58th Annual Advanced Workshop 

Treating Depression Strategically: 

Treating Depression Strategically is a two day workshop that emphasizes the importance of utilizing proactive and well-targeted interventions when treating depression. How a clinician thinks about the nature of depression and answers fundamental questions - such as what causes depression - naturally determine what treatment approach he or she is most likely to take. Regardless of one’s preferred orientation, however, depression experts agree that treatment needs to be multi-dimensional and active. Furthermore, the more we learn about the neuroscience of depression, especially neuroplasticity and neurogenesis, the more important well designed experiential learning processes become in treatment. These include the use of task assignments and focusing processes such as hypnosis and mindfulness.

Dr. Yapko’s books, which include Depression is Contagious, Hypnosis and Treating Depression, Trancework (4^th ed.) and Mindfulness and Hypnosis, each break new ground and challenge much of the conventional wisdom therapists typically hold about depression and its treatment. In this workshop, we will pay special attention to the ways in which our social lives directly shape our perspectives and phenomenology and thereby powerfully affect the way we think and feel.

Michael D. Yapko, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and marriage and family therapist residing in Fallbrook, California.  He is internationally recognized for his work in advancing clinical hypnosis and outcome-focused psychotherapy, routinely teaching to professional audiences all over the world.  To date, he has been invited to present his ideas and methods to colleagues in more than 30 countries across six continents, and all over the United States. His workshops are well known for being practical as well as enjoyable.

Dr. Yapko has had a special interest for nearly three decades in the intricacies of brief therapy, and the clinical applications of hypnosis and directive methods, especially in the strategic treatment of depression. He is the author of 13 books and editor of three others, as well as numerous book chapters and articles on the subjects of hypnosis and the use of strategic psychotherapies. These include his widely used classic text,  Trancework: An Introduction to the Practice of Clinical Hypnosis (4th edition), the award-winning books Treating Depression With Hypnosis: Integrating Cognitive-Behavioral and Strategic Approaches (2001), Hypnosis and Treating Depression: Applications in Clinical Practice (2006), and   Mindfulness and Hypnosis: The Power of Suggestion to Transform Experience (2012). He has also produced many CD and DVD programs. His works have been translated into nine languages. More information about Dr. Yapko’s teaching schedule and publications can be found on his website: www.yapko.com.

Dr. Yapko is a member of the American Psychological Association, a clinical member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, a member of the International Society of Hypnosis, and a Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis.  He is a recipient of  the American Psychological Association’s 2012 Division 30 Award for Distinguished Contributions to Professional Hypnosis, the 2003 Pierre Janet Award for Clinical Excellence from the International Society of Hypnosis, a lifetime achievement award honoring his many contributions to the field of hypnosis, and The Milton H. Erickson Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Psychotherapy (2007).