2019 NorCATA Summer Workshop
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Workshop: 1:00 - 4:00pm
Child Parent Institute
3650 Standish Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95407
Art Therapy and PTSD:
The ACT Approach
Presented by:
Amy Backos, Ph.D., ATR-BC
Registration opens at 12:30pm.
Program begins promptly at 1:00pm.
Limit 30 seats
$25 for members
$50 for non-members
$10 for 3 CEUs
Course Description:
This interactive experiential class for art therapists and art therapy students explores Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Art Therapy interventions that support clients as they move through the phases of ACT therapy for recovery from PTSD. During this class, participants gain an introductory conceptual and applied understanding of ACT. Participants will have the opportunity to experience and engage in verbal and art therapy interventions to illustrate core ACT concepts. Originated by Dr. Steven Hayes, ACT combines the mindfulness of Zen Buddhism, the focus on language from relational frame theory, and the action oriented interventions from cognitive behavioral therapy. ACT shows strong evidence as a well–tolerated and successful treatment for PTSD and demonstrated as evidence based practice for depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance use disorder and many more clinical concerns. It can be used to address several types of problems at once and the concepts can be utilized by clinicians to help clients with multiple diagnoses such as PTSD and substance abuse. The concepts can be utilized by clinicians to manage distress, strong countertransference, and the inevitable feelings that arise from listening to trauma stories for a living. Students will be able to apply the concepts in their own lives to engage in value based living at work and in their personal lives.
Biography:
Amy Backos, PhD, ATR-BC, serves as Chair of the Graduate Art Therapy Psychology Department at Notre Dame de Namur University and provides Art Therapy at Alta Mira for adults in recovery. She works on the Research Committee of AATA, as an editor for the Journal of AATA, and as Chair of the IRB for research at NDNU. Internationally she works with Viva Nicaragua to bring Art Therapy services and trainings to adults and children living in extreme poverty and has collaborated on cross-cultural assessments in India. She is published in the areas of domestic violence, sexual assault, and PTSD and recently co-edited the book, Emerging perspectives in Art Therapy. Her 22 years of clinical work includes Clinical Director and Art Therapist at the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, Internship and Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Cleveland Veteran’s Affairs Medical Hospital providing evidence-based treatments and Art Therapy for veterans with PTSD, substance abuse, and poly-trauma, and as a PTSD Research Associate at the San Francisco Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center. She studied for two years under a national Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) trainer. She is an avid knitter and fiber artist, and she lives in San Francisco with her husband and son.
Learning objectives:
- Participants will be able to name and describe the six core concepts of ACT
- Participants will be able to identify two metaphors and art therapy interventions that support ACT core concepts and the theory and research that supports the use of ACT and art therapy with people who have PTSD
- Participants will be able to describe the applications of research as it applies to art therapy practice and be able to implement three ACT interventions with clients to address PTSD and trauma.
Cancellation & Refund Policy in cases of non-attendance by the registrant.
