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Going Beneath the Surface: What People Want from Therapy - Linda Michaels, PsyD, MBA, and Eric M. Plakun, MD, DLFAPA, FACPsych (Recorded)
In these last few years we have witnessed unprecedented upheaval in the areas of politics, social justice, the natural world, and public health. To help our patients and to support our practices, communities and the field as a whole, it is vitally important to understand what people are looking for in mental health treatment, and how they think and feel about the therapies we offer. It’s also crucial that public awareness and appreciation of therapies of depth, insight, and relationship improve. These therapies have been missing from, if not pushed out of, the public consciousness, and are misunderstood, undervalued, and overlooked by the general public.
To assess what people know about therapy and mental health and what they really want from treatment, the Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN) conducted extensive original research with the general public. Building on research we first conducted in 2020, we have new research to offer a post-pandemic perspective on the attitudes and expectations people have towards therapy, which benefits matter most, what their misperceptions and biases are, and what they know and don’t know about mental health and therapy.
The presentation will also offer a blueprint for engaging and communicating with the public, so that the public gains greater awareness, understanding and appreciation for therapies of depth, insight, and relationship.
Target Audience
___X___ Introductory ______ Intermediate ______ Advanced
Learning Objectives
1. Describe the benefits that the general public seeks from therapy and their attitudes towards issues of mental health care
2. Describe the obstacles that prevent people from accessing therapy
3. Describe the 4 research-based pillars of how to communicate most effectively with the public to help increase their awareness and appreciation of therapies of depth, insight and relationship
Linda Michaels, PsyD, MBA, is a psychologist in private practice in Chicago. She is chair and co-founder of the Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN), a non-profit that advocates for quality therapy. She is also consulting editor of Psychoanalytic Inquiry, clinical associate faculty at the Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis, and a fellow of the Lauder Institute Global MBA program. She has published, presented, and been interviewed by the New York Times, NPR, and other national media on the value of psychotherapy, the therapeutic relationship and technology, and the public narrative about therapy. Dr. Michaels has a former career in business, with over 15 years’ experience consulting to organizations in the US and Latin America. In addition to her doctorate degree in clinical psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology, Dr. Michaels is a graduate of the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute’s Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy program. She also has an MBA from Wharton and a BA from Harvard.
Eric M. Plakun, MD, DFLAPA, FACPsych, is the medical director/CEO of the Austen Riggs Center, which is a non-profit, and reports to a dedicated Board of Trustees. He is responsible for all areas of the institution from the provision of patient care to the operational mechanics and strategic planning. He has a particular interest in mental health advocacy, full implementation of the mental health parity law, access-to-care issues, and reducing health disparities. Dr. Plakun was the director of admissions for 35 years and has dedicated nearly his entire professional career to Riggs (more than 40 years) and its unique way of looking at and treating mental disorders. Other roles have included treatment team leader, psychotherapy supervisor, and co-principal investigator of a prospective, longitudinal study of treatment outcome.
Dr. Plakun has long been active in the American Psychiatric Association as a voice advancing the importance of psychotherapy as part of the identity and skills of psychiatrists, and as a member of the Assembly Executive Committee and Board of Trustees. He served as Plaintiffs’ expert on adult mental disorders in the landmark Wit v. United Behavioral Health federal class-action. The strong plaintiffs’ verdict was hailed as a “game-changer” in the implementation of the mental health parity law by Former Congressman Patrick Kennedy.
Austen Riggs Center Inc. confirms that Linda Michaels, PsyD, MBA, nor anyone involved in the planning of the CME event, has disclosed a potential conflict of interest.
The views and opinions expressed in this presentation are those of the presenter(s) and do not necessarily represent the official policy or position of the Austen Riggs Center.
In support of improving patient care, The Austen Riggs Center is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team
Available Credit
- 1.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Accreditation Statement - Austen Riggs Center,Inc. is accredited by the Massachusetts Medical Society to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Designation Statement - Austen Riggs Center, Inc. designates this Enduring activity for a maximum of 1.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
- 1.50 APA
The Austen Riggs Center, Inc. designates this Enduring for 1.50 continuing education credit(s) (CE) for psychology. The Austen Riggs Center is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Austen Riggs Center maintains responsibility for the program and its content.
Austen Riggs Center, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0115.
- 1.50 ASWB-ACEThe Austen Riggs Center, #1344, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Austen Riggs Center maintains responsibility for this Enduring. ACE provider Approval Period: 02/02/2023-2/2/2026. Social workers completing this Enduring will receive 1.50 continuing education credit(s). For a listing of jurisdictions that accept ACE, please visit States and provinces that accept ACE | Association of Social Work Boards.
- 1.50 Contact Hours/ Participation