1. Sign up securely online.
2. Read the articles via online links.
3. Submit online evaluation & post-test.
4. Print your certificate.
Part of the course material is in pdf format. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have it click here for free download.
GENERAL COURSE DESCRIPTION
Most therapists still believe that the most effective treatment for depression is a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and antidepressants, and that depression is caused by low serotonin levels. Are you lagging way behind the research too? There are different causes for depression and many more proven effective treatments. If you're relying on only one or two treatments, then you're probably going to help only about 2/3 of your depressed clients - and you'll make things worse for some of them. To competently treat depression, today's therapists should have a broad understanding of its symptoms and causes and have different treatments in their toolkit.
This basic course is composed of five sections. The first section provides a general overview of depression's symptoms and traditional treatments. The second section provides detailed traditional treatment guidelines. The third section examines the issues and controversies surrounding antidepressant medications. The fourth section describes the surprising incidence of depression among pregnant women and new mothers and how it can affect infants. The fifth section describes newer therapies and treatments for depression. The final section describes additional resources for further information and self-help resources for your clients.
Educational Objectives:
This course will teach psychotherapists to
Identify the symptoms of depression.
Define treatment guidelines for various kinds of depression.
Identify the limitations of published research on antidepressants.
Identify the side effects of antidepressant medications.
More carefully conduct screenings of new mothers and children for depression.
Review effective treatments, including some alternative medical treatments.
Assemble self-help resources for depressed clients.
Course Syllabus:
Defining the disease
Basic behavioral definitions and descriptions
Differences between infant, child/adolescent and adult depression
Psychodynamic view of definitions, symptoms and descriptions
Spiritual dimensions of depression; depression as an indicator of growth
Physical causes of depression
Treatment guidelines
Decision-tree guidelines for treating children and adolescents
Recommended treatments from National Institute of Mental Health
Specific antidepressant medications: mechanisms, side effects, interactions
Addressing the physical cause of depression
Antidepressants: do the benefits outweigh the side effects?
The Kirsch study: are antidepressants more effective than placebo?
How research can slant the results: critically examining research
Withdrawal symptoms from antidepressants
Depression among pregnant women and post partum depression
Prevalence rates
How new mothers' depression affects infants
Recent effective psychotherapies and treatments
Interpersonal Psychotherapy
Process-experiential therapy
Behavior Activation therapy
Exercise & Other alternative approaches
Additional Resources
To listen to Garry Cooper's Podcast on John Riolo's Insider Internet Radio show Click here.
