Managing complexity: Standardising your transdiagnostic case formulations and treatment selections
Tracks
Track 7
| Friday, May 15, 2020 |
| 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM |
Presenter(s)
Mr Gary Bakker
BA(hons), MPsych
University Of Tasmania
Managing complexity: Standardising your transdiagnostic case formulations and treatment selections
10:30 AM - 5:00 PMAssumed knowledge of attendee
Intermediate (working knowledge of topic area e.g., treated a few cases)
Level of learning
Intermediate
Outline
The deficiencies and irrelevance of DSM-5 for clinical psychology has prompted the Division of Clinical Psychology of the BPS to call for a ‘paradigm shift’ in what is regarded as a ‘clinical psychological problem’. For a long time experienced psychologists have in reality been focusing on case formulation rather than medical-model-type diagnosis. However research, communication, and clinical practice using case formulations have suffered from a lack of standardization of formulations – the (over-)simplification which comes from standardization through diagnosis being the only real benefit that the DSM has provided to clinical psychology. This workshop will foster skills in the identification, within the process of case formulation, of psychological-level problem-maintaining circles (PMCs) which are ubiquitous, essential, explanatory, and treatment-relevant in a way that diagnoses cannot be. The choices are between: “This person has a Major Depressive Disorder”, which is stigmatizing, theoretically bereft, explains nothing, and is no guide to treatment selection; and “This person has for six months been enmeshed in PMC2.1.3”, which tells us that his negative thinking has led to expecting the worst, hence total social withdrawal, hence a life bereft of support or joy, and hence perpetuating low mood and motivation. Treatment points at which to break such PMCs leap out at us. We all work with such PMCs, they explain most of our interventions, they distinguish ‘psychological problems’ from ‘psychiatric conditions’, and research continues to haphazardly find them. It is time we became overt and systematic in detecting, communicating, and researching PMCs, and selecting our treatments through them. Be in the first wave of this ‘paradigm shift’.
Learning outcomes
At the conclusion of this workshop, participants should be able to:
• Consider an alternative conceptualisation of clinical psychological problems to that of traditional psychiatric ‘mental disorders’ – the PMC model
• Increase clinical case formulation skills by identifying critical PMCs using this model
• Be able to clearly communicate subsequent formulations with clients, and with other therapists
• Become skilled at the selection of therapy approaches directly implicated by identified active PMCs.
• Consider an alternative conceptualisation of clinical psychological problems to that of traditional psychiatric ‘mental disorders’ – the PMC model
• Increase clinical case formulation skills by identifying critical PMCs using this model
• Be able to clearly communicate subsequent formulations with clients, and with other therapists
• Become skilled at the selection of therapy approaches directly implicated by identified active PMCs.
Biography
Gary Bakker has practised, supervised, and taught in clinical psychology for 40 years, predominantly while in clinical private practice, but also as a Clinical Lecturer in the School of Medicine at UTAS. He has made numerous contributions to AACBT, APS, and WCBCT conferences on the theme of 'A transdiagnostic conception and taxonomy of clinical psychological problems', which has been introduced in a series of publications, including 'Practical CBT: Using functional analysis, problem-maintaining circles, and standardised homework in everyday therapy' (2008), articles in Clinical Psychologist, a new therapy manual in press – 'Practical CBT: Using transdiagnostic case formulations and therapies based on problem-maintaining circles' – and a major article in BMC Psychology in 2019: ‘A new conception and subsequent taxonomy of clinical psychological problems’.
Gary was the first full-time privately practising psychologist in northern Tasmania (1988), and retired recently after his 20,000th consultation session!
Academic qualifications BA(hons) MPsych
Academic qualifications BA(hons) MPsych
