3-Day Personality Disorder Certification

Credit

Speaker

Richard Sears, PsyD, PhD, MBA, ABPP Related seminars and products

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Richard Sears, PsyD, PhD, MBA, ABPP, is a licensed psychologist in Cincinnati, Ohio, board certified in clinical psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP), runs a private psychology and consultation practice, and is the director of the Center for Clinical Mindfulness & Meditation. He has run hundreds of mindfulness groups and was lead clinician in the first brain scan study involving mindfulness with children and adolescents. He is also an adjunct professor in the University of Cincinnati psychology department, clinical research faculty at the UC Center for Integrative Health and Wellness, volunteer professor of psychiatry & behavioral neurosciences at the UC College of Medicine, and a former research/psychologist contractor with the Cincinnati VA Medical Center.

His most recent books include ACT with Anxiety (PESI); The ACT Flip Chart (PESI); Cognitive Behavioral Therapy & Mindfulness Toolbox (PESI); Mindfulness: Living Through Challenges and Enriching Your Life in the Moment (Wiley-Blackwell); Building Competence in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (Routledge); and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for PTSD (Wiley-Blackwell).

Dr. Sears is a sixth-degree black belt in Ninjutsu, and once served as a personal protection agent for the Dalai Lama with his teacher, Stephen K. Hayes. He has studied Eastern Wisdom for over 40 years, receiving ordination in three traditions, and transmission as a Zen master.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Richard Sears maintains a private practice and has employment relationships with the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, the University of Cincinnati for Integrative Health and Wellness, Alliance Integrative Medicine, and Wright State University School of Professional Psychology. He receives compensation as a consultant and royalties as a published author. Dr. Sears receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Richard Sears is a member of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, a diplomate of the American board of Professional Psychology, and a fellow with the Academy of the American Board of Clinical Psychology. He is a peer reviewer for Mindfulness and a book reviewer for John Wiley & Sons, Inc, and Routledge. He is the director of Center for Clinical Mindfulness and Meditation.

Additional Info

Program Information

You will have access for 90 days after the program for review. For live CE credit, you must watch the live webcast in its entirety at its scheduled time and complete the CE quiz and evaluation within one week. Please note that this requirement may vary by credit type. Please see detailed credit information for specific requirements for each credit type.

Please note: There will be a 70-minute lunch and two 15-minute breaks; one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Lunch and break times will be announced by the speaker and at their discretion. A more detailed schedule is available upon request.

Visit our FAQ page at https://www.pesicanada.ca/faq or contact us at https://www.pesicanada.ca/contact-us.

Objectives

1. Identify the latest genetic and neurological understanding of personality disorders 
2. Determine how to recognize and interrupt unhealthy thinking patterns 
3. List strategies to help free clients of struggles with thoughts, feelings, and unhealthy behaviors 
4. Determine how to avoid getting pulled into a client’s “crisis of the week” drama 
5. Differentiate diagnostically between the four Cluster B personality disorders to accurately inform the treatment planning process.                                     
6. Examine why the genetic and brain scan findings of those with personality disorders is crucial for informing treatment approaches. 
7. Choose mindfulness-based interventions to increase clients’ psychological flexibility and manage emotional intensity.  
8. Evaluate potential clinical issues including crisis management, countertransference, boundary setting, and self-care to improve clinical outcomes.  
9. Distinguish between management and treatment approaches to personality disorders and when and how to implement them. 
10. Categorize the essential characteristics of each of the personality disorders in DSM-5® for clinical assessment. 
11. Determine the “hidden agendas” of each of the personality disorders as they relate to case conceptualization. 
12. Evaluate how transference and countertransference can affect clinical management and treatment outcomes. 
13. Identify the boundary violation traps inherent in each of the personality disorder relationships as it relates to clinical treatment. 
14. Utilize tools to assess treatability and prognosis early on in therapy. 
15. Evaluate the efficacy of various treatment methods for personality disorders, including DBT and CBT. 
16. Examine the neurological and genetic research findings for narcissistic, antisocial, and borderline personality disorders. 
17. Choose principles and tools from behavior therapy such as reinforcement, differential reinforcement, and shaping. 
18. Utilize observation and connection strategies to increase self-awareness in clients.

Outline

Part 1: Understanding and Diagnosing

New Breakthroughs in Understanding

• Symptom vs System Disorder
• Genetic Evidence
• Brain Scan Evidence
• Myth of Trauma and Childhood
• The Crucial Key: Lack of Observing Ego
• Traits: Too much and Too Few
• Judgment and Labeling

General Diagnostic Considerations

• DSM-5™ Debate: Categorical vs. Dimensional
• Normal Variation vs. Disorder
• Prevalence Rates and Why They Seem More Common Now
• 6 Criteria for All Personality Disorders

Cluster A Personality Disorders

• Paranoid
• Schizoid
• Schizotypal

Cluster B Personality Disorders

• Borderline
• Antisocial
• Narcissistic
• Histrionic

Cluster C Personality Disorders

• Avoidant
• Dependent
• Obsessive-Compulsive

Formal and Informal Assessment

Part 2: Management and Treatment

General Treatment Considerations

• Management vs. Treatment
• Importance of a Treatment Frame
• Treatability Factors
• Problem-solving vs. Drama
• Installing an Observing Ego
• Connections and Observations
• SET: Support, Empathy, and Truth
• Research, Risks and Limitations

Behavioral Interventions

• Classical Conditioning
• Operant Conditioning
• Differential Reinforcement
• Shaping
• Chain Analysis

Dialectical Behavior Therapy

• The Four Modules
• Mindfulness
• Distress Tolerance
• Affect Regulation
• Interpersonal Skills
• Radical Acceptance

Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy

• Targeting Overcontrol
• Social Signaling
• Psychological Flexibility

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

• Creative Hopelessness: Letting Go of What Doesn’t Work
• The Importance of Psychological Flexibility
• The 6 Processes of Change
  • Self as Context
  • Defusion from Thoughts
  • Acceptance
  • Contact with Present Moment
  • Values/Motivation
  • Committed Action

Mentalization-Based Therapy

• Theory of  Mind
• Metacognition
• Identifying Triggers
• Perspective Taking
• Building Capacity

Part 3: Special Considerations

Suicide & Crisis Management

• Assessing for Self-Harm
• Self-Injury
• Chronic Suicidal Ideation
• Protecting Yourself from Manipulation
• Dealing with Potential Violence

Clinical Considerations

• Personality Disorders Across the Lifespan
• Impact of Personality Disorders on Family
• Intimate Relationships

Ethical Considerations

• Maintaining Professional Boundaries
• Transference/Countertransference Issues
• Exercise: Building Compassion for Challenging Clients

Clinician Self Care

• The Problem of Compassion Fatigue
• Exercise: Identifying One’s Own Signs of Burnout
• Applying the Six Processes to Oneself
• Exercise: Creating Clinical Wellness

Target Audience

• Counselors
• Social Workers
• Psychologists
• Psychotherapists
• Therapists
• Marriage & Family Therapists
• Addiction Counselors
• Case Managers
• Physicians
• Nurses
• Other Mental Health Professionals