Clients Numbed to & Disconnected from Feelings: Treatment Strategies & Considerations

Date course created: June 2022

Alexithymia is a subclinical personality trait distinguished by difficulties with the identification and description of one’s own emotional experiences, issues associated with interpersonal relating, and a pre-occupation with externally-oriented thinking. In other words, clients with alexithymia will likely have problems with identifying, understanding, describing, and expressing their emotions, which can cause significant challenges in all facets of life. Although the causal origins are unclear, this trait has been linked to a diverse array of conditions. This includes neurological and psychosomatic disorders, neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric conditions (e.g., autism, depression, anxiety), prenatal disorders (e.g., FASD), and injuries (e.g., traumatic brain injuries).

Intended for professionals, this training is designed to increase awareness of alexithymia, including its implications for screening and intervention in mental health and substance use treatment settings. Relevant topics covered will include comorbid psychopathology, trauma and psychological distress, peer victimization, anger, violence, and aggression, intellectual functioning, executive dysfunction, disruptive attachment patterns, hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, internalizing and externalizing behaviors, somatization, parental reflective functioning, emotion regulation, empathy, insight and awareness deficits, social cognition, perspective taking, mentalization, loneliness and social isolation, substance use, and self-harm and suicidality to name a few. Empirically-based research findings and relevant case examples will be discussed throughout this training.

**This is a 1.75-CE noninteractive, self-paced online video course delivered in home study format via an industry-standard online learning platform**

Agenda:

00:00 – 01:00: Alexithymia & Challenges

01:00 – 01:50: Intervention Techniques

Objectives:

This training will provide participants clinical knowledge and tools to:

a). After completing this training, participants will be able to identify and describe the symptoms and red flag indicators of alexithymia.

b). After completing this training, participants will be able to state the role of alexithymia in co-occurring neurological, psychiatric, and other conditions.

c). After completing this training, participants will be able to identify and describe the screening options available for alexithymia.

d). After completing this training, participants will be able to learn and describe at least two intervention techniques and approaches for treatment of alexithymia.

e). After completing this training, participants will be able to learn and discuss relevant research findings and implications for mental health and substance use treatment settings.

Target Audience: 

Mental health counselors, psychologists, social workers, drug and alcohol counselors, marriage and family therapists, telehealth treatment professionals, and other clinical mental health professionals.

Instructional Level: Intermediate

Instructor(s): Jerrod Brown, PhD, MA, MS, MS, MS

Material Author(s): Jerrod Brown, PhD, MA, MS, MS, MS

Jerrod Brown, PhD, MA, MS, MS, MS is an Assistant Professor for Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota and is the lead developer and program director for the Master of Arts degree in Human Services with an Emphasis in Forensic Behavioral Health. Jerrod has also been employed with Pathways Counseling Center in St. Paul, Minnesota for the past seventeen years. Pathways provides programs and services benefiting individuals impacted by mental illness and addictions. Jerrod is also the founder and CEO of the American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies (AIAFS) and the Editor-in-Chief of Forensic Scholars Today (FST). Jerrod has completed four separate master’s degree programs and holds graduate certificates in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Other Health Disabilities (OHD), and Traumatic-Brain Injuries (TBI). Jerrod is also certified as a Youth Firesetting Prevention/Intervention Specialist, an Anger Resolution Therapist (CART), Thinking for a Change (T4C) Facilitator, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Trainer, an Autism Specialist, Digestive Health Specialist, Gut Health Specialist, Stress and Mindset Coach, Sleep Science Coach, Sex Crimes & Relational Paraphilic Attachments (RPA), Mental Health Integrative Medicine Provider (CMHIMP), and a Problem Gambling treatment provider in the state of Minnesota. In addition to the certifications mentioned above, Jerrod also holds a micro-credential as an Executive Functions Consultant (EFC) and has completed the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), Suicide Alertness for Everyone (safeTALK), and the Mental Health First Aid USA certification training courses. Jerrod has published numerous articles and book chapters, and recently co-edited the book Forensic Mental Health: A Source Guide for Professionals (Brown & Weinkauf, 2018) with Erv Weinkauf. Email: Jerrod01234Brown@live.com

For additional information about this course, the instructors, or the material authors, please contact Content Assistance at content@onlinececredits.com.

Course Materials & Delivery Method:

• Course materials – The course is composed of a recorded presentation and written materials (e.g. a slide deck and/or other worksheets, manuals, or handouts as provided by the instructor). The slide deck and any additional worksheets or handouts (as provided by the instructor) are made available inside the Lesson module after a course is purchased.
• Delivery Method – this course is a recorded asynchronous, self-paced webinar training, and there is no access time limit or due date to complete it once enrolled. The enrolled learner will stream the recorded presentation and view the materials from their internet connected device via an industry-standard online learning platform.

CE Approvals:

Online CE Credits has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6795. Programs that do not quality for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Online CE Credits is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Mind Works Professional Education, Inc. DBA Online CE Credits, #1974, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: July 23, 2024 – July 23, 2025. Social workers completing this course receive [see advertisement] asynchronous distance learning continuing education credits.

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