CHECK OUT OUR PREVIOUS CER SEMINARS:
THE PERSON OF THE THERAPIST TRAINING (POTT) MODEL: USE OF YOUR SIGNATURE THEME AS YOUR “SUPERPOWER” TO ENHANCE CLINICAL CARE
Dr. Rebecca Kenyon, Psy.D., LMFT#40848, PSY#24338 | March 22, 2024
This presentation will provide a brief overview of the Person of the Therapist Training model (POTT), with special attention given to the POTT model’s use of a signature theme. Influenced by Henry Nouwen’s concept of a Wounded Healer, Harry Aponte developed an approach to using therapists’ own woundedness to better attune to clients and improve clinical judgment. Greater awareness and use of one’s own signature theme serves as a “superpower” to enhance the therapy process; rather than get derailed by a therapist’s brokenness. Opportunities for exploring and reflecting on one’s signature themes will be provided. However, participants will not be asked to share their signature themes, just reflect on their valuable use in the therapeutic encounter.
NO MORE NIGHTMARES: HOW TO USE PLANNED DREAM INTERVENTION TO ENDNIGHTMARES (PART ii)
Dr. Beverly Ann Dexter, Ph.D., PSY#24088 | January 19, 2024
Imagine what it would be like to sleep peacefully through the night—even after some distressing event! What if you could wake up quickly if you really needed to, but you didn’t wake up from dreams or wake up in fear? And what if this could happen without drugs, or months or years of therapy?
Dr. Dexter explains in this class:
Having distressing or disturbing content in dreams is normal when people have disturbing experiences. When dreaming about combat or any other very emotional event, your brain is trying to resolve the overwhelming aspects of the experience (dream work).
Don’t try to interpret dreams. There is little or no scientific validity to any of the theories of dream interpretation, and none of those theories address the unique traumatic aspects of combat. Many normal healthy individuals have violent or alarming content in their dreams after experiencing combat or other disturbing events. However, violent dreams do not create violent behavior; it is the other way around. When you have disturbing experiences, you are going to have disturbing content in your dreams—this is how the human brain processes information at the cellular level.
When you start using the planned dream intervention skill you will start sleeping through the night and not physically act out the events of the dream. You learn how to sleep through whatever the dreams are and wake up feeling rested in the morning.
Most individuals who learn how to use this skill are no longer woken up by nightmares after the first night that they use the intervention. This is much more rapid resolution of nightmares than any other currently used behavioral method of treating nightmares. The PDI skill is also a permanently learned skill much the same as when a child learns how to be potty-trained and their sleeping brain never forgets that skill. Practice of the Planned Dream Intervention skill will help with more than just one set of dreams though. The skill allows you to teach your sleeping brain that there is no such thing as a bad dream. This means that in the future if some other distressing event occurs your sleeping brain will allow you to sleep through whatever you need to dream.
Dr Dexter developed this theory in 2001 and has taught the skill to thousands of people world-wide, including in a combat zone, with very unusual success. This usually results in uninterrupted sleep and being able to fall asleep more easily. It is important to know also, that even if you are dreaming about an event that really happened the event is not happening while you are dreaming about it—you are sleeping and it is OK to get some rest!
ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY—BASICS AND BEYOND
Dr. Benjamin Coleman, Ph.D., PSY#27491 | November 10, 2023
This course is a primer on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy that will train practitioners on using basic ACT skills and interventions. This course will also provide rationale for why therapists often undermine their own work by using an “ACTish” approach with only basic interventions. The course aims to facilitate for the clinician a new depth of understanding to work more effectively with clients by enhancing fidelity to the model, applying the spirit of the ACT model to all parts of treatment, and living out ACT behavioral qualities in the therapist’s own life.
FREEDOM FROM DESTRUCTIVE ANGER: DISCOVERING THE KEYS TO MANAGING ANGER
Dr. Marcial Felan, D.Min., LMFT#45603 | September 15, 2023
The principles and strategies that are taught in this course come out of Dr. Felan's own struggle with anger that he learned and applied from Dr. Neil Clark Warren's material on anger in the book Make Anger Your Ally (1998). While working at the Shadow Mountain Community Church he put what he learned out of his personal struggle with anger and biblical principles into a 76 page workbook, Freedom From Destructive Anger, and used it to teach a 7 week anger management course at the church each year for 10 years. After leaving the church Dr. Felan taught the course using this material for the community at large from 2012 till 2016. Dr. Felan now uses this material and other resources to help clients in his private practice individually who want to overcome destructive anger in their lives.
In this course Dr. Felan will present an overview of anger for a proper understanding of anger, sources of anger and strategies for managing destructive, harmful, hurtful anger.
No more nightmares: how to use planned dream intervention to end nightmares
Dr. Beverly Ann Dexter, Ph.D., PSY#24088 | May 12, 2023
Planned Dream Intervention (PDI) is a highly effective, rapidly learned skill that teaches the dreaming brain how to sleep through nightmares. Developed by Dr. Beverly Ann Dexter, PhD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist in 2001 and taught to thousands of clients (including in an active combat zone), health care providers and educators around the world. PDI is dramatically different from previous therapies that require multiple sessions, an established therapy relationship, continued follow up if more disturbing events occur, and is much more acceptable to the large percentage of nightmare sufferers who would never pursue traditional therapy or who might not have in-person access to therapy. Briefly, the successful PDI is: 1) an intuitive emotion-gut creation; 2) may not necessarily be the first thing the individual thinks of; 3) the ‘emotional volume’ of the effective PDI matches that of the dream at the point where the dreamer woke up; 4) the successful PDI is not re-writing the dream—it kick-starts the person back into the dream with a sense of mastery; 5) if the dream is about a real life event, the PDI that will work may not necessarily appear to be related to what the dreamer would like to have happen in real life; and 6) effective dream interventions can be created from physical sensations or emotions, even when the individual does not remember actual dream content. PDI training creates a mastery experience allowing the dreamer to sleep through any dream without waking or acting out dream content, now and in the future.
Trauma and addiction
Dr. Julie Hayden, Psy.D., PSY#24184 | March 10, 2023
Dr. Julie Hayden is a licensed psychologist (PSY24184), COO of Rhombus, Clinical Director of Rhombus Counseling, La Mesa Counseling, New Vision Counseling Center and Genesis Recovery. She is also the Co-Chair of the San Diego MFT Consortium and the former Co-Chair of the Treatment and Intervention Committee of the San Diego Domestic Violence Council. Dr. Hayden has a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies, a Master of Religious Studies, a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology and a Doctorate of Psychology. She has seventeen years clinical experience which includes working with chronic mental illness, substance and sexual addictions, adolescents, families, PTSD, depression, anxiety, domestic violence, and more. She has taught at numerous universities, was previously the Dean of a local University and is currently co-founder and Chief Academic Officer of Rhombus University. Her passion is to train effective clinicians and bring healing opportunities to all, especially those in underserved populations.
level 1 certification training for welch responsive temperament assessment training
Dr. Donald W. Welch, Ph.D., LMFT#50129 | January 13, 2023
Dr. Welch is a licensed marriage and family therapist with over 30 years of experience in the counseling field. He is the founder of the Center for Enriching Relationships (CER) which services thousands of clients in the San Diego California area with thirty (30) therapists across ten (10) sites. Dr. Welch also oversees a partnership between CER and Point Loma Nazarene University to train and provide clinical hours to students in the Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling program. He is a published author, university professor, and speaker at conferences, retreats, and seminars throughout the United States. He holds a bachelor’s degree, three (3) master’s degrees, and a doctorate degree.
ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITTMENT THERAPY WITH CHRISTIAN CLIENTS
Dr. Benjamin Coleman, Ph.D., PSY#27491 | November 11, 2022
Dr. Coleman is a clinical psychologist with extensive training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. He teaches his students how to practice ACT at Point Loma Nazarene University where he is the Director of Clinical Training in the Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling program.
CARE FOR THE CAREGIVER
Dr. Frank S. Ogle, Ph.D., LMFT#50668 | June 3, 2022
Briefly, Dr. Ogle has past experience of working at a psychiatric crisis center for over 17 years and currently works at Sharp Mesa Vista hospital. For the last six years he has worked in the Senior Outpatient Program (SIOP) as a therapist working with seniors addressing life’s many transitions, depression, anxiety, mood stabilization, and grief. This work has given him an in-depth perspective in the aging process and how caregiving has affected many of the patients.
In addition to his work at Sharp he is an adjunct professor at Point Loma Nazarene University in the master’s program for student on their path to becoming future therapist. On the side, he also maintains a small private practice at Center for Enriching Relationships.
BURNOUT
Brandi Nichols, MA, BSN, LMFT#122625 | February 18, 2022
Brandi Nichols, LMFT #122625 Brandi is passionate about human connection and holding space for healing. Her experience as a nurse and as a therapist has led me to a merging of mental, physical, and spiritual health to many, including the healthcare population. Brandi is uniquely prepared for this, as a previous critical care nurse for 6 years, having studied death and dying at The Elizabeth Hospice during a two-year internship, and having received specialized trauma training using Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR). During her work with healthcare professionals over the past couple of years and pulling from her own experience of burn out as a nurse, she has created trauma informed trainings, support groups, individual coaching and trauma therapy designed to support our frontline workers. She is also the founder of Hope for Healers, a nonprofit that advocates for employers to provide mental health support to healthcare workers.
An Attachment Perspective: Horses Helping People
Dr. Dana L. Kasper, Ph.D. | October 8, 2021
Dr. Dana L. Kasper is a Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision, a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, and an Infant Family Early Childhood Mental Health practitioner. She has devoted the past nine years to counseling children who have experienced sexual abuse. Dr. Kasper’s scope of expertise is providing Equine-assisted psychotherapy in treating child and adult survivors of sexual abuse and researching the benefits of patients interacting with horses in counseling. Currently, she is visiting professor at Point Loma Nazarene University, teaching students in their Master of Art’s Clinical Counseling program in San Diego, CA.
Dr. Kasper is a neurobiological attachment development theorist certified in the following: Equine Assisted Psychotherapy by the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning organization (EAGALA, 2012), Infant-Family Early Childhood - Advanced Transdisciplinary Mental Health, Trauma-Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (Natural Lifemanship, 2013), Advanced Attachment certification, Neufeld Institute, Observed and Experiential Integration Trauma Treatment, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, Play Therapy, and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Dana is an advocate for early childhood prevention and parental education on childhood sexual abuse. She is a researcher and speaker who attributes her capacities to Christ.
HYBRID MODEL OF MENTAL HEALTH CARE
Dr. Julie Hayden, Psy.D. | August 13, 2021
Dr. Julie Hayden is a licensed psychologist (PSY24184), COO of Rhombus, Clinical Director of Rhombus Counseling, La Mesa Counseling, New Vision Counseling Center and Genesis Recovery. She is also the Co-Chair of the San Diego MFT Consortium and the former Co-Chair of the Treatment and Intervention Committee of the San Diego Domestic Violence Council. Dr. Hayden has a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies, a Master of Religious Studies, a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology and a Doctorate of Psychology. She has seventeen years clinical experience which includes working with chronic mental illness, substance and sexual addictions, adolescents, families, PTSD, depression, anxiety, domestic violence, and more. She has taught at numerous universities, was previously the Dean of a local University and is currently co-founder and Chief Academic Officer of Rhombus University. Her passion is to train effective clinicians and bring healing opportunities to all, especially those in underserved populations.
caring for aging parents
Dr. Frank Ogle, Ph.D., LMFT | February 7, 2020
Dr. Frank Ogle is a licensed marriage and family therapist at the Center for Enriching Relationships. He has been working in the field for nearly 20 years. He started working in an inpatient psychiatric crisis center for people with acute, chronic mental illness for stabilization of their symptoms as well as issues of homelessness and problems of substance use. Dr. Ogle's years of work at the crisis center provided valuable experience working with multiple disorders as well as working as the assistant director providing management and supervision for the clinical staff.
In the last few years Dr. Ogle has moved on from the crisis center to work as a therapist at a local psychiatric hospital in the outpatient program where he leads groups for seniors several days a week and one day with veterans working through their past traumatic experiences.
Working in private practice for the past 11 years, has given Dr. Ogle the opportunity to serve couples and individuals on a variety of issues ranging from communication skills, learning skills to manage depression and anxiety, addiction, and emotion regulation.
In addition to therapy, he also works as an adjunct professor at Azusa Pacific University, and Point Loma Nazarene University teaching on a number of subjects for their marriage and family therapy programs.
INFANT LOSS GRIEF (due to miscarriage, stillbirth, labor complications)
Dr. Nikki Watkins, Psy.D., LMFT#89120 | December 6, 2019
Dr. Nikki Watkins is a licensed marriage and family therapist at Center for Enriching Relationships. She is also the Associate Director at the Cohen Veterans Network at Veterans Village of San Diego. In this position, her primary roles are: Providing psychotherapy services to post 9/11 veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan; oversight of clinical staff; and providing clinical supervision to AMFT/ACSW/APCC students.
Dr. Watkins specializes in providing therapeutic services to individuals and families who have experienced the loss of a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, pre-mature birth, or illness. Having experienced infant loss herself, she understands the need to have a caring professional walk with the family on the grief journey.
HOW TO GROW AND SUSTAIN A COUNSELING PRACTICE
Cathy Gaetke, M.A., LMFT#87965 | October 4, 2019
Cathy has more than 20 years combined experience counseling women of all ages and backgrounds from a biblical perspective, both in church leadership and professional settings. She has also worked with couples to help them communicate more effectively and develop relationships that are loving and respectful. In addition, she was employed as a Parent Liaison at Rady Children's Hospital working closely with families devastated by childhood cancer. During her 10 years on staff there, she walked closely with families throughout the continuum of care helping them to understand and cope more effectively with the emotional turmoil created in the wake of a diagnosis of cancer. She has experienced this heartbreak firsthand; her own son was diagnosed at the young age of three.
Her Christian faith has been nearly a 30-year journey. Serving in numerous capacities at several churches and having been the key note speaker at many women's events and retreats; her greatest accomplishment is a 26 year marriage to husband, Mike, and mother of three thriving adult children. Cathy says that it has not always been easy; however, counseling has been a valuable tool in helping guide their marriage and family in a Godly manner when challenges have come their way.
REPRODUCTIVE LOSS: A DISENFRANCHISED GRIEF
Michaelene Fredenburg | July 19, 2019
Michaelene Fredenburg has been a non-profit executive for over 25 years founding Life Perspectives in 2000. Life Perspectives has since grown to a national organization with a number of international partners. Michaelene is considered an expert in reproductive loss having authored the book Changed: Making Sense of Your Own or A Loved One’s Abortion Experience, and the booklet Changed (English, Spanish & Italian), as well as serving as the editor of the book Grief & Abortion: Creating a Safe Place to Heal. Michaelene has written numerous articles about reproductive grief and loss and has participated in over 100 radio and television programs.
HOW EMOTIONALLY FOCUSED THERAPY BRINGS LASTING CHANGE IN DISTRESSED COUPLES
Dr. Sharon May, Ph.D., LMFT#39408 | May 7, 2019
Dr. Sharon May is the Founder and President of Safe Haven Relationship Counseling Center. She received a Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy and a Master’s degree in Theology from Fuller Graduate School of Theology, and is a certified EFT therapist and supervisor. Her dissertation and consequent research work has focused on EFT, attachment theory and the importance of healthy and strong marriage and family relationships being ‘safe havens’. Over the years Dr. May has been featured on radio programs, such as "Arguing with Dr. Sharon," and Focus on the Family and television, such as Life Today. Dr. May has published numerous articles in psychological journals, contributed chapters in marriage and family books. Her two books are titled: Safe Haven Marriage and How to argue so your spouse will listen (Thomas Nelson Publisher). She has been the managing editor for EWomen magazine, on the board for African Enterprise, Hart Institute and AACC Marriage and Family and adjunct professor at Azusa Pacific University. She has traveled world-wide to speak at conferences and train counselors and is well-known for her work with couples. Raised in South Africa, her accent and sense of humor make her an engaging speaker. She shares life and work with her husband, Mike, who has also provided the counseling center facility in Carlsbad.
how to effectively manage damaging emotions in marriage and relationships: a presentation of restoration therapy
Dr. Marcial Felan, D.Min., LMFT | November 6, 2018
After a 20 year career in prison ministry with Chuck Colson's Prison Fellowship Ministries, in 2000 Dr. Marcial Felan was called to serve at the Shadow Mountain Community Church with Dr. David Jeremiah as Pastor of Family Ministries. He served in that position for 11 years until 2011 when he left to serve the San Diego community at large as a licensed marriage and family therapist.
In his counseling work, Dr. Felan seeks to fight for marriages and provide spiritual, relational, and emotional solutions for abundant living. He has a BA in Biblical Literature from Point Loma Nazarene University, and master's degrees in divinity and marriage and family therapy, and a doctor of ministry degree in marriage and family studies. Dr. Felan teaches seminars on marriage, parenting and relationships, and anger management.
FORGIVENESS AND ATTACHMENT INJURY REPAIR
Dr. Aimee Vadnais, Psy.D., LMFT | March 5, 2019
Dr. Aimee Vadnais, Psy. D., LMFT is the Program Director of the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy Program at Azusa Pacific University's San Diego Regional Campus. In addition to APU, Dr. Vadnais has a private practice in San Diego called Carmel Valley Psychological Services, where she specializes in couples, women’s issues, and infertility. Her clinical interests include positive psychology, emotional intelligence, attachment theory, and sensory processing disorders. She has been a guest speaker about the field of psychology at several San Diego schools. She has twice been a presenter at the Hawaii International Conference in Education. Vadnais has also been published several times, including the articles Infidelity: Is Your Spouse Leading a Double Life? Eight Warning Signs to Consider and Parenting: Forcing Kids to Become too Responsible after Divorce Can Hurt in Long Run on divorce360.com, as well as a contribution to Making Marriage a Success: Pearls of Wisdom from Experts Across the Nation (Booklocker.com, Inc., 2011). Her dissertation was titled “The Effects of Emotional Intelligence on Marital Satisfaction.”
taking a biopsychosocial-spiritual perspective in couple’s therapy
Dr. Claudia Grauf-Grounds, Ph.D., LMFT | September 4, 2018
Claudia is pleased to return to San Diego after 17 years in the Pacific Northwest chairing the MFT master’s program at Seattle Pacific University. She will review the underlying model that guided her recent book, We’ve Had This Fight Before: A Brief Guide on Why Couples Fight and What to Do About It.
Claudia is a licensed marriage and family therapist in California and Washington and AAMFT Approved Supervisor. Before teaching in Seattle, she held faculty positions at the University of San Diego, Bethel Seminary, SHARP and University of Washington Family Practice Residencies, and Rosemead Graduate School of Psychology. Her co-authored textbook, Essential Skills in Family Therapy (Guilford Press), just published its 3rd edition. She currently serves on the AAMFT Board of Directors and is working on two other books, one on clergy families and one on humility.
PRAYER AND GRATITUDE
Dr. Kelsy Richardson, Ph.D. | January 8, 2018
Dr. Kelsy Richardson is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and an M.A. in Theology and Christian Ministry. She is a Registered Psychological Assistant working towards licensure under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Jenkins. Additionally, she is an adjunct faculty member at Point Loma Nazarene University. Kelsy has done both short-term and long-term work with individuals and couples of all ages and from many different cultural backgrounds in university and private practice settings. She specializes in psychodynamic therapy that emphasizes the ability to have an integrated sense of identity as well as healthy ways of relating with others.
Dealing with anger in family systems
Dr. David Levy, M.D. | January 9, 2018
Dr. David I. Levy is a neurosurgeon who practiced high-risk neurosurgery for more than 20 years, specialized in surgery of the blood vessels of the brain. Dr. Levy has performed neurosurgery internationally and has also spoken internationally on topics of neurosurgery, neuroscience and faith. He speaks on topics of neuroscience and presents God’s wisdom as pertinent and powerful today. Using his knowledge of the Bible and the brain, Dr. Levy’s vision is to reveal God’s wisdom in a fresh and engaging way, helping people understand God is good and desires relationship. The book Gray Matter: a neurosurgeon discovers the power of prayer…one patient at a time, details the dramatic intersection of medicine and faith as it chronicles patient experiences (both good and bad), the power of forgiveness as well as Dr. Levy’s journey of faith.
A new way of viewing addiction
Dr. Julie Hayden, Psy.D. | July 10, 2018
Dr. Julie Hayden is a licensed psychologist and the Executive Director of Rhombus, a training and education company. She is also the Clinical Director at Genesis Recovery, the Program Director of La Mesa Counseling and enjoys teaching as a professor for several universities in San Diego. She serves as the co-chair of the San Diego MFT Consortium and the Treatment and Intervention Sub-Committee of the San Diego DV Council. Her mission is to equip people, strengthen families, and impact communities.
Navigating the Challenges of AD/HD for Kids and Adults from Assessment to Treatment
Dr. Benjamin Coleman, Ph.D., LCP, PSY#27491 | May 1, 2018
Dr. Benjamin Coleman is the Director of Clinical Training and teaches graduate classes in the Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling Program at Point Loma Nazarene University. Dr. Coleman is a licensed psychologist and provides psychological assessments and an array of psychotherapeutic approaches for children and adults. He enjoys helping families of children with ADHD and other neurodevelopmental and behavioral disorders. Dr. Coleman is passionate about integrating issues of faith and spirituality into his work with clients.
Redeemed Sexuality:
Raising Sexually Intelligent Children and Living Life with Spiritual Sexual Intelligence
Dr. Jennifer Konzen, Psy.D., CST, CCDC, LMFT#51241 | March 6, 2018
Dr. Konzen is the Director for the Center for Sexuality in San Diego, CA. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist, a certified sex therapist, and a certified chemical dependency counselor. She is also a two-time nationally award winning researcher, and international speaker, and an adjunct professor at Alliant International University, San Diego and Bethel Seminary, San Diego. Dr. Konzen is the author of the books The Art of Intimate Marriage and Redeemed Sexuality and the manual Graduated Intimacy: A guided intervention for increasing sexual intimacy in marriage.
CER is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs. CER maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content. Click on the following link to learn more about the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists: www.camft.org