How to Write, Tailor, or Update your Practice Brochure to Enhance Your Therapy and Protect Your Clients and Yourself

No matter what you call it (“Welcome to my practice,” “How I like to work with clients.” “What to expect in therapy,” etc.) your practice brochure is the foundational document of your practice. This class will help you optimize it and tailor it to your way of working.

Your patient brochure should be more than just some basic information about your practice. Why?

- It is a powerful way to socialize clients to your models, methods, expectations, and values. The more closely client and therapist are aligned in these the more successful the therapy.

- It builds the alliance because clarity leads to trust and trust to depth. By proactively addressing dozens of issues it demonstrates both your expertise and your openness.  We all know that the alliance is the  largest factor in therapy outcomes. 

- It can raise the complex legal, interpersonal, and clinically crucial issues around confidentiality. This lays the groundwork and narrows the focus for better discussions of the specifics. 

- By addressing so many issues it prevents misunderstandings, disappointments, and errors of memory. These often arise around the practical issues of payment, meeting and cancelations, and record making and keeping. 

By doing these tasks your brochure can improve your therapy processes, better your outcomes, lower your anxiety, and protect you from false allegations and complaints that are so distressing. 

In this class you will decide if what you are using needs some upgrading or tailoring, tightening up or expansion, or updating to match your current practices. 

- You will receive a Checklist of Essential Elements, explanations of why these are of concern or raise risks and we will discuss many variations of the elements with the pros/cons of these options.

- Please your current brochure to edzuckerman@mac.com upon registration, so he can prepare for your needs.

Register HERE: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/3ehb9n6

Human trafficking and gender-based violence continue to impact citizens worldwide. This is particularly true in Uganda and other regions that have infrastructure and resource limitations. This session will explain human trafficking and gender-based violence, in particular as they are manifest in Uganda. Ongoing, collaborative community-based initiatives to address these issues will be described. Particular attention will be given to psychological interventions that local providers are trained in, and the way these are made culturally appropriate.

Details and Registration HERE.

https://www.papsy.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1891180

Virtual - The links to access each session will be emailed after registration
Pennsylvania
United States

Dr. Krista Boyer, who is also a certified yoga instructor, will lead this 3-hour workshop. It includes exercises to keep our bodies lithe and healthy while we focus on the minds of our clients. There will also be mindfulness exercises and healthy snacks. It should be revitalizing and educational!

Register Here!

Learn the core aspects of Gestalt theory and its application working with dreams from a Gestalt perspective.

Dr. Thomas Petrone is a 1983 graduate of the Gestalt Institute of New England-Pittsburgh Program and has participated in advanced Gestalt training since 1985. Following completion of his role as the program administrator and faculty member of the G.I.N.E.-Pittsburgh Gestalt Therapy Training Program for Professionals, Tom created the Gestalt Institute of Pittsburgh in 2008.

Dr. Petrone is a Pennsylvania Licensed Psychologist, and is the President and Clinical Director of the Psychological and Counseling Center, Inc. where he has provided psychotherapy, consultation and training for the past 30 years.

The program is free, but non-GPPA members must pay $25 for their 3 CEs. This payment is done at the end of the training.

Register: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/nubt42m

This online, virtual training is designed to qualify for the mandatory 3 CEs on Technology and Psychology as required for PsyPACT. This will be highly interactive! We will present various professional and clinical vignettes, and people will practice using various AI tools to solve them. Register by clicking HERE.

GPPA Members: Free
Non-GPPA Members: $65

Led by Rex Gatto, Ph.D.

Workplaces today confront their employees with the pressures of producing quality work, adapting to change, performing job responsibilities with heavy workloads, juggling work life needs, and hiring the right people. They need your help! Learn how to support businesses in this work (and all while avoiding the trappings of you have to bill insurance companies!)

Provide psychological services to businesses looking to identify skill levels and to hire the most qualified people. We will review assessments frequently desired by HR directors, and the details of working with corporations.

Register: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/5h53hjs

Enjoy the charming conversation of your psychologist colleagues while sipping on an iced tea and enjoying the sunset sparkle in the Allegheny River. If we're lucky, the boat house DJ will drop some funky beats and we'll even shake a tail feather!

Please register to let us know you're coming, but otherwise this event is free. Your GPPA membership covers the costs of ample appetizers and a drink (or two!)

Location: Baja Bar & Grill, 1366 Old Freeport Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15238

Date and time: Wed, Jul 17, 2024 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Organizer: Dan Warner PhD MSCP, (570) 258-5915, gppapittsburgh@gmail.com

Register Here

Dr. Amy Alexander leads a Zoom-CE seminar in honor of Juneteenth. She will review the psychological journey of enslaved Black Americans from Emancipation to Juneteenth to contemporary life to freedom. The psychological aspects of freedom go far beyond the laws or current interpretations of human liberty. It’s more complex than freedom in the physical realm. It’s a freedom most white people take for granted; one unincumbered by systemic collective cultural trauma.

https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/xvt62bx

Live the message of Self Care.!

We psychologists dedicate our lives to supporting others through their struggles. We mustn’t neglect our own well-being in the process! This interactive workshop led by GPPA's Deb Gilman & Rachel Battaglia provides practical self-care tools for cultivating resilience, self-compassion, and mindfulness in our personal and professional lives.

This is held in a private room at the gorgeous Monterey Bay Restaurant overlooking the Point. Expect great food, service and valet parking. Limited Space! So this is for GPPA members (and their +1s) only!

Register here:
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/z5jmatr/lp/6197529e-0aa9-4ef3-b646-a52db269b04c

Hear from a panel of experts the ins-&-outs of helping our community access needed expertise in testing and assessment of all kinds. Our goal is to encourage psychologists to pick up some assessment time in their schedule. Come learn about common referral sources, the work involved, the training, and the pay.

Panel Moderator: Sam Shachner PhD. Featuring Tad Gorske, PhD, Ara Schmitt, PhD, & Melissa Sutcliffe, PhD. Food and Drink will be served!

Come visit and learn about the Sally and Howard Levin Clubhouse. This is a consumer-run psychiatric rehabilitation center located in Squirrel Hill. Presentation will include an educational representation, as well as a tour of the facility and a view of it in action. Lunch will be served!

CEs are $25 for 2 CEs.

Registration: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/vp5qwxn

Featuring Elizabeth Polinsky.

Please Learn more and register here: https://pgheft.org/event-5338257

After this workshop:

1. Participants will be able to describe the four types of secrets policies for couple therapy.

2. Participants will identify ethical principles related to secrets policies for couple therapy.

3. Participants will compare and contrast the ethics of the four types of secrets policies for couple therapy.

4. Participants will choose a secrets policy in alignment with their professional ethical code.

About Liz:
Elizabeth "Liz" Polinsky, LCSW, LMFT is a Certified Emotionally Focused (EFT) Marriage Counselor and EFT Supervisor Candidate. She has spent the last 4 years working almost exclusively with couples in her private practice, Elizabeth Polinsky Counseling. When not providing therapy or training postgraduate therapists in EFT, she enjoys swing dancing with her husband, making homemade wine, and hosting The Communicate & Connect Podcast for Military Relationships. You can learn more about Liz at www.ElizabethPolinskyCounseling.com

Therapists put a great strain on their backs. This can result in significant back pain and even nerve damage. Lynsey Arch is a certified Pilates instructor, and will demonstrate some basic exercises any therapist can do at home. We will both strengthen our core and stave off pain. (Yes, this is interactive, so wear sweats!)

We will also get some fresh juice, and practice a focusing/mindfulness walk through Allegheny North Park ... all in service of grounding ourselves, and providing our clients the best care we can muster.

Questions: gppapittsburgh@gmail.com

3 CEs - https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/9cgrh7a

Led By Sam Knapp, Ed.D. ABPP

Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States and perhaps the most frequent crisis encountered by psychologists. One of the first goals when treating suicidal patients is to reduce the likelihood that they will attempt suicide. Fortunately, researchers and clinicians have developed safety-plan-type interventions, including lethal means counseling which can substantially reduce the likelihood of a suicide attempt. This workshop will describe the steps in safety plans and how psychologists can present those plans in a manner likely presented to increase their success.

Please Register HERE: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIkd-6pqT4uHNa2JA4IOoCKOtu2WbNFzx8Q

Hone in your skills to access, organize, and deepen core emotional experience in order to shape

enactments with your couples and individual clients! In this workshop we will learn to identify,

follow, and unpack emotional handles to assemble core affect so that we can choreograph organic

enactments in stage 1 and 2 of EFCT and EFIT.

To register: https://pgheft.org/event-5322108

Email: EFTPittsburgh@Gmail.com

We will be gathering at the beautiful Narcisi Winery & Beer Garden to enjoy music and comradery. This is a chance to catch up with other psychologists, as well as learn GPPA’s plans for the fall. GPPA will provide some finger foods and drinks (including non-alcoholic!), you just need to provide your wonderful self!

This is the musician who will be playing: Andrew Bicsey.

Here is details on the Narcisi Winery and how to get there.
NARCISI WINERY, 4578 GIBSONIA ROAD, GIBSONIA, PA 15044, UNITED STATES. 724 - 444 - 4744

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As a side note we are trying to do more events not in Pittsburgh, so that we can truly call ourselves the psychology association of “Greater Pittsburgh.” If you have other places outside of Pittsburgh you think would be good to meet, please let us know!

(Registration information will be coming later!)

There is an increasing need to support psychologists as the demand for psychological services is steadily rising. In response to a 2022 APA survey, 38% of psychologists surveyed report that they are working more than they did before the pandemic, and 45% of them report feeling burnt out. This workshop will identify the causes of clinician burnout, use of the Maslach Burnout Inventory to detect clinician burnout, and then will apply the six targets of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help reduce clinician burnout. Participants will engage in self-reflection, value identification, and mindfulness exercises during the presentation.

Those interested in registering should email gppapittsburgh@gmail.com.

People with fewer words for the emotions (alexithymia) they feel or sense in others are at a disadvantage in understanding themselves and relating to others. Our culture socializes people differently in regard to emotions and this can lead to conflicts. Many people want to meet their partners' emotional needs but do not fully understand the other, not because they themselves are less emotional, or lack empathy, or are genetically or hormonally different, but because they lack the verbal tools to relate more fully. After a discussion of the nature of emotions and their expression, we will practice using emotion wheels and other tools to expand our emotional vocabulary. We will explore emotion words in other languages, some not translatable, neologisms for complex emotions, and emojis’ meanings. Warning: Some discussion will include exploration of the uses of the F-word and words for excrement because they illustrate the issues so well.

Register HERE

(https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIudu2hqTgiHtQzH13BjYYnMiY9ZvcKRM0c)

Every relationship comes with expectations and when these are violated the resulting disappointment, anger, blame, and guilt threaten the continuation of the relationship. Repair of these ruptures requires negotiation, readjustment of expectations and rebuilding of trust. Really good apologies (with all seven components) lessen the hurt, improve trust, and support forgiveness, all necessary for rebuilding the damaged relationship.

Most apologies lack several of the seven core components. This program will describe and explain each element of a complete and satisfactory apology. Each will be examined and practiced until clear enough to be recalled and implemented when actually needed. Many of the failures seen in “non-apologies” will be presented to deepen the understanding of the components. Specific resistances to offering some components are to be expected and will be explored and addressed.

We will look at “non-apologies” offered by public figures, after their crimes have become public, to better understand the core elements and we will practice defective apologies with humor. We will not address forgiving as it is well covered in hundreds of books and classes.

Taught be Ed Zuckerman, Ph.D.

This is an interactive, online Zoom CE event. It provides 2 CEs. (Free for GPPA members, $25 for non-members) Register HERE

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUldOGtpj8pH9dqEYosal0Gm_0XQgt_lAro:

In honor of Juneteenth, GPPA will host a lunch time Zoom CE, featuring Curtis Thorpe and Keisha Jimmerson. Thorpe has worked across Pennsylvania in various mental health positions including in prisons, community mental health, and faith based situations. Jimmerson is the Associate Dean of Students for Diversity at Seton Hill. They will present on topics relevant to black mental health, with attention to informing professionals on what to consider when working with clients of color. Register HERE

(https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrcOupqjgoHdzSVTvDZrdviAg1NBWLIIXx)

Attendance is free. CEs are free for GPPA members, $25 for non-members.

Come on down after work! We’ll have food and beverages. We’ll spend some time discussing GPPA planning for the summer, including CE planning, getting our newsletter back up, and getting up a list-serve. It’s totally worth it to get in your car, and come spend some time with psychologist colleagues who ‘Get it!’

Come learn about the legislation recently proposed by Pittsburgh's own Dan Frankel (Squirrel Hill) that gives psychologists a path to prescribing psychotropics in their practice. The course is co-taught by Dan Warner Ph.D. who co-wrote PPA's white paper on the topic (click here), and Krista Boyer, Psy.D., who is a leading advocate on psychology prescribing. Both are currently pursuing their Masters of Science in Clinical Psychopharmacology (MSCP) from Fairleigh Dickinson University. They will explain the proposed legislation, its training requirements, and the value this would bring to Pennsylvania's strapped mental health system.

The presentation is free for all attendees. 1 CE is free for GPPA members, $25 for non-members.

Please register here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcucu6hrzguGN0qyMOAqRTXCySKDpmRy9Is

• Saturday, January 29, 2022

• 1:00 PM 2:00 PM

All Board Meetings are open to GPPA members who would like to speak or present information to the board. Please email gppapittsburgh@gmail.com if you plan to attend a board meeting and we will send you the Zoom info. Thank you!

Join us for a social connecting hour co-sponsored with the Pennsylvania Psychological Association. The event will be held on Zoom. Hope you can attend! Please email gppapittsburgh@gmail.com for the registration info   

All Board Meetings are open to GPPA members who would like to speak or present information to the board. Please email gppapittsburgh@gmail.com if you plan to attend a board meeting and we will send you the Zoom info. Thank you!

All Board Meetings are open to GPPA members who would like to speak or present information to the board. Please email gppapittsburgh@gmail.com if you plan to attend a board meeting and we will send you the Zoom info. Thank you!

Hello. Please join GPPA for a time to connect - to possibly meet new people and reconnect with others whom you know. Please email gppapittsburgh@gmail.com for Zoom registration info.