Full Course Description

Ableism and Disability Prejudice

Therapy operates within a broader culture shaped by ableism -

And clinicians receive little guidance on how to help clients with disabilities and chronic conditions navigate the microaggressions they face -

Or on how to keep disability bias from entering the therapy room itself.

Too often, disability simply goes unaddressed in treatment.

In this session, Dr. Rhoda Olkin – developer of disability-affirmative therapy and author of What Psychotherapists Should Know about Disability – will give you a practical framework for supporting clients with disabilities and chronic conditions. You’ll learn how to:

Assess clients’ experience of microaggressions and understand how they are impacted
Use strengths-based reframing and values prioritization to help clients manage microaggressions
Decrease the chance that you perpetrate a microaggression – and how to repair if you do

Program Information

Objectives

Name two ableist assumptions.
Summarize common ableists microaggressions.
Utilize at least one strategy to help clients manage microaggressions.

Outline

Ableism and Disability Prejudice

What is ableism
Denial of rights, patronization, and other microaggressions
Assessment of clients’ responses to microaggressions
Clinical vignettes demonstration How different clients with disabilities or chronic medical conditions respond to microaggressions, with
Prioritization of values
Strengths-based reframing
Limitations of the research and potential risks

Target Audience

Counselors
Social Workers
Psychologists
Psychiatrists
Marriage and Family Therapists
Addiction Counselors
Other Mental Health Professionals

Copyright : 07/16/2026

Medical Gaslighting and Institutional Betrayal

Directly or indirectly, your clients with chronic illness and chronic pain have been told it’s all in their heads... or that they simply need to manage stress better... by the very system that was created to help relieve their suffering.

And given the complex systemic pressures embedded in healthcare – along with limitations in medical tools and treatments, and physician-factors like implicit bias and burnout – they very likely will again.

It’s medical gaslighting and institutional betrayal.

And therapy can be a corrective experience. But you weren’t trained for this.

In this session, Dr. Sacha McBain – medical trauma expert and co-author of Medical Trauma: Assessment Tools, Coping Skills, and Recovery Strategies for Survivors and Therapists – will give you multi-level intervention strategies that are rarely taught in standard mental health training. You'll get:

Practical, research-informed strategies to restore trust and decrease self-blame
A comprehensive toolkit for coaching advocacy, interpersonal effectiveness, and navigation of healthcare systems
Actionable, ethically grounded approaches that go beyond general trauma-informed care

Program Information

Objectives

Identify the mechanisms and risk factors of medical gaslighting, clinician-associated traumatization, and institutional betrayal.
Evaluate the BITTEN model in the assessment and conceptualization of clients' experiences of medical harm.
Utilize at least three therapeutic strategies to restore client agency and support coping with medical trauma.

Outline

Medical Invalidation

Gaslighting and clinician-associated trauma
Institutional betrayal in healthcare
BITTEN model
Biopsychosocial impacts
Risk factors for medical gaslighting
Acute and chronic medical trauma
Medical invalidation as a microaggression
Repeated dismissal as minority stress

Treatment Strategies for Medical Gaslighting

Restore trust and reduce self-blame
Name structural constrains without excusing harm
How to tolerate seeking care within unjust systems
Nuances of validation
Separate “not yet explained” from “not real”
Patient rights in healthcare
Interpersonal effectiveness in unbalanced power dynamics
Coping plan for medical encounters
Work with triggers and medical avoidance
Advocacy coaching and facilitating repair
Documentation as advocacy
Support care navigation and prepare for system-level stressors
Limitations of the research and potential risks

Target Audience

Counselors
Social Workers
Psychologists
Psychiatrists
Marriage and Family Therapists
Addiction Counselors
Other Mental Health Professionals

Copyright : 07/16/2026

Title To Be Determined

Copyright : 07/16/2026

When Health Anxiety and Chronic Illness Overlap

Of course, clients with chronic pain or chronic illness, or who have experienced medical trauma, live with real, ongoing symptoms and legitimate health concerns -

But many also have health anxiety that can worsen distress.

You’re left wondering – how much worry, preoccupation, and vigilance is expected in this case, and how much might be disordered anxiety that I should be treating?

And how do I talk about health anxiety with my clients without minimizing their lived experience?

In this session, Taylor Ham – author of The Health Anxiety Workbook – will give you the tools you need to differentiate expected anxiety in the context of chronic illness from illness anxiety disorder and somatic symptom disorder and then treat it. You’ll learn:

CBT and ACT interventions to reduce fear-driven behaviors, tolerate uncertainty, and engage with life despite ongoing pain and medical symptoms
A framework to avoid both overpathologizing and unintentionally reinforcing clients’ anxiety
How to helpfully respond when medically complex, anxious clients seek reassurance or hyperfocus on their symptoms

Program Information

Objectives

Differentiate between clinical diagnosis of illness anxiety disorder and somatic symptom disorder and normative, proportionate anxiety in clients with chronic illness, chronic pain, or medical trauma.
Identify common clinician behaviors that unintentionally maintain health anxiety in medically complex clients.
Utilize at least two strategies from CBT and/or ACT to help clients increase tolerance of uncertainty and reduce safety behaviors.

Outline

Health Anxiety vs. Reasonable Medical Distress

Why make a distinction?
Illness anxiety disorder and somatic symptom disorder
Health anxiety in the context of chronic illness, pain, and medical trauma
Cognitive, emotional, and behavioral markers that point to co-morbid health anxiety
What about OCD?
Common assessment traps

The Health Anxiety Cycle: How Well-Intentioned Care Can Reinforce Health Anxiety

Reassurance, symptom analysis, and accommodation as unintentional safety behavior reinforcement
The role of intolerance of uncertainty and mortality fears in maintaining health anxiety
Manage therapist and client discomfort with uncertainty and “both/and” realities (real illness + health anxiety)

CBT and ACT Interventions for Clients with Chronic Pain or Chronic Illness

How to provide thoughtful psychoeducation on health anxiety and the pain/anxiety feedback loop
Cognitive interventions to avoid invalidating real symptoms or medical uncertainty
Address reassurance-seeking and safety behaviors while maintaining appropriate medical follow-up
Adapt behavioral experiments and exposure work to account for physical limitations and fluctuating symptoms
Integrate ACT-based values work to help clients build meaning
Limitations of the research and potential risks

Target Audience

Counselors
Social Workers
Psychologists
Psychiatrists
Marriage and Family Therapists
Addiction Counselors
Other Mental Health Professionals

Copyright : 07/16/2026

Pain’s Hidden Story

Chronic pain isn’t always about injury. For many patients, the roots of pain lie in early adversity and trauma that reshape the brain, nervous system, and stress response. In this session, you’ll uncover the hidden link between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and chronic pain—and learn practical, trauma-informed strategies to address the drivers that often go untreated in traditional pain care. You’ll learn to:

Spot when unresolved trauma may be amplifying chronic pain
Use brief screening tools to uncover ACEs and trauma history
Apply trauma-informed strategies to improve pain treatment outcomes

Program Information

Objectives

Name the neurobiological mechanisms linking chronic pain, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and trauma, and recognize the clinical significance of pain–trauma comorbidity.
Identify evidence-based screening and assessment tools to evaluate ACEs and trauma in individuals presenting with chronic pain.
Apply targeted, trauma-informed interventions that address the interconnected psychological and physiological drivers of chronic pain.

Outline

Introduction

Why This Topic Matters: Chronic pain and trauma are deeply interconnected yet often treated in isolation. Use brief statements to easily convey what the attendee can expect to learn/gain from the day

The Neurobiology of Pain and Trauma

Shared Neurobiological Pathways
Central Sensitization vs. Hyperarousal
Include a clear reference to techniques/interventions/clinical application related to your topic

Trauma as a Risk Factor for Chronic Pain

Prevalence of ACEs in chronic pain populations
Trauma-Related Changes to Pain Modulation
Psychological Mechanisms: Dissociation, hypervigilance, and catastrophizing maintain pain cycles

The Pain-Trauma Feedback Loop

Self-Reinforcing Nature of Pain and Trauma
The role of avoidance
Clinical Relevance

Trauma-Informed Chronic Pain Assessment

What to Screen For
How to Ask About Trauma
When to Refer

Trauma-Informed Pain Treatment Approaches

Evidence Based Psychological Interventions
Physiological Interventions

The Role of Sleep, Movement, and Lifestyle Factors

Sleep and Pain
Movement as Therapy
Lifestyle Interventions

The Importance of Narrative and Identity

Reframing the “Injury Story”
Impact of Self-Perception
Rebuilding Agency

Conclusion

Call to Action
Limitations of the research and potential risks

Target Audience

Counselors
Social Workers
Psychologists
Psychiatrists
Marriage and Family Therapist
Addiction Counselors
Other Mental Health Professionals

Copyright : 07/16/2026

The Impact of Diagnostic Uncertainty in Complex, Multi-System Chronic Illness

When clients’ physical symptoms don’t follow predictable patterns and a clear diagnosis is delayed or never comes, they live in a state of ongoing uncertainty that makes it hard to know how to move forward.

And without specialized training, therapists can unintentionally cause harm as they misunderstand clients’ focus on how their body feels as avoidant, resistant, obsessive, or lacking in insight.

With the rise in complex, multi-system, and often dismissed conditions like fibromyalgia, chronic Lyme, and long COVID, it’s more important than ever for therapists to have tools to restore agency, reduce shame, and address complex and layered grief related to changes in functioning and altered future expectations.

In this session, Kanjana Hartshorne – specialist in trauma-informed, body-based, and relational approaches to care – will share keys to help clients regain trust in their own bodies and experience in the face of diagnostic uncertainty. You’ll learn:

How to find a balance between solution-focused and relational work
Tools to counter self-blame and shame when clients experience skepticism from medical providers
Strategies for meaning-making in ongoing illness

Program Information

Objectives

Analyze how prolonged diagnostic uncertainty contributes to shame, grief, and decreased self-trust.
Evaluate how common clinical patterns in complex, multi-system presentations impact treatment engagement and the therapeutic relationship.
Utilize at least two strategies to support clients experiencing diagnostic uncertainty.

Outline

Diagnostic Uncertainty and Complex Chronic Illness

What medical diagnostic uncertainty looks like in clinical mental health practice
Common features of complex and multi-system presentations
How diagnostic journeys impact identity, trust, and engagement in care
Medical trauma - disbelief, dismissal, and fragmented care as sources of psychological harm
How illness becomes moralized or individualized in clinical and cultural narratives
Psychosomatic labeling, medical skepticism, and the internalization of systemic doubt as personal failure
Parallels between chronic illness stigma and other forms of contextualized distress
Systemic issues impacting individuals with intersecting, marginalized identities

Psychotherapy in the Face of Diagnostic Uncertainty and Complex Chronic Illness

Support clients without reinforcing blame, helplessness, or false certainty
Counter self-blame and mistrust in body and self
Address grief, loss, and meaning-making in ongoing illness
Tools and language that remain useful when symptoms fluctuate
Finding a balance between solutions-focused work and relational work

Ethical and Relational Clinical Practice

Maintain scope of practice while offering meaningful support
Critically examine assumptions of resistance, over-focus on symptoms, and character disorder
Avoid common pitfalls such as over-reassurance or jumping straight to reframing thought processes
Recognize how well-intended therapeutic responses may not be appropriate
Implicit bias, internalized ableism, and the tendency to prioritize medical opinion over lived experience
Importance of cultural humility
When to use self-disclosure
Limitations of the research and potential risks

Target Audience

Counselors
Social Workers
Psychologists
Psychiatrists
Marriage and Family Therapists
Addiction Counselors
Other Mental Health Professionals

Copyright : 07/16/2026

Psychotherapy Skills for Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is never just physical, and effective psychotherapy requires more than a single approach. In this clinically focused session, Dr. Debra Burdick integrates five evidence-informed frameworks to help clinicians address pain mechanisms while supporting emotional regulation and overall functioning.

You’ll learn:

How CBT-CP, ACT, Mindfulness and Neurofeedback conceptualize chronic pain
Practical, session-ready skills from each framework to reduce distress and shift pain relationships
How to integrate multiple approaches without overwhelming clients or losing clinical focus

Program Information

Objectives

Define chronic pain and summarize key characteristics that differentiate it from acute pain.
Differentiate three major types of pain and identify skills used to help each type.
Examine five theoretical frameworks (CBT-CP, ACT, Mindfulness, PRT, Neurofeedback) and utilize skills from these approaches to support clients’ physical and emotional well-being.

Outline

Risks, Limitations and Scope of Practice
Define Chronic Pain
Describe Three Major Types of Pain and Skills to Help Each Type
Understand Five Theoretical Frameworks for Helping Clients with Pain
- CBT-CP
- Mindfulness
- ACT
- PRT
- Neurofeedback

Target Audience

Counselors
Social Workers
Psychologists
Psychiatrists
Marriage and Family Therapists
Addiction Counselors
Other Mental Health Professionals

Copyright : 07/17/2026

Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) & Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET)

Psychotherapy for chronic pain has traditionally focused on helping clients learn to accept and live with their condition, assuming that it cannot and will not improve.

But what if, for certain types of pain, therapists could do more than that?

What if we could help clients actually recover from chronic pain?

In this session, chronic pain expert Gabrielle Jacobs will show you how to determine whether your clients might benefit from new, neuroscience-based treatments – Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) and Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET) - that could actually reduce and eliminate chronic pain. You’ll learn:

Strategies to gently guide clients to relate differently to their pain without offending them or damaging rapport
How to determine the type of pain your client is experiencing – and pivot strategies accordingly
Techniques for mindful somatic tracking and expressing avoided emotions

Program Information

Objectives

Differentiate neuroplastic vs. structural pain based on established criteria and within scope of practice.
Develop psychoeducation to clients about neuroplastic pain.
Identify the treatment strategies of Pain Reprocessing Therapy and Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy.

Outline

Chronic Neuroplastic Pain vs. Structural, Acute Pain

Purpose of pain – real danger, or inaccurate perception of threat
The importance of thorough medical examinations
Neuroscience findings related to chronic vs. acute pain
Live with it, or reduce/eliminate it
Limitations of the research and potential risks

Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) & Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET)

How to provide psychoeducation to turn down threat and turn up safety
Assess for chronic pain with SHIFT criteria
Evidence sheets to reattribute the source of pain to the brain rather than the body
Increase awareness of conditions and patterns impacting pain
Relationship between stress, “difficult” emotions, and pain
Mindful somatic tracking to increase curiosity toward painful sensations
Reduce the drive to make pain “go away”
Techniques to experience, express, and release suppressed or avoided emotions
Graded exposure to overcome avoidance and reduce use of pain-related accommodations
Getting emotions up and out of the body exercise
Somatic tracking exercise

Target Audience

Counselors
Social Workers
Psychologists
Psychiatrists
Marriage and Family Therapists
Addiction Counselors
Other Mental Health Professionals

Copyright : 07/17/2026

Cannabis and Opioids in Chronic Pain Management

Chronic pain affects millions, and in the midst of the opioid crisis, clinicians are being asked to navigate increasingly complex treatment decisions with limited guidance about the potential for medication misuse and dependence.

And as cannabis use becomes more common among individuals with chronic pain, mental health practitioners are on the front lines of questions about safety, effectiveness, and clinical appropriateness.

In this session, Dr. Hayden Center – substance use disorders expert – breaks down what clinicians actually need to know, cutting through the noise to examine the real benefits, risks, and clinical applications of both cannabis and opioids. You’ll also gain a clearer understanding of the neurobiology driving their effects on pain, mood, and functioning. You’ll learn:

How to recognize when substance use is shaping pain, mood, and treatment outcomes
Evidence-informed insights into the benefits and risks of cannabis and opioid use
Practical strategies for clinical decision-making, including assessing misuse, dependence, tolerance, and withdrawal

Program Information

Objectives

Analyze the benefits and risks of cannabis and opioid use in the treatment of chronic pain, including misuse, dependence, tolerance, and withdrawal.
Differentiate the neurobiological effects of cannabis and opioids on the brain and their implications for pain and mental health.
Apply clinical decision-making by selecting appropriate strategies to assess and address substance use in clients with chronic pain.

Outline

The Scope of the Problem

Impact of chronic pain on mental, physical, and emotional functioning
Societal burden of chronic pain

Opioids, Cannabis, and Chronic Pain

Opioid prescriptions and effectiveness
Cannabis uses and effectiveness
Misuse
Physical dependence, tolerance, and withdrawal
Neurobiology – pharmacokinetics and psychodynamics

Limitations of the research and potential risks

Target Audience

Counselors
Social Workers
Psychologists
Psychiatrists
Marriage and Family Therapists
Addiction Counselors
Other Mental Health Professionals

Copyright : 07/17/2026

Treating Chronic Illness in Context

Chronic illness doesn’t just affect the patient. It reshapes the entire support system.

Caregiving stress, shifting roles, identity changes, and relationship strain often become some of the most challenging parts of the experience. In this practical session, you’ll learn how to address the relational impact of illness and support both patients and the people who care for them.

You’ll learn how to:

Identify common relational stressors that emerge in chronic illness, including role changes, caregiver burnout, and loss of independence
Use practical clinical interventions to support patients while also working effectively with partners, families, and caregivers
Help support systems adapt to the long-term emotional and psychological impact of chronic illness while maintaining connection, communication, and resilience

Program Information

Objectives

Identify common psychological, relational, and caregiver challenges associated with chronic illness, including role transitions, identity shifts, and changes in family and social support systems.
Explain the impact of chronic illness on patients, caregivers, and family systems, including effects on emotional functioning, relationships, and overall well-being.
Apply evidence-based therapeutic approaches (e.g., cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness-based, trauma-informed, relational, and meaning-centered) to support coping, resilience, and caregiver sustainability, including strategies to address burden, compassion fatigue, and communication challenges.

Outline

Introduction: Chronic Illness as a Relational Experience

Moving beyond an individual-only model of illness
Understanding chronic illness as a family and relational system
Risks, limitations, and scope of clinical practice

Psychological and Family Systems Impact

Role shifts, uncertainty, and invisible losses
Emotional impact on patients and loved ones
Adapting to ongoing medical uncertainty within family systems

Caregiving in Chronic Illness

Caregiver burden and compassion fatigue
Role strain, identity shifts, and relational changes
Balancing caregiving responsibilities with personal well-being
Supporting caregiver resilience and preventing burnout

Navigating Relationship Changes in Chronic Illness

Role shifts within couples, families, and caregiving relationships
Identity changes and adjustment to long-term illness and health fluctuations
Navigating autonomy, dependence, and evolving needs over time
Maintaining connection while adapting to new limitations
Changes in social connection and support systems

Clinical Interventions for Supporting Patients and Caregivers

Reflective and Narrative Tools
- Guided journaling to process illness experiences and emotional responses
- Narrative reframing to reconstruct identity beyond illness
- Meaning-making practices to support adjustment and resilience
Cognitive and Emotional Coping Tools
- Cognitive restructuring for catastrophic thinking and health anxiety
- Values clarification to maintain purpose and direction
- Emotion regulation strategies for stress, grief, and frustration
Relationship and Communication Tools
- Structured communication exercises for patients and caregivers
- Boundary-setting frameworks for changing roles and responsibilities
- Partner and caregiver check-ins to maintain connection
Illness Management Tools
- Energy pacing for fluctuating symptoms and fatigue
- Expectation adjustment for illness-related limitations
- Problem-solving strategies for healthcare navigation and daily challenges
Social Support and Connection Tools
- Support system mapping
- Peer and group-based connection strategies
- Building community and illness-specific support networks

Medical Trauma in Chronic Illness

Repeated medical procedures and healthcare-related stressors

Trauma responses in patients and caregivers

Clinical considerations for trauma-informed care

Building Resilience and Strengthening Relationships

Validation and normalization of chronic illness experiences

Meaning-making and psychological flexibility

Promoting connection and adaptive coping within families

Supportive Mental Health Services and Community Resources

The role of psychotherapy in chronic illness care
Benefits of peer support and clinician-facilitated groups
Reducing isolation through community connection
Supporting access to appropriate mental health resources

Evidence-Based Clinical Approaches

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Trauma-Informed Care (TIC)
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT)
Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy (MCP)
Narrative Therapy
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT)
Family and couple interventions

Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Chronic illness unfolds across individuals and relationships, quietly reshaping both
Adaptation often lives in what’s unspoken—roles shifting, emotions reorganizing, connection renegotiated
Resilience emerges through attunement, validation, and the search for meaning within uncertainty
Thoughtful, evidence-informed care can help sustain flexibility, connection, and a livable path forward

Target Audience

Counselors 
Social Workers 
Psychologists 
Psychiatrists 
Marriage and Family Therapists 
Addiction Counselors 
Other Mental Health Professionals

Grief and Chronic Pain

Chronic pain and grief often appear together in clinical practice, yet both are frequently misunderstood, minimized, or treated separately. Research shows that emotional loss and physical pain share overlapping neurobiological and stress pathways that shape how distress is experienced and sustained.

In this session, you’ll explore how grief and chronic pain intersect and learn practical ways to integrate this understanding into clinical work. You’ll learn how to:

Recognize the shared neurobiology underlying grief and chronic pain
Identify how unresolved grief can intensify somatic distress
Use validation, therapeutic alliance, and meaning-centered strategies to support healing

Program Information

Objectives

Recognize the clinical overlap between chronic pain and grief, including the shared neurobiological and stress mechanisms that shape both experiences.
Identify signs of prolonged or disenfranchised grief in clients with chronic pain.
Apply relational and meaning-centered strategies to strengthen therapeutic alliance and support healing.

Outline

Introduction: The Overlap of Grief and Chronic Pain 

Prevalence and clinical significance 
Why both experiences are often minimized 
The impact of unrecognized grief on somatic symptoms

Shared Neurobiology and Stress Mechanisms 

Overlapping brain networks in emotional and physical pain 
Stress physiology, inflammation, and the HPA axis 
How chronic activation reinforces pain and distress

Disenfranchised and Silenced Grief 

Cultural and systemic barriers to recognizing grief 
The role of stigma and medical invalidation 
Clinical consequences of unspoken loss

Whole-Person Assessment and Case Conceptualization 

Moving beyond mind–body dualism 
Integrating attachment, trauma history, and identity shifts 
Practical grief-informed assessment questions

The Therapeutic Relationship as Regulation 

Research on alliance and outcomes 
Validation as a physiological intervention 
Repairing ruptures in medically complex cases

Integrative Clinical Interventions 

Mindfulness and acceptance-based approaches 
Narrative and meaning reconstruction 
Interdisciplinary and culturally responsive care 
Role of peer-led support groups and collaborative care
Risks, Limitations and Scope of Practice

Patient-Centered, Trauma-Informed Communication 

Language that validates lived experience 
Shared decision-making 
Communication as an active treatment tool

Clinical Integration and Key Takeaways 

Recognizing the body as a carrier of loss 
Strengthening empathy and clinician sustainability 
Practical applications for everyday practice

Target Audience

Counselors 
Social Workers 
Psychologists 
Psychiatrists 
Marriage and Family Therapists 
Addiction Counselors 
Other Mental Health Professionals

When the Therapists Has a Chronic Illness

Without training, it’s easy to inadvertently reinforce the toxic wellness narratives that clients with chronic illness are already drowning in. And it’s common to make even more harmful mistakes – to pathologize pacing as avoidance...grief over the loss of health as depression...appropriate attentiveness to health as anxiety.

And the problem deepens when the clinician is also a person with chronic illness, facing the distinct professional and clinical challenges that come with it.

In this session, Destiny Davis – expert in psychotherapy with chronic illness and host of The Chronic Illness Therapist podcast – will show you a framework to work more ethically, effectively, and sustainably with chronic illness populations as you examine how your own health experience shapes treatment. You’ll learn how to:

Cope with unpredictable symptoms while providing responsive client care
Navigate disclosure decisions and related ethical dilemmas
Manage internalized ableism, countertransference, and more

Program Information

Objectives

Distinguish between clinically appropriate adjustment responses and pathology in clients with chronic illness.
Analyze the impact of a clinician's chronic illness on the therapeutic relationship.
Implement at least one evidence-based framework for sustainable practice as a clinician with chronic illness.

Outline

The Clinical and Practice Landscape of Chronic Illness

Scope of chronic illness
Why chronic illness requires specialized training
Common mistakes when working with chronically ill clients
Differentiation of illness-related grief from depressive disorder
Health vigilance versus health anxiety
Is it avoidance or medically-informed pacing?
Chronic illness-informed interpretation of standard assessment tools
Limitations of the research and potential risks
Comparative case studies

When the Therapist Has Chronic Illness

The impact of internalized ableism
Ethical considerations for self-disclosure
Practice design strategies that accommodate physiological unpredictability
How to set ethical limits and boundaries informed by capacity
Professional identity resilience and use of embodied clinical knowledge
Countertransference when both clinician and client share illness experience
Role of peer consultation and reflective practice

Target Audience

Counselors
Social Workers
Psychologists
Psychiatrists
Marriage and Family Therapists
Addiction Counselors
Other Mental Health Professionals

SPEAKER BIO SHELL | Chronic Pain & Medical Illness in Psychotherapy:

Over two focused days, clinicians will come together to learn from some of the most trusted voices in the field—experts who work at the intersection of chronic pain, medical illness, and mental health and understand the realities of this work in practice.

Across ACT, CBT, somatic, and trauma-informed approaches, experienced clinicians show how they make treatment decisions when mental health concerns are inseparable from chronic pain and medical illness—without oversimplifying, pathologizing, or working at odds with the body.

This is practice-informed training for clinicians who want greater clarity, steadier judgment, and more confidence in their clinical decisions, especially when pain and medical illness change the conditions of the work.

Save your spot today!