Tag Archives: Online Courses

When Your Young Client is Defiant

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New Online CE/CEU Course @pdresources.org

When Your Young Client is DefiantWhen Your Young Client is Defiant is a new 3-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that provides practical strategies for managing challenging and defiant behavior in young clients.

Adults are often at a loss when it comes to handling defiance and power struggles. Some lecture the child on disrespectful behavior. Others ignore it, hoping it will go away. All parents find it a frustrating and annoying part of the parenting experience (the same may be said for many clinicians). For clinicians, we have only limited time with our young clients and we need to manage challenging and defiant behavior effectively.

This course will demonstrate specific techniques that clinicians can use to manage their clients’ challenging and defiant behavior. The skills needed will be discussed and illustrated in detail so that clinicians can work with caregivers to develop the necessary tools and have them available when misbehavior occurs.

The techniques that will be discussed are appropriate for all learning environments – home, classroom, playground, gym, and the therapy room. They can be used in group or individual therapy sessions, in private practice, and/or school-based settings. The techniques can be modified for each child’s developmental level, from toddler to teen.

Author’s note: It should be noted at the outset that the dynamics and techniques described in this course may not be adequate or even appropriate for children with more serious behavior conditions such as oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorders. They will require more intense and specialized mental health interventions.

Course #31-13 | 2019 | 55 pages | 20 posttest questions

Click here to learn more and enroll.

Course Directions

This online course provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. After enrolling, click on My Account and scroll down to My Active Courses. From here you’ll see links to download/print the course materials and take the CE test (you can print the test to mark your answers on it while reading the course document).

Click here to learn more and enroll.

CE Information

Professional Development Resources is approved to sponsor continuing education by the American Psychological Association (APA); the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA Provider #AAUM); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the Alabama State Board of Occupational Therapy; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635), Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635), and Occupational Therapy Practice (#34);  the Georgia State Board of Occupational Therapy; the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors (#MHC-0135); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678); and is CE Broker compliant (all courses are reported within a few days of completion).

Earn CE Wherever YOU Love to Be!

Alzheimer’s Disease – New ASHA CEU

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Alzheimer’s Disease: A Practical Guide

Alzheimer’s Disease: A Practical Guide is a 3-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that offers Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) a basic foundation in Alzheimer’s disease prevention, diagnosis, and risk management.

This course will present practical information to aid healthcare professionals as they interact with clients who are diagnosed with any of the many types of dementia. We will review what is normal in the aging process, and what is not; diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer’s disease; testing cognition and gene testing; risk factors; and clinical research. We will then discuss the struggle caregivers face and provide strategies for how best to support them.

The next section will provide practical guidance for caring for a person with Alzheimer’s disease, including daily care activities, keeping the person safe, and unwanted behaviors. Next we will review prevention and compensation strategies to help people protect their cognitive health as they age, including modifiable risk factors that have the potential to reduce the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease. A final section on protecting our elders from scams and how to find reputable resources for information is included. Course #31-12 | 2018 | 56 pages | 20 posttest questions

Click here to learn more and enroll.

Course Directions

This online course provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. After enrolling, click on My Account and scroll down to My Active Courses. From here you’ll see links to download/print the course materials and take the CE test (you can print the test to mark your answers on it while reading the course document).

Click here to learn more and enroll.

CE Information

Professional Development Resources is approved to sponsor continuing education by the American Psychological Association (APA); the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA Provider #AAUM); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the Alabama State Board of Occupational Therapy; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635), Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635), and Occupational Therapy Practice (#34);  the Georgia State Board of Occupational Therapy; the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors (#MHC-0135); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678); and is CE Broker compliant (all courses are reported within a few days of completion).

Earn CE Wherever YOU Love to Be!

Managing Anger & Aggressive Behavior

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Managing Anger & Aggressive Behavior

Managing Anger & Aggressive Behavior is a new 3-hour online continuing education (CE) course that provides strategies for dealing with anger and aggression in clinical practice.

Healthcare professionals in every specialty have had experiences with anger and aggression, sometimes finding themselves the target of their clients’ anger. We are human, and all of us are subject to the full range of human emotions, even as therapists within the context of professional encounters with our clients. While anger is perfectly normal and almost universally experienced and expressed by individuals, it can become highly problematic when it is excessive in frequency and duration and is disproportionate to the event or person who triggered it.

Click here to learn more and enroll.

The intent of this course is to address four interrelated topics: (1) understanding anger, (2) managing one’s own anger, (3) managing aggressive behavior from others, and (4) teaching clients to manage problematic anger. We will explore the different ways in which people can express outrage, including the commonly encountered forms of aggression (passive aggression, covert aggression, overt aggression, and outright hostility), and provide strategies for dealing with aggressors. As a foundation, we will also discuss coping strategies for managing our own anger and frustration as we go about our daily lives. Course #31-16 | 53 pages | 20 posttest questions

Course Directions

This online course provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. After enrolling, click on My Account and scroll down to My Active Courses. From here you’ll see links to download/print the course materials and take the CE test (you can print the test to mark your answers on it while reading the course document).

Click here to learn more and enroll.

CE Information

Professional Development Resources is approved to sponsor continuing education by the American Psychological Association (APA); the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA Provider #AAUM); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the Alabama State Board of Occupational Therapy; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635), Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635), and Occupational Therapy Practice (#34);  the Georgia State Board of Occupational Therapy; the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors (#MHC-0135); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678); and is CE Broker compliant (all courses are reported within a few days of completion).

Earn CE Wherever YOU Love to Be!

Building Resilience in your Young Client

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Building Resilience in your Young Client

Modern childhood is full of challenges. Health professionals are treating an increasing number of children who have difficulty coping with 21st century everyday life. Issues that are hard to deal with include excessive pressure in school to succeed, bullying, divorce, or even abuse at home. Children face additional stressors when adapting to new schools or classrooms, navigating sibling and peer relationships, and schoolwork. While many children thrive in the face of adversity and meet their challenges with resilience, others experience setbacks and disappointment when confronting difficulties.

Regarding the latter, it has long been observed that there are certain children who experience better outcomes than others who are subjected to similar adversities. A significant amount of literature has been devoted to the question of why this disparity exists. Research has largely focused on what has been termed “resilience.”

The concept of resilience has as its starting point the recognition that there is huge heterogeneity in people’s responses to all manner of personal and environmental adversities. “Resilience is an inference based on evidence that some individuals have a better outcome than others who have experienced a comparable level of adversity. A very important distinction is that it requires NOT superior functioning, but rather relatively better functioning compared with that shown by others experiencing the same level of stress or adversity” (Rutter, 2012).

The root word for resilience is resilire, which means to bounce back or rebound after being stressed. Although many definitions of resilience have been proposed, all contain two common elements: 1) an exposure to great risk; and 2) corresponding factors that help promote positive outcomes or reduce negative outcomes. Resilience is described as a dynamic development process of responding more positively than expected after facing risk. It is measured by how well someone reacts to a threat using his or her own abilities and available support systems (NCHE [National Center for Homeless Education], 2013). It is usually taken to involve not only the individual’s personal attributes and vulnerabilities, but also those of his or her family, school, and social environment.

In summary, resilience can be defined as “reduced vulnerability to environmental risk experiences, the overcoming of a stress or adversity, or a relatively good outcome despite risk experiences” (Rutter, 2012).

It must be noted that even the resilient child will experience sadness, or distress. Being able to work through those feelings and bounce back time and again is what makes a child into a resilient adult.

What Can Clinicians Do?

While the time that clinicians spend with children is short – usually a half hour to one hour of therapy – we can use that time to promote resilience and help our young clients develop the characteristics noted above.

It is an easy matter to incorporate the concept of resilience into our existing therapy activities and goals. As clinicians we already do many of the things that help children become resilient. One of the main goals of the speech-language pathologist (SLP), for example, is to teach language skills to help children communicate their needs more effectively, thus enabling them to create social connections and networks. Occupational therapists (OTs) and physical therapists (PTs) help with self-care, mobility and essential life skills. Mental health professionals help children develop behavioral control and positive attitudes.

Click here to learn more.

Building Resilience in your Young ClientBuilding Resilience in your Young Client is a 3-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that offers a wide variety of resilience interventions that can be used in therapy, school, and home settings.

It has long been observed that there are certain children who experience better outcomes than others who are subjected to similar adversities, and a significant amount of literature has been devoted to the question of why this disparity exists. Research has largely focused on what has been termed “resilience.” Health professionals are treating an increasing number of children who have difficulty coping with 21st century everyday life. Issues that are hard to deal with include excessive pressure to succeed in school, bullying, divorce, or even abuse at home.

This course provides a working definition of resilience and descriptions of the characteristics that may be associated with better outcomes for children who confront adversity in their lives. It also identifies particular groups of children – most notably those with developmental challenges and learning disabilities – who are most likely to benefit from resilience training. Course #30-98 | 2017 | 53 pages | 20 posttest questions

Course Directions

This online course provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. After enrolling, click on My Account and scroll down to My Active Courses. From here you’ll see links to download/print the course materials and take the CE test (you can print the test to mark your answers on it while reading the course document).

CE Information

Professional Development Resources is approved to sponsor continuing education by the American Psychological Association (APA); the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA Provider #AAUM); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the Alabama State Board of Occupational Therapy; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635), Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635), and Occupational Therapy Practice (#34); the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors (#MHC-0135); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678); and is CE Broker compliant (all courses are reported within a few days of completion).

Earn CE Wherever YOU Love to Be!

OCD: Not Just About Handwashing

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OCD - Not Just About Handwashing

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been portrayed in the popular media as primarily a problem of checking or washing.

The lay public has accepted OCD as one many people claim, in an ad hoc way, to have given the virtuous qualities associated with it, such as fastidiousness, cleanliness or being well organized. Unfortunately, when individuals actually suffer from this condition, these qualities could not be further from the truth. No one would want to claim they have OCD if they were cognizant of the full range of symptoms.

Most people with OCD suffer greatly and experience incredible emotional pain. Their families struggle with how to best help them. OCD is a severe and debilitating psychological condition affecting 1 percent to 3 percent of the population. The World Health Organization ranks it among the top 10 disabling conditions.

Research suggests it is comprised of subtypes that generally fall in the following categories: symmetry obsessions with symmetry compulsions; obsessions (such as aggressive, sexual, religious or somatic concerns), checking compulsions and contamination obsessions and cleaning compulsions.

Epidemiology research suggests that approximately half of all OCD sufferers report contamination fears associated with washing rituals. Therefore, if you treat individuals with OCD, there is a very high likelihood that the sufferer will have this variant of the disorder.

Many practitioners are aware that the treatment with the greatest level of scientific support for OCD is exposure with response prevention (ERP), which is a component of a broader program of cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT). ERP is said to work through a process of teaching clients that experiencing situations that are avoided do not result in the consequences that they are expecting.

In the case of treating individuals with contamination fears and washing rituals, here are a few helpful tips:

Exposure is Not Harmful

Many therapists are reluctant to practice exposure therapy. The concerns typically involve fears (by the therapist) that the client will drop out, get worse or that the practice will increase the risk of litigation.

Research has shown that dropout among individuals with OCD is comparably high regardless of intervention employed but that ERP is of the highest likelihood in producing good outcome and that clients rarely worsen with its application.

There are no documented cases of litigation to therapists that came about solely due to the application of exposure therapy. This is particularly true in contamination fear with washing rituals, which is one of the most readily treated of the subtypes of OCD.

Emotional Reaction to Exposure is Not Always Fear

The stereotype of OCD sufferers with washing rituals is that they are fearful of contracting an illness. Research over the past 15 years suggests that at least as much of the avoidance in contamination fear is due to much higher disgust reactivity. Many therapists are less familiar with disgust, so here are a few important points to know about this understudied emotion. Disgust is a transmittable emotion

Certain substances and objects lead to disgust reactions. Among the most disgusting things we can encounter are certain body products (i.e., feces, urine, mucus), rotting food and certain types of insects (i.e., spiders) or animals (i.e., rodents). However, experimental findings have shown that disgust operates based on two principles. The first is called the Law of Contagion.

This principle operates when an otherwise neutral object comes in contact with a disgusting object, transferring disgust onto that neutral object. For example, if a clean pen came in contact with mucus, the pen would acquire the disgusting properties. In the case of OCD with washing rituals, the problem is compounded. If that pen were to come in contact with another object such as a cell phone, now the cell phone is also contaminated. This contagion problem can persist across objects multiple times over.

The second principle is a bit less relevant in OCD, called the Law of Similarity. This is when an object that is neutral, but is shaped like a disgusting object leads to a disgust reaction. For example, if one were to serve soup in a bowl shaped like a miniature toilet, this would be evocative of disgust.

Disgust Can Be Treated with Exposure

It may require a bit more intestinal fortitude for the therapist, but ERP for washing rituals where disgust is evoked can still be effective. Be aware that it may take a bit longer than exposure in other circumstances.

When conducting ERP and the primary emotion is fear, there is a consequence that the client is concerned about, but which will not come to pass with the exposure exercise. So the learning is that there is nothing to fear. With disgust, there is typically no consequence except the client offering statements such as “it feels yucky” or “this looks gross.”

These are reactions that are slower to respond to treatment, since it is more a matter of simply getting accustomed to the emotional experience and not recognition of reduced risk. It may be necessary to schedule more frequent sessions in order to ensure a good outcome, such as two or three sessions a week, or longer duration sessions (i.e., up to 90 minutes).

Exposure with response prevention is widely sought out among OCD sufferers. Online forums and professional organizations that have consumer-oriented materials (such as the International Obsessive Compulsive Foundation or the Anxiety and Depression Association of America) have promoted ERP as an empirically supported approach.

As a result providers are often asked to deliver this treatment. In doing so, awareness of the full range of typical emotional reactions that might be provoked is essential for producing better outcomes for clients.

Course excerpt from:

Therapy Tidbits – September/October 2017 is a 1-hour online continuing education (CE) course comprised of select articles from the September/October 2017 issue of The National Psychologist, a private, independent bi-monthly newspaper intended to keep mental health professionals informed about practice issues. Course #11-12 | 2017 | 17 pages | 10 posttest questions

Related Online Continuing Education (CE) Course:

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a 3-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that reviews the diagnosis, assessment and treatment strategies for OCD.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by intrusive, unwanted, and anxiety-provoking thoughts, images, impulses and rituals that are performed to alleviate the accompanying distress. Because OCD is a heterogeneous disorder with several subtypes, assessing, diagnosing, and treating it can be challenging. Further, the presentation of varying symptoms may be considered to be OC Related Disorders. Being able to make differential diagnoses and treatment recommendations are essential in clinical work with the many patients that present with the spectrum of OC problems. Specific behavioral strategies have been developed and validated in the literature that target the various manifestations of OCD and related disorders.

The first part of the course offers information on the neurobiology, diagnosis and assessment tools, including the various subtypes, and highlights important topics to be taken into consideration during the process. Emotional and cognitive factors are outlined that seem to play important roles in the diagnosis and the course of episodes. The next section is dedicated to describing the clinical factors of and differential aspects of the OC Related Disorders and their prevalence. A case study follows that outlines the precipitating events, assessment, and behavioral treatment of a college student who is struggling to maintain and overcome her OCD. The final section describes effective treatment and coping strategies and augmentations that help to maintain treatment gains. Course #30-95 | 2017 | 60 pages | 20 posttest questions

Course Directions

This online course provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. After enrolling, click on My Account and scroll down to My Active Courses. From here you’ll see links to download/print the course materials and take the CE test (you can print the test to mark your answers on it while reading the course document).

CE Information

Professional Development Resources is approved to sponsor continuing education by the American Psychological Association (APA); the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the Alabama State Board of Occupational Therapy; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635), Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635), and Occupational Therapy Practice (#34); the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors (#MHC-0135); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678); and is CE Broker compliant (all courses are reported within a few days of completion).

Earn CE Wherever YOU Love to Be!

Counseling Victims of Natural Disasters

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Counseling Victims of Natural Disasters

Hurricanes. Floods. Fires. Tsunamis. We see them in the media every day. But how do we help those affected? This new course explains…

Counseling Victims of Natural Disasters is a new 3-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that helps clinicians gain a better understanding of the psychological impact natural disasters can have on their clients.

We may ask ourselves: What can be done for the victims of natural disasters? Beyond the physical needs, such as safety, food, and water, there remains the emotional residue of living through an experience that threatens one’s life. This course will address these emotional needs.

This course offers healthcare professionals an opportunity to consider the psychological impact of living through a natural disaster. The practical information presented here will aid healthcare professionals in taking clients through the first steps of recovery: disclosing, normalizing, and grounding. Clinicians will consider the ways in which natural disasters can lay the foundation for profound psychological growth. In searching for meaning in the aftermath of a traumatic experience, people can develop new perspectives on life, which leads to an adjustment in values, beliefs, and priorities. The experience becomes incorporated into their sense of self, helping them to see themselves as stronger, more capable, and more appreciative of what they have.  The clinician will then examine specific skills to use with clients as they learn to cope in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Course #31-04 | 2019 | 41 pages | 20 posttest questions

Course Directions

This online course provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. After enrolling, click on My Account and scroll down to My Active Courses. From here you’ll see links to download/print the course materials and take the CE test (you can print the test to mark your answers on it while reading the course document).

CE Information

Professional Development Resources is approved to sponsor continuing education by the American Psychological Association (APA); the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the Alabama State Board of Occupational Therapy; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635), Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635), and Occupational Therapy Practice (#34); the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors (#MHC-0135); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678); and is CE Broker compliant (all courses are reported within a few days of completion).

Earn CE Wherever YOU Love to Be!

Ohio SLPs License Renewal & CEUs

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Ohio SLPs Save 20% on CEUs @pdresources.org

Ohio-licensed Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) have an upcoming license renewal deadline of December 31, 2018 (due biennially in even years). Licensees will be able to renew their license in the eLicense Ohio license management system beginning October 2, 2018.

CE Required: 20 hours every 2 years
Online CE Allowed: No limit if ASHA-approved
License Expiration: 12/31, even years
National Accreditation Accepted: ASHA
Notes: 10 hours must be in area of licensure, 10 may be related. 2 hours must be related to ethics (effective 1/1/15). 1 hour may be used to show proof of training on human trafficking.

Ohio SLPs can earn all 20 hours required for renewal through online courses offered @pdresources.org. Order now and save 20% on CEUs:

Ohio SLPs Save 20% on CEUs @pdresources.org

Professional Development Resources is approved by the Continuing Education Board of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA Provider #AAUM) and the Ohio Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and is CE Broker compliant (all courses are reported within a few days of completion).

Earn CE Wherever YOU Love to Be!

Impact of Media Exposure to Violence

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Impact of Media Exposure to Violence

When we talk about trauma and the media, there are three trends that emerge:

  • First, the frequency and severity of mass shootings have been increasing.
  • Second, the reporting on these forms of violence has become more widespread and more sensationalized.
  • Third, we are now spending as much as 15.5 hours per day consuming media in some form (Short, 2016).

Now, more than ever, we are surrounded by a frightening array of violent stimuli.

From the smartphone videos that went viral after the Parkland school shooting to the ongoing media images of 911, media portrayals of traumatic events are fast becoming a guaranteed part of any traumatic experience in this country.

Yet as much as we are exposed to the often horrific images, videos, and, in the case of victims, interviews of themselves, do we really know the psychological effect that media exposure has on both the witnesses and victims of such events?

Research has indicated that:

  • Reporting on violence appears to have long-lasting effects on psychological health, including increased risk of PTSD – even as much as seven years later.
  • Exposure to graphic media images spread the impact of collective trauma widely – increasing the risk of both acute and chronic stress, and making traumatic experience live on. Yet, despite the negative consequences, we are often drawn to violent media – in movies and news – as a way to better understand ourselves, and perhaps avenge those who have done harm.
  • While viewing violent media causes changes in our brains and behavior, such as increased risk of aggression and reduced behavioral inhibition, for victims of crime the effects are especially pronounced. These include feelings of violation, loss of control, humiliation and shame.

There are, however, several ways that informed clinicians can not only help victims make sense of what happened to them, but also put the pieces of lives back together in ways that help them find meaning, purpose, and strength through their experiences:

  • Media exposure after mass trauma only leads to less clarity and more confusion about the event. Therefore, one of the best ways clinicians can help victims after a mass trauma is to encourage them to reduce or eliminate exposure to media coverage of the event.
  • Sleep plays an important role in recovering from mass trauma by reducing the intensity and frequency of recurring emotional memories, and should be encouraged by clinicians when working with victims of mass trauma, especially when it becomes public.
  • Having their clients write about their experiences is a powerful tool clinicians can use when working with victims. Research has shown that when victims write about a mass trauma – as opposed to viewing media coverage – especially using introspective and positive emotional words, not just do they feel better, but have better long-term outcomes physically and psychologically.
  • Community engagement after a mass trauma plays a critical role in restoring a sense of connection, support, and aids in the crucial cognitive processing of the event and is something that should be encouraged by clinicians when working with victims of trauma.

Click here to learn more.

Course excerpt from:

Psychological Effects of Media ExposurePsychological Effects of Media Exposure is a 2-hour online continuing education (CE/CEU) course that explores the psychological effects that media exposure has on both the witnesses and victims of traumatic events.

This course will explore why we are so drawn to traumatic events and how media portrayals of these events influence our thoughts, conclusions, and assumptions about them. It will then discuss how the intersection of trauma and media has evolved to provide a place for celebrity-like attention, political agendas, corporate positioning, and even the repackaging, marketing, and selling of grief.

Lastly, the course will look at the interventions and exercises clinicians can use to help their clients understand the effects of trauma becoming public, how to protect themselves, and most importantly, how to recover from traumatic experience – even when it becomes public. Course #21-23 | 2018 | 44 pages | 15 posttest questions

Course Directions

This online course provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. After enrolling, click on My Account and scroll down to My Active Courses. From here you’ll see links to download/print the course materials and take the CE test (you can print the test to mark your answers on it while reading the course document).

CE Information

Professional Development Resources is approved to sponsor continuing education by the American Psychological Association (APA); the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the Alabama State Board of Occupational Therapy; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635), Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635), and Occupational Therapy Practice (#34); the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors (#MHC-0135); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678); and is CE Broker compliant (all courses are reported within a few days of completion).

Earn CE Wherever YOU Love to Be!

Suicide Survivors & Guilt

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Suicide Survivor Guilt

Guilt is very common in suicide survivors and can be external or internal. External influences of guilt occur when others blame the suicide on family members. Internal guilt occurs when the survivors blame themselves for the suicide, for not recognizing suicidal tendencies, and for not being a better parent, spouse, sibling, or grandparent. Often survivors experience anger and rage against the loved one that abandoned them. This in turn generates guilt in the survivor (Feigelman, Gorman, Beal & Jordan, 2008).

Smolin and Guinan (1993) write that suicide victims were often alcoholic or drug dependent and family members often blamed themselves for the victim’s behavior and self-destructiveness. Guilt and responsibility sets in when the person finally kills him or herself. The same guilt previously experienced over not getting them to quit their substance abuse is now felt over the suicide. Maple, Plummer, Edwards, and Minichiello (2007) add that parents exhibit guilt at their own inability to identify signs that their son or daughter’s suicide was imminent. The parents of children who committed suicide report that guilt was the most distressing emotion experienced at the time of the death of their child (Vessier-Batchen & Douglas, 2006).

A study by McIntosh and Wrobleski (1988) found that guilt was equal in all kinship relations. Whether it was parental, spousal, child, or sibling suicide, guilt was equally felt by all family members regardless of who committed suicide.

Guilt does moderate for those who are further removed from the suicide. It needs to be pointed out that declines in guilt were associated with the increase in the number of months since the death. However, the greater the initial guilt experienced, the less the decline in guilt later. In other words, those with greater amounts of guilt just after the death were less likely to report declines in guilt or likely to report lesser declines, while those with lower amounts of guilt originally were more likely to indicate lower levels currently (McIntosh & Wrobleski, 1988).

Postvention is a term coined by Schneidman (1969) and means helping grieving family members of suicide, the suicide survivors. The role of the therapist in postvention is two-fold:

  • To help the suicide survivor deal with grief through the emotions and feelings of shock, denial, helplessness, blame, anger, guilt, shame, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, suicidality, and other psychosocial issues that survivors work through.
  • To help the suicide survivor utilize resources that have been known to help other survivors.

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Course excerpt from:

The Suicide SurvivorThe Suicide Survivor is a 2-hour online continuing education (CE) course that provides an understanding and means of helping the people who have lost loved ones to suicide.

One of the most difficult and complex emotional adjustments many individuals will ever face is the challenging and often lengthy process of dealing with the suicide of a family member or other loved one. These people are called suicide survivors; the family members and close friends who have experienced the death of a family member or loved one by suicide.

Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence because nearly 45,000 people die by suicide each year in the United States alone. Estimates are that an average of six individuals experience major life disruption as a consequence of every suicide. The cascade of emotions that follow can be both unexpected and overwhelming, and many of the survivors who most need assistance in the form of supportive counseling do not receive it.

This course will provide information and helping strategies for health professionals who work with individuals who are struggling with both “normal” grief and complicated grief, sometimes described as “persistent complex bereavement disorder.” Also discussed are myths about coping with grief, the progression through the grief of suicide, stigmas associated with suicide, assessing for religious help, theories of grief, role of the therapist, needs of suicide survivors, and, finally, moving on. Course #21-26 | 2018 | 40 pages | 15 posttest questions

Course Directions

This online course provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. After enrolling, click on My Account and scroll down to My Active Courses. From here you’ll see links to download/print the course materials and take the CE test (you can print the test to mark your answers on it while reading the course document).

CE Information

Professional Development Resources is approved to sponsor continuing education by the American Psychological Association (APA); the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA Provider #3159); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Provider #PR001); the Alabama State Board of Occupational Therapy; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635), Dietetics & Nutrition (#50-1635), and Occupational Therapy Practice (#34); the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors (#MHC-0135); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678); and is CE Broker compliant (all courses are reported within a few days of completion).

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