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The 38th Door County Summer Institute

Greetings!

Welcome to the Thirty-eighth Door County Summer Institute. We have increased our educational offerings by scheduling more two-day sessions. We hope this year’s workshops will encourage you to return to Door County and assist you in your ongoing professional development while providing an opportunity to recharge and reinvigorate yourself. We reserve the right to limit enrollment depending upon pandemic status and available room size.

Make sure you are signed up for our email list to be the first to receive updates for this year and future Summer Institutes! You can sign up for our email list by completing this form.

Carlyle H. Chan, MD
Institute Director and Founder
Professor of Psychiatry and the Institute for Health and Society (Bioethics and Medical Humanities)
Medical College of Wisconsin

Duck in water at dusk

Photo taken by Dr. Chan in Ephraim, Door County

Session Information

From July 21 to August 8, 2025, numerous separate and unique sessions will comprise this year’s Summer Institute. All 5-day sessions are held from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. All 2-day sessions are held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:35 p.m., leaving afternoons free to explore the wonders of Door County.

All seminars are held at the Landmark Resort in Egg Harbor, WI. A continental breakfast will be served daily. Casual dress is standard for all sessions.

Register for sessions

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Disclosure

Consistent with ACCME policy, faculty for all MCW continuing education programs must disclose all relevant financial relationships with commercial organizations. MCW has a mechanism in place to identify and resolve conflicts in advance of the DCSI.

ACCME Accreditation Statement

The Medical College of Wisconsin is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Designation of Credit Statement

The Medical College of Wisconsin designates each five-day session of this live activity for a maximum of 15 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and each two-day session for a maximum of 8 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Hours of Participation for Allied Health Professionals
The Medical College of Wisconsin designates each week-long session of this live activity for up to 15 hours of participation for continuing education for allied health professionals and each two-day session for a maximum of 8 hours of participation for continuing education for allied health professionals.

National Association of Social Workers Credit Statement
This program is pending approval by the National Association of Social Workers for continuing education contact hours.

American Association of Nurse Practitioners Credit Statement
The Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc. is approved as a provider of nurse practitioner continuing education by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners: AANP Provider Number 150930. This program is pending approval for continuing education. Nurse Practitioners should claim only those hours actually spent participating in the CME activity.

American Academy of Physician Assistants Credit Statement
This program is not yet approved for CME credit. Conference organizers plan to apply for 48 AAPA Category 1 CME credits from the AAPA Review Panel. The total number of approved credits is yet to be determined.

Psychology CE Credit Statement
The Medical College of Wisconsin is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Medical College of Wisconsin maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

This activity contains content or processes that may be potentially stressful.

Additional Information

Special Needs
Please contact us via email (summerinstitute@mcw.edu) at least two weeks in advance of any session if you have special needs.

Tuition and Refunds
Tuition for 5-day sessions (3 hrs/day) is $745. Tuition for 2-day sessions (4 hrs/day) is $395. Graduate and medical students and resident physicians will have a discounted rate; please contact Caimen at summerinstitute@mcw.edu to inquire about this discount.

To receive a refund, the request must be made 15 days before the requested session begins. If the refund request is received less than 15 days before the session begins, the registration fee will be forfeited. There is also a $50 cancellation fee, should the request be received within the allotted window. Each session is also charged a non-refundable $27 processing fee.

Early Bird Pricing
Tuition for 5-day sessions will be reduced to $695 and $375 for 2-day sessions, if received by June 1, 2025.

How to Register for Sessions

Please note that MCW accepts payment by Visa, MasterCard, and Discover.

EthosCE Website for Registration

If you do not already have an EthosCE account, select Create Account in the upper right-hand corner and enter all the required information. Please follow the steps listed on this reference guide (PDF).

If you are an MCW employee, please follow this specific reference guide for MCW account creation (PDF).

**The deadline for claiming credit is November 30, 2025, after which you will not be able to obtain your credits**

Register and Pay for a Session
Log in to your newly created or existing Ethos account, then select:

  • Specialties > Psychiatry & Behavioral Health > The 38th Door County Summer Institute > Click on session(s) you want to register for
  • Go to the Register tab on the session
  • Choose your attendee type (Physician, Psychologist, APPs, etc.)
  • Click Checkout to pay or Continue Shopping to add another session

Registration Fees

5-Day Sessions:
Before June 1: $695
After June 1: $745

2-Day Sessions:
Before June 1: $375
After June 1: $395

2025 Session Information

Week 1 Sessions

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Session 1: Developing Advancement Skills Via Medical Improvisation | July 21-25 (5 days)

July 21-25, 2025 | 9 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Fred Heide PhD and Lee Becker

Frederick J. Heide, PhD, is Professor Emeritus at the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University in the San Francisco Bay Area. There he was a member of the core faculty for 37 years and won both the Master Teacher and Teacher of the Year Awards. He earned his doctorate in clinical psychology from Pennsylvania State University in 1981 and has co-presented with Lee Becker at MCW’s Door County Summer Institute for 25 continuous seasons. Dr. Heide received the Outstanding Research Contribution Award from the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy (AABT) for his foundational work on relaxation-induced anxiety and has published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Psychophysiology, Mindfulness, Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, Behavior Research and Therapy, Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts, Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, and elsewhere. He also served as associate editor of the APA journal PsycCRITIQUES. Dr. Heide co-founded and has performed for five decades with Northern Sky Theater, which has received the Wisconsin Governor’s Award for Arts, Culture and Heritage. He has recorded three albums, published a book of 55 original songs (2022’s Tangled in Wonder), and co-authored almost two dozen shows including Belgians in Heaven and its prequel Hell’s Belgians (both with Lee Becker and James Kaplan), and the deer-hunting musical Guys & Does (with Lee Becker and Paul Libman). Dr. Heide studied improvisation with The Second City’s founding director Paul Sills and created several shows with him, including Moon of the Long Nights, Tales of the Midnight Sun, and Ya Ya You Betcha. In 2023 he received the Winifred Boynton Creative Spirit Award for his significant and enduring contributions to Door County.

Lee Becker began improvising over 35 years ago with ComedySportz while attending UW Madison. He helped found ComedySportz NYC, and worked with the group in Milwaukee, performing and running workshops in all three locations. He is a core member of Northern Sky Theater where he is a performer, musician, and playwright. Lee was a founding member of Door Shakespeare in Door County, WI, and has also performed and written for First Stage Children’s Theater in Milwaukee. Along with Doc Heide, he has been a workshop facilitator for DCSI for over 20 years, providing trainings using role play and Spolin theater games. He has done similar work as a guest teacher at Alliant University’s CA School of Professional Psychology.

Course Description
Health care involves constant adaptation to unexpected challenges. Recently a movement spearheaded at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine has begun using improvisational acting exercises to teach physicians, psychotherapists, nurses, and pharmacists the ability to respond flexibly in the face of change. This movement, called medical improvisation, has shown promise in promoting a wide variety of communication skills, including empathy, affirmation, collaboration, and authenticity. A recent classification of medical improv skills (Fu, 2019) breaks them into three categories. This year’s seminar will focus on the third category, Advancement, which includes skills that enrich self and others through delivery of ideas (e.g., creativity, spontaneity, modulation of verbal and nonverbal cues). While the effects of practicing medical improv can often be humorous, participants do not need to be “funny” to do it. The leaders of this largely experiential workshop will draw on their close collaboration with Paul Sills, founding director of Chicago’s Second City, who used improvisation to train renowned actors such as Alan Arkin and Alan Alda. After an overview of current research and theory in medical improvisation and advancement skills, the bulk of the week will be devoted to engaging in and discussing a series of simple and entertaining improv exercises in a safe, highly supportive atmosphere. No previous experience with improvisation is required.

Learning Objectives
Participants who engage in this education intervention will be able to:

  • Describe the importance of spontaneity and improvisational ability in medicine, psychotherapy, pharmacy, and other health-related fields.
  • Identify and explain Fu’s (2019) classification of medical improvisation’s goals and core skills into three categories: (a) Attunement (knowledge of self and others), (b) Affirmation (validation of self and others), and (c) Advancement (enrichment of self and others).
  • Analyze research demonstrating the importance of practitioner advancement skills, focusing on the ability to modulate nonverbal cues (e.g., paralinguistic variety, facial expressiveness) to increase message impact and educational effectiveness.
  • Demonstrate advancement skills via medical improvisation techniques (e.g., modulation of vocal pitch, volume, speech rate, emphatic accentuation).

Monday

  • What is medical improvisation? Definitions
  • The critical role of spontaneous adaptability in health care
  • Overview of Fu’s (2019) classification of the goals and benefits of medical improvisation
  • Literature documenting the critical role of provider-patient communication in improving outcomes and increasing patient satisfaction
  • Evidence for the effectiveness of practitioner advancement skills, focusing on nonverbal expressiveness (e.g., paralinguistic variety, modulation of volume, gestural fluency)
  • Basic principles of medical improvisation
  • Warm-up exercises

Tuesday

  • Advancement Skills 1

Wednesday

  • Advancement Skills 2

Thursday

  • Advancement Skills 3

Friday

  • Summary and conclusions
  • Wrap-up exercises
Session 2: Bridging the Gap Between Mental Health Providers and Educators to Maximize Student Success and Well-Being | July 21-22 (2 days)

July 21-22, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.
Donald Meichenbaum, PhD and David Meichenbaum, PhD

Donald Meichenbaum, PhD, is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus from the University of Waterloo in Ontario Canada. Since his retirement he has been Research Director of the Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention in Miami. Dr. Donald Meichenbaum is one of the founders of Cognitive Behavior Therapy, and in a survey of clinicians he was voted "one of the ten most influential psychotherapists of the 20th century." He has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Clinical Division of the American Psychological Association and was Honorary President of the Canadian Psychological Association. Dr. Don Meichenbaum has presented in all 50 U.S. states as well as internationally, and he has published extensively. His latest book is entitled Roadmap to Resilience and he just completed a 10 CEU Legacy Course titled “Getting Better Results: The Core Tasks and Skills of Expert Psychotherapists.”

David Meichenbaum, PhD, is a New York State licensed clinical psychologist specializing in the diagnostic evaluation and treatment of developmental and mental health disorders. For over 20 years, Dr. Meichenbaum has worked at The Summit Center in Amherst, NY, where he is both the Clinical Director of Summit’s Behavioral Pediatrics Clinic and the Director of Community Consulting and Clinical Services. Dr. Meichenbaum is a highly sought-after consultant for school districts, offering practical behavioral and educational strategies that focus on the social, emotional, adaptive, and behavioral development of students with autism spectrum, disruptive behavior, and mental health disorders. As both a clinical psychologist and consultant, Dr. Meichenbaum offers a perspective and solutions to increase the development and generalization of skills across settings. Dr. Meichenbaum graduated with his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and he completed his clinical internship at Duke University Medical Center. He is returning to present at the Door County Summer Institute for the third consecutive summer.

Course Description
A large percentage of children and adolescents, due to a variety of factors, are deemed as "high-risk”, calling upon educators, mental health workers, and the like to effectively meet the needs of these students. Despite there being well-established evidence-based treatments (EBTs) for child and adolescent mental-health conditions, there is a “gap” in service attainability and outcomes between mental health settings and schools. Increased coordination is needed to increase accessibility and generalization of EBTs.

This 2-day workshop is designed to facilitate the collaboration between all school personnel and community-based mental health professionals, and to offer ways to integrate efforts to meet the emotional, behavioral, and academic challenges that “high-risk” students present. The focus will be on mental health, behavioral, and developmental conditions that touch both systems, such as addressing the needs of students who have experienced adverse childhood events/trauma, neurodiversity (e.g., ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, or learning disabilities), and/or mental health disorders (e.g., anxiety, depression). We will offer a roadmap as to how educators and mental health workers can collaborate to establish trauma-informed schools, support skill acquisition, facilitate generalization, and bolster resilience. Case examples, group activities, and collaborative problem-solving will be utilized to identify practical solutions to overcome the various challenges and barriers we face integrating across systems.

Learning Objectives
Participants who engage in this education intervention will be able to:

  • Describe the “gap” and solutions for overcoming barriers between mental health settings and schools, to effectively address the needs of students.
  • Explain components for establishing an integrated mental health support system and ways to address mental health needs in the classroom.
  • Specify tools and strategies to build adaptive alternative behaviors and develop emotional regulation skills.
  • Indicate how to obtain generalization and bolster resilience.

Monday

  • Assessing and Identifying Who Is “At-Risk”
  • Identifying and Understanding The “Gap”
  • Clarifying the Roles and Common Goals of Educators and Mental Health Providers
  • Creating an Integrated Mental Health Support System
    • Identifying the Role of School Leadership
    • Increasing Mental Health Literacy Among Staff and Students
    • Engaging Families/Caregivers
    • Building Partnerships with Local Mental Health Providers and Community Organizations
  • Establishing Trauma-Informed Schools
  • Adopting and Utilizing a Case Conceptualization Model

Tuesday

  • Identifying and Addressing Mental Health Needs in the Classroom: Adapting EBTS for Mental Health in Schools
  • Considerations and Strategies to Build Adaptive Alternative Behaviors and Develop Emotional Regulation Skills
  • How to Obtain Generalization and Long-Term Behavior Changes
  • How to Bolster Resilience – It Take’s a Village
  • Overcoming Barriers to Sustained Collaboration: Practical Solutions to Potentially Complex Problems
Session 3: Threat Assessment in 2025 and Beyond: Examining Best Practices in Processing Risk, Addressing Complexities, and Mitigating Workplace Violence | July 21-22 (2 days)

July 21-22, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.
Tony Thrasher, DO, MBA, CPE, DFAPA

Tony Thrasher, DO, MBA, CPE, DFAPA, is a board-certified psychiatrist employed as the medical director for the Milwaukee County Crisis Services. He received his psychiatric training from Washington University in St. Louis at Barnes Jewish Hospital, and he is a Past President of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry (AAEP). He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), and he currently serves as the Immediate Past President for both the Wisconsin Psychiatric Association (WPA) and the Wisconsin Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons (WAOPS).

In 2023, he is also proud to have served as the Editor for the Oxford Press Primer on Emergency Psychiatry as well as being the Editor for the American Psychiatric Association’s Maintenance of Certification FOCUS journal centering on the core curriculum of Emergency Psychiatry. In 2024, he was fortunate enough to participate on the ABEM task force that resulted in the creation of a Focused Practice Designation in Emergency Behavioral Health, a unique collaboration through ABMS between the AAEP, ABEM, and ABPN. In recent years, he was inducted into the American College of Psychiatrists, was named a Top Doctor by Milwaukee Magazine, earned his accreditation as a Certified Physician Executive (CPE), and he received an Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from National NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness).

Course Description
Whether you work in the community or hospital-based settings, the topic of workplace violence is ubiquitous. When combined with the ongoing issues surrounding mass shootings, the time has never been more germane to examine how threat assessment can combine with typical risk assessment to maximize outcomes. This 2-day session will focus on a myriad of related topics including (but not limited to): Workplace violence in healthcare, domestic violence, linkage (or lack of linkage) between mental health and violent actions, updates on psychopathy, messaging education surrounding mass violence, firearm education as a public health measure, and any pertinent overlaps between homicide and suicide.

Learning Objectives
Participants who engage in this education intervention will be able to:

  • Analyze the current state of threat assessment as a best practice in mitigating violence.
  • Apply any overlap between mental illness and violence, while also being able to explain any areas of concerns.
  • Determine next best steps when evaluating an individual at risk of externalized violence, whether that be as a patient, staff, or community member.
  • Identify concrete strategies to use to mitigate risk to themselves (or those they serve) while also proposing proper documentation that assists both medicolegally as well as clinically.

Monday

  • Examination of threat assessment, research, and applications to mental health practices
  • Processing the overlap between homicide and suicide: focus on myths/truths; specific discussion of interview techniques with cases at risk (such as psychosis)

Tuesday

  • Evaluation of mass shootings, psychopathy, and stalking/domestic violence components
  • Discussion of workplace violence specific to healthcare with mitigation steps, both individually and systemically
Session 4: Setting Up for A Successful Transition and Start to A New School Year: Key Considerations and Strategies for Fostering Student’s Academic, Emotional, and Behavioral Success | July 24-25 (2 days)

July 24-25, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.
David Meichenbaum, PhD

David Meichenbaum, PhD, is a New York State licensed clinical psychologist specializing in the diagnostic evaluation and treatment of developmental and mental health disorders. For over 20 years, Dr. Meichenbaum has worked at The Summit Center in Amherst, NY, where he is both the Clinical Director of Summit’s Behavioral Pediatrics Clinic and the Director of Community Consulting and Clinical Services. Dr. Meichenbaum is a highly sought-after consultant for school districts, offering practical behavioral and educational strategies that focus on the social, emotional, adaptive, and behavioral development of students with autism spectrum, disruptive behavior, and mental health disorders. As both a clinical psychologist and consultant, Dr. Meichenbaum offers a perspective and solutions to increase the development and generalization of skills across settings. Dr. Meichenbaum graduated with his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and he completed his clinical internship at Duke University Medical Center. He is returning to present at the Door County Summer Institute for the third consecutive summer.

Course Description
The beginning of a new school year can be difficult for students and, in turn, for educators; particularly when students present with social, emotional, behavioral and/or developmental challenges. It is not uncommon for the initial weeks of an academic year to be lost in trying to learn more about students, their needs, and how to effectively support them. That said, much is already known about this coming school year’s students and best practices to address common challenges. If the appropriate information is considered in advance, proactive steps can be taken to mitigate challenges, and to set students and teachers up for success.

This 2-day summer preparatory workshop is designed specifically for educators and school personnel who will be working with students with autism, anxiety, and/or behavioral disorders this upcoming school year. The focus will be on identifying students’ needs (in advance), understanding various mental health and development conditions, establishing effective classroom supports and structure, and distinguishing “team”-based approaches to reduce challenging behaviors and increase the demonstration of adaptive alternative behaviors. Case examples, activities, forms, handouts, group discussions, and collaborative problem-solving will be utilized to identify the roadmap for setting up for a successful transition to a new school year.

Learning Objectives

  • Indicate key pieces of information to consider/ascertain prior to a transition to a new school year to foster success.
  • Specify at least 10 tools/strategies that can be used to facilitate transitional, social, emotional, behavioral, and learning success.
  • Explain and identify the role of “TEAM” in developing adaptive alternative behaviors and building generalization.
  • Utilize at least 3 techniques to increase positive thinking for children with autism, anxiety, and/or behavioral challenges.

Thursday

  • Factors Impacting Successful Transitions
  • Understanding Disabilities/Mental Health Challenges and Its Impact on Learning
  • Identifying Unique Needs and Abilities of Each Student
  • Determining the Most Appropriate Setting and Accommodations
  • Inclusive Programming Considerations and Strategies for “High-Risk” Students
  • Building Skills vs. Doing Skills: Strategies for Fostering Independence and Reducing Adult Supports

Friday

  • Redefining Consequences: Considerations and Strategies for Reducing Challenging Behaviors
  • Building Positive Thinking in Concrete and/or Negative Thinkers
  • Means for Increasing Flexible- and Social- Thinking Skills
  • Working Effectively as “Team”, Identifying Roles/Responsibilities, and Increasing Engagement
  • Anticipating and Overcoming Barriers
  • Establishing Doable Data Collection Methods to Measure Student Outcomes
Session 5: Neurology for Non-Neurologists | July 24-25 (2 days)

July 24–25, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.
Chad Carlson, MD, FAAN and Ann Helms, MD, MS

Chad Carlson, MD, FAAN, completed his medical schooling at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. His internship was at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, followed by Neurology Residency at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. He completed fellowships in Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology at New York University where he remained as faculty until joining the Department of Neurology at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) in 2013. His clinical practice is in the field of epilepsy, and he has served as Program Director for the Clinical Neurophysiology and Epilepsy Fellowships as well as the Adult Neurology Residency. He is now the Interim Chair of the Department of Neurology at MCW.

Ann Helms, MD, MS, is a Professor of Neurology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She completed medical school at the Loyola Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago and her Neurology residency at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. She did fellowships in Vascular Neurology and Neurocritical Care at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Her practice is focused on inpatient management of neurovascular disease as well as neurotrauma and other critical care neurology disorders. She has a dedication to undergraduate and graduate medical education having spent her career developing and leading educational programs for medical students, residents, and fellows. She holds a certificate in bioethics from MCW. Her diverse research interests include neuroethics and brain death, women’s issues in stroke, and innovations in Neurology education.

Course Description
This workshop is designed to present a series of lectures covering common and important diagnoses in neurology that impact the practice of non-neurologists, in particular psychiatrists. The course will cover the neurological examination and discuss neurologic conditions that often intersect with psychiatry. We will also discuss strategies to collaborate with fellow departments like Neurology.

Learning Objectives
Participants who engage in this education intervention will be able to:

  • Utilize the neurological examination in the evaluation of complex patients
  • Recognize neurologic conditions which are frequently-seen by and/or comanaged with psychiatry
  • Identify appropriate diagnostic and referral strategies
  • Determine strategies for effective collaboration with Neurology in patients with complex neuropsychiatric disorders

Thursday

  • Neuroexamination for the Non-Neurologist
  • Tardive Dyskinesia
  • Movement Disorders
  • Stroke
  • TBI

Friday

  • Epilepsy
  • Functional seizures
  • Other functional neurologic disorders
  • Dementia
  • Headache and dizziness

Week 2 Sessions

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Session 6: Awe and Wonder as Pathways to Resilience and Wisdom Through the Mindful Viewing of Film | July 28-August 1 (5 days)

July 28-August 1, 2025 | 9 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Francis G. Lu, MD, DLFAPA

Francis G. Lu, MD, DLFAPA, iis the Luke & Grace Kim Professor in Cultural Psychiatry, Emeritus, at the University of California, Davis. As a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), Dr. Lu has contributed to the areas of cultural psychiatry including the interface with religion and spirituality, psychiatric education, diversity and inclusion, mental health equity, and psychiatry and film. In 2008, the Association for Academic Psychiatry awarded him its Lifetime Achievement Award. The APA awarded him Special Presidential Commendations in both 2002 and 2016 for his contributions to cultural psychiatry, and in 2020, the APA Distinguished Service Award. In 2020, the Society for the Study of Psychiatry and Culture awarded him its Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2021, the American College of Psychiatrists awarded him its Distinguished Service Award. He leads annual film seminars at Esalen Institute, Big Sur, CA, since 1987, and Door County Summer Institute since 2014.

Dr. Lu on Amazon

Course Description
"The beginning of awe is wonder, and the beginning of wisdom is awe." – Abraham Heschel

The meaning of awe is to realize that life takes place under wide horizons, horizons that range beyond the span of an individual life or even the life of a nation, a generation, or an era that goes beyond human comprehension. Wonder is a feeling of curiosity, amazement, or astonishment caused by experiences of mysterious beauty in encountering the unfamiliar. Recent studies and reviews have shown that experiences of awe and wonder can enhance resilient well-being including positive affect and wisdom. Clinician well-being is essential for safe, high-quality patient care. This seminar aims at a mindfulness experience through viewing 4 feature films in which inspiring characters experience awe and wonder as a way to resilient well-being for the purpose of renewing these qualities in the lives of the seminar participants and in our work with patients. In addition, on one morning, a pair of creative documentary films will be shown to engage participants directly in the experience of awe and wonder. On each of the 5 mornings, 1 film is shown via Blu-ray video projection and 6 loudspeakers with an introduction and centering process to begin the session and processing after the film focusing on the participant's own experience of the movie including silent reflection, journaling, dyadic sharing, and group discussion. Supplementary optional films (non-CME) will be shown on 2 evenings (Monday and Thursday). Films take on an exquisite cumulative power when shown over 5 days at the DCSI in a group setting that is truly remarkable and unforgettable.

Learning Objectives
Participants who engage in this education intervention will be able to:

  • Describe the essential role of experiencing awe and wonder as a way to resilient well-being.
  • Identify how film characters experience awe and wonder as a way to resilient well-being so as to identify these strengths in themselves and in their patients.
  • Develop skills and practice techniques of viewing of films from a mindfulness perspective in which inspiring characters experience awe and wonder as a means to resilient well-being for the purpose of renewing these qualities in their lives.
  • Apply ways to help patients view films from a mindfulness perspective in which inspiring characters experience awe and wonder as a means to resilient well-being for the purpose of renewing these qualities in patients’ lives. 

Monday

  • "Field of Dreams" (1hr 47min)
  • Bonus evening non-CME film: "Baraka" (1hr 36min)

Tuesday (this day will end at 12:45 p.m.)

  • "Contact" (2hr 30min)

Wednesday (this day will end at 12:45 p.m.)

  • "Journey of the Universe" (57 min)
  • "Voyage of Time" (1hr 30min)

Thursday (this day will end at 12:45 p.m.)

  • "2001: A Space Odyssey" (2hr 29min)
  • Bonus evening non-CME film: "Wings of Desire" (2hr 8min)

Friday

"The Tree of Life" (2hr 19min)

Session 7: Strengthening Leadership and Interpersonal Effectiveness | July 28-29 (2 days)

July 28-29, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.
Mark Mone, PhD, MBA

Mark Mone, PhD, MBA, is a Professor of Management at the Lubar College of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He served for 11 years as the chancellor of the UW‐Milwaukee (UWM) – the only public research and access mission institution in Wisconsin. Dr. Mone transformed UWM into a force multiplier through path‐breaking partnerships, advancing equity through education, and addressing societal issues through research and strategic re-invention. A first‐generation graduate, Dr. Mone earned his BA in Organizational Management from Central Washington University, an MBA from Idaho State University, and a PhD in Organizational Behavior and Organization Theory from Washington State University.

Course Description
In four modules over the two sessions, we will first explore methods for developing influence and enhancing leadership skills. We will then practice established and new approaches to managing change, interpersonal communication, and teams. We will draw from participants' experiences and challenges and provide skills that can be used in the workplace and beyond.

Learning Objectives
Participants who engage in this education intervention will be able to:

  • Recognize and appropriate leadership and interpersonal skills
  • Utilize the ability to better diagnose and overcome obstacles to change
  • Demonstrate ability to communicate more effectively in and out of the workplace
  • Utilize more influence and be more effective in team and organizational settings

Monday

  • Increasing influence through interpersonal skills
  • Leading and managing change

Tuesday

  • Interpersonal and organizational communication skills
  • Creating higher-performing teams
Session 8: Neurobehavioral Syndromes: Neuroanatomical Correlates and Review of Traumatic Brain Injury from Acute Sequelae to Long-term Outcomes | July 28-29 (2 days)

July 28-29, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.
Sara J. Swanson, PhD, ABPP and Benjamin Brett, PhD

Sara J. Swanson, PhD, is a Professor of Neurology and Division Chief of Neuropsychology. She is board-certified in Clinical Neuropsychology (American Board of Professional Psychology). She specializes in the clinical evaluation of adults with neurobehavioral disorders, epilepsy, head trauma, memory disorders, and ADHD. She conducts intracarotid sodium amobarbital testing and functional MRI for language mapping. Her research and publications involve predictors of cognitive outcomes after temporal lobectomy, functional MRI, and the neuropsychology of epilepsy. She is an investigator on a grant examining neuroimaging correlates of cognitive phenotyping in epilepsy and has served as a co-investigator on NIH studies using fMRI for language mapping.

Benjamin Brett, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Neurosurgery and Neurology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, conducting translational traumatic brain injury (TBI) research that seeks to identify the neuro biopsychosocial factors that place individuals at risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) following TBI. His prior experiences have involved well-balanced clinical and research training, resulting in strong foundations in applied clinical neuropsychology, neuroimaging, and advanced statistical methods. As an early career researcher at the Center for Neurotrauma Research (CNTR), his prior work has examined the clinical and neurobiological effects of TBI and repetitive head impacts (RHI) throughout the lifespan. Through a National Institute on Aging K23 Career Development Award, he has received training and completed work investigating the cumulative effects of concussion and comorbid cardiovascular risk factors on MRI metrics of pathological aging and neurobehavioral functioning across the lifespan. Findings generated from this project have identified overlapping associations between repetitive neurotrauma, chronic conditions (e.g., stroke), and adverse health function (e.g., chronic sleep difficulties), and importantly, that they can dynamically interact to increase the risk of cognitive decline later in life. He has also shown that subtle biological alterations on multimodal advanced MRI (alterations in white matter microstructure, grey matter subcortical volume, and relative cerebral blood flow) can be detected as early as young adulthood and can be attenuated or intensified throughout the lifespan based on several moderating health factors. He has established himself as a productive early career researcher in the areas of TBI and ADRD.

Course Description
In this workshop, participants will be able to recognize and assess neurobehavioral syndromes. The discussion will include a presentation of both major and focal neurobehavioral syndromes and their neuroanatomical correlates. Participants will be able to recognize current models and cognitive constructs as well as methods of assessment. Case presentations of various syndromes will be included.

The presentation will then include information surrounding TBI characteristics and features that inform injury severity classification (mild, moderate, severe), acute and subacute sequelae of TBI across the injury severity spectrum, and typical recovery/prognosis. Post-injury management and risk factors for prolonged recovery with mTBI will be discussed. This program will review the gradient of injury characteristics, clinical presentation, and biological markers along this mild TBI injury severity spectrum. Current evidence for TBI, sport-related concussion, and repetitive head impact exposure as a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRDs), as well as moderating factors throughout the lifespan that may attenuate or intensify these associations will be discussed.

Learning Objectives
Participants who engage in this education intervention will be able to:

  • Recognize major neurobehavioral syndromes, their neuroanatomical correlates, and how they can be differentiated with cognitive testing.
  • Describe models and cognitive constructs underlying the neurobehavioral presentation of these syndromes.
  • Recognize methods of assessment relevant to neurobehavioral syndromes.
  • Apply this knowledge to case presentations.
  • Identify TBI injury severity based on acute injury characteristics and apply this classification to their understanding of patient recovery and prognosis.
  • Describe common post-injury sequelae and conventional methods of assessment.
  • Discuss various injury-related features across the severity spectrum within the mild traumatic brain injury classification.
  • Analyze the adverse long-term outcomes associated with TBI, sport-related concussion, and contact sport exposure, as well as factors that may moderate these associations.

Monday

  • Neuropsychological assessment of neurobehavioral disorders
  • Major and focal neurobehavioral syndromes
  • Methods of assessment
  • Case presentations

Tuesday

  • TBI characteristics and features
  • TBI classifications
  • Post-injury management
  • Risk factors relating to Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias
Session 9: Practical Opioid Use Disorder Treatment for Providers | July 31-August 1 (2 days)

July 31-August 1, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.
Stephen Brandt, MD and Matthew E. Stohs, MD

Stephen Brandt, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatrist with the Medical College of Wisconsin, joining the faculty in August 2023. He completed both his general psychiatry residency and addiction psychiatry fellowship at Indiana University in Indianapolis, IN. Most of his clinical time is spent practicing outpatient addiction psychiatry at MCW Tosa Psychiatry Center. He also collaborates with the Froedtert Menomonee Falls Hospital Substance Use Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and the Froedtert Hospital Psychiatry Consult Liaison team.

Matthew E. Stohs, MD, received his BS in Biology from Valparaiso University and MD from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. He completed psychiatry residency and addiction psychiatry fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. He is board certified in addiction psychiatry, addiction medicine, and general psychiatry. He is the addiction psychiatry fellowship director at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). As medical director for outpatient addiction clinic at Milwaukee VA Medical Center, Dr. Stohs treats veterans with co-occurring mental health and addictive disorders. He is the Milwaukee lead site investigator (LSI) for the VA Cooperative Studies Program (CSP) clinical trial comparing the effectiveness of sublingual vs. monthly injectable buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid use disorder (VA-BRAVE).

Course Description
Opioid Use Disorder continues to be a national epidemic with concerning prevalence and mortality. The evolution of illicit synthetic high-potency opiates, including fentanyl and its analogues, has greatly contributed to overall morbidity and mortality in people who use opioids. Because high-potency opioids commonly contaminate supplies of other illicit drugs, opioid-naïve individuals are now experiencing the devastating consequences of these powerful drugs. In response to such concerns, efforts to improve access to first-line medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), have intensified. In particular, the DATA waiver that previously placed barriers on buprenorphine prescribing has been eliminated, as of January 2023, thereby increasing the potential pool of prescribers to anyone who holds a DEA controlled substance registration. While this progress is encouraging, there are still large numbers of prescribers who still lack the education, practical knowledge, or confidence to begin prescribing these life-saving medications.

This talk will impact a broad audience of anyone working with people exposed to opioids. We will focus especially on effective psychotherapeutic modalities since this population has a high rate of co-occurring mental health conditions. Particular attention will be paid to social (e.g. sober living or peer support) and harm reduction interventions (e.g. needle exchange or naloxone). Finally, prescribers will learn practical lessons on how to integrate prescribing buprenorphine into their clinical practice and meet the DEA requirement for buprenorphine prescribing.

Learning Objectives
Participants who engage in this education intervention will be able to:

  • Utilize lessons from the history of opioid addiction into modern treatment & advocacy
  • Describe the current epidemiology and underlying neurobiology of opioid use disorder
  • Use screening, assessment, and diagnosis of opioid use disorder
  • Assess commonly co-occurring conditions (focusing on pain, addictive disorders, and psychiatric conditions)
  • Analyze medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) like buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone with psychosocial treatments to optimize recovery outcomes

Thursday

  • Opioid addiction; past, present, and future
  • Opioid Use Disorder
    • Epidemiology
    • Neurobiology
    • Screening, assessment, and diagnosis
  • Co-occurring conditions
    • Co-occurring mental health conditions
    • Other substance use disorders
    • Pain

Friday

  • MOUD (Medications for Opioid Use Disorder)
  • Psychosocial treatments for OUD
    • Psychotherapeutic approaches
    • Harm Reduction in OUD
    • Matching Care Intensity to Patient Needs
    • Other treatment strategies
Session 10: Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) | July 31-August 1 (2 days)

July 31-August 1, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.
John C. Markowitz, MD

John Markowitz, MD, is a Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons and a Research Psychiatrist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. He received his medical degree from Columbia in 1982 and completed psychiatric residency training at the New York Hospital-Payne Whitney Clinic in 1986. He was trained in cognitive behavioral therapy at the Center for Cognitive Therapy in Philadelphia and in interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) by the late Gerald L. Klerman, MD at Cornell.

Since residency, Dr. Markowitz has conducted clinical research involving psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy of mood, anxiety, personality disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder. He collaborated with James Kocsis, MD on chronic depression research and with the late Drs. Klerman and Samuel Perry on HIV-related research at Cornell. Since moving to Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute in 2001, he has also focused on personality disorders, with Andrew Skodol, MD, and posttraumatic stress disorder. He has received multiple treatment grants from the National Institute of Mental Health and private foundations. He has lectured widely and conducted many workshops on IPT and other topics. Dr. Markowitz is the author, co-author, or editor of 22 books, more than 300 peer-reviewed articles, and 92 chapters.

Course Description
Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is an affect-focused, time-limited, evidence-based treatment indicated for treating major depressive disorder, eating disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder, and as adjunctive treatment for bipolar disorder. It is one of the best tested psychotherapies. It focuses on the relationship between mood and life events, building interpersonal skills, and mobilizing protective social support. The treatment does not focus on cognitions or the transference and does not assign homework. Dr. Markowitz has spent decades testing IPT in comparative trials and teaching this therapist- and patient-friendly approach. The workshop will cover the essentials of IPT and its application to particular patient populations. Participants are encouraged to bring in case material for discussion.

Learning Objectives
Participants who engage in this education intervention will be able to:

  • Describe the fundamental principles, elements, and structure of the IPT approach.
  • List the four interpersonal problem areas.
  • Identify factors such as affect dysregulation and reflective functioning that may contribute to the mechanism of IPT effect.
  • Analyze the evidence supporting the IPT approach.

Thursday

  • Overview of IPT
  • Historical background
  • Brief, focused treatment of depression
  • Active, non-neutral therapist
  • Relationship of interpersonal behaviors to depressive symptoms
  • The 4 Problem Areas Discussion
  • The three phases of IPT
  • In-depth discussion of Middle Phase Strategies
  • Case review, role play, and discussion

Friday

  • Review of questions from Day 1
  • Role play and discussion
  • Practical Issues for the Experienced Psychotherapist
  • Adjusting to a time-limited therapy
  • Videotaping
  • Rating scales
  • Combining psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy
  • Research issues in IPT
  • Role-playing of therapist and patient
  • Review, evaluation, further training issues

Week 3 Sessions

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Session 11: The Art of Suicide Prevention: Innovations in Uncovering Suicidal Ideation, Risk Formulation, and Creating Resiliency | August 4-5 (2 days)

August 4-5, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.
Shawn Shea, MD

Shawn Christopher Shea, MD, is the Director of the Training Institute for Suicide Assessment and Clinical Interviewing and is the author of eight books and numerous articles in the fields of suicide assessment, creating resiliency, and clinical interviewing. Having given over 850 workshops worldwide, he is popular for his provocative, fast-paced presentations laced with a wicked sense of humor. As well as being a highly popular presenter at previous Door County Summer Institutes, he has been a frequent presenter at venues such as the Cape Cod Symposium and the Santa Fe Symposium and has been a featured presenter at twenty-two Annual Meetings of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS). Dr. Shea is the creator of the internationally utilized Chronological Assessment of Suicide Events (CASE Approach). His text Psychiatric Interviewing: The Art of Understanding, 3rd Edition was chosen by the British Medical Association as the 2017 Book of the Year in Psychiatry. And his book The Practical Art of Suicide Assessment is viewed as a classic in the field of suicide prevention.

Course Description
Dr. Shea will delineate the unique challenges facing clinicians when they are trying to uncover suicidal ideation in high-risk clients, who frequently are hesitant to share their method of choice for suicide (MOC) and the intensity of their intent. He will describe and demonstrate how the Chronological Assessment of Suicide Events (CASE Approach) - a flexible and engaging strategy for uncovering a client’s suicidal ideation, planning, and intent - can immediately help a clinician meet these challenges. He will then address how to create a practical formulation of suicide risk, that includes the concepts underlying one of the newest innovations in risk-formulation - Prevention-Oriented Suicide Risk Assessment. Throughout the symposium, Dr. Shea will pull upon the lens of “Matrix Treatment Planning” which emphasizes how to create hope in the hopeless. The techniques described apply to therapists in all clinical settings from community mental health centers, college counseling centers, and private psychotherapy practices to emergency departments and inpatient units.

Learning Objectives
Participants who engage in this education intervention will be able to:

  • Describe and apply the principles of “matrix treatment planning” to instill hope and resiliency as a method of suicide prevention
  • Utilize seven behaviorally specific interviewing techniques - designed to enhance validity when uncovering sensitive and taboo topics including suicidal ideation and other risk factors/warning signs of suicide (Normalization, Shame Attenuation, the Behavioral Incident, Gentle Assumption, Denial of the Specific, the Catch-All Question, and Symptom Amplification)
  • Describe and flexibly utilize the Chronological Assessment of Suicide Events (CASE Approach) to both effectively screen for suicidal ideation, and, if present, to sensitively explore the extent of action taken upon any methods considered by the client including an initially withheld MOC
  • Create a sophisticated formulation of risk that creatively integrates the interplay among risk factors, warning signs, protective factors, and available clinical, social, and interpersonal supports

Monday

  • Matrix Treatment Planning (philosophical principles and practical application)
  • Challenges inherent when uncovering suicidal ideation - Equation of Suicidal Intent
  • Validity Techniques (demonstrated by Dr. Shea via video)

Tuesday

  • Description and video demonstration by Dr. Shea of the effective use of the CASE Approach
  • Contemporary ways of understanding risk factors and warning signs
  • Prevention-Oriented Suicide Risk Assessment
Session 12: 2025 Update on Psychiatric Medication for Mood and Anxiety | August 4-5 (2 days)

August 4-5, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.
David J. Katzelnick, MD

David J. Katzelnick, MD, is the former Co-Chair of the Division of Integrated Behavioral Health at the Mayo Clinic Rochester Minnesota and Professor of Psychiatry at Mayo School of Medicine. His major clinical and research interests are in mood and anxiety disorders, psychopharmacology, diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders in primary care and medication education. He has lectured extensively on mood and anxiety disorders and ways to improve treatment of mental disorders in real world settings. He has been principal investigator for a number of retrospective and prospective randomized trials of treatment of mental disorders.

Course Description
This workshop presents an update of psychopharmacology focusing on the needs of practicing clinicians by covering medications used to treat the most common psychiatric disorders including unipolar and bipolar disorders, and anxiety disorder. We will focus on indications for the use of medications, side effects, issues around use and risks, and review both what is well known and new findings that will improve outcomes. This workshop is appropriate for all clinicians prescribing psychotropic medications including psychiatrists, primary care physicians, APNPs, nurses, and social workers who work with patients taking psychiatric medications.

Learning Objectives
Participants who engage in this education intervention will be able to:

  • Discuss how to collaborate with patients about medication decisions even with patients who are difficult to work with
  • Identify when to avoid benzodiazepine prescribing and when appropriate
  • Describe lab tests to monitor patients on Lithium, atypical antipsychotics, valproic acid, carbamazepine, and lamotrigine
  • Identify how to diagnosis specific anxiety disorders and understand how this impacts treatment decisions.

Monday

  • Diagnosis and treatment of unipolar depression
  • Treatment-resistant depression
  • Bipolar disorder recognition and treatment

Tuesday

  • Diagnosis and treatment of anxiety disorders
  • OCD, PTSD, Panic Disorder, GAD, and Social Anxiety disorder
  • Benzodiazepines
    • Safe and Effective Anxiolytic or Drug fiend’s Delight
Session 13: A Primer in Perinatal Mental Health | August 4-5 (2 days)

August 4-5, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.
Christina Wichman, DO

Christina Wichman, DO, is a Professor of Psychiatry and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She completed residency in Adult Psychiatry and fellowship in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at Mayo Clinic. Clinically, she created and directs a co-located perinatal psychiatric service and is the Co-Director of Women’s Mental Health at the MCW. She is the Medical Director of The Periscope Project, Wisconsin’s statewide perinatal psychiatric access program. Dr. Wichman has published and lectured extensively regionally and nationally.

Course Description
The field of perinatal (or reproductive psychiatry) has been ever-expanding in recent years. Extensive research has been conducted on the impact of psychiatric disorders in the perinatal period and their impact on fetus, neonate and child, as well as the parent. Expanding research has been completed in the areas of psychopharmacology in pregnancy and lactation. Unfortunately, while psychiatric disorders are the most common complication of the perinatal period, most providers, including mental health providers, do not feel comfortable with management. These symposia will provide an overview of the assessment and management of common, as well as more complex psychiatric disorders in the perinatal period, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, attention deficit disorder and opioid use disorder.

Learning Objectives
Participants who engage in this education intervention will be able to:

  • Compare differences between perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.
  • Identify risks of untreated psychiatric disorders, including substance use disorders, in the perinatal period.
  • Explain the risks to the fetus/infant of antidepressant, anxiolytic, mood stabilizer, and stimulant exposure in utero and during lactation.
  • Identify the appropriate use of zuranolone.

Thursday

  • Introduction to the field of perinatal mental health, including prevalence, etiology, and types of psychiatric disorders seen in the perinatal period.
  • Review risks of untreated psychiatric disorders in pregnancy.
  • Review of validated screening tools for depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders in the perinatal period.
  • Differentiation between baby blues, perinatal depression, postpartum depression, and postpartum psychosis.
  • Review of psychopharmacology of antidepressant, anxiolytic, and hypnotic use in pregnancy and lactation.
  • Case studies and discussion woven throughout didactic content.

Friday

  • Management of bipolar disorder in the perinatal period.
  • Management of opioid use disorder in the perinatal period.
  • Utilization of stimulant use in pregnancy.
  • Introduction of zuranolone as treatment option for postpartum depression.
  • Case studies and discussion woven throughout didactic content.
Session 14: Transformational Moments: How Master Clinicians Think, Talk, and Listen When Facing the Most Challenging of Clinical Tasks | August 7-8 (2 days)

August 7-8, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.
Shawn Shea, MD

Shawn Christopher Shea, MD, is the Director of the Training Institute for Suicide Assessment and Clinical Interviewing and is the author of numerous books and articles in the fields of suicide assessment, creating resiliency, and clinical interviewing. Having given over 850 workshops worldwide, he is popular for his provocative, fast-paced presentations laced with a wicked sense of humor. He has been a frequent presenter at venues such as the Cape Cod Symposium and the Santa Fe Symposium and has been a featured presenter at twenty-two Annual Meetings of the American Association of Suicidology. Dr. Shea is the creator of the internationally utilized Chronological Assessment of Suicide Events. His text Psychiatric Interviewing: The Art of Understanding, 3rd Edition, was chosen by the British Medical Association as the 2017 Book of the Year in Psychiatry. His book The Practical Art of Suicide Assessment is viewed as a classic in the field of suicide prevention.

Course Description
This symposium will offer a variety of innovative strategies and interviewing techniques for transforming many of the most problematic clinical challenges encountered in everyday practice. Traditionally daunting clinical tasks are the focus of this symposium including: rapidly and sensitively engaging clients with borderline and/or narcissistic disorders, exploring incest and domestic violence, uncovering subtly presenting and/or dangerous psychotic processes (demonstrated with vivid videos of actual patient interviews), unraveling diagnostically complex or atypical presentations of anxiety disorders such as OCD, Panic Disorder, and PTSD (also demonstrated with vivid actual client interviews), and transforming angry client encounters or antagonistic client questions. Dr. Shea – with a subtle grace and keen insight – deconstructs these troubling everyday clinical gremlins and re-imagines the situations providing clinicians with new maps for navigating these daunting clinical terrains. By doing so, he not only helps clinicians to more effectively transform these difficult moments but also decreases clinician burn-out by enhancing clinician confidence and increasing fascination with the intricacies of the therapeutic dyad. The techniques described are immediately applicable to therapists in all clinical settings from community mental health centers, college counseling centers, and private psychotherapy practices to emergency departments and inpatient units.

Learning Objectives
Participants who engage in this education intervention will be able to

  • Use specific interviewing techniques and strategies for rapidly engaging clients with borderline and/or narcissistic processes by utilizing an admixture of cognitive-behavioral principles with psychodynamic techniques from schools of thought such as Object Relations and Self Psychology.
  • Utilize interviewing techniques for spotting delusional mood, delusional perception, the life cycle of psychosis, and dangerous psychotic processes including command hallucinations, alien control, psychotic hyper-religiosity, and hidden smoldering paranoia.
  • Use interviewing techniques to differentiate the subtle phenomenological presentations and symptoms of both typical and atypical panic disorder and OCD (which may have important treatment ramifications) as well as sensitively uncover hidden histories of physical and sexual abuse that may be the etiology of a client’s PTSD.
  • Assess and gracefully transform moments of intense disengagement with clients including angry confrontations and awkward client challenges or personal questions to the clinician.

Thursday

  • Rapidly and sensitively engaging clients with borderline and narcissistic personality disorders
  • Uncovering subtle and /or dangerous psychotic processes that can lead to violence, suicide, or self-mutilation (Video Demonstrations)

Friday

  • Gently uncovering hidden OCD, Panic Disorder, and PTSD (Video Demonstrations)
  • Exploring physical and sexual trauma with sensitivity and compassion (Video Demonstration)
  • Practical techniques for turning moments of angry disengagement into moments of therapeutic magic
Session 15: Update on Anti-Psychotic Medications: The Old and the New | August 7-8 (2 days)

August 7-8, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.
Ronald Diamond, MD

Ronald Diamond, MD, has, for more than 45 years, been involved in the community-based treatment of persons with severe and persistent mental illness. He has taught and written on issues of staff training, ethics, staff roles, decreasing coercion, medication compliance, psychiatric administration and system design. For more than three decades, he has been interested in how to integrate concepts of recovery and cultural competence into day-to-day clinical practice.

He retired from Journey Mental Health in Feb 2013 after 35 years, first as staff psychiatrist and then Medical Director. He retired from the UW Department of Psychiatry Jan 2018 after 39 years on the faculty. He is now back working at the University on a part time basis teaching and working with the collaborative primary care project which seeks to increase the effectiveness of mental health care already being provided in primary care clinics.

Course Description
This workshop will review common and not so common issues in prescribing anti-psychotic, medications, how to increase the effectiveness of anti-psychotic treatment, the place of the newer anti-psychotic medications in the treatment algorithms, and some uses of these medications in non-psychotic conditions.

Learning Objectives
Participants who engage in this education intervention will be able to:

  • Compare how to address some of the social aspects of prescribing anti-psychotic medication with the goal of increasing treatment alliance
  • Describe the advantages and problems associated with commonly underused anti-psychotic medications including clozapine and long-acting injectable medications
  • Analyze the updates in mechanisms of newer non-dopaminergic antipsychotic medications
  • Discuss the role of anti-psychotic medications in non-psychotic conditions

Thursday

  • Social aspects of prescribing antipsychotic medication
  • Brief review of commonly prescribed antipsychotic medications
  • Advantages and complications in prescribing clozapine
  • Advantage and complications in prescribing long-acting antipsychotic medications

Friday

  • Update on the mechanism of action and current data on new antipsychotic medications that do not block dopamine
  • Review the role of antipsychotic medications in non-psychotic conditions.
Session 16: Ethics for Mental Health Professionals: A Novel Approach to the Issues | August 7-8 (2 days)

August 7–8, 2025 | 8:30 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.
Rebecca Anderson, PhD

Rebecca Anderson, PhD, is retired Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Director of Integrated Mental Health in Pain Management Center at MCW. She is the author of over 70 peer reviewed articles, 6 book chapters, and 3 books. She is past Secretary of the WI Examining Board and is currently a board member of WPA. Clinically she was a member of a comprehensive pain management program which encompassed musculoskeletal pain, neuropathic pain, and headaches working with Anesthesia, Neurology, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation teams. She utilizes CBT, mindfulness, use of apps, imagery recordings, and biofeedback as part of an integrated approach to address adjustment and improve function and quality of life for patients. She served on the Froedtert Ethics Committee for 9 years and has lectured across the state of WI regarding issues related to Ethics.

Course Description
This seminar will cover professional boundaries, confidentiality, and duty to warn/protect cases, as well as emerging ethical issues concerning electronic health records, interstate licensing requirements, social media, virtual therapy in a virtual world and legislative updates. Dr. Anderson will review major ethical issues in mental health practice and will lead discussion including cases from participants. Focus will start with ethical principles, methods for resolution of ethical dilemmas, and then will move to informed consent and to emerging issues in ethics for mental health providers.

Learning Objectives
Participants who engage in this education intervention will be able to:

  • Identify ethical issues including ethical principles, methods for resolution, informed consent, and virtual therapy issues.
  • Describe ethical issues in professional boundaries, confidentiality, and duty to warn/ protect cases.
  • Discuss emerging ethical issues concerning electronic records, interstate licensing requirements, social media, and legislative updates.
  • Discuss ethics cases from participants.

Thursday

  • Introduction
  • Analyzing and resolving ethical issues
  • Ethical principles of psychologists (and others) and code of conduct
  • Informed consent
  • Special roles of mental health professionals
  • Cases for discussion
  • Participants will have the opportunity to research ethical guidelines in topics of interest

Friday

  • Professional boundaries and knowing your limits
  • Confidentiality and duty to warn
  • Licensure board and sanctions
  • Emerging issues
  • Electronic records, interstate licensing, new communication technologies, and legislative update
  • APA suggestions to avoid ethical problems
  • Virtual mental health care
  • Cases for discussion from audience (participants will enact serving on an ethics committee)

Lodging

Lodging in July and August is in great demand; you must make reservations early. A block of suites has been set aside at the Landmark Resort. These suites will be held until June 6, 2025, or until they are filled. After that, the rooms are on a space-available basis.

From its site on the bluff, the Landmark offers outstanding views of the waters of Green Bay with 294 units comprised of 1, 2, and 3-bedroom suites. Facilities include the Carrington Pub and Grill, 10 meeting and function rooms, 1 indoor and 3 outdoor pools, 2 tennis courts, whirlpools and steam rooms, and a fitness center and game room. The Landmark Resort is Door County’s largest and best full-service facility. As of May 2017, all suites at the Landmark have been renovated! Visit their website for photos and details.

The Landmark Resort
4929 Landmark Dr.
Egg Harbor, WI 54209
Reservations (800) 273-7877

To book through our discounted group rate, please call the Landmark reservation line at (800) 273-7877 and state that you are attending the Door County Summer Institute. No group code is required. Group rates cannot be booked online.

Aurora borealis visible over Door County

About Door County

Door County, Wisconsin, is an area of captivating scenic beauty. From its steep limestone bluffs to the spacious sand beaches, the 250-mile shoreline is both dramatic and serene. Almost every kind of outdoor activity is available, as the area has four state parks and many local parks, beaches, hiking trails, and golf courses. It is the home of one of the largest concentration of artists in the Midwest. There are also numerous musical and theatrical events as well as opportunities for fine dining.

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Contact Us

MCW Department of Psychiatry | 8701 Watertown Plank Rd. | Milwaukee, WI 53226

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Caimen Masterson

Education Program Coordinator III

summerinstitute@mcw.edu

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