Professional Growth - SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals

The Role of Social Workers in Transforming Mental Health

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 14:54:29 +0000

The field of mental health has made remarkable strides in terms of research, interventions, and comprehension of various psychological conditions. The development of evidence-based therapies, medications, and innovative approaches has provided a solid foundation for treating mental health issues. However, despite these advancements, the translation of these achievements into tangible improvements in the lives of patients and clients remains challenging. Several factors contribute to this gap between progress and outcomes[1]. One major challenge is the complexity and individuality of mental health conditions. Every person’s experience is unique, and what works for one individual might not work for another[2]. Additionally, the stigma surrounding mental health still exists in many societies, discouraging individuals from seeking help or adhering to treatment plans[3]. Another factor is the limited access to mental health services. Even though interventions and treatments are available, they may not be accessible to everyone due to issues like cost, geographic location, or lack of qualified professionals[4]. This can lead to uneven distribution of care and hinder the widespread impact of advancements. Furthermore, measuring outcomes in mental health can be intricate. Unlike some medical conditions where physical parameters can be monitored, progress in mental health often relies on subjective self-reporting, making it difficult to gauge the effectiveness of interventions accurately[5]. Addressing the challenges within the field of mental health requires a comprehensive approach that extends beyond scientific and medical advancements. It encompasses societal attitudes, policies, and accessibility to ensure that the benefits of mental health research are effectively applied to those who require assistance. This holistic perspective recognizes that the success of mental health initiatives is intertwined with various factors that shape individuals’ experiences and opportunities for recovery. This is where the crucial role of Social Workers becomes evident. Social Workers possess a unique set of skills and expertise that allow them to bridge the gap between individuals and the resources they need[6]. With their deep understanding of social systems, human behavior, and community dynamics, Social Workers are well-equipped to address the complex interplay of factors that influence mental health outcomes. Social Work leadership[7] is essential because it provides a guiding force in shaping policies, practices, and programs that genuinely address the needs of individuals dealing with mental health challenges. By advocating for effective policies, promoting awareness, and facilitating collaboration between various stakeholders, Social Work leadership can contribute to creating an environment that supports mental health and well-being for all. SWEET’s initiative to gather Social Workers in transforming mental health is significant. By engaging Social Workers in this movement, SWEET is harnessing the meaningful impact Social Workers can have on mental health outcomes. Social Workers can offer personalized support, address the social determinants of mental health, and foster a more inclusive and empathetic approach to mental health care. In essence, the collaboration between mental health research, Social Work expertise, and a comprehensive societal approach holds the potential to bring about lasting change in the way mental health is understood, treated, and supported. By recognizing the interdependence of these elements, SWEET’s movement can create a positive ripple effect that reaches individuals, families, communities, and society. What does it truly take for Social Workers to play that pivotal role in transforming mental health? It involves a series of steps: Understanding Their Identity: Social Workers need to start by recognizing their true identity and the unique contributions they bring to the field. Uncovering Their Power: Discovering the often hidden and latent power within themselves is crucial. Harnessing Personal Power: Learning to channel and harness this power effectively is a key aspect of the process. Embracing Their Role: Recognizing their pivotal role in driving transformative change within the realm of mental health is essential. Recognizing Necessity: Understanding that the transformation of mental health relies on the active involvement of Social Workers. Leading with Empowerment: Social Workers are to be empowered not only to lead but also to model the transformation movement. Creating a Ripple Effect: Modeling empowerment offers fellow Social Workers the opportunity to know their own empowerment is within reach and is essential to creating a far-reaching impact. Designing Innovative Strategies: Architecting strategies that foster innovation and drive optimal shifts in mental health systems is a critical responsibility. Fostering Community Collaboration: Collaborating closely with communities is key to dismantling barriers and effect transformation. Celebrating Achievements: Acknowledging and celebrating successes within Social Work is an essential part of the journey. These steps encapsulate the journey that Social Workers embark upon as they assume their role in the transformation of mental health. What’s on the horizon: Enroll in our 23-week certificate course, “Social Work Power.” Throughout this course, you’ll delve into: Revelation of Social Worker’s Hidden Power: Uncover the remarkable potency within Social Workers that may surprise you. Empowering Process Unveiled: Explore the magical journey where Social Workers learn to effectively wield their innate power. Breaking Down Barriers: Learn to dismantle obstacles that obstruct the full expression and utilization of Social Work’s potential. Guiding Mental Health Transformation: Discover how to take the lead in steering the transformation of mental health. Empowerment in Action: Gain insights into empowering others as catalysts for meaningful change. Strategies for Systemic Impact: Master the art of crafting strategies that foster innovation and drive optimal shifts in mental health systems. These modules and more will equip you with the knowledge and tools to embark on an impactful journey in the realm of Social Work and mental health transformation. Click now to join us; and set free the powerful Social Worker within you! [1] Insel, Thomas R. “Translating scientific opportunity into public health impact: a strategic plan for research on mental illness.” Archives of general psychiatry 66.2 (2009): 128-133. [2] Wakefield, Jerome C. “DSM-5 and clinical social work: Mental disorder and psychological justice as goals of clinical intervention.” Clinical Social Work Journal 41 (2013): 131-138. [3] Sickel, Amy E., Jason D. Seacat, and Nina A. Nabors. “Mental health stigma update: A review of consequences.” Advances in Mental Health 12.3 (2014): 202-215. [4] Thornicroft, Graham. “Stigma and discrimination limit access to mental health care.” Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences 17.1 (2008): 14-19. [5] […]

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25 Practices of Supertherapists

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Thu, 11 May 2023 12:56:07 +0000

Our identity, for example, being a Supertherapist, is a result of our habits. Our habits, in turn, are the result of our behaviors. A behavior is how we do things. It is our practice, our exercise. It is what we do in combination with how we feel, our focus, attitude, and belief. As you embark on your journey as a Supertherapist, here are 25 Practices of Supertherapists to reflect on. Which ones catch your attention the most? Read on… Daily reflection on the work they do[1] They often ask: “What went as expected? What could I have done differently? What am I going to do differently next time? They consult with themselves, first They are clear on what they are doing and why they are doing it They have a framework and a system for everything they do They have a How; yet remain flexible to allow room for flexibility and improvisation They know there is always time for everything; and they are responsible with how they use their time They are conscious of how they use their time. They are present and mindful They know when to consult, who to consult, and how to consult[2] They set time aside to read, to discuss cases, and to write They have solid skills in clinical interviewing, the art and science of questioning, and in mental health evaluation They have solid skills in establishing rapport, in engaging their patients, and in establishing trust and safety They have solid skills in doing a History of Present Illness, a History of Mental Health Symptoms, and in Symptom Contextualization They have solid skills in doing a Case Formulation, a Diagnostic Formulation, and in Differential Diagnosis They have solid skills in doing a cultural assessment, a spiritual assessment, and in formulating a comprehensive treatment plan[3] They hone their skills and their craft with much dedication They are continuously working on knowing themselves. They know they have blind spots; and that the best way to uncover them is by going inside, be it through introspection, inquiry, or meditation They know that the ultimate way for patients to end their suffering is through integration. This means becoming connected with their source of wisdom more often than not They know one best way to help their patients is by maintaining a safe place for them to unlearn, relearn, and learn again[4] They know one best way for their patient to learn is by being a model for them[5] They know that all forms of treatment have their place and time. They then become acquainted with as many of them as possible; and they develop at least a working knowledge of the different methods and systems involved in evaluating and treating patients They have developed the wisdom to understand that people will claim to discover new theories, which are already well-known principles that are slightly restated They remain up-to-date and use the latest practice guidelines. However, they remain flexible enough to always put their patients first They set time aside to learn skills like public speaking, writing, speed reading, memory skills, and critical thinking. They know the more they have the more they can give and they cannot give what they do not have They have developed such a high physical and spiritual intelligence[6] to know when to rest just a little bit more, when to take some time off, and when to return to the world with an exponentially fuller force Now, unto you: Which of these 25 practices is yours? Which ones of them are foreign to you? Which ones would you like to start implementing right away? When would you like to start implementing them? What do you need to get started? Below is a list of series happening at the Institute that you may find to be helpful and relevant to these 25 practices. Which ones can you commit to attending? See below and see you soon: Speed Reading for Clinicians, Mondays from 7-8pm (EDT) Super Memory Skills for Clinicians, Wednesdays from 7-8pm (EDT) Writing Skills for Clinicians, Thursdays from 10:30-11:30pm (EDT) Public Speaking for Clinicians, Tuesdays from 10:30-11:30pm (EDT) Also, join us for our virtual conference on CBT for Behavior Change on Friday, May 19, 2023 from 9-1pm [1] McBeath, Alistair. “The motivations of psychotherapists: An in‐depth survey.” Counselling and Psychotherapy Research 19.4 (2019): 377-387. [2] Rønnestad, Michael Helge, et al. “The professional development of counsellors and psychotherapists: Implications of empirical studies for supervision, training and practice.” Counselling and Psychotherapy Research 19.3 (2019): 214-230. [3] Gilbert, Paul. “Psychotherapy for the 21st century: An integrative, evolutionary, contextual, biopsychosocial approach.” Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice 92.2 (2019): 164-189. [4] Tsai, Mavis, et al. “Creating safe, evocative, attuned, and mutually vulnerable therapeutic beginnings: Strategies from functional analytic psychotherapy.” Psychotherapy 56.1 (2019): 55. [5] Bellows, Karen F. “Psychotherapists’ personal psychotherapy and its perceived influence on clinical practice.” Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic 71.3 (2007): 204-226. [6] Al Eid, Nawal A., Boshra A. Arnout, and Ayed A. Almoied. “Leader’s spiritual intelligence and religiousness: Skills, factors affecting, and their effects on performance (a qualitative study by grounded theory).” Journal of Public Affairs 21.1 (2021): e2129.

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14 Characteristics of Ordinary Therapists

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 09:47:40 +0000

In the first article, in this series, entitled, Becoming a Supertherapist, we talked about the importance and benefits of becoming a Supertherapist. We talked about how this is within reach for all clinicians, and how there are secrets we will reveal to help you to reach this noble goal. In our second article, entitled, 7 Revelations to Becoming A Supertherapist, we revealed to you 7 important insights to have as part of becoming a Supertherapist. From these revelations, you may have already gathered that the patient-related factors that we thought would make a difference actually do not. Here are five patient-related factors that we used to overvalue, that have now been shown to be far less important than they actually were thought to be: Age Gender Diagnosis[1] Level of Functional Impairment Prior treatment history What about clinician-related factors? The same finding applies here. The factors we thought would make a difference actually do not. Here are seven of them below: Clinician’s age Clinician’s gender Clinician’s training[2] Clinician’s professional discipline[3] Type of licensure Years of experience[4] Theoretical orientation What are we then left with? Simple. You. You are the medicine. You are the placebo. You are the catalyst. You make the difference. With that in mind, you are free to choose to either be a Supertherapist or an ordinary therapist. This, in turn, will be determined by whether you want super outcomes for your patients or simply average and ordinary ones. Your pick. For now, let us elaborate on this by looking at the 14 characteristics of ordinary therapists: Ordinary Therapists: Often believe that they are performing adequately Truly believe they are on par with Supertherapists Tend to assume that what they do is best and rarely follow up to really find out Rarely ask for feedback and when they do, tend to only hear what they want to hear Tend to have an increased sense of confidence in their clinical work as years go by despite little or no improvement in actual patients’ outcomes Rarely keep outcome records on their clinical work May not be incompetent, but are rarely proficient Tend to make themselves believe that if a mistake is not easily noticeable, then it is not a mistake Tend to trick themselves into believing that mistakes that are not easily noticeable are not worth paying attention to, correct, or improve upon Tend to believe that if they are using a modality, or method, or technique that is known to work, then that is enough to indicate a positive outcome. In other words, they want “A sticker for trying!” Tend to believe that if they are empathetic, compassionate, and validating, then that is enough to measure their patients’ outcome. Another “Sticker for being nice!” Fail to understand or ignore the fact that success rates vary based on who the clinician is, much more than what the modality is Rarely pay attention to their baseline outcomes Believe that standardization of care is enough to increase their patient’s outcomes Now, unto you. What do you hear? Which of these 14 characteristics of ordinary therapists do you identify with the most? Would you like to do anything about that? What would you like to do? When would you like to do it? What is the next step? Stay tuned for the subsequent articles in this series to learn about the characteristics of the Supertherapists, their secrets, and how to implement them in your own practice. Meanwhile, here’s what you can do: Be one of the first 100 clinicians to send your thoughts on what you think we can do, and you may earn a free 6-month one-on-one coaching session with SWEET. Email us at contact@sweetinstitute.com, Subject Line: 6 Month One-one-One Coaching. Click here to register for one or both of our upcoming Certificate Courses Trauma Treatment Protocol Certificate Course: Click here to join us Loneliness Certificate Course: Click to join us [1] Tasma, Magda, et al. “Do routine outcome monitoring results translate to clinical practice? A cross-sectional study in patients with a psychotic disorder.” BMC psychiatry 16.1 (2016): 1-7. [2] Boswell, James F., Louis G. Castonguay, and Rachel H. Wasserman. “Effects of psychotherapy training and intervention use on session outcome.” Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 78.5 (2010): 717. [3] Boswell, James F., et al. “Implementing routine outcome monitoring in clinical practice: Benefits, challenges, and solutions.” Psychotherapy research 25.1 (2015): 6-19. [4] Anderson, Timothy, et al. “Therapist effects: Facilitative interpersonal skills as a predictor of therapist success.” Journal of clinical psychology 65.7 (2009): 755-768.

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Becoming a Supertherapist

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 08:55:39 +0000

How do you become, hands-down, the most effective therapist you could have ever dreamed of becoming? Can anyone become a Supertherapist? To help answer these questions, let us start with the following 12 Initial Inquires: What are your success rates? When was the last time you evaluated that? What tools have you been using for this type of evaluation? Do you have a way to measure your progress as a clinician? Do you have a way to measure your progress for (or with) each of your clients? Do you know any clinicians who you would consider to be top in their clinical performance? Do you know what they’ve been doing to set themselves apart? Have you ever thought of finding out? Would you like to find out now? Do you believe you can become a Supertherapist? Would you like to become one? Are you aware of the benefits that come with being a Supertherapist? Now, very few of us enjoy being evaluated. Even when we ask for feedback, we don’t always welcome what we hear or we dread what we think we are going to hear. This fear is related to a number of factors [1]. What matters here is the fact that we might, at times, do whatever it takes to skip being evaluated. Yet, unfortunately, this avoidance is not without an impact [2]. The impact, in turn, is on us, on our patients and their family members, on the agencies where we practice, and on society at large. On the other hand, such a multidimensional impact has a simple and unique solution: Becoming a Supertherapist. That’s right. Simple and unique. Now, by simple and unique, we are actually also saying easy and straightforward. All you need is to just choose to become a Supertherapist and the rest will be up to us, at the SWEET Institute. For we will soon hand you the secrets; and they are far from what you might expect. And you will not only find them simple but you will also find an eagerness in doing them. Part of that is because they are the things you had always been wanting to do, to start with; but you simply did not know how. Secondly, these secrets that you will be introduced to lie at the core of why we are in this field, to start with; and they, therefore, tap into our innermost intrinsic motivations [3]. Thirdly, they are some of the most practical secrets known to mankind. They are super easy to implement. They barely take any extra time, and in fact, they save us time. They save us headaches. They save aggravations, fear, explanations, justifications, or paperwork. They also save us the need to practice defensive work. And more importantly, they lead to increased patient satisfaction, enhanced clinical outcomes, increased productivity, decreased show rate, decreased dropout, more income for agencies or your practice, and decreased liability. What’s more is that these secrets increase clinician satisfaction, and decrease burnout, including cynicism, and sense of disempowerment, and the sense of getting stuck. These secrets are the answer to why you are in this field. They will enhance your sense of self, your image as a clinician, your sense of fulfillment, and the joy of being the type of therapist that makes the biggest difference in the lives of the highest number of people throughout your career, no matter how long you may have been practicing. It matters not whether you have been practicing for 30 years, or 10 years, or 2 years. It matters not whether your degree is in social work, or psychology, or counseling, or medicine, or nursing, or coaching. The secrets we will be giving you are designed to make you the Supertherapist that you, too, can be. Now, unto you: What do you think those secrets might be? Where do you think they lie? What do you think it takes to become a super therapist? While waiting for the next article on this series, here’s what you can do: Be one of the first 100 hundred clinicians to send your thoughts and you may earn a free 6-month one-on-one coaching session with SWEET Click here to register for one or both of our upcoming certificate courses Trauma Treatment Protocol Certificate Course: Click Here to Join Us Loneliness Certificate Course: Click Here to Join Us [1] Reichenberger, Julia, Joshua M. Smyth, and Jens Blechert. “Fear of evaluation unpacked: day-to-day correlates of fear of negative and positive evaluation.” Anxiety, Stress, & Coping 31.2 (2018): 159-174 [2] Lynd-Stevenson, Robert M., and Christie M. Hearne. “Perfectionism and depressive affect: The pros and cons of being a perfectionist.” Personality and Individual Differences 26.3 (1999): 549-562. [3] Prendergast, Canice. “Intrinsic motivation and incentives.” American Economic Review 98.2 (2008): 201-205.

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How to Manage Stress

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 08:56:40 +0000

First of all: What is â€œstress,â€? The Latin word for â€œstress,â€ is â€œstrictus,â€ which means, â€œdrawn tight.â€ â€œdrawing tight,â€ is â€œexperiencing tight.â€ We experience through Consciousness, and â€œexperiencing tight,â€ simply means â€œtightening our Consciousness,â€ or â€œnarrowing our Consciousness.â€

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What’s Your Greatest Version of Yourself?

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Sun, 31 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

You are Life. You are here to expand. You are here to expand life. Life and you are all about expansion. And the moment you stop expanding you are either transitioning from this lifetime, or you are suffering.

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Fulfillment

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 15:00:00 +0000

Knowing who we are. Knowing our True nature. What does all mean? It means everything. It means why so many in the world are not fulfilled.

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How can we make the biggest difference?

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 15:00:00 +0000

We can no longer wait and allow those with special interests, none of which include the interests of our patients, continue to make the decision for them. We can no longer stay on the sidelines. We have to do something, and while one person, alone, may not be able to do much, coming together, in community, we can.

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