Differential Diagnosis in the DSM Framework: Principles and Clinical Application

Description

This course is a live, interactive webinar held on November 6, 2026, from 12pm-1pm Eastern Standard Time.

Registration closes at midnight (EST) the day before the event

The process of determining a best-fit DSM diagnosis is a necessary skill for nearly all mental health professionals, yet many practitioners have not received dedicated training in differential diagnosis since graduate school. Given the significant overlap in symptomatology between many diagnoses described in the DSM, a careful and considered approach that accounts for medical, substance-related, and other biopsychosocial variables is essential to sound case formulation and targeted treatment planning.

This one-hour online training invites you to step back and revisit the fundamentals of diagnostic reasoning - to shore up what you already know while gaining new insights and practical tips that may help you expand your knowledge base in this area. No matter your theoretical approach to supportive mental health work, a consistent and replicable process can ease what often feels like a daunting task.

Jason Buckles, Ph.D., LPCC, has been a practicing mental health counselor for over 25 years and brings more than two decades of experience teaching DSM-based assessment and treatment planning at the graduate level, including as an instructor of DSM Assessment for Counselors at New Mexico Highlands University. He has served as Statewide Clinical Director of the New Mexico Department of Health's Bureau of Behavioral Support and continues as an expert contracting consultant to the State of New Mexico, where he supervises the sexual risk screening program, supports the ongoing development of behavior support systems, and delivers statewide trainings on co-occurring mental health conditions. He has also authored and taught several online courses for the Telehealth Certification Institute and other providers of continuing education for mental health professionals, giving him a practiced sense of how to translate complex diagnostic material for working clinicians.

Dr. Buckles uses a straightforward, lecture-based approach that is grounded in current literature and practice-based examples, which helps to make a complex matter easy to digest. Rather than framing diagnosis as a race to a label, he presents it as a longitudinal process aimed at diagnostic accuracy, walking participants through a systematic method they can carry directly into their next intake. His hope is that participants leave with new tools for the clinical toolbox and ideas to ponder or inspire conversation with colleagues.

The course begins with a general exploration of the definition of differential diagnosis as a process aimed at diagnostic accuracy rather than diagnostic speed. After a brief discussion of the general purpose of the DSM and advances in the reliability of psychiatric diagnosis, the training examines general diagnostic processes, a model of diagnostic hierarchy, concerns about symptom overlap, and the importance of taking a careful history and gathering collateral information to assess course of illness. Attention is given to common sources of diagnostic error, including the pull toward theory confirmation, and to the integration of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors into diagnostic formulation. Throughout, the importance of ethical decision making grounded in a consideration of cultural differences that may influence the process is stressed.

Key Takeaways:

• Best practice techniques are essential: Learn a straightforward, replicable process for tackling this part of your practice, from defining differential diagnosis within DSM-based work to applying a model of diagnostic hierarchy across overlapping syndromes.
• Careful diagnostic consideration leads to better treatment planning: When we know where we're starting, we can know better where we're going - and a formulation that integrates biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors gives treatment a clearer target.
• Avoid common pitfalls: Cultural considerations, ethical obligations, and the concern of theory confirmation must all be kept on the front burner as you weigh competing diagnostic possibilities.

Why This Course?

• A skill every clinician relies on: All mental health clinicians use a process of diagnosis and differential consideration, whether or not they were ever taught a formal method for it. This course gives you that method in a single hour.
• An instructor who has taught this material for two decades: Dr. Buckles has taught this and similar topics for over twenty years to professional, student, and lay audiences, and he draws on real consultation and supervision experience rather than theory alone.
• Continuing education built around your practice: The Telehealth Certification Institute is committed to equipping healthcare professionals with exceptional continuing education, delivered in a self-paced online format you can complete between sessions and apply the same week.

Learning Objectives

• Define differential diagnosis within DSM-based clinical practice
• Describe the purpose and limitations of DSM diagnostic classification
• Apply systematic approaches to diagnostic reasoning
• Identify common sources of diagnostic error
• Differentiate among overlapping psychiatric syndromes
• Integrate biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors into diagnostic formulation
• Recognize ethical and professional implications of diagnostic decisions

While the DSM can seem daunting at times, a careful and replicable approach can help to ease the process and get down to work. We invite you to take some time to go back to the basics with an instructor who has spent his career making this material clear, and to leave with a diagnostic process you can trust.

Format and Access

This course is a live, interactive webinar.

Course Details

Schedule: (listed in Eastern Daylight Time)

• 12:00 pm - 12:50 pm Lecture
• 12:50 pm - 1:00 pm Q&A

How to Attend: 

Course access and completion instructions.

Who Should Attend: 

This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.

Teaching Methods: 

This is a live, interactive webinar. Enrollment includes access to live event(s) but does not include recordings of the presentations.

Instructor and Disclosures

Instructor

About Jason Buckles, Ph.D., LPCC

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Jason earned his Bachelor’s in Psychology at New York University in 1996. While there, he worked on diagnostic projects at Bellevue Hospital and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. He earned his Master’s in Counseling at The University of New Mexico in 2001 and his Ph.D. in Special Education at The University of New Mexico in 2016. His dissertation focused on the experiences of direct support professionals who support people with sexually challenging behavior. Since 2002 Jason has been the owner of Talkabout Inc., a Behavior Consultation agency specializing in support for people with intellectual disability and concurrent mental health diagnoses. From 2012 through 2016, Jason was the Statewide Clinical Director of the New Mexico Department of Health – Bureau of Behavioral Support, overseeing statewide systems of behavioral support consultation. From 2016-2019 Jason was the Executive Director of A Better Way of Living, a CQL-accredited agency that provides life-wide supports for people with intellectual disability. He is currently a contracting consultant with the New Mexico Department of Health, where he supervises the sexual risk screening program, and the ongoing development of behavior support systems, and provides statewide trainings on co-occurring mental health conditions for people with intellectual disability, among other topics. For several years Jason has also served as the Program Manager for the Developmental Disability/Mental Illness project with the University of New Mexico. For most of the past 20 years, he was a part-time instructor at both The University of New Mexico, teaching Introduction to Intellectual Disability, and at New Mexico Highlands University, teaching DSM Assessment for Counselors.

Disclosure Statement: 

The instructor(s) for this course receive compensation for their services. There are no reported conflicts of interest to disclose.

CE Hours

Credit Hours:

This course consists of 1 continuing education hour of credit.

Counselors:

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No, 6693.  Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Mental Health Counselors. #MHC-0048.

Marriage and Family Therapists:

Many MFT licensing boards accept our courses or one of the approvals which we have from professional associations.  You can check with your board to determine if your licensing board would accept this course.

Social Workers:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, #1609, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 05/02/2024 – 05/02/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 1 clinical continuing education credit.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Social Workers #SW-0435.

Addiction Professionals:
 

This course has been approved by Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #193104, Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is responsible for all aspects of the programming.

Psychologists:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Telehealth Certification Institute LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC 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-0128.

Art Therapists:

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Creative Arts Therapists #CAT-0093.

Other Professionals:

This course qualifies for 60 minutes of instructional content as required by many national, state and local licensing boards and professional organizations.  Retain your certificate of completion and contact your board or organization for specific filing requirements.

This course is an-interactive, live online webinar.

Participants may request a printed version of their certificate of completion to be delivered by mail. A shipping/handling fee of $6.95 will be charged per request. Shipping internationally may require an additional charge.

Agreement

By registering for this event you are agreeing to the following:

• 24 hour notice is required if you are not able to make it to a live event. Recordings are not provided to webinar registrants.
• To update and test using Zoom.us/test before the event to ensure you are ready for the event.
• Since this is a live interactive event it means that your interaction during the event is expected.  Your name and image will be visible to other participants during the live event. You will NOT be included in any recording made.
• An evaluation must be completed within one week of the event. Continuing Education credit(s) cannot be issued unless you attend the event and the evaluation is submitted.  (Evaluation is not mandatory for APA hours)
• Partial CE credits are not possible; therefore you are required to be present throughout the event in order to receive CE credits.
• Respect all other participants during the event as though you would if you were sitting with the other attendees at a conference table:
  • Dress appropriately
  • Be in a private location void of distractions
  • Do not multitask
  • Do not drive during an event
  • Remain on mute unless you are sharing with the group

Accommodations and Policies

Close Captioning is available for live webinars and recorded video presentations.

You can click on the following links to view our policies:

• Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities.
• Cancellation Policy
• Grievance Policy
• Support Options
• Disclosure Statement