Education Committee

On March 6, 2008 RAGPS sponsored an exciting workshop discussion entitled, "Ethical Dilemmas and the Group Therapist: A Panel Discussion and Open Forum." The workshop was held at St. John Fisher College.

Ann Betz, LCSW moderated the panel which included Aaron Black, Ph.D., Teri DiGuiseppe, BS, CASAC, Signe Kastberg, LMHC, NCC, and Wendy Sullivan, LCSW. The presentation started with a general overview of ethics and the often discovered finding that there is not always agreement between legal, moral and professional viewpoints. Even federal and state laws can offer contradictory conclusions! Also, ethics are not static and can change over time. Therefore, the panel stressed that clinicians should always know and follow their professional codes of ethics and seek consultation as needed. Workshop then offered a question and answer period where several specific mental health and chemical dependency case examples were shared by the panelists resulting in a lively discussion for all. Overall, the presentation was informational and thought provoking while allowing a variety of viewpoints to be shared by panelists and participants alike.

Submitted by Joe Russo, Psy.D., CGP

On 12/7/07 Joe Russo, Psy D., CGP and JoAnne Baxter, LCSW-R presented the last workshop of the year on, "Group Therapy with Individuals with Mental Retardation". This well attended workshop was informative and engaging.

Joe and JoAnne began the workshop by providing attendees with a brief overview of some of the causes of MRDD and a brief history of treatment approaches. They then led a small group experiential designed to help participants and attendees explore their own attitudes, feelings and experiences with individuals with mental retardation. Personal as well as professional stories were shared and I think many of us were surprised by what we discovered about our perceptions and experiences. The remainder of the training focused on the benefits of group therapy in working with individuals with MRDD, modifications to the process to enhance learning and similarities with other populations.

In all, there was something for everyone. Joe and JoAnne are extremely knowledgeable about working with this population and their presentation of the material made the workshop interesting and thought provoking.