Kristie Kirby, PhD

presents a Saturday Morning Seminar

on

One of our goals as psychodynamic psychotherapists is the alleviation of suffering.  When a therapist can respond empathically and offer options for the resolution of suffering, the patient’s trust increases and the commitment to therapy is enhanced.  In this introductory presentation, two techniques will be considered that provide the therapist with options beyond those of the traditional talking cure.  

Neurofeedback has emerged as a powerful clinical tool that can improve brain functioning and affect-regulation which are core issues for most of our patients.  Seburn Fisher has called neurofeedback a relational technology because, by training the brain in certain ways, the patient’s  capacity for empathy is enhanced, which has interesting implications for attachment theory.    

With neurofeedback, clinicians help the brain become more flexible and self-regulated as well as better able to resolve trauma and free itself from substance abuse.  Despite its clinical utility, the field of neurofeedback has been plagued by conflict in the decades since its development.  Dr. Kirby will briefly explore this history and discuss some of the issues that emerge when neurofeedback is integrated into the practice of psychotherapy.   Case examples of her work will be used to illustrate the process. 

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy) is another technique that has proven to have utility in resolving PTSD and other conditions.  While the procedure itself may seem simplistic, or even absurd, to some, the research continues to show that it has effective and robust outcomes.  When using EMDR, patients often identify unique and unexpected resolutions to their problems.  Dr. Kirby will discuss the theories that explain the “mechanisms of action” that could account for these outcome studies.  She will also discuss how psychodynamic theory (including the notion of potential space) can inform an EMDR therapist.  Again, case examples will be used to illustrate the process.  

Presenter

Kristie Kirby, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and neurofeedback practitioner in private practice in Brentwood, Tennessee. She received her doctoral degree in Psychology from the University of Montana, in Missoula, and completed a pre-doctoral internship at Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, New York. Her first post-graduate position was in Syracuse where she completed neuropsychological evaluations for children and adults. She also taught undergraduate classes in Adolescent Psychology and Abnormal Psychology at a local junior college. Following this, she worked as a staff psychologist on the inpatient and outpatient services at Ridgeview Psychiatric Hospital in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, eventually going into private practice with Professional Psychotherapy Associates. Dr. Kirby supervised graduate students in the Outpatient Clinic at the University of Tennessee as well as through her private practice. She completed a two-year certification program in Advanced Psychodynamic Psychotherapy under the auspices of the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Society. 

Following Level 1 and Level 2 training in EMDR, she became a member of the Nashville EMDR Therapists. She began training in Neurofeedback in 2006 and has completed four Advanced Summits, as well as ongoing monthly supervision with the Othmers. She has served on the Board of the Appalachian Psychoanalytic Society and the Board of the Advanced Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Group. She has been a presenter with the Montana Psychological Association, the Nashville Psychotherapy Institute, the Appalachian Psychoanalytic Society, and given many presentations for the public. 

Schedule

8:30am Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:50am Welcome and Introduction

9:00am Neurofeedback Training in Psychotherapy:
Regulating Affect and Enhancing Attachment Improves Access to Psychotherapy

10:30am Break

10:45am The EMDR Technique in Psychotherapy

12:15pm Complete Evaluations and Adjourn

Learning Objectives

After attending this introductory-level seminar in full, participants will be able to:

1. List the circuits in the brain that are affected by developmental trauma and relate this to the formation of a coherent sense of Self and Other.

2. Describe how the brain’s development of attachment can be influenced by neurofeedback training.

3. Describe the mechanism of action in EMDR.

4. List at least two ways in which a psychodynamic theory informs the use of EMDR.

5. Describe contraindications for the use of EMDR in clinical practice. 

Selected References/Recommended Reading

Fisher, Sebern F. (2014). Neurofeedback in the treatment of developmental trauma, Calming the fear-driven brain. New York: W.W. Norton & Company

Kirk, Hanno W. (2016). Restoring the brain, Neurofeedback as an integrative approach to health. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

Schore, Allan N. (2003). Affect Regulation and the repair of the self. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

Schore, Allan N. (2003). Affect Dysregulation and disorders of the self. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

Shapiro, Francine, & Silk Forrest, Margot. (1997). EMDR: The breakthrough therapy for overcoming anxiety, stress, and trauma. New York: Basic Books.

Stickgold, Robert. (2002). EMDR: A putative neurobiological mechanism of action. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58, 61-75.

Participants

This program is open to all APS members and other interested mental health professionals who may not be members. It is not limited to individuals practicing in a predominately psychoanalytic mode. The material will be appropriate for clinicians with intermediate levels of experience and knowledge.

Registration

Professional and Scholar Members:

$45 until September 18, 2017,

$55 after September 18, 2017.

Early-Career Professional Members:

Free if registered by September 18, 2017,

$10 after September 18, 2017.

Graduate Student Members: Free.

Non-members:

$60 until September 18, 2017,

$70 after September 18, 2017.

Although walk-ins will be accepted, please register online at www.aps-tn.org in advance to assure adequate food and seating.

If you prefer to pay by check, please mail your payment to:
Scott Swan, PhD
APS Treasurer
1005 Kenesaw Avenue
Knoxville, TN 37919.

Refunds honored with written/electronic notice at least 24 hours before date of conference. Contact Scott Swan, PhD. 

Contact the APS President Bill MacGillivray, PhD to negotiate fees, if needed.

Facility is accessible to persons who are physically challenged. Reasonable accommodations will be made for persons requesting them.

APS Membership
Eligible professionals can join APS or renew their membership for the 2017-2018 program year for $80. Scholars can join/renew for $50 and Early-Career Professionals can join/renew for $45. Graduate students may join or renew for $25.

American Psychological Association Approval Statement
Division 39 is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Division 39 maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Continuing Education
This program, when attended in its entirety, is available for 3.0 continuing education credits. With full attendance and completion of a program Evaluation and Learning Assessment, a certificate will be issued. Psychologists will have their participation registered through Division 39.

APS and Division 39 are committed to conducting all activities in conformity with the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles for Psychologists. APS and Division 39 are also committed to accessibility and non-discrimination in continuing education activities. Participants are asked to be aware of the need for privacy and confidentiality throughout the program. If program content becomes stressful, participants are encouraged to process these feelings during discussion periods.

Contact
If participants have special needs, we will attempt to accommodate them. Please address requests, questions, concerns and any complaints to APS President Bill MacGillivray, PhD.

There is no commercial support for this program nor are there any relationships between Division 39, APS, presenter, program content, research, grants or other funding sources that could reasonably be construed as conflicts of interest. During the program, the validity/utility of the content and risks/limitations of the approaches discussed will be addressed.