Upcoming Medical Conferences in Marietta

Anxiety, Worry & Panic: Effective Strategies to Calm the Anxious Mind is organized by PESI HealthCare and will be held on Dec 11, 2019 at Hilton Atlanta/Marietta Hotel & Conference Center, Marietta, Georgia, United States of America. This Conference has been approved for a maximum of 6.3 contact hours / 6.0 clock hours of continuing education instruction / 6.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Target Audience: • Counselors • Social Workers • Psychologists • Case Managers • Addiction Counselors • Therapists • Marriage & Family Therapists • Occupational Therapists • Occupational Therapist Assistants • Speech Language Pathologists • Nurses • Other Mental Health Professionals Description: Do you want to gain powerful techniques for your clients who struggle with treatment resistant anxiety, worry and panic? Learn how to assess anxious habits, symptoms and behaviors using effective cutting-edge, evidence-based strategies…even with your toughest clients! Dr. Jennifer Abel will teach you how to stop the anxiety spiral early to significantly reduce the habit of worry and panic using self-controlled desensitization. Experience how evidence-based treatments can help your clients problem solve, reduce tension, and increase energy. Learn unique, effective approaches to mindfulness, cognitive therapy, and exposure, including thought-labeling, interoceptive exposure, and better-but believable thoughts. Case studies, role plays, demonstrations and interactive discussions will be utilized in this cutting-edge seminar. Objectives: • Articulate components of the “anxiety spiral” and utilize several evidence-based strategies (including self-controlled desensitization) to prevent exacerbation of symptoms. • Specify five potential anxiety treatment pitfalls and learn evidence-based approaches to avoid or correct them. • Implement four mindfulness strategies for treating anxiety symptoms in a clinical setting. • Evaluate the inverse relationship between worry and problem solving, and identify its implications for treatment of anxiety. • Examine the clinical presentation of panic, worry and fear of guilt and how they compare to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; learn clinical strategies to stop these cycles of negative reinforcement. • Develop clinical skills to address treatment-resistant issues, including perfectionism, subjugation, procrastination, hypochondriasis, and catastrophizing/intolerance of uncertainty.

Anxiety, ADHD and Anger in the Classroom: 60 Activity-Based Coping Skills to Effectively Manage “Big Feelings” is organized by PESI HealthCare and will be held on Dec 13, 2019 at Hilton Atlanta/Marietta Hotel & Conference Center, Marietta, Georgia, United States of America. This Conference has been approved for a maximum of 6.3 contact hours / 6.25 clock hours of continuing education instruction. Target Audience: • Educators • Counselors • School Psychologists • Social Workers • Psychologists • Therapists • Marriage & Family Therapists • Occupational Therapists • Occupational Therapy Assistants • Speech-Language Pathologists • Nurses • Other Mental Health Professionals Description: Managing the emotional climate of your classroom is crucial to learning. When children are struggling to manage anxiety, ADHD and anger, they can’t focus on the academic tasks expected of them in a classroom setting. By teaching kids simple, healthy and safe ways to express their emotions and calm their bodies, they will be better able to concentrate on their work during the school day. The positive impact healthy coping skills will have on a child’s academic performance is truly transformational. In this seminar, we’ll learn how coping skills impact a student’s nervous system, and how to use that knowledge to help kids calm their bodies and get ready to learn. Join coping skills expert and experienced school counselor Janine Halloran, LMHC as she shows you coping skills and techniques ideal for a classroom. • Walk away with a coping skills toolbox • Deep breathing printables • Check in sheets • ”Anxiety thermometer” • Relaxation exercises • ”What’s your play personality?” • And many more Be prepared for experiential learning and movement as we try different coping skills like grounding techniques, breathing exercises, and big body movements throughout the day. Objectives: • Develop strategies for teaching kids coping skills that positively impact academic performance and their ability to maintain relationships. • Analyze how the nervous system response of “fight, flight or freeze” is connected to stress and communicate how coping skills can be used to shift kids to a more tranquil “rest and digest” response. • Establish a classroom routine that allows for breaks to benefit both hypo-arousal and hyper-arousal in kids with ADHD. • Articulate how mindfulness and grounding techniques can be used to help children manage their symptoms of anxiety. • Establish methods to determine the source of stress and create a plan to eliminate shutting down or acting out. • Utilize specific movement-based strategies that can effectively intervene in kids’ anger responses.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: 2-Day Intensive ACT Training is organized by PESI HealthCare and will be held from Feb 13 - 14, 2020 at Hilton Atlanta/Marietta Hotel & Conference Center, Marietta, Georgia, United States of America. This CME Conference has been approved for a maximum of 12.6 contact hours / 12.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ / 12.5 clock hours of continuing education instruction. Target Audience: • Counselors • Psychologists • Psychotherapists • Social Workers • Addiction Counselors • Therapists • Marriage & Family Therapists • Case Managers • Mental Health Professionals • Nurses Course Description: Looking to improve your therapy approach? How often do you review your appointment calendar and start wondering how you’re going to, finally, help a regular client who seems to progress for a while – and then regress? Each time he/she arrives, you use the same tools and techniques you’ve used for so long – and mostly successfully – but this one client is testing your skills. Now you can begin to integrate Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) into your practice – and see improved outcomes. Researched and developed by world-renowned researcher, speaker and author Steven Hayes, PhD, ACT is fast becoming the treatment approach that gets to the heart of therapeutic relationship. Join ACT expert, Adria Pearson-Mauro, Ph.D., for this workshop where you will develop highly practical, evidence-based skills, case conceptualization techniques and powerful strategies that will improve outcomes for the following: • Anxiety Issues • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder • Mood Disorders • Substance Abuse • Anger Management • Eating Disorders • Trauma • Personality Disorders Attend this intensive, engaging and transformative workshop and start a new path for healing you can use with your most difficult clients. Free mindfulness exercises are included! You will also receive copies of ACT-based psychological assessment tools and case conceptualization forms. Objectives: • Demonstrate effective use of the six core processes of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help clients advance psychological flexibility. • Illustrate clinical techniques for increasing psychological flexibility in clients using ACT. • Utilize acceptance approaches with avoidance problems to strengthen a client’s willingness to have emotions. • Implement clinical skills to help client effectively handle automatic cognitions. • Utilize effective ACT exercises in therapy to aid clients with developing new skills to engage in the present moment and move past struggles. • Assess and clarify a client’s values in order to develop an effective treatment plan and avoid potential clinical problems. • Integrate ACT into different therapeutic styles and methods as an approach to managing symptoms. • Create committed action plans for clients with anxiety disorders to improve level of functioning. • Use metaphors to undermine language-based avoidance repertoires to improve client engagement. • Utilize clinical strategies to develop an ACT-based behavior therapy plan as it relates to treatment outcomes. • Implement emotional, behavioral willingness and exposure techniques with clients to reduce experiential avoidance. Apply ACT techniques to the treatment of specific disorders including depression, anxiety, trauma and personality disorders.

Art Therapy-Based Toolbox: Creative Techniques for Children and Adolescents with ODD, ADHD, Anxiety and Mood Disorders is organized by PESI HealthCare and will be held on Feb 26, 2020 at Hilton Atlanta/Marietta Hotel & Conference Center, Marietta, Georgia, United States of America. This CME Conference has been approved for a maximum of 6.3 contact hours / 0.6 CEUs. Additional details will be posted as soon as information is available.

Myofascial Cupping Practitioner Certification is organized by PESI HealthCare and will be held on Feb 27, 2020 at Hilton Atlanta/Marietta Hotel & Conference Center, Marietta, Georgia, United States of America. This CME Conference has been approved for a maximum of 6.25 clock hours / 6.0 contact hours or .6 CEUs / 6.0 CE hours. Target Audience: • Physical Therapists/ PTAs • Occupational Therapists/OTAs • Athletic Trainers • Massage Therapists • Personal Trainers Course Description: Become a Certified Myofascial Cupping Practitioner in this hands-on course powered by RockTape, and boost your credentials as you learn everything you need to know to offer cupping services the next day. Myofascial Cupping Practitioner Certification teaches the fundamentals of modern cupping techniques through a full day of interactive labs. Learn how to combine cupping and functional movement to produce the kinds of active treatment strategies that are revolutionizing rehab. Discover effective cupping treatments you can use for pain, sprains/strains, swelling, tendinopathies, and more. Objectives: • Review the principles of myofascial cupping and supporting evidence. • Describe the physiological and neurological effects of cupping. • Demonstrate how to apply cupping for best results. • Compare and contrast common cupping techniques and review indications/contraindications for each. • Demonstrate how cupping techniques can be combined with corrective exercise to improve pain, sprains/strains, swelling, tendinopathies, and more. • Develop cupping applications based on your assessment/treatment approach and the individual needs of your patient. Additional details will be posted as soon as information is available.

Mental Health Issues in the Classroom: Practical Strategies for Helping Children and Adolescents Succeed is organized by PESI HealthCare and will be held on Mar 10, 2020 at Hilton Atlanta/Marietta Hotel & Conference Center, Marietta, Georgia, United States of America. This course has been approved for a maximum of 6.3 contact hours / 0.6 CEUs. Target Audience: • Speech-Language Pathologists • Speech-Language Pathology Assistants • Teachers & Paraprofessionals • School Counselors • School Psychologists • School Administrators • School Social Workers • Marriage & Family Therapists • Nurses • Occupational Therapists • Occupational Therapy Assistants Course Description: Join child/adolescent behavior expert, Jay Berk, PhD, and learn how to best manage the students at your school diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), mood disorders, anxiety and depression. You will walk away with concrete, yet practical, strategies to successfully intervene with their serious behavioral issues, such as: • Anger and outbursts • Cutting and self-injury • Defiance • Impulsivity • Sensory issues • Meltdowns and tantrums • Obsessive compulsive • Truancy • Rigidity • Electronic addiction Through case studies, video clips and dynamic class discussion you will learn: • 30 second teacher strategies to manage challenging and disruptive behaviors • New ways to reduce the costs of out-of-district placements • How to engage students in class, increase productivity and reduce truancy • Behavioral assessments and strategies for the IEP team • Side-effects of common psychotropic medications • How skill deficits from mental health conditions create behavioral difficulties • Characteristics of at-risk students’ mental health problems • Strategies to gain collaboration with clinicians Objectives: • Articulate how behavioral-driven choices differ from mental health-driven behaviors and characterize how these differences inform your choice of intervention. • Communicate the effective uses of medications and potential side effects that can appear as misbehaviors. • Implement various school-based strategies, used in collaboration with community clinicians, to intervene when behavioral issues arise from mental health conditions. • Determine effective positive behavior support strategies to successfully discipline the special needs child. • Discriminate how IDEA relates to mental health issues and discipline. • Apply communication techniques that create a climate for success inside and outside the classroom.

Emotional Eating, Chronic Dieting, Bingeing and Body Image: What Every Clinician Needs to Know is organized by PESI HealthCare and will be held on Mar 12, 2020 at Hilton Atlanta/Marietta Hotel & Conference Center, Marietta, Georgia, United States of America. This CME Conference has been approved for a maximum of 6.3 contact hours / 6.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Target Audience: • Counselors • Social Workers • Marriage & Family Therapists • Psychologists • Addiction Counselors • Case Managers • Registered Dietitians & Dietetic Technicians • Nurses • Other Mental Health Professionals Description: “I’m too fat.” “I’m on a diet.” “Today is a cheat day.” Once I lose weight, I’ll be happier.” “My eating is out of control.” This kind of language runs rampant in our society and has no doubt made its way to your office. Clients who struggle with weight and food issues get caught in a vortex of shame, preoccupation and hopelessness. Trapped between the rigidity of dieting and the chaos of overeating, every day can be an emotional battle that may exacerbate or even result in low self-worth, eating disorders, anxiety or depression. Treatment of these issues is more than a matter of weight loss or self-control. In fact, many times these very interventions do more harm than good! Join Judith Matz as she shows you how to help your clients identify the shame that is woven into the diet-binge cycle, challenge unhelpful thoughts and feelings, and repair dysfunctional relationships with food – no willpower necessary! Packed with practical tips and backed by research, this comprehensive 1 day seminar will teach you how to: • Identify issues related to food, weight and body image in your very first session • Utilize CBT, mindfulness and attuned eating strategies to transform shame into empowerment • Discover personal bias and attitudes that may be counterproductive to the therapeutic process • Help clients develop a healthy framework that ends out of control eating and is not subject to fad diets • Learn why clients get stuck in the diet/binge cycle and how to finally break it. Objectives: • Articulate different clinical presentations regarding emotional eating, Binge Eating Disorder, disordered eating and weight concerns. • Examine the impact of diet culture on disordered eating patterns and body image issues that present in clinical treatment. • Teach clients how to implement the three essential steps of attuned eating to replace disordered eating patterns, including binge eating. • Provide psychoeducation for clients regarding the process of translating emotional issues into eating and weight loss focus that results in shame. • Implement strategies to help clients regulate emotional distress without turning to food and to cultivate a positive body image. • Identify the impact of personal bias and weight stigma on clients both within and outside of the treatment setting. • Examine the body of research related to the Health At Every Size framework as it relates to weight and health, and promoting positive, sustainable behaviours.

2-Day Training Course: MBSR: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction is organized by PESI HealthCare and will be held from Mar 19 - 20, 2020 at Hyatt Regency Suites Atlanta Northwest, Marietta, Georgia, United States of America. This Conference has been approved for a maximum of 12.6 contact hours / 12.5 contact hours or 1.25 CEUs / 12.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ / 12.5 CE. Target Audience: • Counselors • Social Workers • Marriage and Family Therapists • Psychologists • Addiction Counselors • Occupational Therapists & Occupational Therapy Assistants • Nurses • Case Managers • Other Mental Health Professionals Course Description: I remember working as a psychotherapist in a non-profit HMO, seeing client after client. They were anxious, panic-attack prone or just unable to cope with stress. They had seen physicians with little success. I was of no help. I was stuck in a rut treating symptoms and focusing on what was wrong rather than treating them as an individual and reinforcing what was right. Desperate to find something better for myself and my clients, I walked into a meditation class with the most amazing, dynamic and confident teacher. After one session I was more energetic, better able to cope, and found myself more attentive with my clients. This caring and incredible instructor was Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). That was 30 years ago and since then, along with the help of Jon Kabat-Zinn, I have been able to transform my life and my practice, using these very principles I discovered at that yoga class back in Worcester, Massachusetts. I became an instructor alongside Jon, started my own practice, and was beginning to see incredible treatment outcomes with my clients. I was feeling energetic and confident in myself and my clinical work. Then in 1995 I was diagnosed with cancer. I put Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction to the test and experienced first-hand how to handle the pain and stress of chemotherapy and all that goes with a stem cell transplant. My personal and clinical experience with this evidence-based approach led to the development of mindfulness-based interventions for bone marrow transplants at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Emory University and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction changed my life and has changed the life of many of my clients. I want to share these strategies with you. Objectives: • Present the core beliefs of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) as they relate to clinical treatment. • Ascertain the meaning of mindfulness and provide psychoeducation to clients regarding its use for reducing stress and improving mental health. • Implement various mindfulness practices utilized to decrease stress and improve symptomology. • Teach clients how to integrate specific informal mindfulness interventions into their daily lives to alleviate symptoms and improve level of functioning. • Utilize breathing exercises as an intervention to refocus attention and interrupt negative thoughts and ruminations. • Practice the process of inquiry and evaluate its ability to enhance client insight and reduce stress. • Articulate the effectiveness of MBSR techniques in treating pain, stress, anxiety and panic in clients. • Evaluate the use of interpersonal mindfulness in facilitating effective communication and increasing awareness in the client. • Appraise the applicability of neuroscience research to stress reduction and ascertain its clinical implications. • Determine specific adaptations of MBSR practices that can be utilized to treat wide range of symptoms of anxiety, depression, addiction and trauma as well as age groups. • Practice inroducing mindfulness that is relational, client-centered and accessible to the population being served. • Articulate the methods by which MBSR can be interfaced with psychotherapy practices to improve clinical outcomes.