Professional Development Update: Spring Book Reviews

In the spirit of our recent conference, for our Spring book review, we invited members to review books written by our conference keynote presenters, Dr. Kelly McGonigal and Dr. Lou Cozolino.

Thank you to Elaine Bentley Baughn, MS, LMFT, who reviewed “The Neuroscience of Change: A Compassion-Based Program for Personal Transformation” (Sounds True Audio, 2012) by Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D. and to Joan Calvert, Ed.D., LMFT, who reviewed “The Neuroscience of Human Relationships: Attachment And the Developing Social Brain” (2^nd Edition) by Louis Cozolino, PhD.

 Link here to read the Spring Book Reviews:  http://www.ctamft.org/ohana/website/?p=63905640.

Professional Development Fall Conference Recap

by Rosemarie Coratola, Psy.D., LMFT
CTAMFT Secretary & Professional Development Committee Chair (profdev@ctamft.org) 

“Wonderful and much-needed presentation.”
“Very informative and current.”
These are some of the comments from participants who attended CTAMFT’s Fall Specialty Conference last month.

The conference included two half-day workshops and was filled with lively and thought-provoking discussion. Ethics and Marriage and Family Therapy was presented by Sebastian Perumbilly, Ph.D., LMFT in the morning session. The afternoon workshop presenter, psychologist Danielle Moreggi, Ph.D., discussed the DSM-5 and changes made to the previous version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), DSM-IV-TR.

Ethics
Ethical guidelines for Marriage and Family Therapists are listed in the form of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) “Code of Ethics,” and are guidelines. However, they do not identify exact methods to carry out each of the guidelines. Ethical principals are developed through thoughtful consideration about the needs of the client(s) and not those of the therapist. Dr. Perumbilly led the workshop participants in lively discussion about case vignettes and ethical dilemmas, which led many in attendance to rethink their current practice procedures.

Specific legal and ethical issues in MFT were reviewed including 1) identifying the client or patient, 2) clinical documentation, 3) confidentiality, 4) communicating with other systems, 5) working with minors, 6) reporting of child abuse and neglect, 7) intimate partner violence, 8) use of technology and 9) therapist values.

The group also discussed managing possible risks and dealing with complaints. Record keeping was cited as an important component in this. The group was encouraged to review the AAMFT Code of Ethics that can be found at AAMFT Code of Ethics . This important topic sparked much discussion and led to many more questions, along with requests for additional information from legal and state administrative authorities.

DSM-5 Overview
Dr. Moreggi reviewed changes to the DSM that will take effect beginning October 2014 with use of the DSM-5. This revised manual is structured into three sections. The first describes how to use the manual. The second is a listing and description of all of the disorders. And the third section identifies assessment measures and conditions for further study. The chapter order better reflects the lifespan, in comparison to the DSM-IV-TR version, and age-related factors were added to the criteria when appropriate.

Some of the highlighted changes include the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) of the DSM-III, DSM-IV and IV-TR was eliminated and replaced with a Severity Specifier (e.g., No Impairment, Mild Impairment, Moderate Impairment and Severe Impairment). The Not Otherwise Specified (NOS) specifier was replaced by two options – Other Specified Disorder (OSD) and Unspecified Disorder (USD). The first allows the clinician to indicate the specific reason that the presentation does not meet full criteria, and the second is used when the symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment but do not meet the full criteria, or number of symptoms, for the diagnostic class.

Mental Retardation was changed to Intellectual Disability, and is expected to change further to Intellectual Developmental Disorder in the next DSM iteration. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) now includes Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder and Pervasive Developmental Disorder.

A new category of Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders includes PTSD, Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder, Acute Stress Disorder and Adjustment Disorder. Many other changes were noted during this afternoon session.

Additional DSM-5 resources can be found at www.psych.org, www.DSM5.org, http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org and www.psychiatry.org/dsm5.

CTAMFT wishes to thank the presenters for their engaging discussions throughout the day, the Courtyard Marriott Shelton and the CTAMFT Professional Development Committee; Normajean Cefarelli, Kristen Cocchia, Erin Cushing, Jessica Floyd, Beth Golden, Roxanne Pomeroy and Alycia Toohey. Of course, this conference could not have flowed smoothly without the hard work of the CTAMFT staff – Wendy Haggerty and Shannon Eterginio, thank you both!

For additional information, or if you are interested in joining the CTAMFT Ethics or Professional Development Committees, contact – ethics@ctamft.org or profdev@ctamft.org. We would love to hear from you.

Earn Up to 6 CEUs: CTAMFT Professional Development Workshop

Earn up to 6 CEUs – October 25, 2013

The CTAMFT Professional Development Committee is proud to bring to you our Fall Workshop this year. We, your friends and colleagues, have worked tirelessly to bring our membership something special, timely and ultimately useful for your continuing education demands. We have created a full-day or half-day – morning or afternoon option – to meet your busy scheduling needs.

Plus, a really cool part, is that lunch is included with every registration!

We, as always, have worked to keep the cost of this yearly offering as accessible as possible. A full day is $90 and EITHER half-day option is $75, and all registrations include lunch.

We hope to see our friends and colleagues on the 25th, to get caught up and to learn about the changes in the DSM-5 that affects every one of our jobs. Plus, if you attend the morning Ethics session, you can claim the credits towards a reduction in your annual Liability Insurance fees.

If you have any questions, please contact Shannon, our new Association Manager.

Date: Friday October 25, 2013

Time: 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Location: Shelton, CT – Courtyard Marriott
Cost: $90 full-day; $75 half-day
Schedule:
8:00 AM Registration and Continental Breakfast
*8:30 AM – 12:30 PM Ethics in the MFT Profession with Dr. Sebastian Perumbilly (3 CEUs)
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM Lunch
1:30 PM – 4:30 PM DSM-5 Overview with Dr. Danielle Moreggi (3 CEUs)

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Morning Session: “Ethics in the MFT Profession,” Dr. Sebastian Perumbilly

Seb Perumbilly is an assistant professor in the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy Program at Southern Connecticut State University. He is actively involved with academic, clinical and research communities both in the United States and in India. He teaches Research Methods, Ethics and core courses in the field of Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT). He holds an M.A. in Bioethics; and another M.A. and Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies with a focus in MFT from the University of Connecticut.

*This workshop is eligible towards liability insurance discount.

Afternoon Session: “DSM-5 Overview,” Dr. Danielle Moreggi

Dr. Danielle Moreggi has been providing psychological services since 1997 and has been a licensed Clinical Psychologist in the state of CT for over 10 years. With a private practice in Milford, CT, she provides psycho-therapy, assessment, and professional consultative services, with an expertise in college student mental health. She continues to serve as full-time faculty at the University of New Haven Psychology Department in West Haven, CT since 2001; and also as a professional trainer for the New England Institute of Addiction Studies (NEIAS) since 1998.

Professional Development Workshop – register TODAY

CTAMFT Professional Development Committee is proud to present to you our Fall Specialty Workshop. We have created an opportunity to meet CEU requirements in a format that also satisfies Ethics training requirements as well as a great opportunity to get comfortable with the new DSM-5 codes. Please choose either a full day, a morning half-day or an afternoon half-day.

This workshop is being held in upper Fairfield County to hopefully capture the largest portion of the state’s MFT professional population. We look forward to seeing you there!

“Ethics in the MFT Profession” with Dr. Sebastian Perumbilly – morning session
and/or
“DSM-5 Overview” with Dr. Danielle Moreggi – afternoon session

When: Friday, October 25, 2013

Location: Shelton Courtyard Marriott

Time: Full Day – 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM – 6 CEUs
AM Half Day – 8:30 AM – 1:00 PM – 3 CEUs
PM Half Day – Noon – 4:30 PM – 3 CEUs

Cost: Full Day – $90 (Early Bird of $75 through 9/30)
Half Day – $75 (Early Bird of $60 through 9/30)

Click here to REGISTER!

AM includes ethics presentation, breakfast & lunch; PM includes DSM-5 Overview, lunch and snack

CTAMFT’s New Video Workshop Series

CTAMFT is excited to offer CEU opportunities that can be taken advantage of – anytime!

Our first offering is from the October 12, 2012 Professional Development workshop on Social Media and HIPAA Compliance, presented by Katherine Allen, LMFT. This will be a 2-video series. The first downloadable video is expected to be available later this month.

We hope you enjoy this promo of the workshop video. Please visit the new store launching later this month on ctamft.org to take advantage of this offering.

Promo for CTAMFT’s New Video Workshop Series!

CTAMFT is proud to introduce a new service to its memebrship!

We are developing 1-hour downloadable videos complete with CEU opportunities for you to enhance your learning from the comfort of your home.

Our first offering is from the October 12, 2012 Professional Development workshop on Social Media and HIPAA Compliance, presented by Katherine Allen, LMFT.

We hope you enjoy this promo of the workshop video. Please check ctamft.org soon as we hope to have the first full 1-hour video ready by the end of the year.

CTAMFT Professional Development Workshop

Social Media: Best Practices for Therapists & HIPAA Compliance

Presented by Katherine Allen, LMFT, CTAMFT Board Member

WHEN: Friday, October 12, 2012 from 1-4
WHERE: Central Connecticut State University, Vance Room 105
EARN: 3 CEUs – LMFT and NASW/CT approved
BONUS: This workshop is eligible towards liability insurance discounts

Building off last year’s immensely popular Professional Development workshop, “Marketing your Private Practice,” this year’s workshop brings you the in-depth, nitty-gritty details about how to make your marketing efforts online successful and HIPAA compliant. Please join us for an exciting afternoon on this hot topic.

Space is still available. Register today at CTAMFT.org.

Letter from the President – We’re Back in Action!

Dorothy Timmermann, LMFT, CTAMFT Board President

Welcome back to the CTAMFT E-News following our two months summer hiatus. We hope that everyone has gotten a chance to enjoy a bit of summer relaxation time.

Your Board of Directors is back in action after meeting a couple weeks ago for the purpose of orienting the new members and staff. I’d like to officially welcome our new Board Members: Normajean Cefarelli (Clinical Fellow), Betsey Lebow (Clinical Fellow), Jeffrey Schutz (Pre-Clinical Fellow) and Michelle “Mika” Vinci (Student Representative). Their enthusiasm for serving our organization is very exciting.

We have also transitioned our Newsletter staff and would like to introduce Colleen LaFrancois as our new CTAMFT Newsletter Editor, along with John Suchocki as our Clinical Consultant & Contributing Writer. Colleen is a former Corporate Vice President of Marketing who now owns and operates LaFrancois Marketing Consultants, a full-service marketing, PR and events firm based in Old Saybrook. Colleen offers exceptional writing, editing, verbal and presentation skills. Colleen’s true passion is working with non-profit groups to help creatively solve problems and develop exciting programs and products. This role with CTAMFT is a perfect blend of her interests and skill set, and the organization’s needs. John will work with Colleen to provide clinical expertise and be an ongoing contributing writer for the Newsletter. John has been licensed as a Marital and Family Therapist since 1998, holding several progressively responsible positions in the field. Currently, he is a Service Director at Community Health Resources in Manchester, CT where he manages several outpatient and community in-home clinical programs for youth and families. John is also the co-founder and co-director of a private practice (Life Counseling, LLC) that offers counseling services for youth, adults, couples, and families, supervision for therapists, and consultation services.

Please take a moment to read this E-News in its entirety. There is information regarding an upcoming Professional Development offering on “Social Media” as well as a Save-the-Date for our 2013 Annual Conference. A Call for Submissions for the next Newsletter is also included. In addition to articles reflecting the theme of “Technology and Your Practice,” we are inviting you to contribute member announcements such as professional accomplishments and milestones, interesting news items, responses to previously published articles and Letters to the Editor. Finally there is a note in remembrance of Jane Lobdell, a member who passed this summer but lives in the hearts and memories of many in our community.

Social Media Workshop: Best Practices for Therapists & HIPAA Compliance

CTAMFT’s Professional Development Committee is proud to bring you their next workshop and CEU opportunity!

Social Media Workshop: Best Practices for Therapists & HIPAA Compliance

social networking

Presented by: Katherine Allen, LMFT, CTAMFT Board Member

WHEN: Friday, October 12, 2012 from 1-4
WHERE: Central Connecticut State University, Vance Room 105
ADDITIONAL INFO: Earn 3 CEUs – Discounted Fees for Students & Members – Snacks & Beverages Provided

The online world is a big, complicated place and involvement in it is not optional. With all the many and varied ways this medium presents itself—web sites, blogs, e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and who-knows-what’s next—it’s easy for a therapist to make mistakes in its use. This workshop addresses many of these important issues, and explains how therapists can make informed and accurate decisions as they engage in this online world.

Learning objectives:

• Defines HIPAA compliancy in its relation to therapists’ use of their own web sites, their e-mail, and their presences of social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter
• Demonstrates the privacy and other hazards of using so-called “free” e-mail systems such as Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, AOL, etc.
• Discusses core Internet terminology and explains why understanding this jargon is crucial to the proper use of online media
• Summarizes these and other topics with case studies of haphazard vs. secure approaches to using these forms of communication

Register online today at CTAMFT.org. Space is Limited.