrichir les connaissances en matière de santé mentale des immigrants et réfugiés francophones afin de favoriser une meilleure compréhension de leur recours aux services de soutien en contexte minoritaire. 

Les objectifs de cette présentation sont :

1. Présenter les besoins des immigrants et réfugiés francophones en matière de santé mentale et leur recours au soutien formel et informel
2. Comparer les données provenant de 3 régions canadiennes
3. Proposer des pistes de réflexion quant à l’amélioration des services de soutien formel pour cette population.

Hélène Archambault est professeure agrégée à la Faculté d’éducation à l’Université de Saint-Boniface, spécialisation en counseling. Intérêts pour les communautés autochtones, la santé mentale et les technologies de l’information et des communications.

Danielle de Moissac est professeure en sciences biologiques et chercheuse en santé des francophones en contexte minoritaire à l’Université de Saint-Boniface (USB). Intérêt pour la santé mentale des jeunes et leurs comportements à risque.

Psychotherapy And Intimate Partner Violence: Counselling Considerations For Immigrant, Refugee, And Canadian-born Survivors Of Domestic Abuse - Intermediate

Psychotherapists & counsellors serve on the front lines for cases of intimate partner violence (IPV) and domestic abuse. Indeed, through the development of a strong psychotherapeutic alliance, clients may disclose incidents of violence to their therapists before confiding in close friends and family. Although experienced therapists can recognize the signs of IPV and promote strategies for effective client safety planning, the shifting sociodemographic profile of Canada's population requires specialized and culturally-informed training. This session will reveal the profile of IPV & domestic abuse across immigrant, refugee and Canadian-born populations, while providing key strategies for clinicians managing the cultural nuances of these cases.

Sakthi Kalaichandran is an MA Counselling Psychology candidate & a CCPA Award Recipient. Her research and clinical experience is informed by her degrees in international relations and psychology.