Brattleboro: Join us for Fridays at Union
Union Institute & University
28 Vernon Street, Suite 210 | Brattleboro, VT 05301
Join us for Union Institute & University’s new free Continuing Education Series at the Marlboro Technology Center. Presentations are open to the public and attendees can earn 1 APA CE credit for participation. This is also an excellent opportunity to learn more about Union’s Certificate in Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counseling. Bring your lunch. Beverages and dessert will be provided.
Contact Hanna Thurber at Hanna.Thurber@myunion.edu for more information or to RSVP.
April 17, 2015 | 12-1pm
Working with couples: Focusing on emotions
William Lax, Ph.D., ABPP | Dean, Union Institute & University
This presentation will describe an experiential process for working with couples in conflict. We will outline an experiential process where they can develop greater emotional intelligence and begin to replace their negative emotions with more adaptive primary, positive emotions.
Throughout his career, Dr. Bill Lax has continually integrated his theoretical and applied interests in family therapy, postmodernism, narrative therapy, and Buddhism with his practice of clinical psychology. Bill was a co-founder of the Brattleboro Family Institute and a co-founder of one of the first online continuing education programs that was an APA-approved sponsor. Dr. Lax holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the Fielding Institute. He is a licensed psychologist in Vermont and New Hampshire and is a Diplomate in Family Psychology, American Board of Professional Psychology.
Past presentations:
February 20, 2015 | 12-1pm
Addiction and the Brain: Neurophysiological Bases of Addiction, Dependency, Tolerance and Withdrawal; Pharmacological Approaches
Samuel Liss, Ph.G. Faculty, Union Institute & University
Dependency and addiction are widespread in our society, affecting families, ruining lives, and consuming financial resources. To resolve this epidemic, we must first understand how dependency-causing substances (illicit and otherwise) affect the brain. What are the underlying mechanisms? Why is the epidemic so intractable? This presentation will introduce the basic underlying mechanisms behind addiction, dependency, tolerance and withdrawal. Pharmacological approaches that might benefit the condition(s) will also be discussed.
Sam Liss retired from the “front-bench” aspects of pharmacy many years ago, for the challenges and rewards of teaching in higher education. He is a graduate of Columbia University College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and later completed graduate school at the University of Connecticut where he specialized in psychopharmacology and neurophysiology, and the interface between the two disciplines.
He has taught at Vermont Technical College in the nursing curriculum for 15 years, and has served as affiliated faculty at Union Institute & University for six years in the doctoral and master’s programs.
March 20, 2015 | 12-1pm
Opiate Addiction: Rationale for maintenance therapy, natural history, and treatment options
Tod Miller, M.D. Medical Director for Behavioral Health, Windham Center Psychiatric Care
This presentation explores the natural history of opiate addiction as the basis for understanding current treatment recommendations. The presentation will include a review of available treatment options.
Dr. Tod Miller is the Medical Director for Springfield Medical Care Systems and the Windham Center. He has extensive experience treating addictions and is currently a buprenorphine provider in central Vermont.