Depression and Anxiety

Clinicians cannot be experts in treating every condition. Still, it is estimated that 70% of people presenting in behavioral health settings in the US have some combination of mood and/or anxiety disorders. As a result, all clinicians must prioritize competency in treating depression and anxiety. This applies no matter what level of care your work setting provides to those in need.

Depression and anxiety affect over 57 million Americans every year, and cognitive-behavioral-based approaches are the most empirically supported form of treatment for both classifications of disorders.

Jeff Riggenbach, PhD, trained at The Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research in Philadelphia and over the course of 20 years has developed and directed cognitive-behaviorally based treatment programs for Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Addictive Behavior Disorders, and Personality Disorders at two different psychiatric hospitals and clinics treating patients at multiple levels of care. Their individual + Group model has effectively treated hundreds of clients over a 20-year period, providing the impetus for him to train clinicians in all 50 United States on this topic.

Through didactic teaching, case studies, and humor - and drawing from the latest CBT-Based literature, Jeff is known for tapping into lessons learned from research in a way that takes them from the “top shelf” and puts them on the“bottom shelf” so they can be practically used by clinicians“in the trenches,” working in a variety of settings.

In this specialized training, he will provide an overview of an integrated Schema-Informed CBT model aimed at amelioration of symptoms of depression and anxiety. Participants will learn the schemas and cognitive distortions associated with disorders seen in these symptom sets and conceptualize and develop treatment plans specifically tailored to treat clients with these conditions. Depression will be addressed first, with attendees learning a compassion-focused understanding that promotes strategies such as behavioral activation, activity scheduling, cognitive restructuring, helping clients accept compliments, alleviating unhealthy guilt, daily gratitude practice, and improving “self-esteem” for good. Jeff will then describe strategies stemming from the cognitive model of anxiety, including breathing exercises, improving risk appraisal, accentuating internal and external resources, interoceptive strategies for panic disorder, metacognitive interventions for GAD, behavioral experiments for phobias, and polling exercises for analyzing data that is less measurable. He will wrap the training up with a section on relapse prevention, so clinicians can help their clients recognize the signs earlier and know what to do when they emerge.

Key Takeaways:

• Core Cognitive Framework: Master the three levels of cognition and the specific schemas that drive depression and anxiety to create more targeted treatment plans.
• Targeted Clinical Interventions: Utilize behavioral activation tools for depressed clients and apply interoceptive strategies to effectively "turn off" false alarms and halt panic attacks.
• Advanced Symptom Amelioration: Identify and challenge the specific cognitive distortions associated with anxiety while utilizing relapse prevention techniques to ensure long-term client stability.

Why this course?

• High-Volume Relevance: Statistics show 70% of behavioral health patients present with mood or anxiety issues, making the mastery of these specific CBT tools an essential requirement for every modern clinician.
• Battle-Tested Expertise: Unlike academic-heavy courses, Dr. Jeff Riggenbach brings 20 years of "in the trenches" experience, having developed successful treatment programs across multiple psychiatric hospitals and levels of care.
• Mission-Driven Excellence: By choosing the Telehealth Certification Institute, you are partnering with an organization dedicated to the ethical advancement of behavioral health, ensuring you receive innovative, high-quality education that empowers you to deliver the best possible care to your community.

Learning Objectives:

• List the 3 levels of cognition.
• Analyze schemas associated with depression and anxiety.
• Identify 3 cognitive distortions associated with anxiety.
• Utilize 2 primary tools to facilitate behavioral activation in depressed clients.
• Apply interoceptive strategies to turn off “false alarms” to stop panic attacks.

Enroll now to not miss out on this training, not only with specific handouts, worksheets, and practical “tools” to use with your clients, but with a deeper understanding of the underlying processes that drive depression and anxiety that will equip you to help your clients in your very next session!