Workshops - Session E
Thursday, October 8, 9:00 - 11:00 a.m.

W36 - Building Systemic Competencies for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders
Karen Markle, MA, BCBA, NHS Human Services
Carl Clark, NHS Human Services
Human service organizations increasingly struggle to meet the geometrically growing needs of children and adults with autism spectrum disorders. In taking a strengths-based approach that relies on each service domain’s core competencies, providers are better able to collaborate within a comprehensive team setting and modify current treatment realities to reflect best practice standards with autism spectrum disorders. A fragmented service delivery approach often results in ineffective use of already limited resources both in personnel and in dollars, as well as poor individual outcomes. Learn how one provider stresses intensive collaboration, unique strategies, and training to create competencies and positive culture shifts within categorical service domains. A goal is to promote autism spectrum disorder best practice throughout the entire continuum of care.

W37 - Who Moved My Cheese? How to Plan For, Manage, and Get Buy-in for Organizational Change
Paul E. Tedesco, MDiv, FamilyLinks
Change inevitably triggers a variety of emotions from enthusiasm to downright fear. Change is also the only constant. How well we lead people through it will ultimately be the hallmark of how well we are received as leaders. Learn how to manage change in ways that work. Join the presenter to discuss such topics as types of organizational change, assessing an organization’s readiness to change, how people tend to respond to changes they fear and dislike, managing the neutral zone of change effectively, strategies for overcoming resistance to change, the role of managers as interpreters of change, and creating a learning culture.

W38 - Residential Co-Occurring Disorders Treatment Through a Trauma-Informed Lens
Karen Reap, MS, LPC, CAC-D, CCDP-D, Pyramid Healthcare
Meaning of Behaviors, Balance Self Assessment, Identify Core Issues, Trauma-Loss Connections, Trauma Resources
HL Mencken said, “For every human problem, there is a neat, simple solution; and it is always wrong.”  The fact is that we tend to be complex people, with complex problems and issues, that require solutions that are multi-dimensional.The current viewpoint in behavioral healthcare is that addiction, mental illness, and trauma are intertwined and that substance abuse and mental health symptoms are often manifestations of untreated trauma.  This workshop addresses the issues around viewing, understanding, and responding to client attitudes and behaviors from a trauma-informed perspective. A primary goal of this interactive workshop is to provide education and generate discussion around the ways in which we can begin to “shift” how we view, understand, and respond to client attitudes and behaviors toward a trauma-informed care perspective.

W39 - Telepsychiatry:  Expanding Psychiatric Services in a Regional Mental Health Agency
Nancy Parrotta, MA, LPC, NCC, Community Care Behavioral Health Organization
Toni Gerhart, MA, LPC, Family Guidance Center
Jack Cahalane, PhD, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
The future of telemedicine is now.  Due to the shortage of psychiatrists in many Pennsylvania counties, mainly in child and other specialty areas, Community Care has supported development of telepsychiatry to improve access to psychiatric services. Now active in four counties and under development in several others, telepsychiatric services have improved access. Join the discussion about numerous barriers faced during the   implementation of a telepsychiatric project, lessons learned, and provider and consumer satisfaction.

W40 - Managing Potential Conflicts Among Core Philosophies
John Ciavardone, CCE, NHS Human Services
Recovery, resiliency, and person-centeredness are core philosophies that define the next wave of system transformation and improvement.  They also result in values-based services and service delivery strategies that could lead a provider into conflict with regulations, especially the core concept of medical necessity.  As system transformation progresses, managing the potential conflicts is essential to both good care/support and avoiding catastrophic compliance failures. Agencies must prepare and protect without sacrificing the vision of recovery and other philosophies. The presentation will discuss training, policies, and monitoring activities that reduce the likelihood of turning a good thing - philosophies that improve the lives of individuals - into compliance failures that result in paybacks.

W41 - The Behavioral Health Needs of Latino Older Adults
Karen Fortuna, MSW, University of Pennsylvania
Lynn Patrone, Pennsylvania Behavioral Health and Aging Coalition
The Latino older adult population is one of the fastest growing groups. As this population ages, the number of Latino older adults in need of behavioral health care will increase, as will the urgency with which providers will need to develop a better understanding of their needs. Currently, Latino older adults have high prevalence rates of mental illnesses coupled with poor access to treatment and quality of care, which may be related to the lack of culturally relevant services. This presentation reviews study findings on Latino older adults’ unmet behavioral health needs. The cultural constructs of mental illness, treatment seeking behavior, and barriers are discussed. Policy and treatment recommendations are provided that address directions for the development of more effective services and system changes for this population.

W42 - Treating Explosive Kids:  The Collaborative Problem Solving Approach
Carolyn Lewis, MS, NHS Human Services
Rhea Fernandes, LPC, NHS Human Services
Assessment Lagging Skills, CPS Plan, Plan B Flowchart
Many labels have been used to describe “explosive children.”  Among these are defiant, aggressive, angry, non-compliant, and challenging. They have also been given a number of diagnoses including Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, and Intermittent Explosive Disorder. The term “explosive” is used in this presentation because it is a common theme among all the descriptions and diagnoses and these children are some of the most challenging clients in the mental health system. Based on Treating Explosive Kids: The Collaborative Problem-Solving Approach, by Greene and Ablon, this workshop reconceptualizes non-compliant behavior.  Participants will learn how deficits in executive skills, language-processing skills, emotion regulation skills, cognitive flexibility skills, and social skills impair a child’s ability to tolerate frustration and solve problems.

W43 - Growing Pains: Accountable Program Development, Implementation, and Operation
Matthew Weinstein, PhD, CBHNP
Jeri Davis, Jeri Davis International Healthcare Consultants and Recruiters
Sheryl Swanson, MBA, CBHNP
This presentation is designed as a participatory workshop where attendees will be engaged in a dialogue related to infrastructure development, exercise of leadership, and implementation strategies that address current issues facing provider organizations such as credentialing, mergers and acquisitions, board and senior management transition strategies, and creative recruitment strategies.  Both presenters and attendees will bring topics to the workshop and outline action plans developed through a fast-paced collaboration, while encouraging the expression of a broad range of creative ideas and solutions.

W44 - Reiki
Philip MP Buttenfield, LCSW, JD, Key Stone Reiki
Nancy Murray, Key Stone Reiki
It Takes a Village, Reiki at Home, Training in Reiki
Reiki is an alternative healing modality, a form of energy transfer, used for physical, mental, and spiritual healing.  A growing body of research indicates Reiki’s effectiveness as an integrative treatment form that is useful.  In this morning session, learn how Reiki can produce deep relaxation, relieve pain, accelerate healing, minimize side effects of chemotherapy, and assist recovery from addictions and psychological disorders. Mini-treatments are offered in-session.  A limited number of full treatments will be available in the afternoon (pre-registration during the workshop required).

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