Keynote Speakers & Addresses

Ivan Eisler Ph.D.

Plenary Speaker

Plenary Address: Evidence based treatments or evidence based service for eating disorder?

Currently Dr. Eisler is involved with at the implementation of a major investment by the UK government (£30 million/year recurrent funding) to develop dedicated community based services for child and adolescent eating disorders. This presentation will cover the research evidence that informed the developments, the political process of persuading the government that the investment would result in significant cost savings and the challenge of large scale workforce development to train staff of over 70 services across England.

DAVID SCHNARCH,  Ph.D.

Plenary Speaker

Plenary Address: Interpersonal Neurobiology of Subtle Trauma

Families all around the world suffer subtle interpersonal trauma that often goes undetected and untreated.  Indigent or migrant populations often experience constant interpersonal trauma, but even wealthy stable families repeatedly experience brain-damaging interactions that severely impair family members' cognitive and emotional functioning.

This presentation lays out the brain mechanisms by which subtle interpersonal trauma occurs. It focuses on a powerful brain process that is largely unknown by family therapists: Mind-mapping--the brain's ability to make a mental map of another person's mind. This presentation explains what mind mapping is, how it works, and who has mind-mapping abilities. It then explores traumatic mind mapping, which occurs when mapping out someone else's mind traumatizes your own brain/mind. The short-term and long-term impacts of repeated traumatic mind mapping will be described.    Understanding mind mapping and traumatic mind mapping radically changes your picture of the important relationships and people in your life.

Clinical Workshop

The Maudsley approach to family therapy for eating disorders in single and multi-family delivery.

Biography

Ivan Eisler, OBE, PhD, FAcSS, FAED, is the Joint head of the Maudsley Centre for Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Emeritus Professor, Kings College, London. He is known as a leading developer and researcher of evidence-based psychotherapies for eating disorders including single and multifamily therapy for eating disorders (aka “Maudsley Family Therapy”), widely recommended by clinical guidelines as the first line treatment for child and adolescent anorexia and bulimia nervosa. He has also contributed to treatment research for other disorders such as adolescent self-harm, depression, substance misuse and conduct disorder.

He is a past chair of the Institute of Family Therapy in London and past Editor of the Journal of Family Therapy. He has received a number of awards including Academy for Eating Disorders Outstanding Clinician Award 2009, BEAT Lifetime Achievement Award 2012 and American Family Therapy Academy Distinguished Contribution to Family Research 2014. In 2016 he received an Order of the British Empire for services to family therapy.

Workshop

Brain Talk: Interpersonal Neurobiology of Subtle Trauma

David Schnarch, PhD ABPP
Director, Crucible Institute
Author of Brain Talk: How Mind-Mapping
Brain Science Can Change Your Life
and Everyone In It.

This workshop builds on the Plenary lecture by Dr. Schnarch. It offers further clarification and examples of traumatic mind mapping and its impacts, including involuntary automatic disgust brain reactions. The cause of "flashbacks" will be explained, and a treatment method will be outlined. The workshop will invite participants to engage in an experiential exercise that applies this to themselves.

Biography

David Schnarch, Ph.D. (Dr. David) is co-director of the Marriage & Family Health Center. He is a licensed clinical psychologist, world-renown sex and marital therapist, and international best-selling author. He is a Certified Sex Therapist (Diplomat status) by American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT).   In 1991, Dr. David wrote the landmark book, Constructing The Sexual Crucible: An Integration of Sexual and Marital Therapy(W. W. Norton & Co.). Sexual Crucible is used in clinical training programs around the world. His second book, Passionate Marriage: Keeping Love and Intimacy Alive in Emotionally Committed Relationships (W.W. Norton & Co., 1997; Owl Books, 1998) is a perennial international best seller. His third book, Resurrecting Sex: Resolving Sexual Problems and Rejuvenating Your Relationship (HarperCollins, August, 2002), helps people who have problems with sexual dysfunctions (arousal, erections, or orgasm) for psychological, interpersonal and medical reasons. His latest book focuses on problems of sexual desire (October, 2009). Dr. David is also Director of the Crucible® Institute.