Master Clinician Seminar 3 - Telling People’s Stories Through CBT – a Workshop (and Funshop!) in Case Conceptualization for Advanced Clinicians

Infinite clinical presentations, not enough opportunities for consultation. We know the foundations – and they’re good. But what happens when real life interferes with our clean interventions? How do you address social anxiety in the context of ongoing bullying at school? How do you account for a history of family conflict, intergenerational trauma, and neglect? How does one help kids and families deal with societal injustices that seem ever-present and uncontrollable? This workshop is built for the experienced cognitive behavioral therapist who believes they’ve taken the formula as far as it can go. We invite attendees to bring in the cases that produce genuine struggle – particularly those that center around depression, anxiety disorders, and family functioning. Using some of their own complex case examples, the presenters will demonstrate how CBT conceptualization and strategies (e.g., functional assessment, values-oriented goals development, problem-solving, exposure and behavioral experiments, mindfulness, cognitive restructuring, etc.) can be applied in a holistic way that acknowledges systems interventions, community context, and systemic/cultural barriers to change. Attendees will then be invited to nominate their own cases for live group discussion and demonstration. Attendees will work in small groups to brainstorm case conceptualizations to make treatment plans that target the youth’s primary goals while addressing the case’s complexities.

Recommended Reading 1: Chu, B. C., & Pimentel, S. (2023). CBT Treatment Plans and Interventions for Depression and Anxiety Disorders in Youth. New York: Guilford Press.

Recommended Reading 2: Pimentel, S.S., & DeLapp, R.D. (2022). Superheroes and CBT for Youth, In RD Friedberg & EV Rozmid (Eds.), Creative CBT with Youth Clinical Applications Using Humor, Play, Superheroes, and Improvisation (pp. 143-174), Springer Publications. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99669-7

Recommended Reading 3: Badin, E., Alvarez, E., & Chu, B. C. (2020). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Child and Adolescent Anxiety: CBT in a Nutshell. In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Youth: Tradition and Innovation (pp. 41-71). New York: Humana (Springer).

Recommended Reading 4: Hoffman, L. J., & Chu, B. C. (2019). When is seeking safety functional? Taking a pragmatic approach to distinguishing coping from safety. Cognitive & Behavioral Practice, 26(1), 176-185.

Outline:
I. Youth and family cases are ever and increasingly challenging
A. Complex clinical profiles: how comorbidity and severity of psychological disorders requires.
B. Challenging social and family contexts
C. How these challenges require flexibility and adaptation in CBT
D. Solicit case examples from audience

II. Multi-systems CBT Conceptualization
A. Identify key social contexts and systems barriers that impact client functioning. Illustrate using APA’s Cultural Formulation Interview and Hays’ ADDRESSING system.
B. Identify client strengths and interests that demonstrate resilience
C. Illustrate conceptualization development using functional assessment and CFI.
D. Solicit case examples from audience

III. Case Illustrations to guide how to respond to moment-to-moment decisions
A. Solicit case examples from audience
B. Using conceptualization and FA to guide effective exposures and behavioral experiments to optimize learning and minimize safety behavior
C. Using FA/case conceptualizations to direct assessment of parent-child interactions and family-based exposures