Upcoming Events
Note: Not all presentations are listed.
Bookings for organizations for their own staff are typically omitted here.
Emerging Adulthood
Post-Secondary Counsellor Association Annual Convention. A presentation for postsecondary counsellors on the issues facing emerging youth, and strategies for assisting in the creation of an adult identity.
Looking Back at the "Satanic Panic": Lessons from a Systemic Mass Delusion
Review Session, Annual Convention of the Canadian Psychological Association, St Johns NL.
11:30 am - 12:55 pm, Room: Bannerman 1, St John’s Convention Centre
“Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” - George Santayana. In the late 1980s and early 1990s concern swept North America that thousands of children and young adults had been ritually abused by satanic cults, and that this explained the common psychological symptoms that they were experiencing. This panic was sparked, in part, by the publication of Michelle Remembers, asubsequently-debunked book by a British Columbian practitioner. Mental health clinicians across the continent - including psychologists - succumbed to what turned out to be a mass delusion, damaging the lives of clients and their families in the process. After a time the hysteria subsided and the field moved on, without substantial reckoning with how the disaster had unfolded or how future degradations of practice could be prevented. Although the “satanic panic” is a particularly startling example of professional gullibility, it may serve as a model for prior and subsequent fads within the field. This presentation discusses the origins and nature of the panic, the failures of the mental health system and professions to intervene, and the vulnerabilities revealed in the process - vulnerabilities which, it is argued, remain today. Examples of more recent failures of critical thought are discussed, with the aim of promoting caution and humility in the face of tempting enthusiasms within the field.
Adventures in Book Publishing: Psychology for the Popular Press Market
Round Table Discussion at Canadian Psychological Association Annual Convention, St Johns NL
10:30 am - 10:55 am, Room: Bowering 1,3,5, St John’s Convention Centre
Cognizant of George Miller’s urging to “give psychology away,” many in psychology have an interest in presenting information and insights for a broader audience in book format. But what’s the path? How does it work? And is it worth the effort? In this informal roundtable discussion participants will have the opportunity to set the agenda, identifying topics they would like to learn about, potentially including: Primary players in the psychology and self-help markets. Things to look for in a publisher. Pitching an idea to a publisher. Should you write your book first or get a contract first? Structuring the writing process. Defining your audience. Working with an acquisitions editor. Responsibilities of the author and the publisher. The editing sequence. Promoting your book. Royalties and how they work – and where the primary benefit of publishing comes from. Participants are invited to bring their own ideas for potential books and receive feedback and recommendations. Those who have published in the popular press (or who are in the process) are likewise invited to share their own experiences. You may leave inspired, or you may leave satisfied that this is one quest you need not embark upon.
Engaging the Disengaged: 5 Alliance-Building Strategies for Young Adults Struggling to Achieve Independence
Drs Trisha Kivisalu & Randy Paterson, Changeways Clinic, Vancouver
Workshop at Canadian Psychological Association Annual Convention, St Johns NL
11:30 am - 12:55 pm, Room: Bannerman 1, St John’s Convention Centre
Clinicians increasingly see young adults struggling to achieve self-direction and independence - a population often referred to by the terms "failure to launch," "hikikomori," or "NEET" (Not in Education, Employment, or Training). The challenges these clients face, if left unaddressed, can have significant impacts on their own mental health, their families, and society as a whole. Psychotherapy can be an effective intervention to support these individuals in building the skills and habits essential for healthy adult functioning, but it requires engagement with the clinician and a commitment to the process. Difficulties establishing a productive work alliance, tolerating the challenges of change, and sustaining motivation over time can all prove to be significant barriers - as can continued attendance at therapy sessions. This presentation outlines some of the challenges in therapy working with clients struggling to achieve independence and offers five tips to enhance the alliance and improve retention. These include de-triangulation from the demands and expectations of parents, focusing on proximal rather than distant therapeutic goals, working well within the client's zone of tolerable discomfort, emphasizing and normalizing uncomfortable emotions during change, and conducting intersession follow-up. Clinical examples and vignettes of each are provided.
Assertiveness for Early Career Scientists
Webinar for international group of early-career scientists on assertive communication within the context of academia and related organizations. Part of “Life Skills for Young Scientists” group. Time indicated is Pacific; participants will join from multiple time zones.
Emerging Adulthood Discussion Group
FREE. A monthly discussion hour for mental health professionals working with isolated/withdrawn young adults. The gap between dependent adolescence and independent adulthood seems to be getting wider - and more and more clients in mental health settings seem to be stuck at the transition. This online one-hour discussion selects and discusses a single issue on the subject of failure to launch, NEET (Not in Education Employment or Training), and hikikomori, with the aim of expanding awareness of the nature and therapy for this increasingly common life challenge. There is no need to attend regularly. Email me for the zoom link. Time is 11 am Pacific (Vancouver) time, 2 pm Eastern.
This time: Adult-raising strategies to enhance autonomy and independence in children and adolescents before adult withdrawal becomes an issue.
Assertiveness: Helping You & Your Clients Set Boundaries
Webinar for eCare Behavioural Health. A 3CE workshop for mental health professionals on the use of assertiveness training within clinical settings. For further information and to register, please visit the eCare site by clicking here.
Emerging Adulthood Discussion Group
FREE. A monthly discussion hour for mental health professionals working with isolated/withdrawn young adults. The gap between dependent adolescence and independent adulthood seems to be getting wider - and more and more clients in mental health settings seem to be stuck at the transition. This online one-hour discussion selects and discusses a single issue on the subject of failure to launch, NEET (Not in Education Employment or Training), and hikikomori, with the aim of expanding awareness of the nature and therapy for this increasingly common life challenge. There is no need to attend regularly. Email me for the zoom link. Time is 11 am Pacific (Vancouver) time, 2 pm Eastern.
This time: Who is the best person to have in your office - the young adult or the parent(s)?
Emerging Adulthood Journal Club
FREE. A monthly journal club for mental health professionals. The gap between dependent adolescence and independent adulthood seems to be getting wider - and more and more clients in mental health settings seem to be stuck at the transition. This online one-hour journal club selects and discusses a single short-ish article from the online open-access published literature on the subject of failure to launch, NEET (Not in Education Employment or Training), and hikikomori, with the aim of expanding awareness of the nature and therapy for this increasingly common life challenge. There is no need to attend regularly. Email me for the zoom link. Time is 11 am Pacific (Vancouver) time, 2 pm Eastern.
This time: Rooksby, M, Furuhashi, T, & McLeod, HJ (2020) Hikikomori: A hidden mental health need following the COVID-19 pandemic. World Psychiatry 19:3, 399-400. A prescient discussion of the predicted effects of COVID-related lockdowns on the prevalence and severity of hikikomori. Direct link here.
Do No Harm: Fads and Failures in Mental Health
The function of mental health service is to improve the welfare of clients and, by extension, the general population. Evidence indicates that such benefits exist, but also that some individuals are negatively affected by certain interventions, programs, diagnoses, “preventive” measures, and public education campaigns. One way to improve overall outcomes is to sharpen the positive effects of what we do; another - often neglected - is to examine the failures in mental health history and determine how to avoid making such errors in future. Presentation for the Clinical Psychology program of the Department of Psychology at University of British Columbia.
Emerging Adulthood Journal Club
FREE. A monthly journal club for mental health professionals. The gap between dependent adolescence and independent adulthood seems to be getting wider - and more and more clients in mental health settings seem to be stuck at the transition. This online one-hour journal club selects and discusses a single short-ish article from the online open-access published literature on the subject of failure to launch, NEET (Not in Education Employment or Training), and hikikomori, with the aim of expanding awareness of the nature and therapy for this increasingly common life challenge. There is no need to attend regularly. Email me for the zoom link. Time is 11 am Pacific (Vancouver) time, 2 pm Eastern.
This time: Lebowitz, Eli R (2016). “Failure to Launch”: Shaping intervention for highly dependent adult children. Journal of the American Adademy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 55, 89-90. Lebowitz provides a rationale for focusing treatment on parental accommodation rather than on the young adult. Direct link: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4895190/pdf/nihms790681.pdf
Emerging Adulthood Journal Club
FREE. A monthly journal club for mental health professionals. The gap between dependent adolescence and independent adulthood seems to be getting wider - and more and more clients in mental health settings seem to be stuck at the transition. This online one-hour journal club selects and discusses a single short-ish article from the online open-access published literature on the subject of failure to launch, NEET (Not in Education Employment or Training), and hikikomori, with the aim of expanding awareness of the nature and therapy for this increasingly common life challenge. There is no need to attend regularly. Email me for the zoom link. Time is 11 am Pacific (Vancouver) time, 2 pm Eastern.
This time: Population Europe (2014). Failure to Launch: Economic crisis leads to demographic crisis for the young. Population & Policy Compact, 6. https://population-europe.eu/files/documents/pb_youth_vulnerability_final_web.pdf
Emerging Adulthood Journal Club
FREE. A monthly journal club for mental health professionals. The gap between dependent adolescence and independent adulthood seems to be getting wider - and more and more clients in mental health settings seem to be stuck at the transition. This online one-hour journal club selects and discusses a single short-ish article from the online open-access published literature on the subject of failure to launch, NEET (Not in Education Employment or Training), and hikikomori, with the aim of expanding awareness of the nature and therapy for this increasingly common life challenge. There is no need to attend regularly. Email me for the zoom link. Time is 11 am Pacific (Vancouver) time, 2 pm Eastern.
This time: Nonaka, S, & Sakai, M (2021). Psychological factors associated with social withdrawal (hikikomori). Investigation Psychiatry, 18, 463-470. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8169334/pdf/pi-2021-0050.pdf
Satanic Ritual Abuse: Memories of a Mass Delusion
Free discussion session.
“Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” - Santayana.
In the 1980s and early 1990s, widespread concern erupted in the mental health system about Satanic ritual abuse (SRA) as a cause for relatively common symptoms of psychological distress. It subsequently emerged that this was a mass delusion at work - but unusually, among treating professionals rather than (or prior to) those seeking care. Thousands of people were “treated” for this illusory problem until the evidence against the practice became overwhelming, at which point the mental health field moved on but largely failed to take responsibility for damage done, nor investigate how it had so readily fallen prey to a transparently false narrative. In this discussion session, clinicians are invited to share their memories from this neglected period, and consider whether the field has developed measures to temper irrational enthusiasms before putting them into practice. Newer clinicians very welcome. Time is 5 pm Pacific (Vancouver) time, 8 pm Eastern.
Emerging Adulthood Journal Club
First meeting: A monthly journal club for mental health professionals. JOIN US! Now, or later. FREE.
The gap between dependent adolescence and independent adulthood seems to be getting wider - and more and more clients in mental health settings seem to be stuck at the transition. This online one-hour journal club selects and discusses a single short-ish article from the online open-access published literature on the subject of failure to launch, NEET (Not in Education Employment or Training), and hikikomori, with the aim of expanding awareness of the nature and therapy for this increasingly common life challenge. There is no need to attend regularly. Email me for the zoom link. Time is 11 am Pacific (Vancouver) time, 2 pm Eastern.
This time: Kato, TA, Kanba, S, and Teo, AR (2020). Defining pathological social withdrawal: Proposed diagnostic criteria for hikikomori. World Psychiatry, 19, 116-117. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/wps.20705