The Mackay Branch is offering a 3 day Workshop  Presented by

                  Dr Michael D. Yapko, Ph.D.,

The Mackay Branch Of the APS is delighted to announce they have been able to attract Internationally Renowned Clinical Psychologist, Marriage and Family Therapist Michael Yapko, who resides in California.  He is internationally recognized for his work in Depression, Clinical Hypnosis, and Outcome-Focused Psychotherapy, routinely teaching to professional audiences all over the world.  To date, he has been invited to present his ideas and methods to colleagues in 30 countries across six continents, and all over the United States. He has been teaching in Australia every year since 1986.

About Michael D. Yapko, Ph.D.

Dr Michael D. Yapko, is the author of numerous books, book chapters, and articles on the subjects of hypnosis and the use of strategic psychotherapies. These include his award-winning books,Treating Depression with Hypnosis: Integrating Cognitive-Behavioral and Strategic Approaches and Hypnosis and Treating Depression as well as his other books, Trancework: An Introduction to the Practice of Clinical Hypnosis(3^rd edition), Breaking the Patterns of Depression,  and Hypnosis and the Treatment of Depressions. His newest book, called Depression is Contagious, is scheduled for release in September, 2009.

Dr. Yapko is a member of the American Psychological Association, a clinical member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, a past Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine’s Division of Hypnosis and Psychosomatic Medicine (in England), a member of the International Society of Hypnosis, and a Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis.  He is a recipient of The Milton H. Erickson Award of Scientific Excellence for Writing in Hypnosis, twice a recipient of the Arthur Shapiro Award for the “best book of the year on hypnosis” from the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis for his newest 2006 book as well as 2001’s Treating Depression with Hypnosis,  he is a recipient of  the 2003 Pierre Janet Award for Clinical Excellence from the International Society of Hypnosis, a lifetime achievement award honoring his many contributions to the field, and the Milton H. Erickson Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Psychotherapy. 
 
 
 
 

            Integrating Experiential Approaches into Goal Oriented

Psychotherapy for Comorbid Anxiety and Depression

Presenter:   Michael D. Yapko, Ph.D.

At The Mecure Suites Mackay, Queensland,

February  6^th to 8^th (inclusive) 2009

Program Description

Short-term approaches to psychotherapy have been applied with great success in a variety of treatment milieus and with a broad array of clinical populations. Recently, a variety of experiential approaches to therapy, especially clinical hypnosis and mindfulness, have received substantial empirical support for their potential to enhance the therapeutic outcomes of shorter-term (brief) therapies. Such methods are not tied to any one therapeutic model, and so are easily integrated into whatever treatment approach a clinician might choose to employ.

Underlying the effectiveness of any short term approach is a pattern that has come to be called “behavioral activation” in the treatment literature. The evidence is growing that the application of experiential learning processes in treatment is a core ingredient of effective therapies of all kinds. Getting people moving is often more valuable than mere discussions. This is especially true in addressing the two most common disorders clinicians are asked to treat: anxiety and depression.

In this 3 day clinical training, we will explore various aspects of behavioral activation and experiential learning in order to facilitate specific therapeutic goals.  The emphasis will be on treating comorbid anxiety and depression as a clinical context for providing such treatments. We will consider how hypnosis and mindfulness can help correct so-called cognitive distortions, teach specific skills such as cognitive and behavioral flexibility, and build expectancy. Dynamics of designing and delivering

effective interventions using these and other experiential methods will be discussed in depth. This multi-dimensional program involves didactic lecture, group experiential exercises in hypnosis, group discussion, structured small group skill-building exercises, and video demonstrations illustrating key principles.

     Program Learning Objectives

Attend this workshop and you will learn:

1. How to identify and target  specific cognitive, perceptual, behavioral and  relational patterns that underlie comorbid anxiety and depression
2. How to construct homework assignments that encourage experiential learning and how to motivate clients to actually do assigned homework
3. How to skillfully  use  the knowledge that client expectations powerfully  influence treatment response in therapy
4. How to incorporate focusing methods like hypnosis and mindfulness into experiential treatments in order to facilitate reaching therapeutic goals

Topics to be Addressed

•  Sequencing stages of treatment
•  Rigidity as the problem, flexibility as the solution
•  Exercise: Hypnotically facilitating flexibility
•      Mindfulness: Therapeutic dissociation’s role in treatment
•  Group Hypnosis Experience: Focusing the Self    
•  Multi-dimensional hypnotic interventions
•  Accessing and mobilizing resources: Positive psychology in action
•  Attributional styles and negative expectancy