MAMFT:::2009 Conference

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		2009 Annual Conference February 19-20, 2009 Featuring: Malcolm M. MacFarlane , M.A. Family Treatment of Personality Disorders: An Integrative Approach Purpose of the Conference: • Provide an opportunity to network with other therapy professionals • Showcase effective treatment interventions, modalities, programs, and resources • Impact effectiveness of Marriage and Family Therapy in Mississippi • Provide awareness regarding legislative agenda related to MFT in Mississippi Back to top


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SCHEDULE:
Thursday, February 19, 2009
7:15 – 8:00		Registration
8:00 – 8:30		Welcome and Opening Plenary Session
8:45 – 10:45		Ethics 101: The Ethics of Self-disclosure in Experiential Therapy Relationships
10:45 – 11:00		Break
11:00 – 1:00		Continuation of Ethics 101
1:00 – 2:00		Chapter Meeting Luncheons or on your own
2:00 – 3:30		Concurrent Workshops: #201: Epiphanies: Discovering Meaning Through Life Narrative #202: Understanding the LMFT Supervision Process: A Workshop for Approved Supervisors, Current Supervisees, and Potential Supervisees #203: Does One Size Fit All: Exploring the Integrated Behavioral Health Model
3:30 – 3:45		Break
3:45 – 5:15		Continuation of Concurrent Workshops: #201: Epiphanies: Discovering Meaning Through Life Narrative #202: Understanding the LMFT Supervision Process: A Workshop for Approved Supervisors, Current Supervisees, and Potential Supervisees #203: Does One Size Fit All: Exploring the Integrated Behavioral Health Model
5:30 – 6:00		Student and Associate Member Meeting
5:30 – 6:00		Clinical Member Meeting
Friday, February 20, 2009
7:00 – 8:15		MAMFT Board Meeting Breakfast
8:30 – 10:00		Keynote Address: Family Treatment of Personality Disorders: An Integrative Approach
10:00 – 10:15		Break
10:15 – 12:00		Keynote Address
12:00 – 1:30		MAMFT Annual Business Meeting and Awards Luncheon
1:30 – 3:00		Keynote Address
3:00 – 3:15		Break
3:15 – 4:30		Keynote Address
		Back to top

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WORKSHOPS:

Title		Ethics 101: The Ethics of Self-disclosure in Experiential Therapy Relationships

Description		Research indicates that seasoned therapists often self-disclose more personal information than younger, less experienced therapists. This is especially true for Experiential Psychotherapists, and it poses a possible ethical dilemma when used as a therapeutic technique. The AAMFT Code of Ethics Principle I states: “Marriage and family therapists advance the welfare of families and individuals. They respect the rights of those persons seeking their assistance, and make reasonable efforts to ensure that their services are used appropriately.” Sub-principle 1.7 states: “Marriage and family therapists do not use their professional relationships with clients to further their own interests.” The therapeutic hour is obviously for the benefit of the client. However, there are times when the therapist feels that sharing something from their life (either internal or external) might be of benefit to the client. In addition, the Symbolic-Experiential Psychotherapy literature encourages “the telling of stories” and “self-disclosing” as a means to enter the life of the family or couple and create symbolic experience that may lead to change. Further, this intervention has been identified as a “core variable” of the Symbolic-Experiential Model. So, how does the therapist go about making the decision to self-disclose? How does the therapist decide what to self-disclose? Is it possible that a therapists’ selfdisclosure could be harmful? Is it possible that the self-disclosure might benefit the therapist more than the client? Is self-disclosing helpful? What does the research say about this topic? Have there been ethical complaints regarding this issue? This four-hour workshop will focus on these questions and more. It will not necessarily provide answers to the questions but it will look at the whole issue of self-disclosure as a therapeutic intervention through an ethical lens with the hope of creating more clarity around the use of this intervention.
Objectives

Presenter		Michael L. Chafin, M. Div., M. Ed.
		Michael Chafin, M. Div., M. Ed., is a Clinical Member and Approved Supervisor in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Georgia, and a Fellow in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. He has served three years on AAMFTs Ethics Committee, one year as its Chair. Michael has served the Georgia division of AAMFT in many capacities, most notably as President. He has been in private practice at the Brookwood Center for Psychotherapy in Atlanta since 1989 and has over 25 years of clinical and training experience. He trained in the Symbolic-Experiential Psychotherapy method at the Atlanta Psychiatric Clinic in Atlanta (founded in part by Carl Whitaker). He has enjoyed working with couples, individuals (particularly depressed men), and families who struggle with existential as well as general life issues. Leading psychotherapy and supervision groups has become his favorite modality, and he is gaining a reputation for presenting successful workshops on Ethics and Symbolic- Experiential Psychotherapy. Being with his two young adult children (a son, age 28, and a daughter, age 24) and his wife of 40 years is where he finds his greatest satisfaction. Back to top

Title		#201 Epiphanies: Discovering Meaning Through Life Narrative

Description		Transcendent moments can greatly enrich our lives. Participants in this didactic/experiential workshop will explore the meaning(s) of their epiphanies in order to find deeper and perhaps fresh interpretations to enhance their present and future living. Group members will participate actively, offering their own insights and signification.
Objectives		Identify theoretical perspectives which affirm the therapeutic validity of the use of transcendent moments in group psychotherapy. Know appropriate means for the therapeutic use of transcendent moments in group psychotherapy, including the screening of potential group members for suitability to the group, as well as personal assessment for leadership compatibility. Employ one or more techniques in group psychotherapy that will center on members’ transcendent experience(s).

Presenter		Randall S. Weeks , LMFT, LPC
		Randall S. Weeks, LPC, LMFT. Private Practice of Psychotherapy in Greenwood, MS (Falkner & Weeks Psychotherapy Associates) since 1997. Recently joined Life Help (Region VI Mental Health) as a part-time Clinical Therapist. Master of Applied Sociology with an emphasis in Marriage & Family Therapy from Mississippi College. Ordained minister/seminary graduate with over 20 years' experience in ministry. Has presented this workshop at the annual meeting of the American Group Psychotherapy Association, Louisiana Group Psychotherapy Society, Mississippi Counseling Association state conference, National Association of Social Work MS Chapter state conference. Enjoys songwriting and triathlon. Back to top

Title		#202 Understanding the LMFT Supervision Process: A Workshop for Approved Supervisors, Current Supervisees, and Potential Supervisees

Description		Current graduate students considering becoming Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists and LMFT Approved Supervisors are encouraged to attend this informative workshop. Accurate and up to date information will be presented regarding the post graduate supervision process. This workshop is designed to meet the continuing education requirements of the Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists for approved supervisors. Supervisors, supervisees, and potential supervisees will have the opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue regarding the supervision process with members of the MFT Discipline Specific Committee of the MBOE. Registration is limited to state approved supervisors, current supervisees, and MFT graduate students or potential LMFT supervisees.

Presenter		W. Jeff Hinton PhD., LMFT
		W. Jeff Hinton, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor and the Director of Clinical Training for the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at The University of Southern Mississippi. Dr. Hinton is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and an AAMFT Clinical Member and Approved Supervisor. Dr. Hinton currently serves as the MFT Discipline Specific Committee Chair for the Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists and the Mississippi delegate for the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards.
Presenter		Charles West PhD., LMFT
		Charles West, Ph.D., LMFT, is Interim Chair of the Department of Child and Family Studies at the University of Southern Mississippi, President-elect of the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards, Chair of the Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists, and teaches in the Marriage and Family Therapy program at the University of Southern Mississippi. He, along with both Dr. Hinton and Dr. Grames, has an article coming out in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy titled Marriage and family therapy: Examining the impact of licensure on an evolving profession. Back to top

Title		#203 Does One Size Fit All: Exploring the Integrated Behavioral Health Model

Description		Integrated behavioral health (IBH) is a collaborative model addressing medical and mental health problems in primary care. It is being increasingly implemented around the world. This presentation will include a description of the IBH model, discuss its fit with systems approaches, outline important clinical and ethical issues, and make recommendations for its implementation for therapists working in primary care contexts.

Presenter		Heath Grames, PhD.
		Heath Grames, PhD is an assistant professor and program director for the marriage and family therapy program in the department of child and family studies at the University of Southern Mississippi. His prior work experience includes serving as the Director of Behavioral Health at a community health center and an assistant 8 professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). Heath has presented at several national conferences on the topic of mental health care delivery in a medical setting and has several book chapters and journal articles published or in print on different mental health topics, including in the area of culturally appropriate treatment of mental health issues and mental health treatment guidelines for physicians. Back to top

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KEYNOTE:
Title		Family Treatment of Personality Disorders: An Integrative Approach

Description		A hallmark DSM characteristic of personality disorders is disturbance in interpersonal relationships. Personality disorder symptoms have a major impact on family members. Family members often describe feeling trapped, helpless, angry, and depressed, and report suffering from feelings of guilt, shame and low self esteem. Family members can be valuable allies in the treatment process, yet psychotherapists have been slow to incorporate family members into treatment plans, and family members often know little about their loved one’s disorder, and feel excluded from the treatment process. Given the strong interpersonal relationship component of personality disorders, treatment of personality disorders would seem to be a natural practice area for MFTs; yet despite research indicating that 50% of clinical populations suffer from personality disorders, studies consistently find that MFTs diagnose personality disorders in only about 6.5% of their cases. These results suggest that MFTs may be failing to identify or work with this population. If so, this is of concern, for MFTs have much to offer to personality disordered individuals and their families. This workshop will examine the impact of personality disorders on the family, and will review current and emerging treatment approaches for working with personality disordered individuals and their families; in particular those with borderline personality disorder. An integrative biopsychosocial treatment model will be outlined and illustrated with case examples. Increasing evidence for a biological component to many personality disorders will be explored, and the implications of this for integrating pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy approaches will be addressed.
Objectives		Participants will develop an increased understanding of the impact of personality disorders on family members. Participants will increase their awareness of current marital and family treatment models for addressing personality disorders in individuals, couples and families. Participants will become more familiar with biological origins and pharmacological interventions for personality disorders. Participants will be introduced to the six core elements of an integrative systemic treatment approach.

Presenter		Malcolm M. MacFarlane, M.A.
		Malcolm M. MacFarlane, M.A., has worked as a front line mental health clinician for over twenty years, and is currently a therapist on the staff of Ross Memorial Hospital Community Counselling Services in Lindsay, Ontario, Canada. He is a Clinical Member and Approved Supervisor with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, and is a Registered Marriage and Family Therapist with the Ontario Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and the Canadian Registry of Marriage and Family Therapists. He is the author of two edited texts, Family Therapy and Mental Health: Innovations in Theory and Practice, and Family Treatment of Personality Disorders: Advances in Clinical Practice. He is editor of the “Family Therapy and Mental Health” section of the Journal of Family Psychotherapy, and is on the editorial advisory board of Contemporary Family Therapy. He is the author of the AAMFT Clinical Update on Borderline Personality Disorder. He has presented at a number of AAMFT Annual Conferences and Divisional conferences on topics related to mental health, depression, personality disorders, and traumatic brain injury. His clinical interests are in the area of applying marital and family therapy interventions to traditional mental health problems such as depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, personality disorders, and serious mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Back to top

Directions from I-20 to the Vicksburg Convention Center:

Exit 4B (Clay Street): Take exit 4B and head west on Clay Street. Continue down Clay Street for 2 1/2 miles. Turn left on Mulberry Street (one block before reaching the river) and continue for three blocks. The Vicksburg Convention Center is located at 1600 Mulberry Street.

Exit 1A (Washington Street): Take exit 1A and head north on Washington Street. Continue down Washington Street for 2 1/2 miles. Turn left at traffic light #25 on Veto Street. Go one block to Mulberry Street and turn left. The Vicksburg Convention Center is located at 1600 Mulberry Street at the intersection of Veto Street.

LODGING:

Two area hotels are holding blocks of rooms for conference attendees. Please ask for "MAMFT" rates when making reservations.

Hampton Inn and Suites – (800) HAMPTON – rates are $129 per night
Address

Quality Inn and Suites – (877) 424-6423 – rates are $70 per night
Address

A room block is being held as long as there is space available.

REGISTRATION:

Registrations will be accepted by fax, mail or online. Registration fees may be paid by check, Visa or Mastercard, or by money order. Faxed registrations must include a credit card payment in order to be processed. A faxed registration that does not include payment will not be processed. An email confirmation will be provided upon receipt of registration, and written receipts for payment will be available at the conference registration table. A printable 2009 Registration Form may be downloaded here.

MAMFT members will be charged a discount rate for the conference, as usual. The rate for members is $170 until February 1, when it becomes $185.

You will notice that the brochure indicates a standard registration fee and a student fee. However, members will receive the discounted rates. You must indicate your membership number in order to be charged the members' rate. This will not effect online registration, so feel free to register that way. We will make the appropriate adjustments before billing your credit card.

CANCELLATIONS/SUBSTITUTIONS:

Full refunds of conference fees, less a $15 processing fee, will be granted if request for cancellation is made prior to February 2, 2009. After that date, no refunds will be given. However, substitutions are encouraged and are permitted. To authorize a substitution, notify MAMFT Executive Director, Denease Bishop, at (601) 278-6790 or by email at deneasebishop@comcast.net prior to the conference date.

CONFERENCE ESSENTIALS:

Since the conference is held in February and the temperature in meeting rooms tends to vary, it is recommended that participants dress in layers. Please remember to bring note-taking materials and a writing instrument.

CHAPTERS:

MAMFT is currently developing chapters across our state! For more opportunities for networking and continuing education offerings, we invite everyone to attend the kick-off luncheon on Thursday, February 19. Simply indicate on your registration form if you would like to attend!

CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS:

The conference has been approved for 13 hours of CEU credit by the Mississippi Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. The conference has also been approved by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) and by the National Association of Social Workers, Mississippi Chapter.

Certificates of Attendance will be available for participants at the close of the conference. Certificates may be emailed following the conference if needed, but there will be a $3.00 handling fee for certificates that must be mailed to participants.

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