Social Work Alumni Association Alumni Continuing Education Day

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy from Theory to Treatment

Presenter: Roberta Shiffman, LMSW, Director of Field Education and Advisement

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a validated approach to treating a range of disorders in children and adults. This course will review the basic concepts and skills for integration into practice. Case presentations will be utilized to demonstrate the application of the treatment model for both childhood and adult disorders such as Separation Anxiety, Illness Anxiety, Selective Mutism, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic with Agoraphobia and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

Professor Roberta Shiffman has more than 20 years’ experience working in the area of field education. In addition, she specializes in treating anxiety disorders in children and adults utilizing cognitive-behavioral therapy, and has both taught and presented on these disorders. Prior to working in field education, Professor Shiffman held a variety of administrative positions including program director, training specialist and executive director in several not-for-profit organizations.

Sexuality, Attachment and Trauma

Presenter: Michael M. Crocker, DSW, LCSW, MA

Many problems in sexuality result from early childhood experiences and can be treated effectively in psychotherapy informed by this perspective. This session will provide social workers with additional insight and skills in working with people who suffer from out of control sexual behavior,, sexual dysfunction, intimacy anxiety and/or problematic and disturbing sexual thoughts and fantasies. This model of assessment and treatment utilizes a mix of object relations psychology, attachment theory and motivational interviewing and is provided through individual, couples and group therapy modalities. This model views out of control sexual behaviors as an attempt at affect regulation and initially seen as an adaptive solution to early attachment ruptures difficulties but this solution begins to develop into a problem that requires a harm reduction intervention. These assessment and treatment techniques will be reviewed and clinical examples will be provided.

Dr. Michael M. Crocker is the director of the Sexuality, Attachment and Trauma Project, and a private practitioner working with individuals, couples, groups and organizations. He provides psychotherapy services that address trauma, cross addiction, out of control sexual behavior, as well as sexual inhibition, intimacy anxiety as well as gender and sexual orientation confusion. His doctoral research focused on the connection between attachment difficulties and out of control sexual behavior and was published in the Journal of Social Work Practice and the Addictions. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Touro College Graduate School of Social Work. He teaches courses on Trauma, Individual Psychotherapy, Couples Therapy, Family Therapy and Group Psychotherapy and Psychodynamics in Clinical Social Work Practice.

An Introduction to Internal Family Systems Psychotherapy

Presenter: Steven Krantz, MSW, DSW, LCSW, Associate Clinical Professor

Internal Family Systems is a cutting edge contemporary model of individual counseling. It combines psychodynamic, mindfulness and spiritual approaches to psychotherapy. This model utilizes a non-pathological lens and emphasizes a strengths perspective that is highly congruent with the work and challenges of community mental health and substance abuse treatment. It emphasizes empowering people to connect to and utilize their inherent inner strengths and core to create change and growth. Even in this introductory workshop, participants will walk away with useable skills to enhance their current social work practice.

Dr. Steven Krantz is an Associate Clinical Professor at the Touro College Graduate School of Social Work. He was previously a full-time Visiting Professor at Adelphi University, Graduate School of Social Work and the Clinical Director of The Tempo Group Drug Treatment Center. Dr. Krantz is a well-known, experienced workshop leader and presenter on numerous mental health and substance abuse topics. He is also a lead trainer of Internal Family Systems Psychotherapy. His workshops are focused on offering clinicians “take home” skills that they can directly integrate into their practice with clients.

Mindfulness and Acceptance in Social Work Practice

Presenter: Annecy Baez, PhD, MSW, LCSW, Associate Professor

This course will be of interest to social workers who desire to utilize mindfulness and meditation techniques in their clinical practice and in their daily lives. The course will lay out the conceptual framework of mindfulness and acceptance techniques to increase self-awareness, presence and still mind, thus enabling the clinician to be fully present in the therapeutic space. Using experiential exercises, readings, and poetry, as well as group discussion, we will examine how mindfulness and acceptance practice can enhance therapeutic presence. In this course, participants will gain knowledge and skills in being effective clinicians who, can take a pause, and be present as they navigate the journey of helping others.

Dr. Baez is an Associate Professor for the Clinical Social Work Practice sequence at the Touro College Graduate School of Social Work and teaches clinical practice and human behavior. Dr. Baez has trained in various evidence based psychotherapies. She is a certified Focusing Oriented Psychotherapist with interest in attachment, emotion, neuroscience and body-based experiential therapies and has received training in Emotion Focused Therapy and Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy. Her experience with contemplative practices blends with her focus on social justice and cultural diversity, allowing for exploration of social work issues.