NYC ACBS 2nd Annual Conference
About this Event
We are thrilled to announce the 2nd Annual NYC ACBS Conference, a gathering of clinicians, researchers, students, and professionals interested in cutting-edge applications of contextual behavioral science.
Whether you're a seasoned practitioner or new to contextual behavioral science, we invite you to come learn, share, and connect with like-minded professionals shaping the future of our field.
Please see the agenda below for information about our presentations and panel.
6.5 CEs are available for New York State-licensed social workers, licensed mental health counselors, licensed marriage and family therapists, licensed psychoanalysts, licensed psychologists, and BCBAs. Please ensure you select your correct license when purchasing a ticket with CEs.
About Our Speakers
Mike Femenella, PhD
Mike has been engaged in clinical work for over 50 years. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has been the primary treatment modality used in his private practice since 2001. He has served as an ACT consultant to the Veterans Administration, training and supervising over 50 VA clinicians. Mike is a founding fellow and past president of the NYC ACBS. He has presented numerous ACT workshops for professional organizations and universities.
Holly Yates, MS, LCMHC
Holly Yates has been in private practice in North Carolina since 2004. She is a Certified FAP Trainer through University of Washington, and a founding facilitator of the online ACT Peer Intervision Group sponsored through ACBS. Holly has been a presenter of FAP and ACT and Self-Compassion at ACBS World-Con since 2016 and continues to train both internationally and domestically. She has co-authored a chapter on FAP and Couples Counseling now translated in Portuguese and Spanish. She has also co-authored “ The Inner-Critic Workbook: Self Compassion and Mindfulness Skills to Reduce Feelings of Shame, Build Self-Worth and Improve Your Life and Relationships”. Holly is board president of ACL Global Project and is a member of the Functional Analytic Psychotherapy International Board for Certification (FAPCEP).She is one of the co-founders of WomenSummit, which aims to help women “Renovate their Lives” through creating meaningful relationships. Holly teaches FAP to therapists that either want to deepen their therapeutic relationships and/or begin their FAP certification process through ongoing online trainings.
Jonathan Kaplan, PhD
As a board-certified clinical psychologist, Dr. Jonathan Kaplan serves as the Director of the SoHo CBT + Mindfulness Center. Almost 30 years ago, he was trained in Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy as a graduate student at UCLA by Dr. Andy Christensen. Since that time, he’s regularly provided IBCT, while incorporating aspects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Nonviolent Communication, and Buddhist principles of Right Speech. Several years ago, he co-wrote a book on ACT and RFT for relationships., which outlined ways in which couples can reconnect better with each other. Despite its difficulty at times, he loves providing couples therapy and he finds that it's more relevant than ever as couples navigate emotional sensitivities, complicated relational dynamics, and overwhelming stress.
Jill Bresler, PhD
Jill Bresler is the Co-Director of the Psychotherapy Integration Program at NIP, and on the faculty of NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. She is co-editor of the book Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy Integration: An Evolving Synergy, as well as numerous articles and talks on psychotherapy integration. Dr. Bresler maintains a psychotherapy and supervision practice in New York City.
Karthik Gunnia, PsyD
Karthik Gunnia, Psy.D. (he/him) is a board certified clinical psychologist, clinical assistant professor and Director of Clinical Training in NYU's Ph.D. in Clinical/Counseling Psychology program. He teaches courses in supervision, teaching, intake assessment, psychopathology, and professional ethics, and provides clinical supervision in CBT and ACT. He has a small private practice in which he treats teenagers and adults in individual therapy as well as provides supervision to training clinicians accruing hours for licensure.
Raymond Rodriguez, LCSW, Rev
Raymond Rodriguez is a Latino Clinical Social Worker with over twenty years of experience in community-based programs and private practice. He earned his Social Work degree from Columbia University School of Social Work, where he later returned as faculty, alongside teaching roles at Smith College School of Social Work and Hostos Community College (CUNY). Raymond has also taught at the Trauma Studies Center of the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy and the National Institute for Psychotherapy's Integrative Trauma Studies Program. His clinical focus spans immigration, diversity, LGBTQIA+ empowerment, spirituality, and marginalized communities, with the past decade centered on trauma therapy, including complex trauma, PTSD, and dissociative disorders. He is certified in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and EMDR, with extensive training in Internal Family Systems, family systems therapy, and psychodynamic psychotherapy. He currently serves on the board of the New York City Association for Trauma Therapists.
A Jordan Wright, PhD
A. Jordan Wright, PhD, ABPA, ABPP is a licensed psychologist and Director of the combined Clinical/Counseling Psychology PhD program at New York University. His scholarship focuses on psychological assessment, psychotherapy, and clinical training, with a particular focus on integrating assessment findings into case conceptualization and treatment planning. Dr. Wright is the author of multiple widely used textbooks on psychological assessment and has published extensively on evidence-based assessment and culture in clinical practice. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, Past President of the Society of Clinical Psychology (Division 12 of APA), and President of the American Board of Psychological Assessment (ABPA). His work focuses on helping clinicians use assessment data to develop more nuanced, effective, and individualized approaches to psychotherapy.
Agenda
🕑: 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Registration & Welcome
🕑: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Heart of ACT
Host: Mike Femenella, PhD
Info: In this experiential and interactive Acceptance and Commitment Therapy training, Mike Femenella will bring his 50 years of experience to demonstrating the core processes of ACT. He will guide participants through each part of the model with heart and wisdom.
🕑: 12:00 PM - 01:30 PM
Functional Analytic Psychotherapy
Host: Holly Yates, LMHC
Info: Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) is a therapeutic model that focuses on shaping adaptive interpersonal behaviors in the moment of the therapy interaction. FAP is dedicated to “establishing intense and curative relationships” achieved through authenticity (Kohlenberg & Tsai, 1991). FAP, at its heart, is an interpersonal behavior therapy in which the therapist- client relationship is the agent of change. The therapist responds skillfully to in-the-moment, clinically relevant behaviors (CRB), to evoke and reinforce more adaptive behaviors that help the client build a more effective behavioral repertoire. FAP increases the client’s awareness of moves away from valued living and creates opportunities for immediate practice of courageous behavior - all in the context of a caring relationship. While FAP is an effective therapeutic modality on its own, it can also be integrated with other therapeutic approaches.
🕑: 01:30 PM - 02:30 PM
Lunch
🕑: 02:30 AM - 03:45 PM
Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy
Host: Jonathan Kaplan, PhD
Info: In recent years, couple therapy has seen rise in demand and viewership (e.g., Couples Therapy). While many couple therapies focus on improving communication skills and other aspects of relationships, Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT) was developed to promote the importance of acceptance. Recognizing that not everything--or everyone--can be changed, IBCT focuses on the ways in which empathy and understanding promote connection and intimacy in relationships. Substantiated by empirical research (e.g., Christensen et al., 2006), IBCT constitutes an evidence-based, 3rd-wave approach to couple therapy.
🕑: 04:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Polyphony in Practice: NYC Therapy in Dialogue
Host: Jill Bresler, PhD
Info: In this interactive two hour panel, moderated by leading figure in psychotherapy integration Jill Bresler PhD, three highly experienced New York City clinicians and trainers will offer case conceptualization on a single case, from the perspective of psychodynamic (A Jordan Wright, PhD, ABAA, ABPP), Cognitive Behavioral (Karthik Gunnia, PsyD), and Sensorimotor (Raymond Rodriguez, LCSW, Rev) therapy. The case will be presented, and each panelist will offer a modality-specific atlas for understanding key processes in the case, as well as interventions. Dr. Bresler will facilitate a discussion among the three, and then the dialog will extend to a Q&A session with participants.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 81.88 to USD 156.57
