Society of Pediatric Psychology (SPP) webinars are free to members! Non-members can access webinars for the following cost:
| Non-Member Registrants (>1.5 CE Credits) | $50.00 |
| Non-Member Registrants (1 - 1.5 CE Credits) | $30.00 |
| Non-Member Student Registrants | $10.00 |
Webinars
Ethical and Clinical Considerations for Diagnostic and Prognostic Disclosures to Youth with Serious Medical Illness
Friday, December 6, 2024, 12:00p-3:00pm ET
Presented by Amanda Thompson, PhD and Emma Khatami, PhD
Description:
Provision of honest and timely diagnostic and prognostic information is essential in the care of children with serious medical illness and their families (Kaye et al., 2024). Unfortunately, all too often disclosure attempts are impeded by guardian preferences and worries, members of the medical team, and/or team dynamics, ultimately resulting in patients garnering a fragmented understanding of their health status and care plan. The ramifications of this can be significant and include perceived loss of autonomy, heightened psychological distress, and strained relationships with both guardians and care teams.
The goal of this presentation, then, is to offer ethical and clinical considerations to guide clinicians when faced with team or guardian-initiated resistance to engaging in disclosure conversations with youth with serious medical illness. Specifically, Drs. Thompson and Khatami will discuss 1) the historical context, ethical standards, and pertinent challenges for holding guardians accountable as surrogate health decision makers for minors, 2) children’s understanding of illness, death, and dying at different developmental stages, 3) principles of adolescent decision-making within the context of developmental and psychological considerations of how minors receive and process emotionally salient information, 4) current research findings about the impact of withholding health information from minors, 5) strategies to unpack both team and guardian-initiated resistance to engaging in disclosures, and 6) practical tools and tips for leading disclosure discussions, including strategies to empower minors to utilize acquired health-related information as a foundation for advanced care planning and goals of care conversations. Case-based discussions will feature prominently in this presentation, with attention to individual and family cultural and spiritual values and beliefs.
Through this presentation, Drs. Thompson and Khatami will highlight that disclosure is a foundational aspect of providing ethical, patient-centered care to youth with serious illness and that it can be done effectively, utilizing nuanced communication strategies that promote understanding in ways that are digestible, gentle, and developmentally appropriate without prompting relational strains, breaches in trust, or psychological distress.
Presenter Bios:
Amanda Thompson, PhD: For almost two decades, Amanda Thompson, PhD has dedicated her career as a pediatric psychologist to caring for and improving the lives of children and adolescents impacted by cancer and supporting bereaved families. She completed her PhD in Clinical-Developmental Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, her predoctoral residency at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Wilmington, DE, and her post-doctoral fellowship at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH. Dr. Thompson then spent a decade as Director of Psychology and Psychosocial Services in the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s National Hospital in Washington DC, building world-class psychosocial teams and training the next generation of pediatric psychologists. During this time, she served on the interdisciplinary Ethics Committee at Children’s National Hospital and was a member of the Bioethics Committee of the Children’s Oncology Group. Dr. Thompson currently serves as Chief of Pediatric Psychology and Director of Pediatric Programs at Life with Cancer, the psychosocial program of the Inova Schar Cancer Institute in Fairfax, VA.
Dr. Thompson has a national presence as an author of the Standards of Psychosocial Care for Children with Cancer and their Families and as project lead for the development of Competencies for Psychologists in Pediatric Palliative Care. She currently serves as Chair of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society’s Pediatrics/AYA Special Interest Group, APA’s representative to the Pediatrics Division of the National Coalition of Hospice and Palliative Care, and a board member on the Pediatrics Council of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. She was the 2024 recipient of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society’s ‘Outstanding Clinical Care Award’ and founder of SPP’s Palliative Care and End of Life Special Interest Group. Her interests include pediatric psycho-oncology, palliative and end-of-life care, grief and loss, program development, interdisciplinary team collaboration, and mentorship. When not at work, Dr. Thompson feeds her infinite wanderlust by traveling any and everywhere and capturing it all through her favorite hobby of photography.
Emma Khatami, PhD is both the Section Chief of Psychology as well as the Associate Division Chief of Psychology at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, where her role includes overseeing the daily operations of the inpatient consultation/liaison service for the hospital, on-call processes amongst all psychologists, and program development with other behavioral health leaders. In addition, she is the dedicated psychologist for the palliative medicine team and spends most of her clinical time engaging in prognostic disclosure and goals of care discussions with individuals aged 5-25 years in the inpatient setting. Through this role, she works collaboratively with other institutional stakeholders to create training experiences, simulations, and didactics focused on streamlining the way in which providers support minors in understanding their diagnosis and participating in surrounding decisions.
Dr. Khatami is also the psychology representative on Phoenix Children’s biomedical ethics committee, where she participates in staffing consults related to medical futility and adolescent decision-making, among other referrals. Additionally, she is an active researcher and currently the Primary Investigator on an ongoing study evaluating trends in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among youth undergoing bone marrow transplant and their primary caregivers. Lastly, Dr. Khatami is an avid member of the Society of Pediatric Psychology through the American Psychological Association and recently finished serving a term as the Education and Training co-chair for the Palliative Care and End-Of-Life Special Interest Group within this organization.
Learning Objectives:
After the presentation, attendees will be able to:
1. List 3 factors (i.e., historical, developmental, psychological) that impact pediatric involvement in decision making and decisions by caregivers and team members to withhold or disclose treatment-related information.
2. Identify the ethical standards that underly best practice approaches for disclosing health information to minors.
3. Utilize 2 practical tools or strategies for leading disclosure discussions with adolescents and unpacking both team and guardian-initiated resistance that may arise.
Learning Level:
This webinar is designed to apply broadly across all levels.
Conflict of Interest:
Presenters reported no conflicts of interest.
Continuing Education:
Attendees will receive 3 CE credits for attending the entirety of this webinar.
The Society of Pediatric Psychology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Society of Pediatric Psychology maintains responsibility for this program and its contents.
Leadership Skills and Pathways to Their Development
Friday, October 11, 2024, 12:00pm-1:00pm ET
Presented by Wendy L. Ward, PhD, ACC, ABPP, FNAP, FAPA
Description:
This workshop will present a developmental model for leadership and management skill development across the career life span grounded in situational leadership theory, transformational leadership theory, and a competency-based framework tailored to psychologists. There are six stages in this developmental model from Trainee to Legacy/Retirement. Common challenges for leaders at each level will be explored. Development opportunities for each stage will also be discussed. Attendees will have an opportunity to craft 1-3 leadership development goals.
Presenter Bio:
Dr. Wendy Ward is a Clinical Psychologist and Professor with tenure in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine. She serves UAMS as both the Director of Interprofessional Faculty Development and Associate Provost for Faculty. She serves all five colleges, the Graduate School, and Academic Affairs faculty in these two roles, including recruitment, onboarding, faculty development, mentoring, promotion, professional wellness, leadership development, retirement transitioning, and emeriti engagement. Her expertise is in integrated care models and collaborative practice, team-based telehealth, behavioral medicine, faculty affairs, and faculty development. Dr. Ward is also a Director in the UAMS IPE office, contributing to event design, implementation, and evaluation. She trains new facilitators to support the UAMS IPE Student Curriculum. For the current workforce, she provides team functioning assessments and consults on team interventions.
Learning Objectives:
After the presentation, attendees will be able to:
1. Identify three core leadership skills, such as communication, decision-making, and emotional intelligence.
2. Explore at least two common pathways for leadership development, including formal mentorship and experiential learning.
3. Formulate one specific and achievable goal for their own leadership development, based on insights from the talk.
4. Examine one or two common leadership challenges and apply a basic strategy for addressing them.
Learning Level:
Beginner to intermediate.
Conflict of Interest:
The presenter reported no conflicts of interest.
Continuing Education:
Attendees will receive 1 CE credit for attending the entirety of this webinar.
The Society of Pediatric Psychology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Society of Pediatric Psychology maintains responsibility for this program and its contents.
Crawford Bias Reduction Theory and Training (CBRT) with Racial Awareness Conversations for Everyone
Thursday, September 12, 2024, 12:00pm-1:30pm ET
Presented by Dana E. Crawford, PhD
This webinar is part of the SPP 2024 Antiracism Grant Project "RACE to TRAIN: Racial Awareness Conversations for Everyone to Target Racism and Interrogate Norms."
Description:
This 90-minute presentation is designed to enhance cultural competency in pediatric psychology through the application of the Crawford Bias Reduction Theory and Training (CBRT) and the utilization of Racial Awareness Conversations for Everyone (R.A.C.E.) Cards. Developed by Dr. Dana E. Crawford, CBRT integrates cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy (IPT) to address bias as a pervasive and socially transmitted condition that impacts mental health. The presentation will explore the theoretical foundations of CBRT, introduce the R.A.C.E. Cards as a practical tool for facilitating conversations about race and bias, and provide real-world examples of how these tools can be applied in pediatric psychology settings.
Presenter Bio:
Dr. Dana E. Crawford is a clinical psychologist who developed the Crawford Bias Reduction Theory & Training (CBRT), a systematic approach to reducing bias, prejudice, and racism. The CBRT approach is compassionate and makes the difficult accessible, inspirational, and direct. Annually, Dr. Crawford conducts 100-200 workshops and presentations in scientific, business, educational, medical, non-profit, military, and government sectors. Additionally, she has a thriving private practice in Manhattan. She has treated patients with high incidences of trauma in Philadelphia, Cincinnati, New Orleans, San Antonio, the Bronx, and New York City. Dr. Crawford is a graduate of Howard, Temple, and Miami universities and has degrees in the arts, science, and education. She has certifications in Practical Nursing, medical hypnosis, and biofeedback. Dr. Crawford completed her pediatric psychology residency at Tulane University School of Medicine, followed by a two–year clinical fellowship with the United States Department of Defense and then a two-year fellowship with the Center for Early Connections at Tulane University. From 2016-2020, she worked at Montefiore Medical Center. She was Director of Education and Training for the Behavioral Health Integration Program, Director of the Trauma-Informed Care Program, and an Assistant Professor. Dr. Crawford is a Scholar in Residence at Columbia University at the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute.
Learning Objectives:
After the presentation, attendees will be able to:
1. Identify factors essential to reducing systemic bias, prejudice, and racism in healthcare
2. Summarize why focusing on the impact rather than intentions when discussing bias, prejudice and racism is critical to healing racial trauma
3. Describe specific strategies around alleviating prejudice in pediatric healthcare settings
Learning Level:
The content of this presentation is designed to apply broadly, with applicability across beginner to advanced learning levels
Conflict of Interest:
Dr. Crawford is the author of the Racial Awareness Conversations for Everyone published by Norton Press and receives royalties for sales.
Continuing Education:
Attendees will receive 1.5 CE credit for attending this webinar.
The Society of Pediatric Psychology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Society of Pediatric Psychology maintains responsibility for this program and its contents.
Islamophobia and the Impact on Marginalized Communities
Friday, May 31, 2024, 1:00-2:30pm EST
Presented by Rahma Hida PhD, Nicole McKelvey, PsyD
Description:
This webinar will provide an overview of Islamophobia and the increase in islamophobia over the last several decades. The presenters will discuss the impact of Islamophobia on not only mental and physical health for Muslim Americans, but how this prejudice impacts other communities including Arab, Middle eastern, and south Asian communities. Action steps for combating Islamophobia and anti-Arab rhetoric will be provided.
Speaker Biography
Nicole McKelvey, PsyD, is a pediatric psychologist with previous training in both inpatient and ambulatory pediatric behavioral medicine. She completed her doctoral training at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her fellowship in behavioral medicine at Cooper University Health Systems in Camden, NJ. Dr. McKelvey has experience in research, clinical, and medical settings, emphasizing the intersection of physical and mental health in children and adolescents. Currently, at St Christopher’s Hospital, Dr. McKelvey is involved in direct clinical integration of behavioral health and diabetes clinic, while also working on several program development projects in clinical training and direct patient care initiatives. Her clinical and research interests include pediatric diabetes and gastrointestinal behavioral management, adverse childhood experiences, social determinants of health, and implementation of evidence-based practices within an integrated care setting. She also has a professional interest in intern, resident, and student training involvement. Dr. McKelvey is also interested in visibility and accurate representation of underserved communities and is involved in several advocacy committees in her free time.
Rahma Hida is a pediatric psychologist with broad interests in supporting children and families historically underserved by behavioral health institutions, including racially- and ethnically minoritized communities and children with co-occurring medical- and psychological concerns. Dr. Hida is also interested in global behavioral health; to that end, she has investigated topics such as psychology in the Arab World and the extent and ramifications of the disproportionate underrepresentation of the Majority World in so-called international psychological scholarship. More personally, Dr. Hida is an Egyptian-American Muslim woman and a member of AMENA-Psy.
Learning Objectives:
- Define Islamophobia within a broad context that impacts a variety of communities
- Understand the role psychologists play in maintaining and dismantling systems of oppression against Muslim and Muslim adjacent communities
- Identify action steps to address anti-Muslim and anti-Arab biases within institutions and individual
Learning Level:
The content of this presentation is designed to apply broadly, with applicability across beginner to advanced learning levels
Conflicts of Interest:
The presenter does not have any conflicts of interest to report.
Continuing Education:
Participants of this webinar will receive 1.5 CE credits.
The Society of Pediatric Psychology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Society of Pediatric Psychology maintains responsibility for this program and its contents.
Supporting Transgender and Gender-Diverse Youth Within the Current Sociopolitical Context
Friday, June 7, 2024, 2:30pm – 4:00 EDT
Presented by Kelly Donahue, PhD, Jessica Bernacki, PhD, Katelynn Boerner, PhD, Claire Coyne, PhD, Christy Olezeski, PhD and Afiya Sajwani, MS
Description:
In recent years, the majority of state legislatures in the United States have either proposed or passed laws affecting the lives of transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) youth, with broad impacts ranging from the health care system to the school environment. This webinar will provide an overview of the current legislative and legal climate in the United States and abroad and how it is impacting TGD youth, their families, and their healthcare providers. We will highlight practical, gender-affirming approaches that pediatric psychologists can implement to support TGD youth and their families, regardless of their clinical area of focus, as well as strategies for providing support within professional and training environments.
Speakers Biography
Dr. Kelly Donahue (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) and a licensed clinical psychologist working in the Division of Adolescent Medicine. She earned her PhD through the Clinical Science Program at Indiana University, completed her clinical internship at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Her primary clinical focus is providing psychological support services for gender-diverse children, adolescents, and young adults, and she serves as the Director of the Gender Health Program at Riley Hospital for Children. Dr. Donahue is also the founding co-chair of the Society of Pediatric Psychology’s Gender Health Special Interest Group.
Dr. Jessica Bernacki (she/her) is a Staff Psychologist and the Director of Behavioral Health for the UCLA Gender Health Program. She is the founding psychologist for that program. Dr. Bernacki completed her doctoral training at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, her pre-doctoral internship in the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, and her postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Bernacki provides consultation, assessment, and therapy to gender-diverse individuals of all ages. Her clinical interests include multidisciplinary gender-affirmative care with trans/gender-diverse youth, youth with differences in sex development/intersex traits, and providing evidence-based services in primary care settings. Dr. Bernacki is also a co-chair of the Society of Pediatric Psychology’s Gender Health Special Interest Group.
Dr. Katelynn Boerner (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Developmental Pediatric at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine, an Investigator with the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, and a registered psychologist practicing in the Complex Pain Service at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, BC, Canada. She is also an Associate Faculty Member of the Centre for Gender & Sexual Health Equity, the Women’s Health Research Institute, and the Academy of Translational Medicine. She completed her PhD at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, clinical residency at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, and postdoctoral fellowships in psychiatry and pediatrics at BC Children’s Hospital. Her primary research interests are in addressing health equity for young people with chronic pain, with a particular focus on neurodiverse and gender-diverse youth. Dr. Boerner has published widely on the role of sex, gender, and development in pediatric pain, and is the current Research Chair for the Society of Pediatric Psychology’s Gender Health Special Interest Group.
Dr. Claire Coyne (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Potocsnak Family Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Coyne received her PhD in Clinical Science from the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University (2014), and her BA (2004) from the University of Chicago. She completed her pre-doctoral internship (2014) and post-doctoral fellowship (2015) in clinical and pediatric psychology at Lurie Children’s. Clinically, she provides consultation, assessment and evidence-based individual, family and group interventions for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth and their families. She also provides trauma-focused interventions for adolescents and young adults. Dr. Coyne’s research focuses on culturally-relevant adaptations of evidence-based interventions to address the unique mental health needs of TGD youth and their families. Dr. Coyne is also the Case Presentation Chair of the Society of Pediatric Psychology’s Gender Health Special Interest Group.
Dr. Christy L. Olezeski (she/her) is a child and adolescent clinical psychologist and Associate Professor in the departments of Psychiatry, Pediatrics and the Child Study Center at the Yale School of Medicine. She is also the co-founder and director of the Yale Pediatric Gender Program, an interdisciplinary program serving transgender and gender diverse individuals 3-25 and their families throughout the state of Connecticut and in 6 outside states. Along with providing comprehensive clinical care for transgender and gender diverse youth, Dr. Olezeski engages in mentorship, education and research. She has served as a member of the USA Volleyball Gender Committee since 2016 and is a co-chair of the Dean's Advisory council on LGBTQI affairs at the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Olezeski is passionate about advocating for the rights of transgender youth, and the liberation of all individuals.
Afiya Sajwani (they/them) is a Clinical Psychology doctoral student at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Their research interests are in promoting positive mental and physical health outcomes among transgender and gender diverse youth. Clinically, they are interested in pediatric psychology. They currently serve as the student representative for the Society of Pediatric Psychology’s Gender Health Special Interest Group.
Learning Objectives:
- Summarize the legislative and legal issues affecting TGD young people.
- Recognize the impact of the current sociopolitical environment on TGD youth, their families, and their healthcare providers.
- Develop a personal action plan for implementing practical strategies to support TGD youth and their families.
Learning Level:
The content of this presentation is designed to apply broadly, with applicability across beginner to advanced learning levels
Conflicts of Interest:
Dr. Boerner has a small private practice as a registered psychologist and holds current research grants (as PI/co-PI) from the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, the Laurel Foundation.
Dr. Bernacki has a private practice as a licensed psychologist in California. She has no other disclosures to add.
Remaining presenters (Donahue, Coyne, Olezeski, Sajwani) have no conflicts of interest to report.
Continuing Education:
Participants of this webinar will receive 1.5 CE credits.
The Society of Pediatric Psychology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Society of Pediatric Psychology maintains responsibility for this program and its contents.