Presenters

Dr. Laurie Little, PsyD

Chief Experience Officer — Lindner Center of HOPE

Conference Topic: An Unlikely Couple: The Pairing of Psychedelic Assisted Therapy and DBT Skills

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Dr. Kerry Horrell, PhD

Staff Psychologist, Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine  — The Menninger Clinic

Conference Topic: Self-Compassion in the Recovery Process

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Dr. Karlyn Pleasants, PsyD

Chief Clinical Advisor & Managing Partner — Anew Treatment Center Scottsdale

Conference Topic: The “Well” Siblings: From Shadow to Shine, Supporting the Journey to Visibility

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Kevin McCauley, MD

The Meadows Behavioral Healthcare

Conference Topic: “4E” Cognition – A New Approach to Addiction and Recovery

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Dr. Rob Gent, PhD

Chief Clinical Officer — Embark Behavioral Health

Conference Topic: The Neurobiology of Relationship: A Model for Creating Healthy Healing and Development

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Dr. Laurie Little, PsyD

Chief Experience Officer

The Lindner Center of HOPE

Dr. Little is Chief Patient Experience Officer and a staff psychologist at the Lindner Center of HOPE. Her areas of expertise consist primarily of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for patients with mood disorders, anxiety, PTSD and binge eating disorder. Dr. Little also specializes in working with patients who are considering, or have had, bariatric (weight loss) surgery. Dr. Little is certified in Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy.

Dr. Little earned her Doctorate of Psychology degree from the University of Hartford in Hartford, Connecticut. She completed a two-year internship in Westfield Massachusetts that specializes in the training and implementation of Dialectical Behavior Therapy for adults with mental illness.

Her dissertation studied how training clinicians in DBT helps to reduce therapist burnout.

Presentation Topic:

An Unlikely Couple: The Pairing of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy and DBT Skills

This presentation will discuss how treatment with Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) works synergistically with Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy (PAP). Participants will learn how knowledge of DBT skills and principals will help facilitate all three stages of PAP including preparation, the medicine session as well as integration.

Dr. Kerry Horrell, PhD

Staff Psychologist, Assistant Professor

The Menninger Clinic

Kerry Horrell, PhD, is a staff psychologist at The Menninger Clinic as well as the coordinator of the Youth Division. In addition, she is the co-host of Mind Dive, Menninger’s podcast for mental health professionals. She is also an assistant professor in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM).

Her clinical expertise includes the treatment of shame and trauma, with a particular focus on self-compassion, vulnerability and mindfulness.

Her research interests include experiences of gender and sexuality, as well as religion and spirituality, in how they relate to mental health and well-being. Her research has been published in the Journal of Psychology and Theology and has been shared at the annual conference of the Association of Psychological Science.

Presentation Topic:

Self-Compassion in the Recovery Process

People who are attempting to recover from a variety of mental illnesses commonly use self-criticism to motivate themselves toward healing. This often exacerbates their symptoms rather than reduce them. Thus, it is vital for clinicians to understand the importance of self-compassion and facilitate clients’ ability to engage in this skill.

This presentation will aim to provide a robust understanding of what self-compassion is, how it aids in recovering from mental illness, and why it can be challenging for clients to access. Special attention will be paid to the relationship between self-compassion and shame. Interventions for increasing self-compassion will be provided

Dr. Karlyn Pleasants, PsyD

Chief Clinical Advisor

Anew Treatment Center

Dr. Karlyn Pleasants is a clinical psychologist, international speaker and trainer, and leading clinical advisor with a whole-hearted commitment to shifting paradigms and rewriting cultural and familial narratives about mental health and healing.

For twenty-five years, Karlyn has helped create thriving therapeutic environments that have supported thousands of individuals and their families build lives rooted in purpose and hope that extend far beyond the bounds of psychiatric diagnoses.

Dr. Pleasants is the Chief Clinical Advisor at the Anew Treatment Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, and has made it her mission is to carry on the fidelity of the deeply transformative milieu model of recovery and change. She is the author of Feathers from the Fire, the tale of one family’s journey through fear, stigma, and generational secrets in search of healing and hope.

Presentation Topic:

The “Well” Siblings: From Shadow to Shine, Supporting the Journey to Visibility

It is well known and extensively documented that mental illness takes up a considerable amount of space within a family, bringing a myriad of challenges to the entire system. Existing research consistently reveals a wide range of adverse influence on emotional well-being, financial and other functional burdens, chronic stress, and concomitant psychiatric disorders. While much of the investigation centers on the parental experience, very few studies have been dedicated to the impact on siblings.

Siblings are at the heart of one’s longest living relationship and poised to be a life-long support, yet often exist in the shadows, eclipsed by the needs of the sibling with mental illness and in an effort to avoid taxing already burdened parents. Within a cloak of invisibility, the well-sibling is at risk of becoming a lonely bystander, unseen and unknown.

The “Well Sibling Syndrome” is a term coined by researchers, mental health experts, and siblings themselves who have begun taking a closer look into how siblings are affected and shaped by growing up with a sibling with a mental illness. This presentation will provide an overview of this indispensable exploration, including clinically minded strategies for supporting sibling and whole-family health.

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Dr. Kevin McCauley, MD

Senior Fellow

The Meadows

Dr. Kevin McCauley is a Senior Fellow at Meadows Behavioral Healthcare. He graduated in 1992 from Drexel University School of Medicine and first became interested in the treatment of substance use disorders while serving as a Naval Flight Surgeon.

Kevin wrote and directed two films: “Memo to Self” about the concepts of recovery management, and “Pleasure Unwoven” about the neuroscience of addiction which won the 2010 Michael Q. Ford Award for Journalism from the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers. 

Kevin lives with his wife, Kristine, in Sedona, Arizona and recently completed a Master’s Degree in Public Health at the University of Arizona.

Presentation Topic:

“4E” Cognition – A New Approach to Addiction and Recovery

This lecture summarizes the current state of addiction neuroscience and how its findings validate the lived experiences of people with addiction. The lecture will then address criticism of the Brain Disease Model of Addiction (BDMA) – namely, that it does not address the social and ecological factors crucial to a complete understanding of addiction and recovery. An enactivist approach based on “4E Cognition” goes beyond the brain to explore the role of the body and environment in choice-making and addiction. Focusing on recent developments in psychoneuroimmunology, computational psychiatry, and embodied consciousness, this “4E” approach answers criticisms of the traditional BDMA without losing its explanatory and predictive power.

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Dr. Rob Gent, PhD

Chief Clinical Officer

Embark Behavioral Health

Dr. Rob Gent, PhD, LPC is the Vice President of Clinical Development & Training and founding member of Embark Behavioral Health. Rob has led the Embark organization in clinical development and growth of numerous programs and is the lead developer of the proprietary CASA Developmental Framework which is pervasive throughout Embark’s programs. Through his dedication to the advancement of clinical development, practice, and research, he has become a nationally recognized expert in the field.

Rob’s dedication has led him to pursue his Ph.D. in Psychology with an emphasis on development and attachment. He remains passionate about neurological, psychological, and physiological development and continues to focus on the advancement of research and the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions.

Presentation Topic:

The Neurobiology of Relationship: A Model for Creating Healthy Healing and Development

This presentation will provide an overview for understanding the science of interpersonal relationships and their impact on neurological, physiological, and psychological development. It will define, explore, and provide a methodology for accurately assessing “attuned” therapeutic interventions and address topics such as resiliency, trauma, neurobiological window of tolerance, co-regulation, and self-regulation. Additional concepts of integrative health and systemic functioning will be integrated into this therapeutic methodology to enable clinicians, clients, and caregivers to reliably create healthy healing and development.