WC25 Program_LR 8

TRACK WORKSHOPS

Anita Knight Kuhnley, Ph.D. Regent University

Summary There will be too few practitioners to meet future needs for mental health treatment. Shifting from psychotherapy to pop ulation mental health involves moving from individualized treatment to broader, preventive strategies that address men tal health needs early, aiming to improve well-being across entire communities rather than focusing solely on individual therapy. The American Psychological Association has rec ommended this shift from individual-focused therapy to a system-based approach to mental health (Dodge et al., 2024), aiming to address potential issues early and prevent the need for intensive therapy. In this workshop, psychologists, men tal health professionals, medical professionals, and ministry leaders will describe the reasons for and barriers to this shift, focusing on how to adapt treatment from an individual to a population-level framework. As an example, a forgiveness intervention that was implemented at a secular Colombian university, involving 2,878 participants (students, staff, and faculty) from a community of more than 10,000 will be ana lyzed as a pilot project for this type of shift (Ortega Bechara et al., 2024). This initiative demonstrated effectiveness, and the research identified which of the 16 activities was most associ ated with improvements in forgiveness, depression, anxiety, and flourishing. Participants will distinguish how to create public campaigns to promote better mental health, using forgiveness as a concrete example, without disrupting clini cal practice. Additionally, 10 lessons from the research will be shared to help employ forgiveness-promoting strategies for effective population-level interventions. Learning Objectives 1. Explain the reasons for and barriers to the shift from indi vidual-focused therapy to a systems-based approach for ad dressing mental health needs at the population level. 2. Recognize how to create public campaigns that promote better mental health (e.g., using forgiveness as an example) without disrupting clinical practice. 3. Apply 10 lessons from research on forgiveness-promoting community campaigns to adapt clinical practices and imple ment effective population-level mental health interventions. 216. Preventing Suicide in a Culture of Death: An Urgent Task for Counseling and the Church 1.25 credit hours Continuing Education Accreditations applicable to this workshop: APA, ASWB, NBCC, NAADAC, IBCC, Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling Education CEUs applicable to this workshop: ACSI Continuing Medical Education Accreditations applicable to this workshop: AMA PRA Category 1 Credit, AOA Category 2A credits, Georgia Nurses Association, AAFP Level: Intermediate Warren Kinghorn, Th.D., M.D. Duke University

Summary This interactive workshop will provide a toolbox of tech niques for more effective trauma and attachment-based counseling with a focus on preparation for providing ethi cal care. As the field of trauma counseling evolves, new methodologies such as somatic experiencing, EMDR, and attachment-based interventions are gaining prominence. While these approaches offer innovative ways to support trauma survivors, their integration must be done skillfully with careful attention to ethical standards and client safety. Proper application of these techniques provides counselors with diverse tools to address complex trauma and enhance therapeutic outcomes. This skill-based ethics session will also explore the personhood of the counselor, including the potential pitfalls of our past experiences within clinical prac tice and the potential benefit of our own attachment stories for clients. Psychologists and licensed mental health profes sionals will improve their countertransference skills in recog nizing trauma responses during sessions and ways to better regulate during and after clinical meetings. In addition, at tendees will learn how to improve their attachment security and provide more effective counseling alliances. Learning Objectives 1. Identify key ethical considerations when integrating new trauma and attachment-based interventions into counseling practice, ensuring client safety and therapeutic integrity. 2. Develop self-awareness of personal attachment history and countertransference reactions, allowing counselors to maintain professional boundaries and promote a safe thera peutic environment during trauma work. 3. Apply specific techniques to regulate personal trauma responses during and after client meetings, facilitating stronger therapeutic alliances and more effective trauma informed care. 215. Shifting from Psychotherapy to Population Mental Health: A New Paradigm for Community Change 1.25 credit hours Continuing Education Accreditations applicable to this workshop: APA, ASWB, NBCC, NAADAC, IBCC, Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling Educational CEUs applicable to this workshop: ACSI Continuing Medical Education Accreditations applicable to this workshop: AMA PRA Category 1 Credits, AOA Category 2A credits, Georgia Nurses Association, AAFP Level: Intermediate

Everett Worthington, Jr., Ph.D. Virginia Commonwealth University

2025 AACC UNITED WORLD CONFERENCE

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