News and Events: School of Social Work: Adelphi University

Welcome to the Adelphi University School of Social Work's Third Annual Summer Institute

At Adelphi, we have been training highly skilled professional social workers throughout Long Island, the tri-state area, and across the nation for more than 55 years at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels. The School of Social Work's Office of Continuing Professional Education is dedicated to providing social workers and other human service professionals meaningful and relevant opportunities to expand their knowledge and skills to better meet the needs of their clients and organizations.

Fee Information:

Treating Trauma in Individuals, Couples, and Families:
An Object Relations Approach
Carl Bagnini, L.C.S.W., B.C.D.
Monday, July 14, 2008
9:00 a.m.– 4:00 p.m.

This workshop focuses on clinical features of revealed as well as unexpected discoveries of traumatic experiences in individuals, couples and families. Concepts from an object relations perspective are presented in a style that deepens the treatment experience and addresses the effects of physical, sexual, and emotional trauma. Attention to the vulnerabilities of the therapist when flooded with a client’s regressed behavior in the context of counter transference will be discussed through case vignettes.

Carl Bagnini, L.C.S.W., B.C.D., is National Chair and Senior Faculty of International Institute of Object Relations Therapy Child, Couple, and Family Therapy Training Program, in Washington, DC. He is also on the faculty of the Gordon F. Derner Postgraduate Program in Couple and Marital Therapy, at Adelphi University. Bagnini has published papers and book chapters and presented nationally and internationally on a variety of clinical topics. He maintains a private practice in Glen Head, NY.

Self-Harming Teens
Candace Saunders, L.I.C.S.W.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
9:00 a.m.– 4:00 p.m.

This workshop looks at the complex issues surrounding self-harming behaviors of adolescents. It addresses the prevalence of these behaviors and methods for preventing and treating them. Adolescents’ neurobiological development and their vulnerability to patterns of self-harm as a means of self-soothing are investigated. The origins of self-harming behaviors as adaptations to chronic stress and/or trauma and to insecure attachment relationships will also be discussed. The influence of cultural and peer relationships will be considered as an important developmental phenomenon. Participants will improve their understanding of brain functioning to be incorporated into treatment methods that include the adolescent’s trauma history, current attachment relationships, and strengths.

Candace Saunders, L.I.C.S.W., is Director of the Clinical Certificate Program in The Relational and Multi-Contextual Treatment of Trauma and adjunct clinical professor at Simmons College School of Social Work. Saunders maintains a private therapy and supervision practice in Newton, MA.

The Coming Storm: Iraq War Veterans and PTSD
Karen J. Berte, Ph.D.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
9:00 a.m.– 4:00 p.m.

As many as a third of returning Iraq War veterans are suffering from complex PTSD, but because their symptoms—substance abuse, violence, depression, self-harm, disrupted relationships—don’t mesh with the strict PTSD criteria in the DSM-IV, they may not receive the treatment they need to avoid chronic impairment. Further, the unique circumstances of this war (with no safe haven from combat, no way to differentiate Iraqi ally from foe, and repeated deployment), increases risk for emotional and mental health problems.

This workshop focuses on reintegrating the veteran within his family and social structure, focusing on the reformation of relationships. Current research regarding treatment approaches for PTSD such as CBT, EMDR, exposure therapy, and other techniques will be reviewed and the broader issues of relationship, humor, spirituality, and cultural factors will be discussed in order to equip practitioners to make informed treatment decisions.

Karen J. Berte, Ph.D., is the Coordinator of Post-Deployment Mental Health Services at the Milwaukee V.A. Medical Center and Co-Director of the PTSD residency training clinic. She has been providing care for veterans and their families for 15 years. Her area of clinical specialization is the treatment of stress disorders in war veterans. Dr. Berte is also an Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Navigating the Landscape of the Therapeutic Relationship
Frances K. Forstenzer, L.C.S.W.–C., B.C.D.
Friday, July 18, 2008
9:00 a.m.– 4:00 p.m.

This training will heighten the clinician’s ability to pay attention to the intrinsic features of the therapeutic relationship. The landscape of the therapeutic encounter is infused over and over by moments that are vehicles for the development of attachment and the expression of relationship. Transference, counter-transference, and the inter-subjective space within the therapeutic relationship will be explored. Discussions of issues such as these are ongoing in the career of a therapist. Every revisit to this territory, each new struggle, increases the depth and skills of that therapist’s work.

Frances K. Forstenzer, L.C.S.W.–C., B.C.D., has been in private practice in Maryland since 1984. She has been adjunct faculty at the University of Maryland School of Social Work since 1990, frequent presenter of workshops for the Continuing Education Department of the School of Social Work and at other venues since 1994. In addition, she is the co-coordinator of the Psychotherapy Certificate Program at the UMAB School of Social Work.

The Art and Science of Forgiveness in Clinical Practice
Jed Rosen, M.S.W., L.C.S.W.–N.J, C.S.W.–N.Y.
Fred Luskin, Ph.D.
Monday, July 21, 2008
9:00 a.m.– 4:00 p.m.

Research during the past decade has begun to demonstrate that forgiveness has a role in the creation and promotion of health. This workshop is designed to teach participants the basics of the forgiveness methods used in the Stanford Forgiveness Projects. These methods are based on research conducted by Dr. Fred Luskin that has shown that the practice of forgiveness can lead to increased hope, greater self efficacy, increased appreciation of the spiritual aspects of life as well as reduce stress, hurt, and anger. The course consists of lecture, discussion, and guided practice integrating of the principles of cognitive therapy with mindfulness and guided imagery practices.

Jed Rosen, M.S.W., L.C.S.W.–N.J, C.S.W.–N.Y., is the Director of Rosen and Saul Associates, L.L.C., an organization that provides individual, marital, family, and group psychotherapy as well as consultation services to schools and community organizations.

Fred Luskin, Ph.D., is the Director of the Stanford University Forgiveness Projects and an Associate Professor at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. He is also the author of three books on forgiveness.

Relationship Enhancement Therapy for Couples & Families
Rob Scuka, Ph.D., M.S.W.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
9:00 a.m.– 4:00 p.m.

Relationship Enhancement (RE) Therapy is supported by 35 years of research that validates its clinical effectiveness at improving relationships. RE Therapy is a brief therapy model that employs an innovative skills-training method for equalizing power within relationships. RE Therapy empowers distressed couples and families to uncover their deepest feelings by teaching a set of practical skills that enables them to create solutions on their own. This workshop will demonstrate how the RE therapy process is used in clinical practice via videotaped therapy sessions and a live role-played demonstration.

Rob Scuka, Ph.D., M.S.W., is Executive Director of the National Institute of Relationship Enhancement^® in Bethesda, MD, a member of its clinical training faculty, and author of Relationship Enhancement Therapy: Healing Through Deep Empathy and Intimate Dialogue (Routledge, 2005).

Couples Facing Addiction
William F. Coffey, M.S.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
9:00 a.m.– 4:00 p.m.

Alcoholism and drug addiction affect not only the individual addict but also the non-addicted spouse or partner. In the context of a committed relationship, the effects can be devastating, and in some cases irreversible. In all addicted relationships certain dynamics occur which create distance and feelings of insecurity in each partner. From an attachment theory perspective it seems that the abuser has developed a "secure" relationship with the substance (or behavior), shutting out the non-addicted partner. This workshop will examine the various ways that the addiction affects both partners using attachment theory concepts. We will also discuss interventions to enable the partners to achieve and maintain the new homeostasis that sobriety brings about in the couple system.

William F. Coffey, M.S., is a senior staff therapist at Council for Relationships, formerly Penn Council for Relationships. He specializes in addictive disorders and their effect on couples and families. He is an adjunct faculty member at Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, Widener University Center for Social Work Education, and Villanova University. He was a social worker on the Strecker Unit at the Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital for 12 years.

Understanding and Treating "Fixed Gestalts" in Stuck Couples
Stuart N. Simon, L.I.C.S.W., B.C.D.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
9:00 a.m.– 4:00 p.m.

This workshop will explore the premise that repeated behavior in relationships does not produce satisfying results. Often members of the client system are unconsciously optimistic that he/she can circumvent the grieving necessary to mourn the particularly painful events or circumstances of one's life. Whether we call this "repetition-compulsion" (traditional psychoanalytic theory) or a "fixed gestalt (Gestalt theory)," the result is a failure to withdraw energy and commitment from unsuccessful behaviors or situations and mobilize towards new choices or opportunities. This session will examine the underlying optimism and hidden grief behind the frustration of behaviors driven by repetition-compulsion in couple systems. A Gestalt therapy approach for offering clients new and more satisfying behaviors will be explored.

Stuart N. Simon, L.I.C.S.W., B.C.D., has been in private practice working with individuals, couples, families and groups for over 30 years, and an author of several chapters and articles on both individual and couples psychotherapy. He is a member of the core faculty of The Gestalt International Study Center, Cape Cod Training Program (Wellfleet, MA), as well as a faculty member of the Boston University Corporate Education Center (Tyngsboro, MA), and the Northeastern University Continuing and Professional Education (Boston, MA). He has provided training, consultation and coaching in variety of private and non-profit settings, in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East.

Welcoming Spirituality in Clinical Practice
Ann Fisher Raney, L.C.S.W.
Friday, July 25, 2008
9:00 a.m.– 4:00 p.m.

Encountering religiosity and spiritual commitments in work with clients provides a powerful opportunity to understand attitudes, values, motivation, and behavior. Understanding begins, however, with consideration of the practitioner's perspective, sense of self as religious, and capacity to welcome representations of spirituality in practice. Foundations for this workshop will be drawn from Christian theologian Henri Nouwen's notion of hospitality and the Zen Buddhist tradition of beginner's mind or only-don't-know mind.

Participants will be encouraged to reflect upon their religiosity and their readiness to share spiritual dimensions in practice. Clinical support for these ideas will be drawn from the work of Donald Winnicott and Patrick Casement, where ideas of transitional space, and a client's creativity and agency are central. This workshop will conclude with an exploration of the Christian Eucharist as an example of object use and transitional space. Participants will be encouraged to develop a set of criteria that will enable them to consider these ideas in practice.

Ann Fisher Raney, L.C.S.W., is an adjunct instructor at The University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration and a member of the Board of Directors of the Center for Religion & Psychotherapy of Chicago. She is also the Chief Executive Officer of Turning Point Behavioral Health Center in Skokie, Illinois, serving individuals and families that have been affected by mental illness and emotional disorders.

Registration

Marlene Scheer
Adelphi University
School of Social Work
P.O. Box 701
One South Avenue
Garden City, NY 11530-0701

If your employer is paying the fee and you cannot send the payment with your registration form, please include a letter guaranteeing payment.

Early Registration:
Payment eligible for early registration is due by June 1, 2008.

Confirmations:
Due to the volume of registrations, confirmations will not be issued.

Cancellation Policy:
No refund can be made for cancellation seven or fewer working days before the event or for no-shows. Cancellations more than seven working days before a workshop will result in a refund less a $15.00 cancellation fee. Requests for refunds must be received in writing.

Disclaimer:
The University reserves the right to cancel or modify any workshop for any reason. Registrants will be notified and full refunds will be issued if there is a cancellation.

Most Programs Will Provide:

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are given through the New York State Chapter of the NASW.

CASAC Training Hours: Program information has been submitted for approval to the New York State Office of Addiction and Substance Abuse Services Education and Training for credits toward credentialing or recredentialing.

CE Credits for Psychologists: Adelphi University is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer Continuing Education credits for psychologists. Adelphi University maintains responsibility for the program and its content. To apply for CE credits, contact Marge Burgard at 516.877.4835 and present your Certificate of Attendance. There is a $10 processing charge. Attendance at the entire conference is required. No partial credit is given.

Nursing Contact Hours: Adelphi University School of Nursing is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the New York State Nurses Association's Council on Continuing Education in Nursing by the American Nurses Credential Center's Commission on Accreditation.

Should you require disability accommodations, please email DSS@adelphi.edu at least 72 hours before the event. Should you require ASL interpreting, seven days’ notice is required.

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