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• Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT): Foundational Training for Participant-Observers for Implementation with Anxiety, Mood, & Related Disorders. Virtual CE

  • Start
    06/17/2025
  •  
  • End
    08/05/2025
  •  
  • Schedule
    8 sessions
  • Location
    VIRTUAL

  Registration is closed

  Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is an adaptation of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) that integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) with contemplative wisdom practices grounded in Buddhist psychology. Originally developed to prevent relapse in people with recurrent depression, MBCT and its adaptations have been shown to not only reduce relapse of mood disorders, but also reduce current symptoms and /or protect from relapse in conditions such as PTSD, OCD, Panic, GAD, other anxiety, & related disorders such as  substance abuse (Hoffman et al., 2017; Garland et al., 2019; King et al., 2013; Molnar, 2014).

  Broadly speaking, MBPs are of benefit for people with disorders marked by Neuroticism as described by Barlow et al., (2021) and associated experiential avoidance (Hayes-Skelton et al., 2020). Through effective integration of scientific findings and theory about emotional processing and the cognitive, physical, and overt and covert behavioral elements of emotion, MBCT has been shown to be a trans-therapeutic intervention of benefit to those with a range of transdiagnostic disorders. This is in part through increasing metacognition  (aka "decentering" , "deidentification", etc.) and changing how one relates habitually with unwanted internal experiences in mind and body (Davis et al., 2024; Moore, Lau et al., 2022). Moreover, the mindfulness skills developed in MBCT are foundational for the range of compassion-based interventions that also have transtherapeutic benefits for those with emotional disorders (Kirby et al., 2017).
  

  The path for competently and ethically teaching MBCT to those with emotional disorders includes, but is not limited to, participation in the traditional 8-session MBCT program in the role of "participant-observer". The participant-observer model of competence development supports professionals in implementing MBCT with the population they already have expertise serving. It also offers the opportunity to observe experienced professionals modelling and "embodying" (Griffith & Crane, 2021) implementation of the MBCT curriculum elements with people exhibiting symptoms the trainee practitioner wants to develop skills for treating. 
  

  In this workshop, developing clinician teachers will directly experience the MBCT treatment protocol in a mixed group with both professionals and non-professionals .
  

  CE Learning Objectives
  

  Following this presentation, participants will be able to:

  1.   Describe the essential components of four formal mindfulness practices that adhere to evidence-based Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) designed to teach participants to deconstruct emotion (pleasant or unpleasant) into mind, body, and behavior elements.

  2.   Describe two examples of covert (mental) or overt (observable) behaviors that reflect the “doing mode of mind” that arises when there is a discrepancy between one’s desired verses actual state.

  3.   Describe, in everyday language, one specific way that an unpleasant emotion state can contribute to the risk of recurrence of transdiagnostic emotional disorders with reference to state-dependent information processing.

  4.   Explain, with everyday language, the phenomenon of automatic thoughts (ATs), measured by the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ), being more readily retrieved during negative / & or depleted mood / emotion states.

  5.   Describe the concept of ruminative brooding and how it worsens mood and predicts onset, maintenance, and recurrence of transdiagnostic emotional disorders.

  6.        Describe the components of the responsive three-step "breathing space" practice and how it supports implementation and generalization of MBI skills in everyday life & compassionate responding in stressful situations. 

  7 .       Describe how formal practices (e.g., the body scan) can be viewed as a behavioral experiment or micro-laboratory with the intention of discovering the impact of non-conceptual information processing of experience; disengagement of attention from stimuli increasing distress; and a broadening of the attentional field.

  8.        Describe MBI-adherent components of the formal sitting meditation practice and how they support awareness of habitual mental phenomena and one’s intra-personal relationship to feeling states.

  9.        Describe three of the nine “Foundational Attitudes” that are ways of relating with kindness and compassion to experience to support both formal and informal mindfulness practice implementation.

  10.        Describe how the pleasant event log functions to resource one to cope with stress while also supporting deconstruction of emotion states into their co-arising & interacting elements.

  11.        Describe how the nourishing and depleting events log supports implementation of behavioral activation and highlights factors associated with relapse prevention.

  12.       Describe, in everyday language, the physiological outcome of fighting or attempting to eliminate unwanted internal experiences and how it contrasts with allowing one’s unwanted experiences and relating with kindness to the self.

  Suggested Reading

  The Mindful Way Workbook: An 8-Week Program to Free Yourself from Depression and Emotional Distress.

  Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression, Second Edition 2nd Edition

  Mindfulness-Based Interventions - Teaching Assessment Criteria (MBI-TAC) 

  Baer, R., Crane, C., Miller, E., & Kuyken, W. (2019). Doing no harm in mindfulness-based programs: conceptual issues and empirical findings. Clinical psychology review, 71, 101-114.

  Molnar (in press, chapter 21). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT): Curriculum, training, and clinician guide.  Palgrave Handbook of Third-Wave Therapies.

  Molnar, C. (2014). Generalized Anxiety Disorder. In L. Grossman & S. Walfish (Eds), Translating Research into Practice: A Desk Reference for Practicing Mental Health Professionals. New York: Springer Publishing.

  
  

  About Presenters

  Chris Molnar, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist and clinical investigator, founded Mindful Exposure Therapy for Anxiety and Psychological Wellness Center (META Center) in 2007. She completed post-doctoral fellowship training in traumatic stress, neuroscience, and psycho-physiology and is an expert in the assessment and treatment of anxiety, OCD, PTSD, emotional, and stress-related conditions using evidence-based practices. She teaches both Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and has also developed adaptations for highly distressed clients, using Relational Mindfulness Practices (RBPs), to meet the needs of people in both individual and group therapy settings. At META Center, she offers integrative interventions grounded in findings about the brain, emotion, and learning to facilitate mental and behavioral habit change, even in the face of severe distress. Before founding META Center, she served as a clinical investigator and therapist supported by grants from the National Institute of Health and other agencies. She is also on the editorial board of Behavior Therapy and serves the public in many ways, through professional presentations, workshops, publications, and affiliations.

  More at https://www.meta4stress.com

  Richard W. Sears, PsyD, PhD, MBA is a licensed psychologist and is board certified in clinical psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). He is an adjunct full professor for University of Cincinnati Psychology, and full professor (volunteer) of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

  He runs an online private psychology and consulting practice near Cincinnati, with Authority to Practice Interjurisdictional Psychology (APIT). He is a past president of the board of the Cincinnati Academy of Professional Psychology. He was full-time core faculty in Union Institute & University’s Doctor of Clinical Psychology program for nine years. He is also a psychologist contractor with the Cincinnati VA Medical Center, where he conducted research on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for PTSD with Dr. Kate Chard. He has been teaching MBCT courses for more than 20 years, and presents workshops on mindfulness, ACT, psychotherapy, Zen, martial arts, and other topics.

  Dr. Sears received PsyD and MBA degrees from Wright State University. He also received a PhD in Buddhist Studies from Buddha Dharma University, where he was a member of the board of regents. He is author of more than a dozen books, including ACT with Anxiety and Mindfulness: Living Through Challenges and Enriching Your Life in this Moment.

  More at https://psych-insights.com/

  
  

  Target Audience

  This presentation is intended for licensed mental health professionals and advanced graduate student trainees seeking licensure. The instructional level of this presentation is BEGINNER.

  Note: This workshop does not require attendees to have a formal mindfulness practice. 

  Continuing Education

  • Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
  • Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association is also approved by the NY State Education Department to offer psychology continuing education
  • This program provides twelve (12) CE credits. There is no additional cost, above registration fee, for CE credits for qualified licensed practitioners.
    
  • PBTA is also an authorized provider of CE credits for Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Clinical Social Workers licensed in the state of Pennsylvania. Non-Psychologist Licensees outside of PA & practitioners outside of the USA please confirm eligibility with your specific licensing board.
    
  •  APA guidelines do not permit PBTA to issue partial CE credits.
  • To receive a CE certificate, licensed practitioners seeking CE cannot miss more than two of the eight MBCT sessions comprised of mixed professionals and non-professionals and can make-up missed sessions with alternate CE trainings focused on mindfulness and compassion which sponsored through PBTA. Inquire directly with Dr. Molnar via chris@molnarpsychology.com about making-up missed time if you will miss sessions

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• Mindfulness- & Compassion- Based CBT for Cueing Compassionate Behavior During Conditions of Distress

  • Start
    07/07/2025
  •  
  • End
    08/11/2025
  •  
  • Schedule
    5 sessions
  • Location
    Virtual via Zoom

  Register

  Those with high levels of distress, stress, and / or insecure attachment histories can encounter challenges with the traditional 8-week Mindfulness-Based Programs (MBPs) as a starting point. The longer silent practices and inquiry periods  of MBPs may evoke impatience, disconnection, and self-criticism in some that can interfere with beneficial outcomes. Similar to how MBCT creators anticipated such challenges (i.e., presence of suicidality & ruminative brooding), Molnar (2014, 2018) has integrated parallel adaptations for those with high levels of anxiety, OCD, and trauma-aftermath.  Mindfulness- and Compassion-based CBT (MC-CBT) integrates tools from several areas of inquiry to adapt longer MBPs to the needs of those with high levels of anxiety, fear, perseverative cognition, physiology that may reaches panic attack levels, and can occur in transdiagnostic conditions. Principles and practices derived from CBT, functional neuroscience, Interpersonal Emotional Processing (IEP), Buddhist and Social Psychology are adapted with traditional but briefer practices of MBCT and MBSR to support health of mind, body, and behaviors in MC-CBT (see EBP article by Molnar & Molnar, 2014: META for GAD).

  In MC-CBT participants practice deconstructing unpleasant emotion states into elements consistent with a CBT model of emotion, referred to as "the 3 'B's of belief, body, and behavior. These  mental, physical, and action tendency elements serve as cues for covert and overt compassionate responding. Such responding, with practice strategies including Self-controlled and cued-coping and Mental Contrasting & Implementation Intentions (MCII), can support automatic adaptive responding (Oettingen & Gollwitzer, 2017). With practice  such adaptivity or competence is marked by a friendly and assertive relationship with difficult experience (Benjamin, 2018). It can become automatic (i.e., "unconscious competence: Eubanks & Goldfried, 2019).
  

  Relational (i.e., interpersonal) Mindfulness Practices (RMP: Kramer, 2007) supplement behavioral principles in each module of MC-CBT to support an increase in mindfulness and compassion and a decrease in maladaptive symptoms of distress (Molnar, 2014). A transtherapeutic intervention, MC-CBT, enhances emotional processing of corrective information during exposure therapy and other high stress situations to strengthen intentional responding within and between training meetings.
  

  Schedule

  Foundational meeting (7/7/25): Orientation to the four modules, imaginal rehearsal integrated with mental contrasting and implementation intentions; SMART goals; brief formal guided practices. The "3 'B"s that compose emotion.
  

  Module 1 (7/14): The Body (The First 'B') & Joy.

  Module 2 (7/21): Beliefs (The Second 'B') & Friendliness.

  Module 3 (7/28): Emotions,  Stress, & Equanimity.

  No meeting 8/4/25

  Module 4 (8/11): Behavior (The Second 'B") &  Compassion.

   https://www.meta4stress.com/mccbt.

  Continuing Education

  Learning Objectives

  Following this presentation, participants will be able to:

  1. List three adaptations for participants who initially may struggle with longer MBPs when distress levels may result in interference with information and emotional processing of traditional curriculum elements
  2. Observe and directly experience, as a participant-observer, the delivery and curriculum elements of MC-CBT
  3. Describe and implement the four modules of an  adapted Mindfulness- and Compassion- based Program designed as a foundational training for those initially challenged by high distress and stress levels that may interfere with completion of MBCT, MBSR and related longer training programs.
  4. Implement and describe the four steps of Mental Contrasting and Implementation Intentions (MCII) into a foundational Mindfulness- and Compassion- Based Program integrated with Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT)
  5. Implement and describe the four steps of Self-Controlled Coping Desensitization and Cued Mindfulness and Compassion for adaptive emotion management.
  6. Describe and implement meditation guidelines for formal Relational Mindfulness Practices (RMP).

  Target Audience

  This presentation is intended for licensed mental health professionals and advanced graduate student trainees seeking licensure. The instructional level of this presentation is BEGINNER.

  Note: This workshop does not require attendees to have a formal mindfulness practice. 

  Continuing Education (CE) credit information

  • Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
  • Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association is also approved by the NY State Education Department to offer psychology continuing education
  • This program provides ten (10) CE credits. There is no additional cost, above registration fee, for CE credits for qualified licensed practitioners.
    
  • PBTA is also an authorized provider of CE credits for Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Clinical Social Workers licensed in the state of Pennsylvania. Non-Psychologist Licensees outside of PA & practitioners outside of the USA please confirm eligibility with your specific licensing board.
    
  •  APA guidelines do not permit PBTA to issue partial CE credits.
  • To receive a CE certificate, licensed practitioners seeking CE cannot miss more than one of the five sessions and can make-up missed session to obtain full CE. Make-up session involves attending an alternate virtual CE training of 2-hr duration focused on mindfulness- and compassion-based interventions that are sponsored through PBTA. Inquire directly with Dr. Molnar via chris@molnarpsychology.com about making-up missed time if you will miss a session.

  • APA guidelines do not permit PBTA to issue partial CE credits. No refunds are provided for CE programs. No exceptions allowed. Registrants can log in and cancel up to 48 hours before event when registration closes.

  About the Presenters

  Chris Molnar, Ph.D., obtained her Ph.D. degree in Clinical Psychology and Psychophysiology from The Pennsylvania State University. Her post-doctoral fellowship training was in traumatic stress and functional neuroscience at the Medical University of South Carolina. She is President of the Mindful Exposure Therapy for Anxiety and Psychological Wellness Center, Inc. (META Center). At META Center, she integrates Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT) with other forms of psychotherapy. Her work is guided by ongoing developments in functional neuroscience, emotion and motivation, and other areas of inquiry into how humans learn optimally to maintain and apply healthy habits during states of threat and challenge. Before founding META Center in 2007, Dr. Molnar worked as a clinical investigator supported by grants from the National Institute of Health (NIH) and other funding agencies. For a full list of credentials, scientific contributions, popular press articles, and select professional presentations visit www.meta4stress.com Resources tab.

  Alissa S. Yamasaki, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist and the founder of Ayama Psychotherapy, located in Lemont, PA. Her practice has gained a positive local reputation for its mindful and collaborative business practices, psychotherapists who are especially effective in the area of health and mind-body conditions, and wellness events for health and wellness providers.

  Dr. Yamasaki's clinical expertise focuses on the treatment of chronic and complex anxiety, as well as insomnia. Her earliest study of the mind-body connection was as an undergraduate in an exercise psychophysiology lab investigating the effects of physical activity on how people feel and think. Dr. Yamasaki earned her Ph.D. from Penn State University in 2006 and completed her internship at Albany Medical Consortium. Her current practices reflect her belief in the importance of being fully present while drawing from empirically-driven interventions. She utilizes a blend of CBT and relational approaches, including mindfulness-based interventions. Dr. Yamasaki attended the 5-day Mindfulness-Based teacher training retreat with Chris Molnar, Ph.D., in 2022, which sparked both the deepening of her mindfulness practices and greater effectiveness in the therapy room.

  Target Audience

  This presentation is intended for mental health professionals (MHPs) and select non-MHPs screened for suitability. The instructional level of this presentation is BEGINNER.

  Note: This workshop does not require attendees to have a formal mindfulness practice.
  

  Continuing Education

  Suggested Reading

  Benjamin, L. S. (2018). The Interpersonal Reconstructive Therapy treatment model. In L. S. Benjamin, Interpersonal reconstructive therapy for anger, anxiety, and depression: It's about broken hearts, not broken brains (pp. 103–132). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000090-005

  Crane, R. S., Brewer, J., Feldman, C., Kabat-Zinn, J., Santorelli, S., Williams, J. M. G., & Kuyken, W. (2017). What defines mindfulness-based programs? The warp and the weft. Psychological medicine, 47(6), 990-999.

  Erickson, T. M., Newman, M. G., & McGuire, A. (2014). Adding an interpersonal-experiential focus to cognitive behavioral therapy for generalized anxiety disorder. Working with emotion in cognitive behavioral therapy: Techniques for clinical practice, 356-380.

  Eubanks, C. F., & Goldfried, M. R. (2019). A principle-based approach to psychotherapy integration. Handbook of psychotherapy integration, 88-104.

  Foa, E. B., & Kozak, M. J. (1986). Emotional processing of fear: exposure to corrective information. Psychological bulletin, 99(1), 20.

  Goldfried, M. R. (2019). Obtaining consensus in psychotherapy: What holds us back?. American Psychologist, 74(4), 484.

  Hayes, A. M., Beck, J. G., & Yasinski, C. (2012). A cognitive behavioral perspective on corrective experiences. In L. G. Castonguay & C. E. Hill (Eds.), Transformation in psychotherapy: Corrective experiences across cognitive behavioral, humanistic, and psychodynamic approaches (pp. 69–83). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/13747-005

  Kramer, G. (2007). Insight dialogue: The interpersonal path to freedom. Shambhala Publications.

  Molnar, C. (September, 2017). Playing in the ocean of awareness: Innovations in mindfulness training The Pennsylvania Psychologist Quarterly, pages 16-17.

  Newman, M. G., Castonguay, L. G., Jacobson, N. C., & Moore, G. A. (2015). Adult attachment as a moderator of treatment outcome for generalized anxiety disorder: Comparison between cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT) plus supportive listening and CBT plus interpersonal and emotional processing therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 83(5), 915–925. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039359

  Newman, M. G., & Zainal, N. H. (2020). Interpersonal and Emotion‐Focused Therapy (I/EP) for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Generalized anxiety disorder and worrying: A comprehensive handbook for clinicians and researchers, 231-244.

  Oettingen, G., & Gollwitzer, P. M. (2017). Health behavior change by self-regulation of goal pursuit: Mental contrasting with implementation intentions. In Routledge International Handbook of Self-Control in Health and Well-Being (pp. 418-430). Routledge.

  Silveira, S., Godara, M., & Singer, T. (2023). Boosting empathy and compassion through mindfulness-based and socioemotional dyadic practice: randomized controlled trial with app-delivered trainings. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 25, e45027.

  
  

  
  

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• Emotion-Savvy Parenting: Helping Parents Skillfully Navigate Emotional Storms and Deepen Connection

  • When
    07/14/2025
  •  
    3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
  • Location
    Virtual

  Register

  Intense emotions can make it incredibly difficult for parents to show up as they want to with their kids. This program is designed to help clinicians better understand the challenges that parents face so that they can more effectively assist the parents with whom they work. Specifically, drawing on decades of research on child development (Casey et al., 2008), parenting (Greene & Winkler, 2019; Wilson et al., 2012), and emotion regulation (Abramowitz et al., 2001; Linehan, 2015), this program outlines a theory-driven approach called Emotion-Savvy Parenting that aims to support parents by empowering them to focus on changing the only behaviors they truly have control over: their own. It also dives into a number of evidence-based skills adapted from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT; Linehan, 2015) to help parents better accept, regulate, and tolerate their emotions, as well as their children’s, thereby helping them become their ideal, most emotionally adept selves.

  About Presenter

  Alissa Jerud, PhD  is a mom of two kids, a licensed clinical psychologist, a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and author of Emotion-Savvy Parenting: A Shame-Free Guide to Navigating Emotional Storms and Deepening Connection. In her private practice, Dr. Jerud specializes in highly effective, exposure-based treatments for anxiety-related disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, specific phobias, and generalized anxiety disorder. Additionally, she specializes in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills training and particularly enjoys helping other parents learn research-backed strategies for accepting, regulating, and tolerating their emotions, as well as their children's. Dr. Jerud also trains other clinicians in exposure-based treatments and frequently gives workshops on anxiety, stress, mental health, parenting, and social support to companies large and small. More at https://www.alissajerud.com/parenting-book-1
  

  CE Learning Objective(s)

  Following this presentation, participants will be able to:

  Describe the three skills of mindfulness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance from a DBT perspective

  List one way each of these DBT skills may be helpful in the context of parenting. 

  Target Audience
  

  This workshop is designed for licensed professionals & advanced graduate students with clinical experience who anticipate seeking licensure as mental health professionals. The instructional level of this presentation is BEGINNER and will be followed by an INTERMEDIATE CE offering in winter of 2026 for those who implement procedures.
  

  • Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists*. Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
  • This program provides ONE (1) hour of CE credits.
  • * PBTA now offers CE to licensed psychologists licensed in the state of New York. Attestation of full attendance and provision of license number post-event required to obtain certificate that meets NY criteria for CE.
    
  • PBTA is also an authorized provider of CE credits for Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Clinical Social Workers licensed in the state of Pennsylvania. Non-psychologist licensees in other states should confirm with their respective boards if this meets criteria for CE in their specific non-PA states.
    
  • Full attendance with video display is required to obtain CE credit for this program. APA guidelines do not permit PBTA to issue partial CE credits. No refunds are provided for CE programs. No exceptions allowed. Registrants can log in and cancel up to 48 hours before event when registration closes.

  Required Reading

  Everett, Y., Frigoletto, O. A., O’Brien, J. R., Byrd, A. L., Stepp, S. D., & Zalewski, M. (2025). How mothers with severe emotion dysregulation use DBT skills in parenting contexts: observational coding of skills use in a DBT skills training group. Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, 12(1), 5.

  Download Open Access article at

  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40479-025-00279-2

  Suggested Readings

  Eeles, J., & Walker, D. M. (2022). Mindfulness as taught in dialectical behavior therapy: A scoping review. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 29(6), 1843–1853. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2764
  

  Greene, R., & Winkler, J. (2019). Collaborative & proactive solutions (CPS):
  A review of research findings in families, schools, and treatment facilities. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 22(4), 549–561. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-019-00295-z#@#_WA_-_CURSOR_-_POINT_#@# 

  Jerud, A. (2025). Emotion-Savvy Parenting: A Shame-Free Guide to Navigating Emotional Storms and Deepening Connection. Taylor & Francis.

  Linehan, M. M. (2015). DBT skills training manual (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press.

  van der Storm, L., van Lissa, C. J., Lucassen, N., Helmerhorst, K. O. W., & Keizer, R. (2021). Maternal and paternal parenting and child prosocial behavior: A metaanalysis using a structural equation modeling design. Marriage & Family Review, 58(1), 1–37.

  https://doi.org/10.1080/01494929.2021.1927931
  
  
  

  
  

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• Supporting Habit Reversal Therapy and Exposure Implementation with Brief Mindfulness Training

  • When
    08/25/2025
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
  • Location
    Virtual

  Register

  Implementation of behavioral interventions, such as exposure therapy and Habit Reversal Therapy (HRT), is linked to activation of unpleasant emotion states. Such negative emotion understandably evokes an urge to avoid implementation of behavioral strategies in both clients and therapist trainees.  Activation of negative emotion, however, has been considered, historically and transtherapeutically, essential to emotional processing (Foa & Kozak, 1986, but see Alpert et al., 2023; Rupp et al.,2017). Exposure therapy is often associated not only with avoidance of negative emotional experiences, but also drop out from psychotherapy (Gilmore et al., 2020). Transtherapeutic distress tolerance strategies for weathering the evocation of unpleasant feelings that accompany exposure interventions may support retention in exposure interventions.

  Mindfulness-Based Practices (MBPs) can serve as a transtherapeutic intervention to support the weathering of, and ultimate reduction, of unpleasant emotion states in clients and therapists.  In this journal club, a case is described for which the implementation of brief mindfulness-based practice and training in both client and trainee supported the embodiment (Crane et al, 2021) of a mindful and compassionate relationship with discomfort, distress tolerance during exposure and HRT, and both retention and engagement with behavioral interventions. Specific MBPs are described that can support therapist and client. Furthermore, such MBPs support the integration of brief mindfulness-based practices during the transtherapeutic implementation of exposure therapy and supplemental interventions to support positive therapeutic outcome and information processing for trauma survivors. 

  CE Learning Objective(s)

  Following this presentation, participants will be able to:

  1. Describe how brief mindfulness-based practices can support tolerance of unpleasant emotion and support emotional information processing in both a client and trainee implementing exposure therapy interventions.
  

  2. Identify two specific practices mental health professionals can incorporate into sessions for work-related stress reduction.

  Target Audience
  

  This workshop is designed for licensed professionals & advanced graduate students with clinical experience who anticipate seeking licensure as mental health professionals. The instructional level of this presentation is BEGINNER.

  Focus Article (will be shared with registrants one week before training)

  Price, M. M., Timpano, K. R., Freund, B., & Ironson, G. (2025). A Mindfulness-Integrated Therapeutic Approach to Enhance Client Engagement with Prolonged Exposure and Habit Reversal Therapy and Bolster Therapist Trainee Self-Efficacy and Distress Tolerance. Clinical Case Studies, 24(1), 38-58.

  See additional suggested readings below.

  About Presenters

  Malena Price is a doctoral candidate in the adult track of the Clinical Psychology PhD program at the University of Miami and starting in autumn of 2025 will commence internship training.  She completed her BA in International Affairs and MSc in Global Health from Duke University and is the recipient of a Fulbright Research Grant to study behavioral health outcomes among refugees seeking asylum in Amman. Her research interests focus on the adaptation and implementation of mindfulness training programs to improve the psychological health of minoritized and marginalized populations. In addition to research, she enjoys practicing and teaching yoga as a registered yoga teacher (RYT 300). More at https://lab.amishi.com/team/malena-price/

  Chris Molnar, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist and clinical investigator, founded Mindful Exposure Therapy for Anxiety and Psychological Wellness Center (META Center) in 2007. She completed post-doctoral fellowship training in traumatic stress, neuroscience, and psycho-physiology and is an expert in the assessment and treatment of anxiety, OCD, PTSD, emotional, and stress-related conditions using evidence-based practices. She teaches both Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). She has developed adaptations of Mindfulness-Based Programs for highly distressed clients, using Relational Mindfulness Practices (RBPs), to meet the needs of people in both individual and group therapy settings. At META Center, she offers integrative interventions grounded in findings about the brain, emotion, and learning to facilitate mental and behavioral habit change, even in the face of severe distress. Before founding META Center, she served as a clinical investigator and therapist supported by grants from the National Institute of Health and other agencies. She is also on the editorial board of Behavior Therapy and serves the public in many ways, through professional presentations, workshops, publications, and affiliations.

  Suggested Readings

  Alpert, E., Hayes, A. M., & Foa, E. B. (2023). Examining emotional processing theory and predictors of outcome in prolonged exposure for PTSD. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 167, 104341.

  Crane, R. S., Brewer, J., Feldman, C., Kabat-Zinn, J., Santorelli, S., Williams, J. M. G., & Kuyken, W. (2017). What defines mindfulness-based programs? The warp and the weft. Psychological medicine, 47(6), 990-999.
  

  Crane, RS., Soulsby, J.G., Kuyken, W., Williams, J.M.G., & Eames, C. (2021a, pages 46-53). Mindfulness-Based Intervention: Teaching Assessment Criteria (MBI:TAC) In-depth version.

  Eubanks, C. F., & Goldfried, M. R. (2019). A principle-based approach to psychotherapy integration. Handbook of psychotherapy integration, 88-104.

  Gilmore, A. K., Lopez, C., Muzzy, W., Brown, W. J., Grubaugh, A., Oesterle, D. W., & Acierno, R. (2020). Emotion dysregulation predicts dropout from prolonged exposure treatment among women veterans with military sexual trauma-related posttraumatic stress disorder. Women's Health Issues, 30(6), 462-469.

  Hayes, A. M. (2015). Facilitating emotional processing in depression: The application of exposure principles. Current opinion in psychology, 4, 61-66.

  Molnar, C. (in press, chapter 21). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT): Curriculum, training, and clinician guide.  Palgrave Handbook of Third-Wave Therapies.
  

  Rupp, C., Doebler, P., Ehring, T., & Vossbeck‐Elsebusch, A. N. (2017). Emotional processing theory put to test: A meta‐analysis on the association between process and outcome measures in exposure therapy. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 24(3), 697-711.

  Watson, T., Walker, O., Cann, R., & Varghese, A. K. (2021). The benefits of mindfulness in mental healthcare professionals. F1000Research, 10, 1085. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.73729.2
  

  
  
  

  
  

  Continuing Education Information

  • Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists*. Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
  • This program provides one (1) hour of CE credits.
  • * PBTA offers CE to licensed psychologists licensed in the state of New York. Attestation of full attendance and provision of license number post-event required to obtain certificate that meets NY criteria for CE.
    
  • PBTA is also an authorized provider of CE credits for Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Clinical Social Workers licensed in the state of Pennsylvania. Non-psychologist licensees in other states should confirm with their respective boards if this meets criteria for CE in their specific non-PA states.
    
  • Full attendance with video display is required to obtain CE credit for this program. APA guidelines do not permit PBTA to issue partial CE credits. No refunds are provided for CE programs. No exceptions allowed. Registrants can log in and cancel up to 48 hours before event when registration closes.
    

  Zoom video link will be sent to participants 48 & 24 hours before the event contingent upon membership being paid in full if membership rate was selected. NOTE: New membership period begins 2/1/24 & is not pro-rated.

  
  

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• Meta-Competencies in CBT: Enhancing Your Efficacy as a Therapist by Being Self-Reflective, Communicative, Creative, Tuned-In, Well-Timed, and Inspirational!

  • When
    09/25/2025
  •  
    4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
  • Location
    VIRTUAL

  Register

  This webinar will describe and illustrate the “meta-competencies” of conducting CBT. The presentation will build upon the evidence-based methods that are well-described in the CBT literature by highlighting therapist competencies that amplify the efficacy of CBT. Meta-competencies reflect the qualities and practices of individual therapists that show promise in helping their clients experience CBT with as much positive impact and staying power as possible. Some meta-competencies are closely related to some of the broad “foundational competencies,” including relational skills, cultural humility, and self-reflection. Other meta-competencies include an ability to communicate concepts and care very clearly to clients; having a good sense of timing and humor; being well-organized within sessions and across sessions for optimal continuity; possessing a good memory (e.g., for the facts of the client’s life, and for what has transpired in previous sessions) and similarly helping the client to remember the key lessons of therapy; using enlightening stories, images, metaphors, and analogies to make complex ideas accessible; bringing inter-disciplinary knowledge from a wide range of subjects and experiences into the therapeutic dialogue; and otherwise using words and gestures in creative ways to inspire clients to make important changes. Going beyond CBT competencies to develop our meta-competencies means that we are using the best of our personal strengths and styles in the service of sound, well-supported practices. It means that we are not just using techniques – we are also bringing our conceptual and relational skills to bear on each moment with our clients, speaking and listening effectively, being responsive to clients’ feedback, and making therapy inspirational and memorable.

  CE Learning Objectives

  Following this presentation, participants will be able to:

  • 1.      Maximize your interpersonal skills in the delivery of cognitive-behavioral therapy.
  • 2.      Utilize case conceptualization skills and cross-cultural sensitivity to assist in knowing what to say to clients, and what not to say to clients.
  • 3.      Practice self-reflection during therapy sessions and between sessions to adapt and improve your delivery of cognitive-behavioral therapy.
  • 4.      Bring your inter-disciplinary knowledge and creative thinking to therapy sessions to amplify your therapeutic messages, improve the client’s retention of the contents of therapy, and provide inspiration.

  Target Audience

  This presentation is intended for licensed mental health professionals and advanced graduate student trainees seeking licensure. The instructional level of this presentation is BEGINNER.

  NOTE: This presentation is suitable for mental health practitioners across disciplines. Therapists who practice standard-course Beckian CBT as well as Third-Wave models will benefit from this presentation, as will clinicians of all levels of experience.

  Presenter

  Cory F. Newman, Ph.D. is Director of the Center for Cognitive Therapy, Professor of Psychology, in Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, and Adjunct Faculty at the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Prof. Newman did his postdoctoral training under the mentorship of Prof. Aaron T. Beck, and he is a Founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies. Prof. Newman has maintained a full clinical caseload and has extensive experience as a CBT supervisor, having supervised over 350 professionals-in-training, both at the University of Pennsylvania, and through the Beck Institute’s international training programs. Prof. Newman was recognized by the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy (ABCT) with the Outstanding Clinician Award for 2019. Prof. Newman is an international lecturer, having presented approximately 300 cognitive-behavioral therapy workshops and seminars at home in the U.S. as well as in twenty-three other countries. Prof. Newman is author of over 100 articles and chapters on cognitive-behavioral therapy for a wide range of disorders and clinical issues, and he has authored or co-authored six books, including two with Prof. Aaron T. Beck. On the side, Prof. Newman is an avid classical pianist.

  References

   Bennett-Levy, J., Thwaites, R., Haarhoff, B., & Perry, H. (2015). Experiencing CBT from theinside out: A self-practice, self-reflection workbook for therapists. Guilford Press.

  Campbell-Lee, D., Barton, S., & Armstrong, P. (2024). Higher-order CBT skills: Are there    differences in meta-competence between trainee and experienced therapists? The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 17, 1-13. doi:10.1017/S1754470X24000047

  Castonguay, L. G., & Hill, C. E. (Eds.) (2017). How and why are some therapists better than  others? American Psychological Association.

  Harvey, A. G., Lee, J., Smith. R. L., Gumport, N. B., Hollon, S. D., Rabe-Hesketh, S., et al. (2016). Improving outcomes for mental disorders by enhancing memory for treatment. Behaviour Therapy and Research, 81, 35-46.

  Stott, R., Mansell, W., Salkovskis, P., Lavender, A., & Cartwright-Hatton, S. (2010). Oxford  guide to metaphors in CBT. Oxford University Press.

  Whittington, A., & Grey, N. (Eds.) (2014). How to be a more effective CBT therapist: Mastering meta-competencies in clinical practice. Wiley Blackwell.

  Cory F. Newman, Ph.D. is Director of the Center for Cognitive Therapy, Professor of Psychology, in Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, and Adjunct Faculty at the Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Prof. Newman did his postdoctoral training under the mentorship of Prof. Aaron T. Beck, and he is a Founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies. Prof. Newman has maintained a full clinical caseload and has extensive experience as a CBT supervisor, having supervised over 350 professionals-in-training, both at the University of Pennsylvania, and through the Beck Institute’s international training programs. Prof. Newman was recognized by the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy (ABCT) with the Outstanding Clinician Award for 2019. Prof. Newman is an international lecturer, having presented approximately 300 cognitive-behavioral therapy workshops and seminars at home in the U.S. as well as in twenty-three other countries. Prof. Newman is author of over 100 articles and chapters on cognitive-behavioral therapy for a wide range of disorders and clinical issues, and he has authored or co-authored six books, including two with Prof. Aaron T. Beck. On the side, Prof. Newman is an avid classical pianist.

   Continuing Education

  • Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
  • This program provides ONE AND-A-HALF  (1.5) CE credits
  • Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association is also approved by the NY State Education Department to offer psychology continuing education
    
  • PBTA is also an authorized provider of CE credits for Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Clinical Social Workers licensed in the state of Pennsylvania. Non-Psychologist Licensees outside of PA & practitioners outside of the USA please confirm eligibility with your specific licensing board.
  • Full attendance with video display is required to obtain CE credit for this program. APA guidelines do not permit PBTA to issue partial CE credits. No refunds are provided for CE programs. No exceptions allowed.
  • All events are Eastern Time Zone 
  • Contact PBTAcontinuingeducation@philabta.org if you need any learning accommodations no later than one week before event.

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• Integrating Progressive Relaxation Training with Mindfulness

  • When
    12/08/2025
  •  
    3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
  • Location
    Virtual

  Register

  Progressive relaxation training, applied relaxation, and diaphragmatic breathing procedures originated within the scientific disciplines of physiology, medicine, and behavior therapy. In contrast, mindfulness practices originated from ancient Buddhist traditions which began more than 2500 years ago. Nevertheless, these mindfulness practices have been adapted for stress reduction with considerable research support and popularity in mental health fields. After a brief review of the origins of these different practices, this presentation will offer suggestions for how mental health professionals can integrate relaxation training with mindfulness-orientated clinical practice in a consistent and theoretically coherent way. Underlying principles and common practices of these different approaches will be presented within a discussion of their commonalities and how to address any discrepancies in clinical instructions. Published research supporting the overall clinical effectiveness of progressive relaxation and mindfulness-based interventions will be reviewed, as well as research examining the application of these stress reduction practices with geriatric adults and specialized clinical populations. Specific adaptations to relaxation training and mindfulness practices for older adults will be reviewed. Finally, mental health professionals will learn ways to develop their own mindfulness practice to manage the stress of professional life.
  

  About Presenter

  Holly Hazlett-Stevens received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the Pennsylvania State University. She was a post-doctoral fellow at the Anxiety Disorders Research Center in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
  In 2002, Dr. Hazlett-Stevens joined the faculty of the Department of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she is currently an Associate Professor. She has published over 50 scholarly research articles and chapters and authored two books, Women Who Worry Too Much and Psychological Approaches to Generalized Anxiety Disorder. She also co-authored the updated Progressive Relaxation Training: A Guide for Practitioners, Students, and Researchers with Douglas A. Bernstein, and she edited a Springer book on the topic of mindfulness for stress reduction. Dr. Hazlett-Stevens is a licensed psychologist in the state of Nevada, and she is certified by the University of Massachusetts Medical School Center for Mindfulness as a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) instructor.
  

  Target Audience
  

  This workshop is designed for licensed professionals & advanced graduate students with clinical experience who anticipate seeking licensure as mental health professionals. The instructional level of this presentation is INTERMEDIATE.
  

  CE Learning Objective(s)

  Following this presentation, participants will be able to:

  1. Describe three common principles underlying progressive relaxation training and mindfulness practices.
  2. Explain how progressive relaxation training and mindfulness practices can be adapted for older adults.
  3. Identify two specific practices mental health professionals can incorporate into their own lives for work-related stress reduction.

  • Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists*. Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
  • This program provides two (2) hour of CE credits.
  • * PBTA now offers CE to licensed psychologists licensed in the state of New York. Attestation of full attendance and provision of license number post-event required to obtain certificate that meets NY criteria for CE.
    
  • PBTA is also an authorized provider of CE credits for Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Clinical Social Workers licensed in the state of Pennsylvania. Non-psychologist licensees in other states should confirm with their respective boards if this meets criteria for CE in their specific non-PA states.
    
  • Full attendance with video display is required to obtain CE credit for this program. APA guidelines do not permit PBTA to issue partial CE credits. No refunds are provided for CE programs. No exceptions allowed. Registrants can log in and cancel up to 48 hours before event when registration closes.
    

  Zoom video link will be sent to participants 48 & 24 hours before the event contingent upon membership being paid in full if membership rate was selected. NOTE: New membership period begins 2/1/24 & is not pre-rated.
  

  Suggested Readings

  Garcia-Toro, M., Aguilar-Latorre, A., Garcia, A., Navarro-Guzmán, C., Gervilla, E., Seguí, A., Gazquez, F., Marino, J. A., Gomez-Juanes, R., Serrano-Ripoll, M. J., Oliván-Blázquez, B., Garcia-Campayo, J., Maloney, S., & Montero-Marin, J. (2023). Mindfulness skills and experiential avoidance as therapeutic mechanisms for treatment-resistant depression through mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and lifestyle modification. Frontiers in psychology, 14, 1008891. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1008891
  
  Hazlett-Stevens, H., Singer, J., & Chong, A. (2018). Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy with older adults: A qualitative review of randomized controlled outcome research. Clinical Gerontologist 42(4), 347-358. DOI: 10.1080/07317115.2018.1518282
  
  Watson, T., Walker, O., Cann, R., & Varghese, A. K. (2021). The benefits of mindfulness in mental healthcare professionals. F1000Research, 10, 1085. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.73729.2
  

  Suggested Resource (click below link to purchase)

  Hazlett-Stevens, H., & Bernstein, D. A. (2022). Progressive Relaxation Training.

  
  

  
  

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• Metacognitive Therapy (MCT) for Depression

  • When
    09/17/2026
  •  
    10:00 AM - 1:30 PM
  • Location
    Virtual

  Register

  Depression is one of the most prevalent and debilitating mental health conditions globally. Traditional therapeutic approaches like cognitive behavioural therapy often focus on the content of negative thoughts. In contrast, Metacognitive Therapy (MCT) shifts the focus to how individuals relate to their thoughts—targeting maladaptive thinking patterns called the Cognitive Attentional Syndrome (CAS). The CAS consist of strategies such as rumination and worry and MCT targets the metacognitive beliefs causing these strategies.

  This training will give a practical and evidence-based introduction to metacognitive therapy for depression and guide participants through the theoretical underpinnings, core techniques, and clinical rationale of MCT.

  The session will include case examples, experiential practice, and a discussion of recent research findings supporting the efficacy of MCT in treating depression. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of how to help clients disengage from unhelpful thought processes and restructure unhelpful metacognitive beliefs through the metacognitive model.

  CE Learning Objective(s)

  Following this presentation, participants will be able to:

  •  Describe the foundational principles and theory behind Metacognitive Therapy (MCT).
  • Explain how case-formulation and socialisation is done.
  • Demonstrate how to guide clients in identifying and modifying unhelpful metacognitive beliefs.
  • Explain the role of attention training in MCT and its impact on metacognitive awareness and depressive symptoms.
  • Describe key differences between MCT and other paradigms such as traditional cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT).

  About Presenter

  Pia Callesen, Ph.D.
  

  Pia Callesen, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, author, and one of the leading experts in Metacognitive Therapy. She is the director of Cektos – Centre for Metacognitive Therapy in Denmark, where she supervises a team of over 25 clinicians. Dr. Callesen has conducted several clinical trials and contributed extensively to the dissemination of MCT for depression in Scandinavia and beyond. She is the author of several bestselling books on metacognitive therapy and is known for her clear, accessible teaching style that bridges clinical theory with everyday therapeutic practice.

  Target Audience
  

  This workshop is designed for licensed professionals & advanced graduate students with clinical experience who anticipate seeking licensure as mental health professionals. The instructional level of this presentation is BEGINNER .
  

  • Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists*. Philadelphia Behavior Therapy Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
  • This program provides three and a half (3.5) hours of CE credits.
  • * PBTA now offers CE to licensed psychologists licensed in the state of New York. Attestation of full attendance and provision of license number post-event required to obtain certificate that meets NY criteria for CE.
    
  • PBTA is also an authorized provider of CE credits for Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Clinical Social Workers licensed in the state of Pennsylvania. Non-psychologist licensees in other states should confirm with their respective boards if this meets criteria for CE in their specific non-PA states.
    
  • Full attendance with video display is required to obtain CE credit for this program. APA guidelines do not permit PBTA to issue partial CE credits. No refunds are provided for CE programs. No exceptions allowed. Registrants can log in and cancel up to 48 hours before event when registration closes.
    

  Suggested Readings

  Andersson, E., Aspvall, K., Schettini, G., Kraepelien, M., Särnholm, J., Wergeland, G. J., & Öst, L. G. (2025). Efficacy of metacognitive interventions for psychiatric disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 54(2), 276-302.
  

  Callesen, P. (2020) Live More Think Less. Icon Books.

  Callesen, P., Reeves, D., Heal, C., & Wells, A. (2020). Metacognitive therapy versus cognitive behaviour therapy in adults with major depression: a parallel single-blind randomised trial. Scientific reports, 10(1), 7878.

  Wells, A. (2009). Metacognitive Therapy for Anxiety and Depression. Guilford Press.

  Wells, A., & Fisher, P. (Eds.). (2015). Treating depression: MCT, CBT, and third wave therapies. John Wiley & Sons.

  
  

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