WC25 Program_LR 8

TRACK WORKSHOPS

fest through active or passive suicide attempts or high-risk activities with potential for harm, such as eating disorders, ex treme exercise, reckless driving, substance use, and risky rela tionships. In some cases, these behaviors are seen as adaptive coping mechanisms or attempts to feel alive and in control. While certain risk-taking behaviors may be valued in profes sions like first responders, they can also endanger others. This presentation, geared toward psychologists and licensed men tal health professionals working with clients, will focus on rec ognizing these risk-taking behaviors, understanding their psy chological and physiological underpinnings, and developing strategies for addressing them through workplace and family interventions, as well as reducing enabling behaviors. Learning Objectives 1. Identify several risk behaviors associated with PTSD. 2. Examine the role of brain physiology in seeking and main taining risk behaviors and reduced inhibitory control. 3. List interventions for the individual, the workplace, and the family to reduce risk behaviors. 305. Doomscrolling: Media Trauma and Faith-based Treatment Intervention s 1.25 credit hours Continuing Education Accreditations applicable to this workshop: APA, NBCC, ASWB, IBCC, Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling Level: Intermediate Kathie Erwin, Ed.D. Divine Mercy University Summary Doomscrolling, the compulsive consumption of distress ing online content, has emerged as a significant behavioral concern, particularly post-COVID-19. With constant access to local, national, and global news, individuals experience heightened emotional reactivity, obsessive thought patterns, and increased social isolation. Doomscrolling is a maladap tive coping mechanism reinforced by negative emotional stimuli, affecting individuals across all age groups. This ses sion explores doomscrolling as a media-specific trauma re sponse characterized by a fear/freeze/crave cycle. It exam ines its role as a co-occurring factor in grief, loss, avoidance, depersonalization, and derealization disorders. Participants will review Sharma, Lee, and Johnson’s (2022) Doomscroll ing Scales, which assess personality traits related to scroll ing behaviors. Additionally, the session presents faith-based interventions for willing Christian clients within Seligman’s (2018) PERMA Model (Positive Emotion, Engagement, Rela tionships, Meaning, Accomplishment) to enhance discern ment and resilience in media-induced distress. This presen tation provides psychologists and licensed mental health professionals with evidence-based strategies for assessing and treating doomscrolling behaviors within a trauma-in formed framework.

Learning Objectives 1. Identify and analyze doomscrolling as a media-specific trauma response. 2. Assess doomscrolling’s impact as a contributing factor in grief, loss, avoidance, depersonalization, and derealization disorders. 3. Outline and apply Sharma, Lee, and Johnson’s (2022) Doomscrolling Scales as an assessment tool and Seligman’s PERMA Model with faith-based principles in media trauma treatment for willing Christian clients. 306. Emerging Sexual Identities Among Youth 1.25 credit hours Continuing Education Accreditations applicable to this workshop: APA, ASWB, NBCC, IBCC, Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling Continuing Medical Education Accreditations applicable to this workshop: AMA PRA Category 1 Credit, AOA Category 2A credits, Georgia Nurses Association, AAFP Level: Intermediate Mark Yarhouse, Psy.D. Wheaton College Summary This workshop examines recent trends among youth in adopting and navigating emerging sexual identities, pro viding a clinically informed framework for psychologists and licensed mental health professionals working in this area. The session will explore three taxonomies: 1) Residu al, often tied to traditional religious views or older psy chiatric conceptualizations; 2) Dominant, encompassing established identities such as gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans gender, and non-binary; and 3) Emergent, which includes micro-minoritized identities such as asexual demigirl or greysexual demiboy. The discussion will center on how these trends reflect the “looping effect” of language and categorization on identity development and will engage with elements of queer theory to better understand these shifts. Additionally, faith-based considerations for counsel ing Christian youth and their families will be addressed, with an emphasis on integrating faith and evidence-based best practices when working with clients navigating emerg ing sexual identities. Learning Objectives 1. Describe three explanatory frameworks for understand ing sexual identity, orientation, and emerging sexual iden tities. 2. Identify and differentiate between three historical taxono mies for conceptualizing sexual identities. 3. Develop strategies for working with families in which youth experience questions around emerging sexual identi ties, with special consideration given to faith-based clients.

2025 AACC UNITED WORLD CONFERENCE

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