4th Annual Conference
Westmead Psychotherapy Program For Complex Traumatic Disorders
6th November 2015
Finding Common Ground
Trauma is an isolating experience. Pathways to healing and recovery involve making therapeutic connections, employing a range of modalities including individual and group psychotherapy. A number of approaches to psychotherapy for traumatic conditions have been developed, with differing theoretical orientations. Hence different therapists may at times seem to be speaking somewhat different “languages”. The challenge of finding common ground refers, on the one hand, to bridging the relational gap experienced by patients who are feeling isolated and alienated as a result of trauma. At another level there is the task of using the “common sense” of language to help reach a shared understanding amongst the many people involved in the care of traumatized individuals, with regard to achieving optimal paths to recovery. This conference will focus on the nature of psychological trauma and several approaches to care, including an open community-based group therapy with consumer involvement (the Service User Network / “SUN” model); the Conversational Model; and Dialectical-Behavior Therapy.
Barry Jones
Dr Barry Jones is a UK trained psychoanalyst and psychiatrist in psychotherapy and child & adolescent psychiatry.
Before coming to Australia in 2013 he designed and led a service that comprised of a mentalization-informed therapeutic community day model for adults with personality disorder, together with an open access community group support model for people with personality disorder. That service was short-listed by the Royal College of Psychiatrists for service of the year in 2012 and won a consumer-nominated award.
Since moving, Dr Jones has designed and implemented a therapy model for self-harming adolescents. He has adapted the group support model for use in adolescents and is commencing an RCT later this year.
PROGRAM
8.45 Welcome – Dr Senthil Muthuswamy, Director Mental Health
9.00 Dr Barry Jones - Network Based Therapy approach to promoting coping
10.00 Dr Anthony Korner – Free Association
11.00 Morning Tea
11.20 Clodagh Ross-Hamid/Michelle Greene - Finding Common Ground: A proposed clinical and research collaboration between clinical psychology and psychiatry in WSLHD
12.10 A/Prof Loyola McLean – "Common Ground, Common Threads foster Recovery: Attachment, Parent-Infant Research and Neuroscience in Conversation"
1.00 Lunch
1.45 Dr Joan Haliburn - What is the Conversational Model of Individual Psychodynamic Psychotherapy?
2.30 Dr George Lianos - Working with couples; finding common ground
3.15 Afternoon Tea
3.35 Karen Druce - Behind Closed Doors: “What’s Going On?” Somatic Countertransference and the Conversational Model of Psychotherapy
5.00 Introduction to Westmead Psychotherapy Program for Complex Traumatic Disorders Scholarship Program. (An informal discussion for interested parties)
Westmead Psychotherapy Program for Complex Traumatic Disorders
The Westmead Psychotherapy and Research Program is pleased to announce a training opportunity in psychotherapy that will be operating in the Western Sydney Local Health District from early 2016. There will be a limited number of places offered as scholarships (free of charge) for mental health staff working for Western Sydney Local Health District for training in
1. individual dynamic psychotherapy (both long-term and brief),
2. group psychotherapy.
The program is based upon the Conversational Model developed by Russell Meares and Robert Hobson to offer treatment to patients with complex and difficult disorders. It continues to incorporate contemporary research in neuroscience, psychotherapy, trauma and attachment. While in the past best known for its utility in treating borderline personality disorder, the model is now being usefully applied to engagement and treatment of the broader group of patients with Complex Traumatic Disorders, conditions that are often refractory to other treatment approaches.
The training is available to the full range of professional disciplines working in the mental health field (including psychiatry registrars; psychologists; mental health nurses; social workers; occupational therapists). The program involves teaching and supervision. It will be a requirement that people entering the program be engaged in the psychotherapeutic treatment of patients from the Western Sydney Local Health District. There will be the opportunity for trainees in this program to complete the full program of 3 years, successful completion of which would entitle candidates to membership of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychotherapy. For trainee psychiatrists, the clinical experience gained will fulfil the clinical and supervision requirements for the long cases in the individual dynamic chapter of the Advanced Training in the Psychotherapies.
Alternatively trainees may choose a brief program option that will teach psychotherapy skills over the shorter time-frame of 12 months. All trainees will treat Local Health District-based patients and will also have the opportunity to develop relevant research skills.
The Program also encourages applications from those mental health staff considering a PhD in related areas of clinical and basic research. A combined clinical and research training could be offered, with the clinical arm funded as above for staff who would need to concurrently enrol with The University of Sydney as a doctoral candidate.
Expressions of interest should be made to the Program Secretary, Michelle Phillips at,
Email: michelle.Phillips@.health.nsw.gov.au
Telephone: 9840 3335
Michelle