Time: 10am - 12pm and 1pm - 3pm (EST)
Optional Networking with the Board: 3-30PM (EST)
Where: Zoom
There will be opportunities for Theoretical Understanding, Applications and Skillful Practice, Networking Opportunities, a Q & A and much more...
*Only live participants are eligible to earn 4.0 CEU*
Conference Description:
Families need our help more than ever! In a time of increased distress and challenge, family therapy can be an invaluable resource to promote healing and recovery. Family relationships can be especially powerful in providing safety, support, guidance, and care, yet many family systems are strained and disconnected.
This session will begin with an overview of family systems theory, highlighting the foundational elements of systems theory in establishing a therapeutic relationship. Specifically, systems theory offers a structure to understand context, communication, culture, and change that can ground and organize the therapy practice.
Following this overview, systems theory will be applied in through the lens of three therapeutic approaches: Behavioral, Emotional, and Multigenerational. Systems theory offers a unique and highly effective way of integrating these three perspectives, creating a collaborative approach to systems change.
Finally, case material will be used to illustrate the application of this integrative approach. Break-out rooms and exercises will be used to allow participants to engage directly with the material. The ultimate goal of the session is to provide a conceptual structure and practical tools to support the work of contemporary family therapists.
About Our Speaker: Shelly Smith-Acuña PhD
Shelly Smith-Acuña, Ph.D., is a professor the Graduate School of Professional Psychology (GSPP) at the University of Denver (DU), where she has been on faculty for 31 years and was Dean for 10 years. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Loyola University of Chicago, completed an internship at Northwestern Hospital, and received post-doctoral training at the Family Institute at Northwestern University.
Dr. Smith-Acuña’s areas of research and teaching include couple and family therapy, with a particular emphasis on gender, culture, and multigenerational issues. Her scholarship focuses on the application of psychological systems theory to improve the human condition, as seen in her book, Systems Theory in Action. She is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA), the National Councils of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology (NCSPP) and the Colorado Psychological Association (CPA). She also maintains a private practice, working with couples, families, and individuals with relationship issues.