Why You’ll Love this Course:
Complex illness is a rapidly increasing phenomenon wherein a patient has multiple (often invisible) medical conditions that interact with one another and interfere with effective mental health treatment. Because clinicians typically miscategorize these cases as anxiety, depression, or trauma, they often prescribe the wrong treatments or interventions. Fortunately, complex illness has traditional hallmarks that providers can learn to recognize, making treatment more clear and effective and restoring hope to patients.
Course Description:
This course provides an introduction to the phenomenon of complex illness by defining what complex illness is, how it presents in mental health treatment, and ways in which traditional interventions such as exposure and behavioral activation can actually be contraindicated for these patients. It leverages theory and emerging evidence to review common constellations of factors present in complex illness, including specific personality traits, patterns in onset and chronicity of symptoms, and crucial pivots in conceptualization and treatment approach. Finally, it offers an integrative, ACT-based intervention framework specific to complex illness that allows clinicians to improve their effectiveness for this “treatment resistant” population.
Who is this for:
Clinicians who have complex, challenging, or treatment resistant cases on their caseload.
Instructional Level:
Beginner to Intermediate
Recommended Course Prerequisites:
None
Included:
Handout:
Clinical Framework for Complex Illness
Educational Objectives:
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
Define complex illness.
Identify at least five common hallmarks of complex illness cases.
List three traditional evidence-based interventions that can be contraindicated for this population.
Common Clinical FAQs Answered:
What exactly is “complex illness” and how is it relevant to clinical psychology?
How do I know whether my patient has a complex illness versus health anxiety, panic, or depression?
What are the warning signs that a patient may have complex illness?
Does this model align with or contradict traditional biopsychosocial frameworks?
What role does trauma, stress physiology, and nervous system sensitization play in complex illness development?
Katie Arfa, Psy.D.
Health Psychologist
Co-founder
Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)
Katie Arfa, PsyD. is a co-founder and the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of MindScience Collective. She is a licensed clinical psychologist in California (PSY31016), who specializes in using integrative, evidence-based treatments for health conditions. She is sought after for her particular expertise in the emerging fields of nutritional psychiatry, gut-brain interaction, pain psychology, and lifestyle medicine.
In her private practice, Dr. Arfa focuses on using ACT, CBT, and nervous system approaches to treat families and adults dealing with medical conditions, complex illnesses, or treatment-resistant cases. She provides supervision and consultation to trainees and professionals on the intersection of medical and psychological diagnoses, especially differential diagnosis of complex cases.
Dr. Arfa is the creator of ACT for GI, a group treatment protocol for GI conditions; a psychology education program for fitness professionals; and a postdoctoral training program in integrative health psychology. She completed a fellowship in integrative psychiatry and has a background as a certified personal trainer through National Strength and Conditioning Association. She has also served as adjunct professor at Antioch University.
Patients are referred to Dr. Arfa by some of the most notable healthcare systems in the country, including UCLA Health, Cleveland Clinic, and the Mayo Clinic.
Disclosure:
Dr. Arfa is a co-founder of MindScience Collective and will receive financial benefit from all course sales. She is also the instructor of “Using Common S.E.N.S.E: Incorporating Lifestyle Factors for Optimal Patient Outcomes” and “Intro to Gut-Brain Psychology: Science and Practice that Applies to Every Patient.”
Dr. Stephanie Sacks is the instructor of “Essential Relational Microskills for Treating Trauma Survivors”
and Dr. Nikki Rubin is the instructor of “Treating Perfectionism: An ACT-based Approach to Move from Rigidity to Flexibility.” Dr. Sacks and Dr. Rubin are also co-founders and instructors at MindScience Collective.
Recommended Courses:
Essential Relational Microskills for Treating Trauma Survivors
Intro to Gut-Brain Psychology: Science and Practice that Applies to Every Patient
Treating Perfectionism: An ACT-based Approach to Move from Rigidity to Flexibility
Using Common S.E.N.S.E: Incorporating Lifestyle Factors for Optimal Patient Outcomes