When Your Client is a QAnon Supporter: Cognitive Biases and the Clinician's

Virtual

Charles Safford, LCSW

3 Clinical Category A CEUs are pending approval from NASW NH

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This 3-hour course will focus on understanding the emotional and cognitive causes of adherence to conspiracy theories, such as QAnon, in order to prepare the clinician to intercede and apply correctives when the belief system of the client is maladaptive in important areas of the client’s life. Applying important principles and approaches of Motivational Interviewing, this program will address some intervention approaches most likely to be effective in inviting the client to reshape his/her belief system in more adaptive ways. This program will also necessarily address the clinician’s professional obligation to intercede in a respectful and appropriately bounded way in accordance with the NASW Code of Ethics principles related to autonomy and respect for the client. To assist in the integration of material, some clinical scenarios will be examined and discussed.

Course objectives:

1. Apply knowledge of conspiracy theory research, including emotional components, cognitive bias, including sunk cost fallacy, and other evidence based understandings, in order to generate effective interventions for client adherence to QAnon and other conspiracy theories.

2. Utilize principles and approaches of the Socratic Method and Motivational Interviewing to assist clients in examining conspiracy theory adherence in a clinically effective and ethically respectful way.

3. Address the professional and legal boundaries for the self necessary to respond effectively to the client’s QAnon adherence without reactivity or countertransference impeding the integrity of the professional relationship.

About the Presenter:

Charles Safford, LCSW is the President and owner of yourceus.com, Inc., a company that develops and markets web-based and live continuing education training for mental health clinicians on a nationwide basis. Mr. Safford has been providing counseling services since he received his graduate degree from Boston University in 1981 and has been in private practice since 1985. Since 1988, he has also been involved in developing and delivering innovative training programs for numerous audiences. In 2001, he merged his training and therapy skills to create yourceus.com, Inc., a company that teaches and trains mental health clinicians on a nationwide basis, offering both live and web based programs encompassing the best and most recent knowledge and skills in the field of mental health. Since 2013, Mr. Safford has been training clinicians around the country in the ethical use of telemental health as a service delivery model, including the special complications of providing services to clients with special safety risks.

Workshop details:

• The zoom link and handouts will be sent to participants prior to the workshop
• The workshop will start at 1:00 PM EST. Please join us a few minutes early to ensure your technology is working
• After the workshop, participants will be emailed an evaluation. Your certificate will be emailed to you upon receipt of the completed evaluation
• Want to pay by check? Email Tori - tchase.naswnh@socialworkers.org