LOCAL
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
KILLING
TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE:
NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE TREATMENT
OF COMORBID ANXIETY DISORDERS |
Jaco Rossouw (M.Sc) and
Bradley Drake (M.Sc)
The Centre for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy |
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Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) as a primary intervention
(or in combination with pharmacological treatment) is considered
the most empirically supported psychotherapy intervention for anxiety
disorders and recent treatment models have typically yielded impressive
effect sizes in randomized trials. The vast majority of empirically
supported treatment protocols for anxiety disorders are however
disorder-specific and typically fail to address the clinical reality
of comorbidity. Comorbidity often presents treatment decision-making
challenges for clinicians, especially with cases involving co-principle
and secondary diagnoses, for which there remains a lack of empirically
supported treatment options.
The Unified Protocol (UP) for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional
Disorders (Barlow et al., 2011) aims to address the often present
phenomenon of comorbidity amongst anxiety and related emotional
disorders. The UP was developed at Boston University's Centre for
Anxiety and related Disorders (CARD) and has already demonstrated
efficacy in a multi-centre trial for the treatment of comorbid anxiety
disorders (Ellard et al., 2009).
| The theoretical underpinnings of the model
focus on underlying processes and specific phenomena that
exist across affective disorders which, if targeted, result
in clinical improvement of co-occurring diagnoses. The
UP "consists of four core treatment modules that
target key aspects of emotional processing and regulation
of emotional experience" (Boisseau et al., 2010,
p 102). These include (1) present focussed emotional awareness,
(2) cognitive flexibility, (3) emotional avoidance and
emotion-driven behaviours, and (4) interoceptive and situation-based
emotion exposure. Three additional modules (psychoeducation,
motivational enhancement and relapse prevention) typically
consistent with CBT protocols, accompany these core components.
These seven modules are flexibly administered in a fixed
order, and within a specific timeframe. Results from an
initial trial have demonstrated robust treatment effects,
with 85% of participants achieving responder status and
69% achieving high end-state functioning six months post
treatment (Ellard et al., 2009). The UP has demonstrated
efficacy in the treatment of panic disorder (with/without
agoraphobia), social phobia, OCD, PTSD, GAD, unipolar
mood disorders and hypochondriasis. |
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The objective of this workshop is to present the theoretical constructs
underlying the model, clearly describe the various modules associated
with the UP and demonstrate the application thereof using case examples
and video vignettes for a variety of comorbid anxiety disorder presentations.
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Core Skills for the Treatment of Comorbid Anxiety
Disorders to be Addressed During the Workshop
- Mindfulness
- Emotion regulation skills
- Exposure-based interventions (imaginal/cognitive/interoceptive/in-vivo)
- Cognitive restructuring
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The workshop is aimed at providing clinicians with a set of empirically
supported guidelines for managing comorbid anxiety disorders, based
on what we already know about the effective treatment of anxiety
disorders in isolation.
| WORKSHOP
DETAILS |
Date: 12 November
2011
Venue: Protea Hotel, Midrand
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Arrival, morning and afternoon tea and coffee and lunch (halaal/kosher
options available), together with extensive course notes are included
in the course fees.
Please note that the course will run from 08:00 - 17:30.
An application for 8 CPD points from the HPCSA has been submitted.
We do not expect any challenges in this regard.
Early registration is advised as a result of the limited capacity
of our venue and registration will close strictly one week prior
to the workshop.
Workshop Fees:
Early Registration - R 1200 (closing strictly on 1 November 2011)
Late Registration - R 1600
We look forward to meeting with you!
| CERTIFICATES
IN RATIONAL EMOTIVE AND COGNITIVE BEHAVIOUR THERAPY
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Despite the significant early contributions of Wolpe, Lazarus and
Rachman to the advancement of behaviour and cognitive therapy, professional
training opportunities in empirically-based treatments and cognitive-behavioural
therapy remain almost non-existent in South Africa.
There are currently only a handful of internationally trained cognitive
behaviour therapists in the country. This is both concerning and
indicative of the degree to which empirically supported treatments
are unavailable to the general public utilizing both public and
private mental health care services in South Africa. This therefore
highlights the need for world class training opportunities for budding
cognitive behaviour therapists.
READ MORE
INTERNATIONAL TRAINING
OPPORTUNITIES
Please view our links page
for links to international CBT Training Centers and for links to
the websites associated with international CBT conferences.
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