A908 Brain-Based Therapy

The era of Pax Medica, in which psychotherapy reflected the medical model of diagnosis and treatment, is coming to an end. 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, which helps identify which elements of theoretical psychology are relevant and which may be counter-therapeutic. In this course, we’ll examine the use of brain-based psychotherapy to enhance outcomes with a variety of client populations, including clients with depression and anxiety disorders, as well as PTSD and OCD. We’ll identify the role that brain function plays in mood, memory and behavior and evaluate the latest research indicating which features of traditional theoretical psychology may be counter-therapeutic. You’ll learn how to use this information in the therapy session to educate your clients and make the goals of treatment fully understandable.

Meet the Instructors

John Arden, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist, is the author or coauthor of 12 books, including Brain-Based Therapy with Adults and Brain-Based Therapy with Children and Adolescents (with Lloyd Linford). He’s director of training in mental health for Kaiser Permanente in the Northern California region, overseeing the training programs in 24 medical centers where over 100 postdoctoral residents and interns are trained each year.

Lloyd Linford, Ph.D., is the coauthor of the Brain-Based Therapy books and the editor of more than 30 other books on scientific topics. He’s chief psychologist and the chair of the chiefs of psychology and social work for Kaiser Permanente in Northern California. He’s currently director of Kaiser’s Psychiatry Best Practices, which develops evidenced-based programs for 24 medical centers in Northern California.

Course Content

Session 1: Brain-Based Therapy: An Overview • The synthesis of different domains of knowledge from neuroscience to attachment theory • History: “brainless” psychology

Session 2: Practical Neuroscience • The role of memory • Stress • Anxiety disorders: taming the amygdala • Depression

Learning Objectives

1. Recognize how activity in the brain’s right and left frontal lobes affect mood
2. Explain how attachment styles and temperament influence later behavior
3. Describe the effects of chronic stress on memory
4. Translate knowledge of the brain into client education and motivation strategies