Category Archives: Recent Events

Summer 2015– Welcome to My World of International Engagements

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Tales From The Woods

Tales From The Wood

It's A Small World After all-- & Getting Smaller!

It’s A Small World After all– & Getting Smaller!

Shayne Gallagher Wingate and Dr Mark Burdick BPS

Shayne Gallagher Wingate and Dr Mark Burdick BPS

This is a summer of exciting professional growth. In speaking at UKESAD (UK/European Symposium on Addictive Disorders), my audience of 300+ in-house and 40,000 BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy) internet practitioners. I spoke to a full house of addiction / recovery and mental health professionals who attended to hear my talk on “Tales from the Wood” sponsored by Wingate and Four Circles (CRC) wilderness treatment programs. Along with Shayne Gallagher, executive director from Wingate, the audience was mesmerized by what they learned and experienced on the topic of recovery through wilderness treatment intervention. Wilderness treatment’s time has come to residents of the UK / EU.

Next, I spoke at the British Psychological Society (BPS) in Liverpool on expanding practices between the US and UK / EU, and what that will look like in the years ahead. My talk “It’s a Small World After All, and Getting Smaller” may have been a take off on Beatles song, “It’s Getting Better All the Time”, and / or Disney ride — who knows! My client roster includes those who reside in both the US and UK / EU, and I’m pleased we brainstormed this with my colleagues Susan Van Scoyoc and BPS President Jamie Hacker Hughes.

Next, European Council of Psychology July 7-10 in Milan and XXXIVth International Academy of Law and Mental Health in Vienna on July 12-17. Together, we’re bringing about change via international collaboration, and it’s exciting!

Avalon Malibu: Rejuvenate and Recover

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Malibu SunsetThis is a purposeful dual diagnoses treatment program with psychiatric licensure in a pristine, sunny & warm bluff ocean setting. It has two substantial houses, independent of each other to separately house the addiction clients and psychiatric clients. The program incorporates the principles of tried true therapeutic treatment modalities, and 12 step recovery, along with other eclectic approaches, such as meditation, four agreements of buddhism, ropes courses, yoga. Nutritional orienting and planning is integrated into the daily planning. Treatment promotes strength and purpose based perspective to the individual and the family, using timeline projects and core schemas.

Avalon also incorporates a family therapy program to include interactive activities, and engaging the family throughout the experience. It also plans out and utilize aftercare opportunities, such as out patient and sober living. Avalon House

What sets Avalon apart is staff and surroundings, and the integration of aftercare into the treatment planning. They empathic and warm, yet directing and supportive. The psychiatrists are trained in alternative and Eastern Medicine.

The admissions staff (Rob and Dea) are sensitive and thorough and work with the referral source. This is not an internet based referral program, and want to work with professional referents, a refreshing approach to promote integrity and ethical health care. It is an insurance – friendly option, and for the right client and a formidable treatment plan it’s a win-win. Call us to see if Avalon is the right choice for you or your family member.

ECP2013

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ECP is one of the few professional, non marketing international conferences that I attend for psychology and training. I present regularly at international conferences, and find the attendees particularly interested in the application of theory and research to treatment settings. I just finished presenting to interested colleagues on the benefits of treatment in the wilderness camp settings, like you find at Wingate in Utah, and others. They were excited and amazed to find Americans are using the wilderness to compel a counseling milieu for adolescents and young adults.

I also had the opportunity to attend a panel symposium on international law and psychology that highlighted research around international child custody rules and judicial sentiment, if you will in move away scenarios involving custodial parents. Of course, my interest is in finding education and therapeutic schools and programs in “the best interest” of the child. I was happy to hear Dr. Phi Stahl speak on the subject. I also had the opportunity to be photographed with the present APA president Don Berstoff who also participated in the panel. I am thankful to be a member of APA.

Art therapy is gaining new ground to help develop positive self concept and self esteem, and to express emotions and promote regulation of emotions. A recent study conducted in Estonia has found particular usefulness of art therapy when used with incarcerated young adult females. In Estonia, art therapy includes drawing, movement, and music. Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was used as pre and post testing, and found to diminish aggressive behavior, while promoting prosocial behavior.

All and all, the globalization of these applied psychology and education methodologies is gaining strength and interest from learning institutions and politicians. Psychology is at the forefront in finding ways to blend international law, culture, and education together for the betterment of people. However, the efforts are not without huge barriers, conflicts, and concerns for privacy, individualization, and strengthening of families and institutions.

All that said if you need an expert to help in the relocating of your family to either international or domestic places by helping to answer questions around education, care, and treatment call us today; 877-571-2524

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Germany Does It Right: Don’t Paint the One Parent ‘Black’

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20130606-130418.jpg The German Family law system is outpacing that of the US in forming a non adversarial model of custodial arrangements not eliminating one over the other. “Both are the parents. One is no better than the other.”

The consequences for the children in highly conflicted-ridden families is enormous for all family members, including grandparents who are now covered by German law. The German Family law system upholds the rights of all family members.

“We know that the easy way out for parents is to put their children in therapy.” The parents are afraid of the children’s reactions. While children adjust to the most difficult scenarios, it is not appropriate to pathologize the need to be nurtured. “Painting one parent black is to paint one half of the child as black.” Development of externalizing behaviors is directly related to divorce. It leads to aggressive acts of violence, loss of affects and delinquency.

At the Association of Family Conciliatory Courts conference last week in Los Angeles that I attended last week, Ursula Kodjoe & Roisin O’Shea presented a thoughtful, compassionate, and scientific investigation on how a collaborative, non adversarial model can work for families facing custody issues. Financial issues are resolved outside of the child issues, and kept separate. Both parents are expected to be equally involved with their children, no ‘ifs ands or buts’. This model has spread throughout Europe, and is benefiting the court system in streamlining and supporting a course of reunification, not dividing families.