WHEN: Monday, March 11, 2024
9am-11am and 3pm-5pm (Bring your resume)
WHERE: Lindner Center of HOPE –gymnasium
4075 Old Western Row Road
Mason, OH 45040
We are currently hiring various positions. Check our website for openings: https://lindnercenterofhope.org/careers/
Visit our website to view more information on these positions:
https://lindnercenterofhope.org/careers/or contact HR at [email protected]
REGISTER NOW! 1 CME/CEU OFFERED
Participants in the webcast will be able to:
Target Audience:
Psychiatrists, Primary Care Physicians, Non-psychiatric MDs, Nurse Practitioners, , Social Workers, Psychologists, Registered Nurses, and Mental Health Specialists and interested parties as well
ACCREDITATION STATEMENT
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing
Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of the University of Cincinnati and the Lindner Center of HOPE. The University of Cincinnati is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The University of Cincinnati designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credits
commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
The Ohio Psychological Association under approval number P099-311067501 (2010-2012) approves the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Department of Psychiatry for 1 mandatory continuing education credit for Ohio Licensed Psychologists.
The This activity has been approved for 1 clock hour of CEU by The State of Ohio Counselor, Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapist Board.
DISCLAIMER
The opinions expressed during the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Cincinnati. The information is presented for the purpose of advancing the attendees’ professional development.
Feb 21, 2024 6P – 7:30P EST Manor House – Mason or virtual
Megan Schrantz, EdD, LPCC, Therapist
Coping with Posttraumatic Stress: Journey Toward Hope and Healing
Participants will:
March 20, 2024 6p-7p EST Countryside YMCA – Lebanon or virtual
Chris Tuell, EdD, LPCC-S, LICDC-CS, Clinical Director of Addiction Services
The Internet and How to Have a Healthy Digital Diet
Participants will:
Sidney Hays, MSW, LISW, DARTT, Outpatient Therapist, Lindner Center of HOPE
“Trauma” has been a buzzword in recent years. Accompanying it has been discourse around what counts as trauma. From the extreme of exaggerating minor inconveniences as trauma to the opposite end of the spectrum which attempts to gatekeep this term, reserving it for life threatening events only.
These extremes create confusion around not only the definition of the term and related concepts, but unnecessarily polarizes an already sensitive topic. As people debate the validity of traumas, it often reinforces the harmful self-judgements adopted by those who have experienced trauma. This reinforcement is often what keeps people stuck in self-blame and blocks actual healing.
It is common for those who have experienced trauma to blame themselves. This occurs for many reasons. One of the most obvious reasons lies in cultural messaging related to victim blaming, exaggerated self-reliance, and toxic positivity. The messaging of victim blaming often sounds like: What were you wearing? Were you drunk? Why didn’t you leave? Why didn’t you fight back? Why were you there in the first place? Are you really going to talk about your mom like that? Rather than holding those who caused the damage accountable, the responsibility gets shifted to the person who experienced it. This causes significant shame, often keeping people stuck in trauma responses and unhelpful patterns.
The worlds of toxic positivity and “just do it” often dismiss the significance of trauma, which impedes the ability to process and heal from trauma. It can sound something like: But you have so much to be grateful for. Your parents weren’t that bad. Other people have it much worse. Just count your blessings. Just decide to change and make it happen. You just need to (insert unhelpful platitude here). These responses encourage us to ignore the impacts of our trauma, which leads to trauma being stored in the body.
Another explanation of the self-blame that often accompanies trauma is that it gives the person who experienced it a false sense of control. If it was my fault, that means I should have just done better. If it was my fault, I can control the situation. If it was my fault, I can make sure it never happens again. Our brains are often much more comfortable with the notion that we messed up than the reality that other people and many events are outside our control.
Like with most debates and continuums, the surrounding discourse usually harms those who live a life of less privilege. Expanding our understanding of trauma and its impacts creates space for healing and growth.
The problem with many definitions of trauma lies in the focus of the definition. Most center around the event that occurred. However, this focus is incorrect and shortsighted. The most important factor in defining trauma is actually related to how a person experiences a moment, event, or series of events. Because of this, what is experienced as trauma will vary between person to person and moment to moment, which impacts how the body physiologically responds to a perceived threat.
Dr. Peter Levine, the developer of Somatic Experiencing, states that “trauma lives in the body, not the event.” When our nervous system perceives something as a threat, it reacts in kind, regardless of whether or not there is an objective threat. Most of us have heard of the fight (yelling, hitting, approaching), flight (running away from, avoiding), and freeze (immobilization, dissociation, disconnection) responses to a threat without fully understanding how these reactions come to be… These are states of our autonomic nervous system, which controls the automatic functions of the body (blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, digestion, hormones, immune response). This means that these reactions are unconscious, automatic, and the result of our nervous system attempting to protect us from a perceived threat.
When our brains perceive something as a threat, our nervous system does not always choose the most effective response. Our responses are informed by a lifetime’s cycles of threat and response. Because of this, the response of our autonomic nervous system is often the one we’ve used most in the past, or the response we wish we could have used then but didn’t have access or ability to use. This can explain many confusing patterns in our lives, such as a person who experienced emotional neglect as a child might struggle to share their emotions and needs even with a partner in a safe, healthy relationship down the line. These patterns require intentional work to mend to get our nervous system on board with responding in ways that may be more effective, or better in line with our values. In order to do this, we need adequate resources to increase our capacity to tolerate threats and distress.
Many factors impact our ability to cope with perceived threats such as: resources, support, physical health, and the level to which our needs are met. When these factors are well resourced, we have increased capacity to tolerate threat and distress. However, the inverse is also true. When lacking in any of these areas, our capacity drops.
Linda Thai brilliantly defines trauma as, “too sudden, too little, or too much of something for too long or not long enough without adequate time, space, permission, protection, or resources.” This inclusive definition accounts for the many nuances of the human experience, including generational trauma, and trauma resulting from racism, sexism, homophobia, fat phobia, colonization, and other various systems of oppression. Mindfulness of these nuances creates space for the full spectrum of human suffering to be seen, processed, and healed.
When we create this kind of space, increase access to resources, validate, and protect one another, we can be agents of healing in a world severely lacking at.
“If you want to improve the world, start by making people feel safer.”
-Dr. Stephen Porges
Team Members discuss final event plans for their Big Watch Party, “Touchdown for HOPE,” – Lindner Center of HOPE’s signature fundraising event, hosted each year at the Great American Ballpark.
Pictured L-R: Terry Ohnmeis, David Tasner, Mary Alexander, Carl Satterwhite, John Winch, Gary Mitchell, Brock Anderson, John Ryan, Graham Mercurio Not pictured: Chrissey Barrett Haslam, Greg Harmeyer, Jennifer Pierson, Scott Robertson, Ryan Rybolt, Joel Stone, and David Wyler
Lindner Center of HOPE congratulates Tracy Suzanne Cummings, MD, as a 2023 Cincy Best Doc in the Child & Adolescent Psychiatry category.
This is the premier medical award for all practitioners in the Greater Cincinnati region. Nominations were open to the community and allowed for nominations across many different categories, and the best in each category were chosen. Being named as a Cincy Best Docs physician is an exceptional honor.
Heather Melena, APRN, PMHNP-BC,
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, Lindner Center of HOPE
Living with a chronic illness can be difficult to manage not only physically but also emotionally and mentally as well. The challenges that can come with chronic illness include learning to cope with the symptoms of that diagnosis, figuring out ways to alleviate your symptoms, doctor’s appointments and strain to financial responsibilities and interpersonal relationships. On top of trying to figure out new ways to handle everything that comes with chronic illness, the emotional and mental strain can feel overwhelming and paralyzing. Psychological distress has been shown to increase with chronic disease and its accompanying treatment protocols as well as the many other areas affected in one’s life. It has also been well documented that continued stress and/or distress can lead to poor health outcomes and mental illness (Sheth et al, 2023). Thus, finding ways to find acceptance, cope with the feelings of powerlessness, and learning to live within the limitations caused by one’s chronic illness is imperative to finding relief from the mental and emotional turmoil brought on by physiological changes of illness.
Seeking help from a mental health provider (with or without the use of medications), engaging in individual and group therapy, attending support groups are all ways to tackle the mental and emotional aspects of chronic illness. Studies have shown that engaging in acceptance and commitment therapy as well as learning mindfulness techniques can reduce pain intensity, depression, and anxiety with increased self-management and physical wellbeing for those living with chronic health conditions (Wallace-Boyd et al, 2023). Learning strategies such as active coping skills, planning, positive reframing, and emotional support will all be of value to learning to live with the changes experienced by persistent illness. In practice, discussion is had about learning how to live within these new limitations, being patient and kind to oneself, setting realistic expectations, and acknowledging that the way you feel physically may change from day to day- which can be extremely beneficial for someone experiencing chronic illness. Powerlessness is a tough emotional and mental barrier when struggling day to day, where much uncertainty feels uncomfortable. By practicing acceptance and self-love, we can learn to live in the present and move away from dwelling on what our bodies were once capable of or fearing what the future may hold.
The American Psychological Association (2023) defines self-efficacy as an individual’s belief in his or her capacity to engage in behaviors to achieve personal goals. This is reflected in the confidence one has to exert control over their own motivation, behavior, and social environment. Studies have shown that greater self-efficacy can increase one’s control (or belief of) over health outcomes (Sheth et al, 2023). By learning more positive coping mechanisms and increasing self-efficacy, one can gain confidence in their ability to self-manage their illness and improve their quality of life.
While it may be a difficult task, especially for those that struggle with chronic health problems, engaging in physical activity three to five days a week can be extremely beneficial. There has been endless research on the benefits of physical activity including higher quality of life, lower mortality, reduction of pain, and improved mental health. It has been shown that physical activity can positively impact the overall relationship between inflammation and mental health symptoms, thus reducing inflammation will likely improve depression and anxiety symptoms (Sheth et al, 2023). Physical activity can also improve energy, mental clarity, cognitive ability, and reduce stress and anxiety. It has been shown to improve mood, sleep, and circulation (Sheth et al, 2023).. With that being said, be patient with yourself and listen to your body- if physical activity isn’t what your body needs- rest or try low-intensity activities such as yoga or swimming.
Self-care is something we hear about all the time now- but what does that look like in practice? Self-care is the action or behaviors we incorporate into our daily lives that help not only our physical health but overall mental wellness. Incorporating self-care into our daily lives will not only improve our mood, reduce the toll stress can have on our bodies (ie inflammation, fatigue, sadness), but improve our outlook on the constantly changing physical symptoms of chronic illness. Self-care should be personalized to your needs. In practice we often discuss what someone’s “life worth living” looks like and how to achieve this. Incorporating daily self-care is a step towards learning to live within the new limitation set by illness and reframing our thought processes to think more positively which will enable us to continue moving forward despite our body’s shortcomings. Self-care includes:
(Mended Hearts, 2023)
References
American Psychological Association (2023). Teaching tip sheet: Self-efficacy. https://www.apa.org/pi/aids/resources/education/self-efficacy
Ciotti, S. (2023). “I Get It, I’m Sick Too”: An Autoethnographic Study of One Researcher/Practitioner/Patient With Chronic Illness. Qualitative Health Research, 33(14), 1305–1321. https://doi-org.northernkentuckyuniversity.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/10497323231201027
MedlinePlus (2022). Living with a chronic illness- dealing with feelings. National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/copingwithchronicillness.html
MendedHearts(2023). Chronic illness and mental health blog. https://mendedhearts.org/chronic-illness-and-mental-health-9-tips-for-self-care/
Sheth, M. S., Castle, D. J., Wang, W., Lee, A., Jenkins, Z. M., & Hawke, L. D. (2023). Changes to coping and its relationship to improved wellbeing in the optimal health program for chronic disease. SSM Mental Health, 3. https://doi-org.northernkentuckyuniversity.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2023.100190
Wallace-Boyd, K., Boggiss, A. L., Ellett, S., Booth, R., Slykerman, R., & Serlachius, A. S. (2023). ACT2COPE: A pilot randomised trial of a brief online acceptance and commitment therapy intervention for people living with chronic health conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cogent Psychology, 10(1). https://doi-org.northernkentuckyuniversity.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/23311908.2023.2208916
The Harold C. Schott Foundation Eating Disorders Program at Lindner Center of HOPE to Host Free Webinar in Honor of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is February 28, 2024 – March 5, 2024
Compassion for Ourselves: Addressing weight stigma and body shame during the journey to recovery.
Recovering from eating disorders often requires many different parts including therapy, work with a dietitian, groups, and a recovery community. A piece that often does not get addressed is the experience and trauma of weight stigma and shame around body size and weight. This talk will look at the history and internalization of both, the role they play for those with eating disorders and the necessary self-compassion and care required for recovery.
Guest presenter, Chevese Turner’s dedication to health equity began early in her career when she was part of a team working to ensure cancer patients had ongoing access to critical treatments. Driven by her own struggles and recovery, she founded the Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA) in 2008 to address the unmet needs of people with the most prevalent eating disorder and was integral to Binge Eating Disorder (BED) receiving its designation in the Diagnostic & Statistics Manual.
Currently, Chevese is an eating disorder and anti-weight discrimination advocate, educator and speaker, and the founder of the Body Equity Alliance in which she assists organizations and brands creating inclusive campaigns, policies and environments that feature and accommodate higher weight people. She is also a lived experience coach and a co-founder of Attune, an educational and coaching organization serving larger bodied individuals, with and without eating disorders, who want to put an end to diet dependency and weight cycling, and are seeking help navigating the healthcare system which is often biased and discriminatory toward larger bodied individuals.
Where?
This event will be run virtually through Zoom (details sent with RSVP email confirmation).
When?
Thursday, February 29, 2024
at 6:00PM EST.
Presented by the Harold C. Schott Eating Disorders Program.
RSVP at https://lindnercenter.ejoinme.org/compassion-for-ourselves
by Friday, February 22, 2024
Any questions, contact Pricila Gran at 513-536-0318 or [email protected].
FOUR 1HR CME/CEU CONTINUING EDUCATION CONFERENCE
A Four-Part Series To Discuss Strategies to Stabilize and Improve Lingering Challenges of Chronic/Sub-Acute Mental Illness and Substance Use
Brought to you by Williams House at Lindner Center of HOPE.
Join Lindner Center of HOPE residential team members as they offer four 1-hour presentations for a free CEU for each presentation attended.
Four consecutive Tuesdays at Noon ET.
Virtual Webcast Event
Target Audience:
Healthcare and Mental Health Professionals
PRESENTERS AND TOPICS OF DISCUSSION
January 30, 2024
The Clinical Benefits of an Extended Stabilization Evaluation
Post presentation the audience will be able to:
1. Outline the clinical benefits of an extended stabilization evaluation in residential treatment.
2. Identify patients who will benefit from an extended stabilization evaluation in residential care.
3. Identify the elements of an extended stabilization evaluation.
Presenters: Michael Groat, PhD, Chief Clinical Officer and Dr. William Hartmann, MD, FAPA, Medical Director of Williams House
Click here to register (RSVP by Friday, Jan. 26th, 2024)
February 6, 2024
Concurrent Treatment of Schizophrenia and Mood Disorders
Post presentation the audience will be able to:
1. Describe symptom profile, evaluation and assessment processes, and basis of how people admit to Lindner Center of HOPE’s Williams House.
2. Describe Williams House services and how to identify treatment goals and tailor your approach to each individual.
3. Describe course of care, next steps, and discharge planning.
Presenters: Megan Morrison, CNP, PMHNP-BC , Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner,, and Shelby Naghshineh, Residential Behavioral Health Care Coordinator
Click here to register (RSVP by Friday, Feb. 2nd, 2024)
February 13, 2024
Schizo-Obsessive Disorder: Differential Diagnosis and Identifying Treatment Targets
Post presentation the audience will be able to:
1. Describe what stabilization and evaluation look like for an individual with obsessive-compulsive symptoms and concerns for psychosis.
2.Describe the evaluation process and diagnostic questions that are answered for these patients.
3.Describe the evaluation process, conceptualization, and treatment recommendations for a patient who presents with this disorder.
Presenters: Lindsey Collins Conover, PhD, Staff Psychologist, and Margot Brandi, MD, Medical Director of Sibcy House
Click here to register (RSVP by Friday, Feb. 9th, 2024)
February 20, 2024
Making the ‘Case’ for Stabilizing Evaluation and Restorative Treatment: Three Case Studies
Post presentation the audience will be able to:
1. Differentiate between inpatient care and stabilizing evaluation.
2. Recognize the benefits of integrated and interdisciplinary treatment with a seamless transition into further mental health services.
3. Identify a variety of specialized treatments offered within stabilizing evaluation.
Presenters: Michael Hill, Residential Behavioral Health Care Coordinator and Adan Liendo, LPCC-S, Residential Counselor
Click here to register (RSVP by Friday, Feb. 16th, 2024)
ACCREDITATION STATEMENT
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing
Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of the University of Cincinnati and the Lindner Center of HOPE. The University of Cincinnati is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The University of Cincinnati designates this live activity for a maximum of 4 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credits commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Each activity has been approved for 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
The Ohio Psychological Association under approval number P099-311067501 (2010-2012) approves the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Department of Psychiatry for 4 mandatory continuing education credits for Ohio Licensed Psychologists.
DISCLAIMER
The opinions expressed during the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Cincinnati. The information is presented for the purpose of advancing the attendees’ professional development.
For questions Contact: Pricila Gran at 513-536-0318 or [email protected]