Download Neuroscience Meets Evidence-Based Practice - Psychology

Brain-Based Therapy
Neuroscience Meets Evidence-Based Practice
for Optimum Therapeutic Outcomes
o Examine the role of attachment in development of affect regulation and
hemisphere asymmetry
o Apply a brain-based approach to treating depression, anxiety, OCD,
PTSD, mood and attention deficit disorders
o Understand which elements of traditional psychotherapy are relevant and
which are counter-therapeutic
o Discover how the synthesis of neuroscience, evidence-based treatment and
attachment theory fosters optimum therapeutic outcomes
o Understand the role of memory and attention in the therapeutic process
Applying the Latest Developments in Neuropsychology to Everyday Practice
Recent advances in the neurosciences have increased our knowledge of how and why
people change. Brain-based therapy synthesizes neuroscience, evidence-based
treatment, and attachment theory into a hybrid therapeutic model. This model helps
identify which elements of theoretical psychology are relevant and which may be
counter-therapeutic. Brain-based therapy envisions the therapeutic process as a
method to change the brain in order to change mood and behavior, using evidence of
brain function and activity and moving beyond the theoretical school paradigm.
This seminar will examine the use of brain-based psychotherapy to enhance outcomes
with a variety of client populations. Participants will identify the role that brain
function plays in mood, memory and behavior. You will evaluate the latest research
indicating certain aspects of traditional theoretical psychology that may be countertherapeutic. Using a synthesized model of neuroscience, attachment theory and
evidence-based treatment, you will learn how to more effectively treat clients with
depression and anxiety disorders as well as PTSD and OCD. Participants will develop
a new way of looking at the therapeutic process to move beyond the traditional
theoretical school approach. You will learn how to use this information in the therapy
session to educate your clients and make the goals of treatment understandable.
Course Content
Brain-Based Therapy: An Overview
 The synthesis of different domains of knowledge
 History: “brainless” psychology
Lessons from the Psychotherapy Literature
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Beck, the DSM, and Prozac: the Pax Medica
Psychotherapy: an endangered species
Research to the rescue: variables in successful treatment
From technique to two-person psychotherapy
Outcomes management
Neuroscience
 Laterality and lobes
 Prefrontal lobes (the OFC and DLPFC)
 Anterior cingulate, insula
 Hemispheric specialization and affect
 Neuroplasticity
 Neurogenesis
 The social brain, empathy and attachment
 Mirror neurons and spindle cells
 How the brain acts on itself
Developmental Neurobiology
 Brain development
 Deprived vs. enriched environments
 Temperament
 Winnicott, Bolby, Ainsworth and Main: attachment
 Durability and correlates of attachment schema
 Theory of Mind (ToM)
 Development of the adolescent brain
 Differential parenting effects
 Attention deficit disorder (ADD)
 Working from the BASE
o brain
o alliance
o system
o evidence-based practices
The Role of Memory
 Implicit and explicit memory
 Hippocampus and amygdala dynamics
Stress
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Historical models
Allostasis
Allostatic load
Adverse childhood experiences
Anxiety Disorders: Taming the Amygdala
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Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
Panic disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): the striatum, amygdala and OFC
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): what to do about the hippocampus
Depression
 Neurodynamics of depression
 Limitations of neurotransmitter/medication models
 Hemisphere laterality
 Activity reward system—behavior activation
 Healthy habits—planting SEEDS
o sleep hygiene
o exercise—BDNF, “miracle grow”
o education
o diet—amino acids, fatty acids and vitamins
o social medicine
 Mindfulness
What You Will Learn
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Discuss the role of attachment in the development of affect regulation and
hemisphere asymmetry
Recognize how activity in the brain’s right and left frontal lobes affect mood
Explain how attachment styles and temperament influence later behavior
Describe the effects of chronic stress on memory
Differentiate between implicit and explicit memory and their roles in therapy
Discover how mindfulness meditation affects the brain
Examine brain-based therapy approaches to treating anxiety, depression, trauma
and attention deficit disorders
Translate knowledge of the brain into client education and motivation strategies
Who Should Attend
o Psychologists
o Psychotherapists
o Counselors
o Social Workers
o Psychiatrists
o Marriage and Family Therapists
o Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors
o Pastoral Counselors
o Case Managers
o Psychiatric Nurses
Course Director
John Arden, PhD, is a Licensed Psychologist and the author/co-author of 12
books, including Brain-Based Therapy with Adults and Brain-Based Therapy with
Children and Adolescents (with Lloyd Linford). Dr. Arden serves as Director of
Training in Mental Health for Kaiser Permanente in the Northern California
region. He oversees the training programs in 24 medical centers where over 100
postdoctoral residents and interns are trained each year. Dr. Arden also provides
individual, group and family therapy and chemical dependency counseling
through Kaiser Permanente. He presents workshops on brain-based therapy in the
United States and abroad. Dr. Arden has written books on anxiety (Heal Your
Anxiety Workbook), OCD (Heal Your OCD Workbook, with Dr. Daniel DalCorso)
and PTSD (Conquering Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, with Dr. Victoria
Beckner) as well Improving Your Memory for Dummies; Consciousness, Dreams,
and Self: A Transdisciplinary Approach (winner of the Choice 1997 Outstanding
Academic Book Award); and Science, Theology, and Consciousness.