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August 2013
The Institute Insider
Keeping you connected ~ Nurturing your professional growth
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Meet Our Faculty
Dr. Ji received her medical degree from the Catholic University of Daegu in South Korea in 2000. She moved to Boston in 2001 and began her research at the Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Her research involved structural brain MRI findings in women with schizoaffective personality disorder, and the results were published in the Archives of General Psychiatry. Dr. Ji went to University of North Carolina Hospitals for her general psychiatry training where she received training in CBT and psychodynamic psychotherapy, as well as extensive training in psychopharmacological management. She continued her training at UNC for child and adolescent fellowship, completed in 2008.
Learn more about Dr. Ji here.
Preparing for Changes
Join Dr. Ji for her upcoming training DSM-5 Preparing for Changes. This four-hour workshop, to take place on Wednesday, October 2, will familiarize you with the major changes in the DSM-5 and how to apply them in clinical practice with vignettes and examples. Dr. Ji will also review the rationales behind the changes and address concerns surrounding the changes. This workshop will have a special emphasis on affective and anxiety disorders, trauma and dissociative disorders, as well as addictive and impulse control disorders with a detailed review of the criteria for each diagnosis.
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Message from Lisa Ferentz LCSW-C, DAPA
Founder and President
Dear Friends, I hope you have found ways to stay comfortable and cool through the relentless heat and humidity of summer! I already hear people talking about looking forward to the Fall weather, wanting that change in season that brings to mind the need for a sweater and hot spiced cider! It's funny how sometimes we do yearn for change, while at other times we wish we could prolong things, hoping they'll stay exactly the way they are, they way it feels most comfortable for us. In that spirit, this month's newsletter is about change. I was inspired by wanting the weather to change, but also by the new DSW-5 arriving at my front door. Many of us wish there was no DSM at all! Certainly the diagnostic changes that have emerged in that edition can seem overwhelming at first glance. But like all changes, there are things to mourn the loss of, and new things to look forward to and embrace. The Institute always wants to help you navigate the changes that are made in our field, and with that in mind, we are offering a special class that will help you make sense out of the newest edition of the DSM. This month's faculty profile will give you more information about that great opportunity. And although we are focusing on the subject of "change," remember that the things you love most about the Institute- our first-rate trainers, terrific workshops, savvy and creative colleagues, great breakfasts and snacks, and the warm and welcoming environment- hasn't changed at all!  Warmest Regards,
Lisa Ferentz
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Managing Changes in Your Life
by Lisa Ferentz, LCSW-C, DAPA
 You all know the cliché- nothing is constant but change. The reality is, it's really one of life's truisms. What's interesting is that as inevitable as change is in our personal and professional lives, we still struggle with it when it hits us. Anyone who lives long enough will invariably encounter changes related to medical or mental health, intimate relationships, financial status, workplace dynamics, job and career stability, even one's sense of identity. On a larger scale, we contend with profound shifts in the economy, politics, the weather, public safety, and international war and peace. There's no question that there is a wide range of cognitive and emotional responses we can have to all of these changes, and many people will react differently to the same changed event. Since change cannot be avoided, and our lives are in a constant state of flux, it's worth looking at why change is difficult, and what we can do to better navigate and manage change when it lands, often unannounced, on our doorstep.
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Don't Just React: Choose Your Response
by Leslie Becker-Phelps, PhD in Making Change
Psychology Today, July 23, 2013
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"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom."
~Victor Frankl
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I have great respect for Victor Frankl. He was not only a concentration camp survivor during the Holocaust, but also someone who went on to help others find goodness and meaning in life. He was a man from whom we can learn something about what it means to be human and how to be our best - sometimes in spite of our inclinations. And the above quote is incredibly wise guidance in these very areas.
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Clinician Resources
(click on the links below for articles and video)
Publications
Video
Other
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Counseling and Self-Care Tips
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COUNSELING:
Clients often struggle with the idea of changing a behavior because they associate change with the unknown. Staying with what is familiar always feel safer, even when it's not in their best interest or even harmful to them. Using visualization exercises allows clients to imagine the change and everything that goes with it before it actually occurs. This can help to alleviate the anxiety that goes with crossing into unfamiliar terrain. When clients visualize the targeted change, really seeing themselves doing it in their mind's eye, they are practicing and gaining mastery over the thoughts, feelings and necessary behaviors that are associated with that change. Invite your client to visualize a life beyond their addictive behavior, being able to leave an abusive marriage, or following their passion and making a job change. Let them see it unfold as if they were watching it on a movie screen. You can also encourage them to visualize handling the change successfully, which can increase the self-fulfilling prophecy that it will be navigated effectively in real life. Visualization also creates opportunities to brainstorm about outcomes that would normally not be anticipated. When potential obstacles are identified, you can then help the client strategize about ways to cope with outcomes that might be more challenging. Ultimately, visualizing a change before actually doing it, gives clients a greater sense of power and control, lessens the fear of the unknown, and increases their confidence about their capacity to actually make that desired change.
SELF-CARE:
As clinicians, we are constantly advocating for healthy changes in our clients. Coming to therapy is all about change. And yet, clients can be afraid of making significant changes in their lives, and the therapy process can often be slow going when we are working with people who resist disrupting the familiarity and predictability of their lives, even when they are living with dysfunction or toxicity. In order to not burnout or project feelings of anger or disappointment onto our clients, it's really important to not personalize their resistance to change. Keeping in mind the fact that we don't possess the power to change our clients- they change because they choose to- helps us to maintain the necessary objectivity and emotional distance that is needed to weather our client's ambivalence about making important changes in their lives. Ultimately, we wouldn't want our clients to change just to accommodate or please us. Those changes don't last! So take a deep breath, do your own positive self-talk, remind yourself not to take it personally, and wait for the change to occur organically within the client. And if they choose not to change, remember that you don't own that choice either!
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| Register Now for Fall Trainings |
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Trauma Certificate Programs
Level I and II Trauma Certificate Programs are almost filled.
Reserve your seat today to attend these Fall trainings.
Also, remember to check out our Fall calendar of trainings.
New workshops are being added almost everyday.
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Talk Radio With Lisa Ferentz
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How to Successfully Stop Smoking
In this hour, Dr. Kevin Ferentz will discuss why people begin smoking, and who is most at risk to pick up the habit. We will also explore the various reasons why it is so difficult to stop smoking, and look at the most common kinds of "quit histories" that people share. We'll explore the marketing and packaging of cigarettes and the impact that it has on encouraging people to quit. We will look at the numerous medical complications that smokers are vulnerable to developing when they continue to smoke. We will also discuss the ways in which stopping smoking can have profoundly positive consequences for your health. Most importantly, Dr. Ferentz will describe a model that he has used for many years to help countless patients successfully quit smoking. He'll describe the important do's and don'ts that either contribute to or sabotage the ability to successfully stop smoking. He will also share some wonderful success stories about patients who were able to quit smoking for good.
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The Institute for Advanced Psychotherapy Training and Education, Inc. is an approved sponsor of the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners for continuing education credits for licensed social workers in Maryland. CEU approval for all trainings is also granted to Psychologists, LCPC's and MFT's. In addition, reciprocity has been granted for clinicians in Washington, D.C., Virginia, and West Virginia.
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