Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Psychology Workshop: Dissociative Disorders

Dissociative Disorders, Union Institute & University

An overview of Assessment, Diagnosis and Treatment
 
Friday, June 20, 2014
9:00am – 12:15pm
3 CE Credits
 
Cincinnati Academic Center
440 East McMillan Street
Cincinnati, Ohio 45206

Please join us for a presentation on Dissociative Disorders: An overview of Assessment, Diagnosis and Treatment by Jaime B. Willis, Psy.D. This class is part of Union Institute & University’s Spring 2014 Psychology Workshop Series focused on applications of evidence-based practices. Register for this workshop at www.myunion.edu/ce. Regular price is $75 or register 30 days in advance or earlier for $65. Workshop tickets will also be available for purchase at the door.

Description
Despite the high prevalence rates of Dissociative Disorders (10-15% of US outpatient clients) the almost complete absence of training provided by graduate programs leads to the frequent misdiagnosis of Dissociative Disorders. Often these clients are diagnosed as having Borderline Personality Disorder, Affective or Anxiety Disorders, Substance Use Disorders, Eating Disorders, Psychotic Disorders, Somatic Disorders, etc., and end up appearing treatment resistant, decompensating, leaving therapy prematurely or committing suicide. When not accurately identified these can be extremely frustrating and daunting cases. With the appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic tools, these previously challenging clients can transform into remarkably fascinating and rewarding cases.

This workshop will aim to provide clinicians with a general background in the Dissociative Disorders area. It will draw from a broad range of research, clinical experience and case vignettes to educate and illustrate the concepts. The material will provide participants with tools to enable them to assess for, rule out the presence of, appropriately refer or begin to treat these complex and fascinating cases.

Learning Objectives
1. Understand the etiology, theoretical models and prevalence rates of Dissociative Disorders.
2. Identify signs and symptoms of Dissociative Disorders.
3. Know how to use relevant assessment devices that assist in proper identification of Dissociative Disorders.
4. Navigate complex differential diagnostic issues.
5. Become prepared as a therapist to competently treat this population.
6. Become familiar with different therapeutic approaches and standards of care in the treatment of Dissociative Disorders.
7. Access available resources and literature to assist in continued training in this field.

Presenter
Jaime B. Willis, Psy.D.
Jaime B. Willis, Psy.D. earned her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from Wright State University School of Professional Psychology (SOPP) in 1999 and completed five postdoctoral years of training in the area of Dissociative Disorders through the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD). Currently she hosts a consultation group for local psychologists treating Dissociative clients, provides training and consultation to colleagues, graduate programs and regional professional organizations. Dr. Willis maintains a generalist private practice in Cincinnati with a focus on assessment, treatment and consultation in the area of Dissociative Disorders.

For further information about this event, or to register, please visit myunion.edu/ce or contact Lauren Wenstrup | 1-800-861-6400 x1269 or 513-487-1269 | lauren.wenstrup@myunion.edu

Union Institute & University is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Union Institute & University maintains responsibility for these programs and their content.

Monday, March 24, 2014

Psychology Workshop: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy

Friday, May 9, 2014
8:30am – 4:00pm
6 CE credits

Union Union Institute & University
Cincinnati Academic Center
440 East McMillan Street
Cincinnati, Ohio 45206
 
NOTICE: This workshop has been cancelled. Please visit www.myunion.edu/ce to learn more about our other psychology workshops in May and June.

Please join us for a presentation on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy by Union Psy.D. faculty member Richard Sears, Psy.D., MBA, ABPP. This class is part of Union Institute & University’s Spring 2014 Psychology Workshop Series focused on applications of evidence-based practices. Register for this workshop at www.myunion.edu/ce. Regular price is $145 or register 30 days in advance or earlier for $130. Workshop tickets will also be available for purchase at the door.

Description
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is an 8-week, evidence-based program which combines mindfulness and cognitive therapy techniques for the prevention of stress, depression, and anxiety. Through lecture, discussion, and experiential exercises, this full-day workshop will cover the characteristics and components of mindfulness, the structure and the delivery of the MBCT program, discuss the constituents of a mindfulness-based approach to working with clients individually, and explore the role of mindfulness for the clinician.

Learning Objectives
1. Explain the structure of the MBCT program
2. Identify the cognitive and emotional triggers of relapse in depression
3. Describe the role that rumination has in perpetuating negative thoughts and behaviors
4. Develop mindfulness-based techniques to help clients de-center from the narrative of negative thoughts and emotions
5. Evaluate the role of a personal mindfulness practice for the therapist

Dr. Richard W. Sears, mindfulness
Presenter
Richard W. Sears, Psy.D., MBA, ABPP is a core faculty member of the Psy.D. Program in Clinical Psychology at Union Institute & University, where he is the Director of the Center for Clinical Mindfulness & Meditation. He is board certified in clinical psychology, and maintains a private psychology and consultation practice. He is also Clinical Assistant Professor at Wright State University School of Professional Psychology, Clinical/Research faculty at the UC Center for Integrative Health and Wellness, Volunteer Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences at the UC College of Medicine, and a Research/Psychologist Contractor with the Cincinnati VA Medical Center.

Dr. Sears is lead author of Mindfulness in Clinical Practice (PR Press) and Consultation Skills for Mental Health Professionals (Wiley). His forthcoming books include: Mindfulness: Living Through Challenges and Enriching Your Life in this Moment (Wiley-Blackwell); Perspectives on Spirituality and Religion in Psychotherapy (PR Press); Building Competence in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (Routledge); and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for PTSD (Wiley-Blackwell). Dr. Sears is a fifth degree black belt in Ninjutsu, and once served briefly as a bodyguard for the Dalai Lama. He has studied the Eastern Wisdom traditions for over 30 years, receiving ordination in three lineages, and authority to teach Zen koans (inka).

For further information about this event, or to register, please visit myunion.edu/ce or contact Lauren Wenstrup | 1-800-861-6400 x1269 or 513-487-1269 | lauren.wenstrup@myunion.edu

Union Institute & University is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Union Institute & University maintains responsibility for these programs and their content.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Fifty years on, Union Institute & University keeps quietly growing in Uptown

Mar 19, 2014
Bob Driehaus
bob.driehaus@wcpo.com

CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati can boast of a university perched just north of downtown where undergraduate, masters and doctoral degrees are offered. It's been around a long time, and its graduates include college presidents and even a prime minister.

It may sound like University of Cincinnati or Xavier, but the school is Union Institute & University, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, fortified by $500,000 in new scholarship grants pledged by Western & Southern Financial Group and the Helen Steiner Rice Fund.

Because of its unusual learning model, UIU doesn't garner the attention of UC or Xavier, or even Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. You won't find teen-agers and early twenty-somethings on the hard court trying to reach the NCAA basketball tournament.

In fact, you'll find few traditional college-age students at all.

Union Institute & University, photo by WCPO
Union Institute is housed in a Tudor mansion that was home to Procter & Gamble's advertising operations. Legend has it that Ivory's 99 and 44/100% ad slogan was born in its board room. Photo: Bob Driehaus WCPO

That's because the not-for-profit university is and always has been a distance-learning center, conducting classes online now – and by other methods in the past – that has focused on adults.

"We developed the idea of online learning before there was the technology to support it," Associate Vice President Carolyn Krause said.

Students come from all walks of life, but the most common are single mothers returning to school after hard knocks or missteps got them off their education and career tracks. Minority representation is also much higher than at traditional campuses, with 47 percent of students being white, 23 percent African American and 20 percent Hispanic.

"She is 38, of color and/or with kids. She's involved with her church and social causes," Krause said of the most typical Union student.

While it's headquartered on McMillan Street in Cincinnati, Union has satellite facilities near Miami, Fla., Los Angeles, Sacramento and Brattleboro, Vt. Total enrollment is 1,640, including 306 students in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Union formed in 1964 after 10 university presidents gathered to dream about the future of higher education, according to the school. They formed a consortium with two goals in mind:

• Create an alternative delivery model of higher education for adult students.
• Inform the field of higher education about what was learned in the process.
Fifty years and the school is still growing.

It offers more than a dozen bachelor's degrees, with many more concentrations; multiple master's degrees and doctorates in psychology, philosophy in interdisciplinary studies and education. In January, it added a new master's of science in organizational leadership, a 12-month online program.

So, with no students milling about campus, no sports teams or other organized extracurricular activities, it's hard to put a face on the university.

But one face is Ginny Ruehlmann Wiltse, who earned her doctorate in 2000 with a concentration in spirituality. She is now a Union board member.

She is a daughter of the late Eugene Ruehlmann, who served as Cincinnati mayor 1967-71. Western & Southern, established a $250,000 grant in his name last fall. The grant is provided to one Ph.D. student each year who is pursuing a doctoral dissertation project that "embodies Ruehlmann's guiding principles of cooperation, collaboration compromise, communication and community-building," with the promise of significantly contributing to a community.

Wiltse's education was happily interrupted by her choice to focus on raising her three children. When she considered her options to complete her doctorate, the flexibility and proximity of Union's program proved most appealing.

"My program at Union was transformative to me," she said. "And it was the perfect place because it was flexible."

Union emphasizes the importance of service the community in its mission, and Wiltse said the doctorate she earned there helped. "I feel like I’m living my degree by the work that I do," she said. "The people who thrive at Union are predispositioned to use their degrees to do good in the world," she said.

Its graduates include Portia Simpson Miller, prime minister of Jamaica, who earned a B.A. in 1997. Sojourner-Douglass College President Charles Simmons, Bethany College President Scott Miller and Thomas Edison College President George Pruitt are among the educational leaders who earned doctorates there.

"It definitely caters to people's busy lives," Krause said.

Like most universities, Union has experienced some headwinds since the 2008 recession, particularly with a dip in employer-sponsored scholarships for workers to earn an advanced degree. Despite those challenges, its surplus and enrollment are up slightly this school year, Krause said.

Its mission has shifted in recent years to send representatives out to businesses and organizations. Instructors hold classes at Colerain's police department, where officers pursue degrees of every level – some to qualify for a promotion, some to earn a bachelor's after work and sometimes military service delayed their pursuit.

Degrees aren't cheap, with undergraduate degrees costing $490 an hour, master's costing between $500 and $778 an hour and doctorates costing up to $1,110 an hour.

But students cobble together financial aid and scholarship packages to make it work. Nearly 90 percent of undergraduates and doctoral candidates receive financial aid, and virtually all master's candidates do, according to the school.

Wiltse looks forward to the Ruehlmann scholarship continuing the mission.

"Union gave a template, an option for women who were underserved," she said.

Copyright 2014 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

http://www.wcpo.com/news/education/fifty-years-on-union-institute-university-keeps-quietly-growing-in-uptown

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Kay C. Goss Elected as Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration

Kay C. Goss, Union Institute & University Board of Trustees
 
Union Institute & University Board of Trustees member and 2013 Sacramento commencement keynote speaker, Kay C. Goss, has been elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. Goss is an internationally recognized lecturer, author, public servant, and highly respected authority in the fields of emergency management, risk communication and general resiliency.

The National Academy of Public Administration is an independent, non-profit and non-partisan organization established to assist government leaders in building more effective, efficient, accountable and transparent organizations. Academy fellows include more than 750 individuals who have served as cabinet officers, members of congress and governors, as well as prominent scholars, business executives and public administrators.

Goss is the founding president and CEO for World Disaster Management, president of the Foundation for Higher Education Accreditation of Emergency Management Degree Programs, a founder of the FEMA Higher Education Program, vice president and director of School Emergency Preparedness Programs, and chair of the Education and Training Committee of the International Association of Emergency Managers. She also serves as first vice president of the International Network of Women in Emergency Management and vice president of Every Child Is Ours Foundation, which is launching the World Disaster Management Community College in Kanana, South Africa. Currently, Goss is an executive in residence in political science at the University of Arkansas.

Previously, Goss served as director of Emergency Management and Crisis Communications for Systems and Research Applications International (SRA) in Arlington, Virginia. At SRA, she developed and enhanced the quality of emergency management services for government, nonprofit and private sector clients. Before joining SRA in 2007, Goss was the senior advisor for Homeland Security, Emergency Management, and Business Continuity at Electronic Data Systems Corporation (EDS) in Herndon, Virginia. 

Goss is the former associate Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) director in charge of national preparedness, training, and exercises from 1994 to 2001. She was responsible for the nation’s readiness for natural and manmade disasters, increasing state and local emergency preparedness capacity, and for growing the emergency management profession.
Before her FEMA position, she served as an Arkansas State official for 15 years, including 11 years (1982–1993) as senior assistant for intergovernmental relations for Governor Bill Clinton.  She coordinated policy and outreach for cabinet agencies handling emergency management, fire service, law enforcement, public safety, and criminal justice. Goss later served as a member of the Virginia Governor’s Commonwealth Preparedness Panel and as chair of the International Association of Emergency Managers Committee on Training and Education.

As a founder of the FEMA Higher Education Program, Goss is active in the academics of emergency management. She has served as adjunct faculty for both the Istanbul Technical University’s Disaster Management Graduate Program and for the Executive Master’s in Crisis and Emergency Management, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Goss has written five books: The City Manager Plan in Arkansas, The Politics of Constitutional Revision in Arkansas, The Arkansas Constitution: a Reference Guide, The Emergency Management Handboo, and Mr. Chairman: the Life and Legacy of Wilbur D. Mills. She has published hundreds of articles and presented public addresses on state and local government, emergency management, and homeland security. 

She has also earned several awards throughout her career, including a lifetime achievement award celebrating 20 years of service on the Wilbur D. Mills Treatment Center board, Kay Goss Women’s Health Center on the treatment center campus, J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences University of Arkansas Distinguished Alumni of 2006, and Arkansan of the Year.

Goss holds a B.A. and an M.A. in public administration from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. She has participated in doctoral studies in public administration at West Virginia University, Morgantown and American history at American University, Washington, DC. She has also participated in the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

Monday, March 10, 2014

Andrea Scarpino to Host Reading for Poetry Book "Once, Then"


Andrea Scarpino, Union Institute & University
 
Saturday, April 5, 2014
2:00 p.m.
 
Joseph-Beth Booksellers
2692 Madison Road
Cincinnati, OH 45208

Andrea Scarpino, MFA, faculty member in Union Institute & University's Ph.D. program will host a reading of her new book Once, Then.

In her debut full-length poetry collection, Andrea Scarpino's elegies move between personal and political loss, between science, myth, and spirituality, and between lyric intensity and narrative clarity. At their heart is a longing for those we have lost, and an acknowledgement that loss irrevocably changes us and what we understand of the world. Blending mythological figures such as Persephone and Achilles, scientific approaches to knowledge learned from her microbiologist father, and a deep ambivalence regarding religious ideas of death and afterlife, Andrea’s poems invite us to examine the world, our own place in it, and what to make of its continual collapse.

Andrea received an MFA in Creative Writing from Ohio State University. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and published in numerous journals, including The Cincinnati Review, Connecticut Review, The Los Angeles Review, PANK, and Prairie Schooner. She is the author of the chapbook The Grove Behind (Finishing Line Press, 2009). In addition to being a faculty member with Union Institute & University, Andrea is a weekly contributor for the blog "Planet of the Blind.”

Andrea’s book is also available on Amazon.