Based in Virginia, Amanda Banach has been a writer since 2009. Her professional work experience includes roles in media advertising, financial services and human resources. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in human resources management and is PHR-certified.
Plagiarism, put simply, is taking credit for someone else’s work. In academics specifically, plagiarizing is when you write what someone else said/wrote but don’t deliver them credit for it. Giving credit where credit is due is one of the fundamentals of college writing and not doing so will result in a myriad of unpleasant consequences such as: an automatic “F” either on the assignment or in the class, having to appear before the academic integrity board, undergoing disciplinary actions as assigned by the academic integrity board, and potentially being expelled from the university all together. Professors are constantly keeping a look out for plagiarism in papers, especially in lower level courses like Core Humanities, and do not hesitate in handing over plagiarizers to the academic integrity board. So what’s the best way to avoid the unpleasant consequences of plagiarizing? Simple: don’t do it.
Project: Instructional Material Development, 30% of your final grade:
You must take an existing activity, project, or problem, (APB) from the PLTW curriculum and develop a new APB that meets the same educational objectives. This new APB could be used to supplement, replace or expand upon the existing one. The APB will be selected from the pre-approved list below.
Pre-Approved list for CIM Instructional Material Development is as follows:
For the APB that you select, you must develop the following items, 40 points total
Questions regarding the test and project should be directed to:
Scott Banister
Pittsford Mendon High School
472 Mendon Road
Pittsford, NY 14534
585-267-3662
Scott_banister@pittsford.monroe.edu
The terms “chair” and “advisor” are often ambiguous and confusing, so the Graduate School uses the term “director” in all matters related to the thesis or dissertation committee structure.
The role of the director is similar for both master’s theses and doctoral dissertations. A student intending to write a thesis should identify a prospective faculty director as soon as possible. A student intending to write a dissertation must identify a prospective faculty director soon after the candidacy examination, if not before. The proposed director/co-directors must be nominated by the department, approved by the college, and appointed by the dean of the Graduate School. The director, in consultation with the committee, will judge the acceptability of the work.
A provisional member of the graduate faculty may, with a full or senior member of the graduate faculty, co-direct a thesis or dissertation.
At any time, a faculty member may decline to serve as director of any particular project. Students may also appeal to remove or change directors. Please refer to the NIU Graduate Catalog for information about altering the composition of committees after they have been approved.
Generally, “inferiority complex” is an umbrella term describing chronic feelings of inadequacy and insecurity.
People with an inferiority complex may experience chronic self-doubt, have low self-esteem, and feel the need to withdraw from social situations. Some people experience symptoms similar to those associated with a superiority complex, such as extreme competitiveness and an inability to admit to their mistakes.
Although an inferiority complex is not a diagnosable mental health condition, people dealing with feelings of inferiority can find help through various means, including psychotherapy, medication, and self-help methods.
Keep memorizing to learn more about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of an inferiority complex.
The American Psychological Association (APA) defines an inferiority complex as “a basic feeling of inadequacy and insecurity.”
These feelings may stem from a real or perceived deficiency in some area of a person’s life. This could be a physical or psychological weakness or shortcoming.
The APA further explains that someone with an inferiority complex may present with a wide array of behaviors. For example, a person may become anxious or depressed and withdraw from social situations.
Alternatively, they may overcompensate and become excessively competitive, find faults in others, and have trouble admitting their own mistakes. These types of symptoms are also related to the superiority complex, which the APA defines as “an exaggerated opinion of one’s abilities and accomplishments that derives from an overcompensation for feelings of inferiority.”
When Dr. Alfred Adler, founder of the school of individual psychology, first introduced the notion of an inferiority complex in 1907, he believed that people are born with some level of personal inferiority, as well as a drive to overcome it.
These days, studies have uncovered various reasons why someone may develop an inferiority complex.
For example, a 2012 study looked at the effects of art therapy techniques on a small sample of teens, which included 20 individuals from disadvantaged families and 10 from “normal” families. The researchers found that teens from disadvantaged families showed higher rates of low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy in their environment, as well as an increased focus on material interests, rebelliousness, and impaired emotional development.
A 2014 study involving 148 undergraduate students aged 18–24 years found potential links between inferiority feelings and personality groups. An autotelic personality, one associated with internally driven people, was significantly less connected to inferiority feelings than a nonautotelic personality, which is associated with externally driven people.
More recently, 2022 research using social media data found that feelings of inferiority might stem from multiple factors, including:
The study authors note that the research and results are limited to one geographic area and do not include people who do not use social media.
Nevertheless, these findings support the overall consensus that factors such as childhood and adult experiences, social disadvantages, physical challenges, and cultural messages may all contribute to feelings of inferiority.
In addition to feeling inferior and insecure, someone with an inferiority complex might:
Sometimes, inferiority complex symptoms look similar to those of a superiority complex.
When a person has a superiority complex, they tend to have an exaggerated opinion of themselves, including their abilities and accomplishments. Often, having these exaggerated opinions is a way to overcompensate for — and this is where the two intertwine — feelings of inferiority.
The related symptoms include:
Perhaps the most common and effective treatment option for someone dealing with feelings of inferiority is psychotherapy.
Also known as talk therapy, psychotherapy is a way for people to gain a better understanding of their feelings, as well as how to navigate those feelings in more productive ways.
There are several types of psychotherapy. These include:
Many forms of talk therapy are also effective in helping people manage depression and anxiety disorders, which often show up alongside feelings of inferiority.
Furthermore, it is not uncommon for mental health professionals to combine psychotherapy with medication. Although for some people, one treatment works better than the other, for others, the combination brings the best results.
Talk therapy and medication can work well, but a few extra steps may also go a long way in helping someone overcome an inferiority complex.
Someone trying to conquer their feelings of inferiority might consider:
Many people feel insecure or inferior at some point in their life. Occasionally feeling timid in social situations or focusing on one’s high school football glory days does not necessarily point toward a complex.
However, someone who often experiences feelings of inferiority might ask themselves how they respond to those feelings.
For example:
When the negative thoughts and behaviors outnumber the positive ones, it might be time to talk with a mental health professional.
Often, the term “inferiority complex” applies when someone deals with persistent feelings of inferiority, insecurity, and inadequacy.
Although some people with inferiority complexes live with low self-esteem and are more comfortable withdrawing from social situations, others overcompensate with attention-seeking behavior and a reluctance to admit their own mistakes.
Regardless of their specific symptoms, people coping with severe feelings of inferiority may find help through psychotherapy, prescription medication, and self-help treatments.
In another psychiatric treatment failure, a new study shows electroshock fails to prevent suicide, with over 800 deaths within a year in those receiving it. As with patients prescribed antidepressants, those receiving electroshock have been misled that electroshock corrects imbalanced brain chemicals.
By Jan Eastgate
President CCHR International
August 5, 2022
A study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry reinforces that electroshock treatment (also known as electroconvulsive therapy or ECT), given to at least 100,000 Americans a year, including children, does not decrease the risk of death by suicide, contrary to its proponents’ claims.[1] The study showed an astounding rate of suicide death for those who received ECT: 137.34 deaths per 10,000 within 30 days of receiving it and 804.39 per 10,000 within a year following ECT.[2]
Shock therapy is often recommended after antidepressants have failed. Both treatments have been misleadingly marketed as correcting chemicals or chemical messages in the brain that cause depression.[3] That myth was debunked by researchers from the University College London, who reviewed 17 major studies published over several decades and found no convincing evidence to support the theory that a chemical imbalance causes mental disorder.[4]
The fact that these treatments do not prevent suicide is yet another reason why they should never be forced on patients—a practice that the United Nations Committee on Torture has equated to torture.[5] Consumers should never be told that ECT or antidepressants are “life-saving,” as it can also dissuade them from seeking safer, workable solutions.
The chemical imbalance marketing scam fueled antidepressant sales. Research then showed SSRI antidepressants aren’t “effective” for at least 29% to 46% of those taking them.[6]
The psychiatric-pharmaceutical industry-invented theory and marketing scam seem to have been expanded to the use of ECT and that can put people at risk of receiving a treatment that could prove fatal.
In the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry study published in April 2022, Bradley V. Watts, MD, MPH, of the department of psychiatry at Geisel Medical School at Dartmouth College, and colleagues, espoused the importance of their electroshock research because “Early studies of the impact of ECT on suicide deaths were conducted in an era during which effective psychotropic medication was limited or inaccessible to most patients.” Therefore, “they are difficult to extrapolate to contemporary cohorts of patients” and, as such current “effective” drugs.[7]
“Newer” Antidepressants Ineffective
But the newer psychotropic drugs have now been discredited as being more “effective” than older ones.[8] In an interview with WebMD, psychiatrist Joanna Moncrieff stated, “The bottom line is that we really don’t have any good evidence that these drugs work.”[9] In a 2018 study published in BJPsych Bulletin, Dr. Moncrief further stated: “Patients should be informed that there is no evidence that antidepressants work by correcting a chemical imbalance, that antidepressants have mind-altering effects, and that evidence suggests they produce no noticeable benefit compared with placebo.”[10]
A 2016 study revealed that antidepressants double the risk of harm related to suicide and violence in healthy adults. This means that, according to the analysis, one person is harmed for every 16 persons treated with the drugs. The study authors considered it likely that antidepressants increase suicides at all ages.[11] According to research published in 2019 in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, adults who start treatment with antidepressants for depression are 2.5 times more likely to attempt suicide compared to placebo. The study found that approximately 1 in every 200 people who start treatment will attempt suicide due to the pharmacologic effects of the drug.[12] The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also issued a black box warning of suicidal effects in those taking antidepressants up to the age of 24, but the research shows the risk is possible for all age groups.
In 2002, the manufacturer of one of the top-selling SSRI antidepressants was forced to admit that the drug causes severe withdrawal symptoms when stopped. The FDA published a product advised that patients be warned not to stop taking their antidepressants suddenly.[13] Taking SSRIs can also cause a serious condition called serotonin syndrome, in which dangerously high levels of the chemical are present and can cause irritability, agitation, confusion, hallucinations, rigid muscles, tremors, and seizures.[14]
Withdrawal from any prescription psychotropic drug should only be done with medical approval and under medical supervision. A BMJ journal paper advises doctors to taper the dose at the end of treatment, while keeping a close watch for withdrawal symptoms.[15]
The electroshock study utilized electronic medical record data from the Department of Veterans Affairs health system between 2000 and 2017 to include 5,157 index courses of ECT therapy, along with 10,097 matched controls who did not receive ECT. Index ECT usually refers to the initial phase of treatment in hospital to induce maximum response. The typical number of treatments is 6–12.[16]
The study found the risk of suicide death was similar in patients treated with an index course ECT and in a matched group who were not given ECT.[17] In the cohort, suicide deaths were: 138.65 per 10,000 in 30 days and 564.52 per 10,000 in 1 year. “ECT does not appear to have a greater effect on decreasing the risk for suicide than other types of mental health treatment provided to patients with similar risk,” Watts and colleagues wrote. [18]
So, neither prevent suicide, and, extrapolated from this, could, in fact, precipitate suicide.
In a September 2020 study also conducted by Watts, VA hospital data was reviewed from between 2006 and 2015, with similar conclusions.[19] The findings, which were published in the Journal of ECT, showed 14,810 ECT patients were 5.8 times more likely to have killed themselves in the year after ECT than the 58,369 controls. The researchers established there was no evidence that an ECT course decreased the risk of death by suicide.[20]
Assertions by psychiatric organizations such as the American Psychiatric Association that ECT and antidepressants are “life-saving treatment” and correct unbalanced chemicals or chemical messages in the brain, is so misleading that it could constitute consumer fraud.”
Between Tricare and Veteran Affairs, the Department of Defense (DoD) spent more than $70 million dollars on electroshock treatment between 2010 and 2019. During this same period, there was a 46% increase in the number of veterans that were given ECT.[21]
To opponents of electroshock, the studies reinforce why there remains extreme criticism about the way in which the FDA addressed the classification of ECT devices between 2009 and 2018. FDA lowered the device from a high-risk classification III to the lower risk classification II to make it easier for deliver it to certain patients, including those aged 13 and older who are “treatment-resistant” [22]—in other words, antidepressants or other drugs failed them.
APA requested that FDA broaden the clearance for using ECT on children, stating, “Having access to a rapid and effective treatment such as ECT is especially meaningful in children and adolescents….”[23]
Martha Rosenberg, writing for The Epoch Times in July 2022 spoke to siblings of a family whose loved one took her own life soon after being “talked into taking ECT.” They blame the suicide on the treatment. Another woman using the pseudonym Jill was hospitalized with “treatment-resistant depression” and said the memory loss from her ECT treatment was so severe that she “did not remember having it or consenting to it until I opened the file with the paperwork from the hospital.” Jill couldn’t even remember the name of the doctor who recommended it. After five years, memories of much of her life are gone and unretrievable, Rosenberg reported.[24]
FDA Ignores Electroshock Causes Death
In what many say was a biased FDA Federal Rule on ECT devices issued on December 26th 2018, the agency disregarded that ECT is linked to death, including suicide. In fact, it so minimized the risks overall as to warrant a federal investigation into how it failed to do its job to protect the U.S. public from harm from the ECT devices and whether its priority had been to protect vested interest groups wanting to keep the devices on the market.
In the Final Rule, FDA acknowledged that the individuals for whom ECT may be prescribed are “at significant risk for complications including death”—but dismissed this as being due to “their underlying conditions.”[25] “Mental illness”—which cannot be tested for or confirmed under a microscope—“killed” the patients, not the 460 volts of electricity sent surging through their body causing a grand mal seizure and physical damage.
FDA also cited a 1986 retrospective study of 1,494 psychiatric subjects followed for 5 to 7 years following hospitalization for a psychiatric condition. The researchers found 76 deaths in this group of patients with 16 of the deaths being by suicide. But it reported: “In this group, ECT was not protective but also did not increase the risk for death.”[26]
This is but one example of where the public was misled. In a January 2011 FDA public hearing into ECT held by an advisory panel, at which CCHR members and shock survivors testified, FDA went to great lengths to disallow reference to studies published prior to 1979 that CCHR and others pointed to as proving that ECT causes brain damage. They asserted that the technology used at that time couldn’t substantiate brain-damaging effects.
In citing the same 1986 study as referenced above, FDA failed to mention that the study period was 1965-72. More importantly, those 76 deaths, of which 16 were suicide, translates to 21% killed themselves! Three statistics from that study showed that 44% of the patients who committed suicide had been treated with ECT during the index hospital admission, compared to 32% of patients who received ECT but died from causes other than suicide.[27]
While the researchers and FDA claimed the differences were not statistically significant—so presumably could be ignored—there was no discussion about how ECT may have precipitated the suicides.
That study’s purpose had been to examine whether or not ECT protects against suicide death. It doesn’t. Findings spelled out:
John Read, Ph.D., from the School of Psychology, University of East London and Professor Irving Kirsch of Harvard Medical further substantiated that electroshock is not a life-saving treatment. Prof. Read, writing in Psychology Today on June 15th 2021, noted that in their 2019 review of the ECT research literature, they found “no convincing evidence that ECT outperforms placebo in the short-term and no evidence at all that it has any long-term benefits or prevents suicide.” [29]
Read went further: “Given the well-documented high risk of persistent memory dysfunction, the cost-benefit analysis for ECT remains so poor that its use cannot be scientifically, or ethically, justified.”[30]
FDA was unconcerned that electroshock can be forced upon Americans. Rather, it claimed involuntary ECT is “uncommon” and only done with a judiciary approval. This was patently false. Including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, there are 33 geographical jurisdictions where the state laws and administrative codes do not even comment on the use of ECT, let alone provide judiciary determinations.[31]
The Torture of Americans
In fact, FDA hasn’t a clue how many Americans are electroshocked without their consent in violation of the UN Convention Against Torture, which the U.S. has ratified in domestic law. Nor does it know how many individuals ECT has failed to prevent from killing themselves or directly influenced their decision to commit suicide.
However, FDA was quick to approve another shock device for the American market.
In 2021, MECTA, the manufacturer of the SpECTrum shock device filed for bankruptcy after a spate of lawsuits against it led to its losing its products liability insurance and on September 1st that year, it discontinued manufacturing and servicing the device.[32] But MECTA was in the FDA’s good hands.
The lawsuits were going through the courts in 2018-19 and on October 2nd 2019—10 months after the FDA’s controversial and contested Final Rule on ECT devices—the FDA received a pre-market application from MECTA for a new ECT device called ∑igma™ (pronounced Sigma), which was quickly approved as a Class II device on April 26th, 2020.[33]
MECTA says the ∑igma is different to the SpECTtrum and is “the most advanced ECT device ever produced.”[34] It is astonishing how quickly the company could develop an innovative new device but never had the finances to conduct clinical trials to prove the SpECTrum device, and, now the ∑igma, are safe and effective.
Meanwhile, the tragic expectation is that more patients will commit suicide after receiving electroshock. Psychiatrists and the FDA will blame this on their “illness” rather than failed treatment. And the death roll will rise.
Legislators may be unaware of the facts unless people act: Sign the Petition to Ban Electroshock.
As a recap: antidepressants do not prevent suicide. When they don’t “work,” then electroshock is recommended, but this, too, doesn’t prevent suicide. Neither are “life-saving.” ECT causes irreversible damage, including long-term memory loss and brain damage.
In fact, electroshock and antidepressants carry the risk of driving people to commit suicide: Patients sold on the fraudulent idea that the treatments correct a “chemical imbalance” or faulty chemical messengers in the brain become hopeless when those treatments fail them and go on to make fatal decisions about their lives.
There needs to be accountability for false claims made in defense of these treatments—better still, take them off the market when their risks are so high. Consumer fraud litigation should ensue in addition to any personal injury claims.
Vulnerable patients seeking mental health care deserve much, much better. Non-harmful practices should be made available to them.
References:
[1] Bradley V. Watts, MD, MPH, Talya Peltzman, MPH, and Brian Shiner, MD, MPH, “Electroconvulsive Therapy and Death by Suicide,” Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Apr. 2022, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35421285/
[2] “ECT did not decrease risk for death by suicide compared with other mental health care,” Helio, 20 Jul. 2022, https://www.healio.com/news/psychiatry/20220720/ect-did-not-decrease-risk-for-death-by-suicide-compared-with-other-mental-health-care
[3] https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/psychiatry/specialty_areas/brain_stimulation/ect/faq_ect.html
[4] https://www.cchrint.org/2022/07/22/cchr-lauds-study-disproving-chemical-imbalance-causes-depression/; Joanna Moncrieff, Ruth E. Cooper, Tom Stockmann, Simone Amendola, Michael P. Hengartner and Mark A. Horowitz, “The serotonin theory of depression: a systematic umbrella review of the evidence,” Molecular Psychiatry, 20 July 2022, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01661-0
[5] Report of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Juan E. Méndez; Human Rights Council Twenty-second session; Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development; 1 Feb. 2013
[6] James G. Barbee, MD, “Treatment-Resistant Depression—Management Strategies,” Psychiatric Times, Vol. 26, No. 8, 27 July 2009
[7] “ECT did not decrease risk for death by suicide compared with other mental health care,” Helio, 20 Jul. 2022, https://www.healio.com/news/psychiatry/20220720/ect-did-not-decrease-risk-for-death-by-suicide-compared-with-other-mental-health-care
[8] Norman Nicholas, Robert Adams, “Do Newer Antidepressant Drugs Really Have Reduced Side Effects? Examining a Random ‘Real World’ sample of 300+ Receivers of Medications,” Gordon University, Scotland, Journal of Psychology & the Behavioral Sciences, Vol 6, Issue 1, 2016, https://iafor.org/journal/iafor-journal-of-psychology-and-the-behavioral-sciences/volume-6-issue-1/article-5/
[9] Salynn Boyles, “Battle Brews Over Antidepressant Use,” Fox News channel, 15 June 2005.
[10] Joanne Moncrieff, “Against the stream: Antidepressants are not antidepressants – an alternative approach to drug action and implications for the use of antidepressants,” BJ Psych Bulletin, Feb. 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6001865/
[11] https://www.cchrint.org/2016/10/19/antidepressants-double-suicide-violence/, Andreas Ø Bielefeldt, et al., “Precursors to suicidality and violence on antidepressants: systematic review of trials in adult healthy volunteers,” Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, Oct. 2016, Vol. 109, No. 10, p. 381, http://jrs.sagepub.com/content/109/10/381.full.
[12] “New study: antidepressants significantly raise the risk of suicide in the treatment of depression for adults,” Council for Evidence-Based Psychiatry, 25 June 2019, http://cepuk.org/2019/06/25/new-study-antidepressants-significantly-raise-risk-suicide-treatment-depression-adults/
[13] Alison Tonks, “Withdrawal from paroxetine can be severe, warns FDA,” BMJ, 2 Feb. 2002, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1122195/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1122195/
[14] “Escitalopram, oral tablet,” Medical News Today, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/escitalopram-oral-tablet
[15] Alison Tonks, “Withdrawal from paroxetine can be severe, warns FDA,” BMJ, 2 Feb. 2002, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1122195/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1122195/
[16] https://www.medscape.com/answers/1525957-198808/what-is-index-electroconvulsive-therapy-ect
[17] Bradley V. Watts, MD, MPH, Talya Peltzman, MPHb; and Brian Shiner, MD, MPH, “Electroconvulsive Therapy and Death by Suicide,” Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, https://www.psychiatrist.com/jcp/depression/electroconvulsive-therapy/electroconvulsive-therapy-death-suicide/; “ECT did not decrease risk for death by suicide compared with other mental health care,” Helio, 20 Jul. 2022, https://www.healio.com/news/psychiatry/20220720/ect-did-not-decrease-risk-for-death-by-suicide-compared-with-other-mental-health-care
[18] Ibid
[19] Talya Peltzman, Brian Shiner, Bradley V Watts, “Effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy on Short-Term Suicide Mortality in a Risk-Matched Patient Population,” J ECT, 2020 Sep;36(3):187-192, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32205732/
[20] Talya Peltzman, Brian Shiner, Bradley V Watts, “Effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy on Short-Term Suicide Mortality in a Risk-Matched Patient Population,” J ECT, 2020 Sep;36(3):187-192, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32205732/
[21] https://www.cchrint.org/2021/05/25/cchr-supports-veterans-against-electroshock-dod-spends-70m-on-shocking-minds/
[22] https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/12/26/2018-27809/neurological-devices-reclassification-of-electroconvulsive-therapy-devices-effective-date-of
[23] https://www.cchrint.org/10-facts-about-electroconvulsivetherapy/, citing: Letter to Robert M. Califf, M.D., Commissioner, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, from the American Psychiatric Association, March 10, 2016, https://psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Advocacy/Federal/APA-FDA-ECT-reclassification-comments-03102016.pdf
[24] Martha Rosenberg, “Is Electroconvulsive Therapy Getting a New Image?” The Epoch Times, 13 July 2022, https://www.theepochtimes.com/is-electroconvulsive-therapy-getting-a-new-image_4572823.html
[25] https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/12/26/2018-27809/neurological-devices-reclassification-of-electroconvulsive-therapy-devices-effective-date-of
[26] https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/12/26/2018-27809/neurological-devices-reclassification-of-electroconvulsive-therapy-devices-effective-date-of
[27] Milstein, V., et al., “Does Electroconvulsive Therapy Prevent Suicide?” Convulsion Therapy, 1986. 2(1): pp. 3-6, https://www.healthyplace.com/depression/articles/does-electroconvulsive-therapy-prevent-suicide
[28] Milstein, V., et al., “Does Electroconvulsive Therapy Prevent Suicide?” Convulsion Therapy, 1986. 2(1): pp. 3-6, https://www.healthyplace.com/depression/articles/does-electroconvulsive-therapy-prevent-suicide
[29] Prof. John Read, “Patients Are Being Misinformed About Electroconvulsive Therapy,” Psychology Today. 15 June 2021, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psychiatry-through-the-looking-glass/202106/patients-are-being-misinformed-about
[30] John Read and Chelsea Arnold, “Is Electroconvulsive Therapy for Depression More Effective Than Placebo? A Systematic Review of Studies Since 2009,” Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry, Volume 19, Number 1, 2017, http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/springer/ehpp/2017/00000019/00000001/art00002
[31] https://truthaboutect.org/mecta-electroshock-device-manufacturer-files-for-bankruptcy/, citing: Victoria Harris, MD, MPH, “Electroconvulsive Therapy: Administrative Codes, Legislation, and Professional Recommendations,” J Am Acad Psychiatry Law, 34:406 –11, 2006, http://www.jaapl.org/content/34/3/406.full.pdf
[32] https://truthaboutect.org/mecta-electroshock-device-manufacturer-files-for-bankruptcy/, citing: In the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, Declaration of Adrian Kettering in Support of Chapter 11 Petitions and First Day Pleadings, Case No. 21-11279 (JKS), 30 Sept. 2021, https://new.reorg-research.com/data/firstday/885087_0.pdf
[33] https://fda.report/PMN/K192834
[34] https://reorg.com/mecta-corp-first-day-declaration/; https://mectacorp.com/products/sigma/
Attachment-Based Family Therapy Training
There are three levels to ABFT training with the final level culminating in certification. Level I consists of a 1 day and 3-day Introductory workshop. Level II consists of 22 weeks of supervision and a 3-day advanced workshop. Level III consists of tape review leading to certification. The certification process can be completed in as little as approximately 1 year, but does not have to be. This is described in more detail in our Therapist Certification Process Document [PDF]. Participants can move through these levels and stop when they want or complete the full program. Each level is described below.
Continuing education credits are offered for the Level 1 workshops and webinars and Level 2 workshops
For an agency looking to implement ABFT, we find that just training therapists may not be enough. Implementation and sustainability of a manualized, empirically-supported treatment requires a high level of commitment and systems change on the part of an agency or treatment program. There are several challenges and innovations for the agency to consider before training staff. These are described in our Dissemination and Implementation Starter Packet [PDF].
We now offer a special online program for graduate students. This program offers training to professors so that they can teach the class and curriculum to help structure the program
Launching January 2022! An online self-paced ABFT Training Course for individual therapists to take day one of our training program.
Our Introductory workshops meet the Suicide Prevention licensure requirements for mental health professionals in the following states:
Before completing the certification process, therapists in training may say they are conducting ABFT informed work. Therapists that have been certified may refer to themselves as ABFT certified therapists.
Once therapists begin participating (or have previously participated) in a supervision group, they can opt to have their contact information listed on the ABFT Training Program website as an ABFT Trained (not certified) Therapist. Upon completion of the Level II requirements, they will be moved to the Level II Trained ABFT Therapist list. Once certified, their contact information will be moved to the ABFT Certified Therapist list.
Lecture and therapy tapes provide a brief overview of the entire model. This includes an overview of the theory, research and the clinical format/protocol of the therapy. Faculty review how attachment theory, emotional regulation and trauma resolution inform the delivery of this experiential treatment approach. We also review the goals and structure of the five treatment tasks that provide a road map for delivering this interpersonally focused psychotherapy effectively and rapidly.
By attending the 1-day introductory workshop or webinar, attendees will have a basic understanding of how to use attachment theory to guide family intervention. Attendees will also gain a general introduction to the task structure of the model.
The target audience for the 1-day ABFT training is Case Workers, Counselors, Couple and Family Therapists, ER Physicians, Health Care Administrators, Frontline MH staff, Mental Health Professionals, Primary Care Physicians, Psychiatrists, Psychiatric Nurses, Psychologists, Psychotherapists, SAP Team members and Social Workers.
The 1-day introductory workshop is offered as a(n):
We offer APA and Pennsylvania State Board LPC/LMFT/LSW/LCSW CEs for the 1-day workshops and webinars. Please see here for a full description.
Many states accept APA CEs for Social Workers, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, and Licensed Professional Counselors. Some states also accept other state board's CEs. Please check with your local licensing board to verify CEs you can use.
https://drexel.edu/cnhp/academics/continuing-education/Health-Professions-CE-Programs/ABFT_3_Day/
On Day One, lecture and therapy tapes are used to provide an overview of the model including theoretical foundation and clinical strategies of ABFT. Faculty review how attachment theory, emotional regulation and trauma resolution inform the delivery of this experiential treatment approach. We also review the goals and structure of the five treatment tasks that provide a road map for delivering this interpersonally focused psychotherapy effectively and rapidly.
**This is the same as the 1-day Introductory Workshop. When therapists have completed the 1-day workshop previously, they do not have to repeat Day One of the three day introductory workshop.
Days Two and Three build on Day one and provide a more in-depth look at the procedures and process involved in facilitating ABFT. Case discussion, tape review and role-play deepen the participants understanding of the approach. Throughout Days 2 and 3, therapists are also taught how to use the ABFT adherence checklists.
Attendance is limited to 30 people (per trainer) so that everyone can experience hands on attention from the Trainer.
Days 2 And 3 provide a more in depth exposure to the scaffold of each task. We review extended clips of therapy tapes, talk about challenges and then role play the core elements of each task. This gives therapist a more practical sense of how to apply the model with at least moderately cooperative families. The goal is to learn to apply the basic structure, not to modify the model to more difficult or different kinds of families. That comes in supervision and the advanced training.
The target audience for the entire 3-day workshop is Counselors, Couple and Family Therapists, Mental Health Professionals, Psychiatrists, Psychiatric Nurses, Psychologists, Psychotherapists and Social Workers. Day 1 of the 3-day Workshop is also appropriate for Case Workers, ER Physicians, Health Care Administrators, Frontline MH staff, Primary Care Physicians, and SAP Team members.
Day 1 is offered as a(n):
Days 2 and 3 are offered as a(n):
We offer APA and Pennsylvania State Board LPC/LMFT/LSW/LCSW CEs for the 3-day workshop and Day One webinars. Please see here for a full description.
Many states accept APA CEs for Social Workers, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, and Licensed Professional Counselors. Some states also accept other state board's CEs. Please check with your local licensing board to verify CEs you can use.
https://drexel.edu/cnhp/academics/continuing-education/Health-Professions-CE-Programs/ABFT_3_Day/
After the initial 3-day Level 1 workshop, training therapists are eligible to begin a series of 22 fortnightly, 60-90 minute (depending on group size) individual or group case consultation phone calls with an ABFT certified consultant (~1 year). Trainees are expected to discuss their current cases in which they are applying ABFT. Therapists are required to send a short case write-up using the ABFT Case Write-up Outline when they present a case. In addition, they are expected to present 5-10 minute recordings of their therapy sessions. Supervision groups have a limit of 7 people per 60-minute groups and 12 people per 90-minute group.
Individuals or agencies who do not want to commit to the certification process can contract for a minimum of 11 supervision sessions at a time.
Individuals or agencies may participate in as many rounds of 11 supervision sessions as they desire.
Supervision sessions help therapists who have attended the 3-day introductory workshop implement ABFT more effectively with clients. During supervision, therapists learn how to conceptualize from an ABFT framework so that they can utilize ABFT with a variety of different clients, presenting problems, and difficult situations. Through presenting 5-10 minute videos of sessions, therapists receive detailed feedback on the moment-by-moment decisions that occur in therapy. Additionally, the brief videos help therapists hone their ABFT specific skills. ABFT Supervisors also help therapists identify and work through person-of-the-therapist issues that arise when doing this interpersonal, emotionally deep work.
Therapists in the U.S. need to have at least a master’s degree in social work, mental health counseling, clinical or counseling psychology, or couple’s and family therapy. If therapists are not licensed and/or are graduate students, they need to be employed somewhere where they are receiving supervision. Internationally, therapists need to have local certification or licensure allowing them to practice therapy. ABFT Supervisors do not take on legal responsibility for cases.
The 3-day Advanced Workshop is a follow-up, intensive, supervision workshop with some didactic presentations. This workshop, helps advance therapist’s ABFT skills. Participants discuss person of the therapist issues as they relate to ABFT and learn about the use of emotion-deepening skills in the context of ABFT. During the advanced training, a certified ABFT trainer provides supervision via live supervision (when possible), and role-play. In preparation for the training, we ask therapists to think about their biggest challenges in utilizing ABFT with families in Tasks 1-5. As many live supervision sessions as possible are scheduled during the 3-day advanced training.
Attendance is limited to 30 people (per trainer) who have previously attended the 3-day Level 1 workshop. Ideally, attendees have also participate in the supervision program as well. This way all of the attendees come to the advanced workshops with a high level of knowledge and experience with the model.
The Advanced Workshop helps solidify ABFT skills. Participants gain an understanding of how their own attachment history creates barriers or can help facilitate their delivery of therapy. They learn how to utilize their own personal experiences in life to build empathy and understanding of their clients’ experiences. Additionally, with practicing emotional deepening skills in role plays and receiving feedback, participants leave with a new understanding of how to deepen their ABFT work with clients. In this workshop we also talk more about how to adapt and or modify ABFT with more challenging clients.
The target audience for the 3-day Advanced workshop is Counselors, Couple and Family Therapists, Mental Health Professionals, Psychiatrists, Psychiatric Nurses, Psychologists, Psychotherapists and Social Workers who have previously attended the 3-day Level 1 Introductory Workshop. Attendees do not have to participate in ABFT supervision to attend the Advanced Workshop but it is preferred.
We offer APA and Pennsylvania State Board LPC/LMFT/LSW/LCSW CEs for the 3-day Advanced workshop. Please see here for a full description.
Many states accept APA CEs for Social Workers, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, and Licensed Professional Counselors. Some states also accept other state board's CEs. Please check with your local licensing board to verify CEs you can use.
https://drexel.edu/cnhp/academics/continuing-education/Health-Professions-CE-Programs/ABFT_Advanced/
In order to achieve the status of a Level II Trained ABFT Therapist, therapists must complete the following activities:
OR
After attending the Advanced Workshop and participating in Supervision (supervision does not need to be finished), trainees begin submitting video recordings of complete (i.e., 1 hour) ABFT sessions for review by certified supervisors. Trainees submit a minimum of 10 tapes at a rate of one to two videotapes a month. Tapes should be of accurate sessions so that therapists can demonstrate their use of feedback from the group supervision sessions and recordings submitted for review. The ABFT supervisor informs the therapist which tasks or portions of a task to submit. When submitting tapes, therapists must provide a case write-up (template provided) and self-feedback on their tapes with suggestions for how to Improve portions of their sessions that are not consistent with ABFT or could be improved in general. Therapists also rate their own tapes with the ABFT adherence measure. ABFT Certified Supervisors review the tapes and provide in-depth written feedback, adherence ratings and offer a 20-minute phone consultation (as needed) regarding the tape.
Completing all 10 tapes does not ensure that someone is certified. A therapist may need to submit additional tapes (at additional cost) if they have yet to sufficiently develop certain skills. However, we have found that with the level of feedback we provide, most therapists are ready for certification review after 10 tapes.
Certification in ABFT does not expire.
Participating in video review assures that therapists are using ABFT with fidelity. Therapists can feel confident that they are implementing the model the way it is intended. We are confident that certified ABFT therapists can represent the work as it is intended. Certification has become a standard clinical training procedure throughout the world of dissemination of empirically supported treatments.
Therapists in the U.S. need to have at least a master’s degree in social work, mental health counseling, clinical or counseling psychology, or couple’s and family therapy. If therapists are not licensed and/or are graduate students, they need to be employed somewhere where they are receiving supervision. Internationally, therapists need to have local certification or licensure allowing them to practice therapy. ABFT Supervisors do not take on legal responsibility for cases. In addition, therapists must ensure they have sufficient clinical time to treat ABFT clients (at least 2-3 clients at a time).
Therapists send all materials including therapy recordings to ABFT supervisors via LiquidFiles (http://www.liquidfiles.net/tour/compliance.html), which is a secure FTP site. Supervisors store therapy sessions on encrypted hard drives until they are reviewed. Once reviewed, therapy sessions are deleted. Supervisors send feedback (not containing PHI) via email. If consultation calls are requested, they are conducted over Zoom, a HIPPAA secure web-conferencing system (zoom.us).
If therapists desire supervision beyond their 22 supervision sessions or becoming certified, they may pay for ongoing supervision.
We offer a variety of live webinars on ABFT ranging from 45 minutes to 6.5 hours. We offer the 1-day Introductory Workshop and Day One of the 3-Day Introductory Workshop via Webinar format. The 1-day/Day One workshop can be offered as a live full day workshop or a 3-part, 2- hour webinar series.
The ABFT Training Program now offers a fully supported University curriculum for a professor to teach a 9 to 16-hour module of ABFT in a university course or as an extracurricular program. A professor and at least 7 students register for the program and we supply all the materials listed below.
This 9-16 hour program is equivalent to the 1-day/Day one ABFT Introductory Workshop. It is designed to be used in the following ways: embedded in a semester course, outside of the curriculum as a special training, summer intensive or other short programing material.
We recommend that professors attend our 3-day introductory workshop to become more familiar with the course content. Admission to the 3-day workshop at Drexel University is free for professors teaching the course (a $475 value).
Each student and professor must register for the course. Fees are only for students. There is an option during registration for the University to pay the fee for students (when applicable).
The ABFT Training Program now offers a self-paced online course equivalent to the live Day 1/Part One ABFT Introductory Workshop. This course takes approximately 8 hours to complete.
Click here for more info about the course & registration
When organizations choose to implement ABFT we understand the investment they are making. Thus, sustainability is of the upmost importance when investing in training staff in an empirically supported treatment. As a result, we encourage organizations to have some of their staff become trained as in-house ABFT Supervisors. Additionally, for larger organizations anticipating new staff needing to be trained in ABFT, we are able to train staff to become in-house ABFT Trainers.
Becoming a Certified ABFT Supervisor and Trainer does not mean being an independent teacher of ABFT. Certified ABFT Supervisors and Trainers work collaboratively with the Drexel ABFT Training Program, which remains involved in providing oversight of training activities, final certification of therapists, and determining future procedures for training and evaluating trainees. Although a supervisor is certified to supervise new therapists within their organization, they are not authorized to independently certify clinicians as ABFT therapists. Certification is accomplished through collaboration with the training center in Philadelphia. We are not looking to be over controlling of people committed to ABFT, but rather maintain a standard of quality across all training programs.
Those interested in becoming a Certified ABFT Supervisor must first become a Certified ABFT Therapist in order to eligible for the training. The training includes course work in EFT (recommended), providing supervision under supervision, reviewing ABFT therapy tapes, and demonstrating competence in the ABFT Adherence Rating Scales. The training and evaluation of becoming a supervisor is a competency-based task. We select trainees with the anticipation of success and work closely with them to provide feedback throughout the training process so they are aware of their ability to successfully complete the training process.
To train to become a Certified ABFT Trainer, candidates must meet the following criteria: be a Certified ABFT Therapist and Certified ABFT Supervisor. The training includes a 4-day workshop and submitting a series of ABFT lectures for feedback and evaluation. The training and evaluation of becoming a trainer is a competency-based task. We select trainees with the anticipation of success and work closely with them to provide feedback throughout the training process so they are aware of their ability to successfully complete the training process.
The Center for Family Intervention Science is launching a new ABFT practicum starting in July 2022 for advanced graduate students. Students will participate in a one-year clinical training program where they will be trained and supervised to work with families using ABFT. The training will be geared to prepare students for ABFT certification. Students will be working with families in the context of current ABFT research studies. Students will get the experience of using ABFT for diverse clinical issues including trauma, depression, substance use, and bulimia.
The College of Engineering offers a number of dedicated scholarships for engineering students. Eligibility criteria vary and include both need-based and merit-based scholarships, as well as scholarships dedicated to engineering students specializing in certain majors or subfields.
Scholarships range from $250 to $4,500. Some scholarships are renewable for more than one year.
The College of Engineering scholarship committee reviews eligible applications and matches students to best-fit scholarships. If you are selected for a scholarship, you will receive information about your scholarship amount in the finances section of your MyNEVADA account.
If you have additional questions about the terms of your scholarship, please contact Julia McMillin at juliamcmillin@unr.edu.
The CREATE program offers scholarships to a select group of incoming students who meet academic and financial eligibility requirements.
If you are planning to enroll as a first-year student in fall 2020, learn more about applying for the CREATE program.
The National Science Foundation CyberCorp Scholarship for Service program offers tuition, fees and a stipend in exchange for government service in cybersecurity for a time period equal to the duration of the scholarship. Learn more at the CyberCorp Scholarship for Service website.
This is a vibrant and busy department, with approximately 1,000 undergraduate majors, 60 doctoral students, 25 full-time faculty, and three full-time staff members. We proudly offer both a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Neuroscience. We are pleased to offer doctoral degrees in Psychology (Ph.D.), with tracks in Behavioral Neuroscience, Social Psychology, and General Experimental Psychology. We also have an outstanding APA-Accredited Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) program.