Full Course Description

Applied Neuroscience for Brain Change in the Treatment of Trauma, Anxiety and Stress Disorders

Program Information

Objectives

Determine the neurophysiology of the stress response, including the roles of the amygdala, hypothalamus, sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, and the effects of cortisol and adrenaline.
Discriminate among acute stress, major life events and chronic stressors, and the longer-term effects of chronic stress on mind and body.
Implement grounding strategies to help clients who experience “freeze” states or dissociative symptoms.
Communicate the concept of mindfulness, how it affects the brain, and how to use mindfulness-based interventions in therapy.
Critique the concept of self-compassion and research on its benefits.
Design practical exercises to increase self-compassion in clients facing stress.
Analyze the importance of perceived control to the impact of stressors and learn how to help clients differentiate controllable and uncontrollable aspects of stressors.
Explore how stress and anxiety narrow cognitive focus and create thinking traps and learn techniques to help clients be more cognitively flexible in the face of stress.
Evaluate the research suggesting that positive emotions can undo the physiological effects of negative emotions.
Investigate how rumination exacerbates the effects of stress and how to help clients curtail ruminative cycles and de-fuse from negative thinking.
Appraise how a growth mindset differs from a fixed mindset and how to help clients adopt a growth mindset and a gritty attitude towards their stressors.
Assess the application of a brain-based, neuroscience approach to treating clinical disorders like GAD and PTSD.