Description

Donald Altman, M.A., LPC, is a psychotherapist, international mindfulness expert and award-winning author with over 15 books in the psychology and mindfulness field who has taught mindfulness to thousands of healthcare professionals. Past Vice-President of The Center for Mindful Eating and featured in The Mindfulness Movie, he is profiled in the Living Spiritual Teachers Project. He has taught at Portland State University and Lewis and Clark College Graduate School of Education and Counseling, and spent several years as a senior mental health therapist at the Providence St. Vincent Eating Disorder and General Psychiatric Clinics, as well as at his own clinic. Donald has contributed articles to the Psychotherapy Networker, and has written chapters for The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Group Therapy and A Thousand Hands: A Guidebook to Caring for Your Buddhist Community.

Advanced Mindfulness Toolbox for Rewiring the Brain: Techniques for Overcoming Anxiety, Depression, Pain and Stress   

WEBINAR 12 CE Hours      See Important Information about CE Hours

Workshop Outline

• Discuss mindfulness meditation and demonstrate 3-Step practice.
• Describe Mindfulness research and resources. Discuss brain research that illustrates how affect labeling helps regulate emotions.
• Discuss how mindfulness affects the therapeutic alliance with clients. Explain and demonstrate a practice for developing compassionate presence.
• Discuss epi-genetics and how mindfulness practices affect the epi-genome
• Demonstrate a grounding technique for anxiety and stress reduction
• Describe a visual model of the brain and identify the functions of the prefrontal cortex—the brain’s mindfulness module.
• Discuss research on breathing, how to turn on the parasympathetic nervous
• system, and demonstrate 5-breathing postures for diaphragmatic breathing.
• Explain research on stress and eating; discuss mindful eating, rating hunger; demonstrate the 4-step mindful bites technique.
• Discuss awareness styles and how to identify this in clients. Utilize online assessment tools and demonstrate interventions.
• Identify and describe research regarding self-care strategies of eating, sleeping, and physical activity.
• Discuss self-care related to attitude, relationships, and managing technology, and integrating mindfulness into daily life.
• Explain research on the negative effects of mind wandering on telomeres and affect.
• Discuss expanding the mindfulness vocabulary, and demonstrate how to use metaphors and other concepts that make this more accessible for each client.
• Discuss and demonstrate more ways of using the 3-part breathing practice for regulating and distancing from negative emotions.
• Discussion of stories as fundamental to finding strengths; Explain a strengths intervention and demonstrate how to identify strengths.
• Discuss mindfulness for cravings, and demonstrate an impulse control practice.
• Introduction to the Mindfulness-based stress reduction practice for chronic pain and demonstration of this practice.
• Describe the biological and psychological research on mirthful laughter and how it is utilized for depression, anxiety and grief.
• Discuss and identify present moment anchors, and how clients can use these for calm and positive affect. Demonstrate a method for helping clients identify their own anchors.
• Discuss research on movement and cognitive embodiment. Explain and demonstrate mindful walking for movement for anxiety, and how to introduce this to clients.
• Demonstrate evidence-based savoring practices for overcoming depression and anxiety.
• Explain Attention Restoration Theory; Discuss and demonstrate how nature restores concentration, mental exhaustion, and reduces stress.
• List the bio-psycho-social benefits of a gratitude practice and demonstrate a 4-part daily gratitude practice for clients.
• Describe the broaden and build theory of positive emotions and how it is used with a loving-kindness affirmation. Demonstrate how to use this with clients.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe and explain mindfulness in ways that make it easy to adapt mindfulness to various populations.
2. Explain the effects of stress and cortisol, and how diaphragmatic breathing turns on the parasympathetic nervous system.
3. Demonstrate how to use stories as a way to shift awareness, enhance relationships, and recognize strengths.
4. Discuss the 5-self-care mind-body practices that promote cognitive brain function and emotional regulation.
5. Describe evidence-based “savoring” methods for shifting attention that produce greater positive emotions.
6. Analyze stress and employ four essential techniques for reducing ‘bad’ stress.
7. Examine the damaging effects of stress on telomeres at the cellular level, and how lifestyle changes can alter these.
8. Demonstrate stress-reducing transition skills through using movement and nature.
9. Explain research about Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for pain, and demonstrate a non-judging awareness meditation designed to help patients to better accept, reframe and manage pain.
10. Demonstrate gratitude interventions for increasing positive affect and resilience.
11. Discuss and utilize the loving-kindness affirmation as a method for priming clients to feel self-compassion, feelings of safety, trust, and forgiveness.

Instructional methodology (X) Lecture (X) On-line Presentation   (X) Audio/Visual    (X) Experiential Exercises

How to Get CE Credits 

12 CE Hours are available for Psychologists, Social Workers and Counselors

Continuing Education credit for this program is awarded by Commonwealth Educational Seminars (CES) for the following professions, and the program is intermediate level.

Psychologists: Commonwealth Educational Seminars is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Commonwealth Educational Seminars maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Psychologists receive 12.0 hours of continuing education credit upon completing this program.

Social Workers: Commonwealth Educational Seminars (CES) is entitled to award continuing education credit for Social Workers. Please visit CES CE CREDIT to see all states that are covered for Social Workers. CES maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Social Workers completing this program will receive 12.0 clinical hours of continuing education credit.

If applicable: Social Workers – New York State; Commonwealth Educational Seminars is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers. #SW-0444.

Licensed Professional Counselors/Licensed Mental Health Counselors: Commonwealth Educational Seminars (CES) is entitled to award continuing education credit for Licensed Professional Counselors/Licensed Mental Health Counselors. Please visit CES CE CREDIT to see all states that are covered for LPCs/LMHCs. CES maintains responsibility for this program and its content. LPCs/LMHCs completing this program will receive 12.0 hours of continuing education credit.

Please note: It is the participant’s responsibility to check with their individual state boards to verify CE requirements for their state.

Grievance Policy

Commonwealth Educational Seminars (CES) seeks to ensure equitable treatment of every person and to make every attempt to resolve grievances in a fair manner. Please submit a written grievance to: Donald Altman, M.A., LPC, info@mindfulpractices.com  503-631-3030. Grievances would receive, to the best of our ability, corrective action in order to prevent further problems. This program is provided by Donald Altman, M.A., LPC and Mindfulpractices.com.