Paul Foxman, Ph.D., instructor

Psychotherapists and their clients can usually identify the symptoms and problems associated with anxiety, such as worry, tension, difficulty relaxing, sleep disorders, panic attacks, perfectionism, social avoidance, fears/phobias, obsessions, compulsive behavior and post-traumatic stress. But what replaces these symptoms when therapy is successful? Is symptom reduction enough? What new skills are needed? Which new behaviors and ways of thinking are necessary? Is life without anxiety possible and, if so, what is it like? And finally, how important is it for therapists to “practice what we preach” to our anxious clients?

This workshop will include a journey through the seven key DSM-IV anxiety disorders, with special attention focused on three symptom clusters: somatic, cognitive and behavioral. Strategies and interventions will be demonstrated for cultivating anxiety replacements and positive alternatives, such as the relaxation response, mindfulness, optimism, higher self-esteem, gratitude, joy, emotional self-regulation, productivity and healthy lifestyle. Treatment interventions will draw from various approaches including solution focused, psychodynamic, mindfulness, mind-body, spiritual, and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Case examples will be used to illustrate their application to the anxiety disorders. Geared primarily to adult clients, we will discuss how these therapy strategies and interventions can be adapted for use with children and adolescents.

Attending this workshop will boost your therapy repertoire with interesting and effective therapy interventions, and a handout packet will include client instructions for each therapeutic exercise learned in the workshop.

Upon completion of the program the student will be able to:

• Program Code: AD68
  6 CE Credits
  Location: at MSPP, Newton

Paul Foxman, Ph.D., has led hundreds of top rated workshops in the U.S. and internationally, and he has appeared on television and radio as an expert on the topic of anxiety. His books include Dancing with Fear (2007) and The Worried Child (2004), as well as a co-authored casebook, Conquering Panic and Anxiety Disorders (2003). Dr. Foxman is known for his knowledge and clarity, sense of humor, compassion, and engaging speaking style. Dr. Foxman is a clinical psychologist as well as Founder and Director of the Center for Anxiety Disorders in Vermont. In 1985 he co-founded the Lake Champlain Waldorf School, now flourishing from kindergarten through high school. Dr. Foxman has over 30 years of clinical experience in a variety of settings including hospitals, graduate programs in psychology, community mental health centers, schools, and private practice. His education includes Peabody College of Vanderbilt University (Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology), and training at the Department of Psychiatry of Mt. Zion Hospital in San Francisco, the Kennedy Child Study Center in Nashville and the San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute.