64th Annual Conference

Friday, March 9

Morning Workshops

10:00 A.M.-1:15 P.M.

Workshop 50

This is your Brain...This is your Brain in Group: The Neurobiology of Group Psychotherapy

Chairs:   

John W. Denninger, M.D., Ph.D., Attending Psychiatrist, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts

Janet Witte, M.D., MPH, Chief Resident of Psychopharmacology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts

What changes take place in the brain during group psychotherapy? Can this knowledge help shape clinical practice? Assuming no knowledge of neuroanatomy or neuroimaging, this highly interactive workshop will take participants on a whirlwind tour of the social brain and the neuroscience research relevant to understanding how group psychotherapy heals.

didactic, demonstration, sharing of work experiences, experiential,

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. Define the neuroanatomy and functioning of the social brain.

2. Describe the neuroscience research findings relevant to group psychotherapy.

3. Explain how the neurobiology of group psychotherapy informs clinical practice.

Course References:

1. Roffman, J., Marci, C., Glick, D., Dougherty, D., & Rauch, S. (2005). Neuroimaging and the Functional Neuroanatomy of Psychotherapy. Psychol Med. 35(10), 1385-1398.
2. Insel, T., and Fernald, R. (2004). How the Brain Processes Social Information: Searching for the social brain. Annu Rev Neurosci. 27, 697-722.
3. Paquette, V., Levesque, J., Mensour, B., Leroux, J., Beaudoin, G., Bourgouin, P., et al. (2003). Change the Mind and You Change the Brain: Effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy on the neural correlates of spider phobia. Neuroimage. 18(2), 401-409.