The Connection Between the Female Cycle and Mental Health

Despite the significant impact women’s menstrual cycles have on their mental health, mood, and energy levels, they are overlooked in therapy. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, approximately 85 percent of women experience symptoms of PMS. In some cases, these symptoms can include irritability, fatigue, anxiety, and depression. Furthermore, the female cycle may exacerbate already existing mental health issues causing distress in women’s lives. This seminar will explore the connection between mental health and the female cycle to shed light on background, effects, and effective treatment options.

Counseling Adolescents

Adolescents struggle with a variety of issues such as identity struggles, negative self-talk, extreme peer pressure, and difficulties fitting in. They often feel stuck between wanting independence and still needing guidance. Adolescents are more likely than adults to make decisions without considering the consequences and commonly feel invincible. To reach these clients, counselors must understand the developmental challenges of teens to provide effective counseling to them. This seminar will explore the challenges of treating this population and consider many different effective counseling strategies.

Working with Clients Who Have Thoughts of Suicide: A Panel Discussion

A panel of presenters will discuss legal, professional and crisis response issues for mental health professionals when helping clients who have thoughts of suicide.  How can mental health professionals play a role in intervention? How can therapists equip themselves to deal with this challenge? What are a therapist’s legal and professional obligations?  What are the parameters of treatment for short- and long-term client needs? 

This training is especially timely as the State of Missouri enacted a law earlier this year that now requires mental health professionals to include 2 hours of Suicide Prevention Training in their CE requirement for licensure. Read more here.

Counseling LGBTQ Clients

Despite rapidly growing cultural acceptance of diverse sexual and romantic orientations and gender identifications, oppression, discrimination, and marginalization of LGBTQ individuals persists. Coping with discrimination and oppression can lead to higher levels of depression, anxiety, substance use, and other mental health concerns for LGBTQ clients. Furthermore, research shows that these clients are almost ten times as likely to have experienced bullying and victimization in school or society and more than twice as likely to have considered suicide than their heterosexual peers. This seminar will outline successful techniques and strategies for reaching this population.