Bespoke Members
Introduction
Recent perspectives on anxiety, depression, and related emotional disorders emphasize their shared features more than their differences. This shift in understanding has inspired movement away from disorder-specific treatment manuals toward approaches that target common psychological mechanisms underlying these conditions. These transdiagnostic evidence-based treatments hold great promise for improving cost-effectiveness and expanding access to care—addressing a critical public health need.
The Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP), developed by researchers at Boston University, is among the most recognized and empirically supported of these approaches. The UP is an emotion-focused, cognitive-behavioural therapy composed of five key modules designed to address temperamental vulnerabilities—particularly neuroticism and the resulting difficulties with emotion regulation—rather than focusing solely on superficial disorder-specific symptoms. By targeting these shared processes, the UP provides a cohesive framework for treating anxiety, depression, and related emotional conditions.
The event will be equivalent to 2.3/4hrs of CPD.
Content
Join one of the co-developers of the Unified Protocol (UP) for an engaging, practice-oriented workshop designed to introduce clinicians to practical, evidence-based tools for treating some of the most common (and often co-occurring) mental health challenges, including anxiety and depression.
The workshop will begin with a concise overview of the UP framework and the key mechanisms that drive meaningful temperamental change. Participants will then examine each of the protocol’s core modules and learn how to implement them effectively in real-world clinical settings. Video demonstrations will illustrate core treatment components, including mindful awareness and emotion-focused exposures.
Whether you're new to the UP or looking to refine your skills, this workshop offers a unique opportunity to improve your clinical practice with an innovative, evidence-based approach to treatment.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this workshop, participants will be able to:
• Describe the core temperamental traits and emotion regulation difficulties that contribute to anxiety, depression, and related disorders, and explain how the Unified Protocol (UP) targets these shared processes within its flexible, transdiagnostic framework.
• Identify and apply the five key therapeutic strategies of the UP—developing mindful emotional awareness, enhancing cognitive flexibility, reducing emotion-driven and avoidant behaviors, increasing acceptance of physical sensations, and implementing exposure techniques for both internal and external emotional triggers.
• Design personalized and cohesive emotion exposure exercises that effectively address the needs of clients with anxiety, depression, and complex comorbidities.
Training Modalities
This workshop will incorporate a blend of interactive and experiential learning modalities to enhance participant engagement and skill development, including didactic presentation, video demonstrations, guided discussion and Q&A, and self-experiential exercises.
Key References
Barlow, D. H., Farchione, T. J., Sauer-Zavala, S., Latin, H., Ellard, K. K., et al. (2018). Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders: Therapist guide. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Barlow, D.H., Farchione, T.J., Bullis, J.R., Gallagher, M.W., Latin, H., …, Cassiello-Robbins, C. (2017). The Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders compared with diagnosis-specific protocols for anxiety disorders: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 74(9), 875-884.
Barlow, D.H., Curreri, A.J., & Woodard, L.S. (2021). Neuroticism and disorders of emotion: A new synthesis. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 30(5), 410-417.
Farchione, T. J., Long, L. J., Spencer-Laitt, D., Moreno, J., & Barlow, D. H. (2024). State of the Science: The Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders. Behavior Therapy, 55(6), 1189-1204.
About the presenter
Dr. Todd Farchione is a leading authority on emotional disorders and transdiagnostic treatment approaches. A Research Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University, Dr. Farchione brings decades of clinical and research experience to his work at the university’s renowned Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CARD). There, he leads a research team dedicated to advancing our understanding of emotion regulation and developing more effective, accessible interventions for anxiety, depression, and related conditions.
Dr. Farchione earned his Ph.D. in Psychology from UCLA and completed his clinical internship at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, followed by postdoctoral fellowships at both the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and CARD. His work has focused on identifying core psychological mechanisms that cut across emotional disorders—insights that have directly informed his contributions to the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP), a widely implemented, empirically supported intervention used internationally.
A prolific scholar, dedicated clinician, and passionate educator, Dr. Farchione has published extensively on the UP and the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders. His ongoing research continues to bridge science and practice, helping clinicians around the world apply evidence-based strategies to the complex emotional challenges and comorbid presentations encountered in everyday clinical care.
Who should attend
This workshop is intended for mental health professionals, including psychologists, psychiatrists, clinical social workers, mental health counsellors, marriage and family therapists, and other clinicians who provide psychotherapy or behavioural health interventions. It is also suitable for graduate students and trainees seeking to expand their understanding of transdiagnostic, process-based treatment approaches. Participants should have a basic familiarity with cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) principles; prior experience with emotion-focused or transdiagnostic interventions is helpful but not required.