ISTDP for Treatment Resistant Depression: an in-person 2 day course

Dr. Allan Abbass's 2-day course will include presentation of clinical videos to show how ISTDP treats treatment-resistant depression. Dr. Abbass will be showing cases of patients with different levels of capacity for emotional processing and Dr. Karen Dinsmore will also be showing a case to highlight the use of ISTDP for treating depression across the psychoneurotic and fragile spectrum.

One half or more of patients with depressive disorders fail to reach remission with first line psychotherapy, like cognitive behavioral therapy, or psychotropic medications. Frequently this is due to comorbid personality disorders, high anxiety, somatic symptoms and other behavioral patterns related to trauma.

Intensive Short-term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) was specifically built to address these comorbid factors through the building of psychic capacities, the handling of high resistance and improving tolerance of emotions and anxiety. It has been shown in 2 randomized controlled trials to be highly effective in treating depression and to be superior to psychiatric treatment as usual in people with treatment resistant depression. There are now over 30 published studies showing it to be effective with complex and resistant populations.

In this two day workshop we will examine how to psychodiagnose the factors that lead to treatment resistance and how to manage these.

Attendees at this course will learn the following:

-How to do a psychodiagnostic assessment of the depressed patient

-How to assess thresholds to repression and cognitive perceptual disruption

-How to build capacity to tolerate anxiety in a graded format

-How to identify and handle resistances that perpetuate depressed states

-The process of unlocking the unconscious

-The process of termination in a time-limited treatment course

This course is suitable for all mental health professionals, physicians, nurse practitioners and other health professionals.

This training is exclusively for licensed mental health and registered health professionals, including Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Social Workers, MFTs, Counselors, as well as Physicians, Nurses, Physical Therapists, etc. If you are not a mental health or health professional, you may not attend due to the protection of patient confidentiality. Students and trainees pursuing licensure or registration as a mental health or health professional under supervision are welcome. The course content level is Intermediate level.

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Host or Publisher Dr. Karen Dinsmore and Dr. Behnia Haghiri