Training In CBT & Other Evidence-Based Psychological Therapies
Introduction
This workshop will outline strategies for improving outcomes in cognitive therapy for depression. Workshop participants will learn how to develop a solid case conceptualization. Participants will also develop an awareness of how biases can impact our effectiveness as therapists and learn strategies for overcoming these difficulties. For example, workshop participants will learn how to incorporate outcome monitoring seamlessly into their practices. Participants will also learn how to get up to speed about the state of the literature, without being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of research out there. With case examples and clinically useful tools, workshop participants will also learn how to improve outcomes by targeting various interpersonal risk factors for depression, including negative interpersonal core beliefs and schemas.
The event will be equivalent to 5.1/2 hrs of CPD.
Content
Cognitive therapy (CT) has received extensive research attention and empirical support for the treatment of numerous psychological conditions, including unipolar depression (see Dozois & Beck, 2023). CT is efficacious for the treatment of an acute episode of depression and significantly reduces the risk of relapse and recurrence. Notwithstanding the efficacy and effectiveness of CT for depression, not all patients respond well to treatment and only a minority recover completely. This workshop will focus on strategies for improving our own outcomes as individual clinicians (e.g., deriving a solid case formulation, outcome monitoring, awareness of bias, adhering to a hierarchy of evidence). I will also briefly highlight promising research that attempts to improve patient outcomes by examining empirically “what works for whom?” The remainder of the workshop will focus on strategies for refining our approach to CT for depression. I will argue that the science and practice of CT may need to incorporate a greater understanding of interpersonal mechanisms and more explicitly target interpersonal schemas and related risk factors in the treatment of depression. Some strategies for how to modify interpersonal self-schemas and other interpersonal risk factors (e.g., partner-schemas, excessive reassurance seeking, stress generation) will be reviewed.
Learning Objectives
1. To learn about the efficacy of cognitive therapy for depression.
2. To understand some of the limitations of cognitive therapy.
3. To identify individual strategies that clinicians can use to improve their own efficacy.
4. To consider other ways of enhancing outcomes in cognitive therapy for depression (e.g., targeting individual risk factors, modifying interpersonal schemas).
Training Modalities
Didactic content, presentation of case examples, polls, Q&A.
Key References
Beck, A. T., & Dozois, D. J. A. (2011). Cognitive therapy: Current status and future directions. Annual Review of Medicine, 62, 397-409. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-med-052209-100032
Dozois, D. J. A., & Beck, A. T. (2023). Negative thinking in depression: Cognitive products and schema structures. In D. J. A. Dozois & K. S. Dobson (Eds.), Treatment of psychosocial risk factors in depression (pp. 207-232). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0000332-010
Dozois, D. J. A. (2021). The importance of social connectedness: From interpersonal schemas in depression to relationship functioning and well-being. Canadian Psychology, 62, 174-180. https://doi.org/10.1037/cap0000253
Leahy, R. L., Clark, D. A., & Dozois, D. J. A. (2023). Theory of cognitive-behavioral therapy. In H. Crisp & G. O. Gabbard (Eds.), D. Sudak & S. Bhatt-Mackin (Section Ed.), Gabbard’s textbook of psychotherapeutic treatments (2nd ed., pp. 151-167). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
About the presenter
David J. A. Dozois, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, and Director of the Clinical Psychology Graduate Program at the University of Western Ontario. Dr. Dozois is a Fellow of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, the International Association of Applied Psychology, the Canadian Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies (CACBT), the Academy of Cognitive Therapy, the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), and the CPA Section on Clinical Psychology. He is also a former Beck Institute Scholar at the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research. Dr. Dozois’ research focuses on cognitive vulnerability to depression and cognitive-behavioral theory/therapy. He has published over 200 scientific articles, book chapters and books, and more than 90 non-peer reviewed papers, and has presented over 380 research presentations at national and international conferences. He is editor of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: General Strategies (2014, Wiley) and Perspectives in Psychopathology (7th ed., 2023, Pearson), and co-editor of the Treatment of Psychosocial Risk Factors in Depression (2023; American Psychological Association), Handbook on the State of the Art in Applied Psychology (2021; Wiley), Handbook of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies (4th ed., 2019; Guilford), Risk Factors in Depression (2008; Elsevier/Academic Press), and The Prevention of Anxiety and Depression: Theory Research and Practice (2004, American Psychological Association). Dr. Dozois received the Distinguished Contributions to Psychology as a Profession award from CPA in 2020. He was President of the CACBT (2020-2021) and twice President of the CPA (2011–12; 2016–17). He also serves on the Board of Directors for the World Confederation of Cognitive Behavioural Therapies, the International Association of Applied Psychology, and Mental Health Research Canada. In addition, he maintains a small private practice.
Twitter: @Dozois_Mood_Lab
https://dozoislab.com/
Who should attend
This workshop is intended for a wide range of mental health professionals who work with adults, including psychologists, psychiatrists, nurse therapists, counsellors, occupational therapists, social workers, and students enrolled in graduate programs.