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Martha Schmitz, PhD
San Francisco ~ Saturday, October 18, 2008 ~ 9:00am-4:00pm ~ 6 Hrs Martha Schmitz, PhD offers individual and group psychotherapy to people recovering from difficult life experiences and traumas and their loved ones. Dr. Schmitz also provides continuing education workshops and consultation in the treatment of PTSD and substance abuse to clinicians throughout the United States and Canada. She has worked with Lisa M. Najavits, Ph.D., author of Seeking Safety: A Treatment Manual for PTSD and Substance Abuse, since 2000. Dr. Schmitz does clinical work and research in PTSD at the San Francisco VA medical center. She has held a Staff Psychologist position at the V.A. Pittsburgh Healthcare System and a joint appointment as Assistant Psychologist at McLean Hospital and Instructor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School. She received her doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of Missouri at Columbia after earning her master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of California at Davis. Seeking Safety is an evidence-based, present-focused therapy to help people attain safety from trauma/PTSD and substance abuse. The treatment was designed for flexible use. It has been conducted in group and individual format; for women, men, and mixed-gender; using all topics or fewer topics; in a variety of settings (outpatient, inpatient, residential); and for both substance abuse and dependence. It has also been used with people who have a trauma history, but do not meet criteria for PTSD. It was begun in 1992, under grant funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. It was developed by Lisa M. Najavits, PhD at Harvard Medical School/McLean Hospital. The goal of the one-day workshop is to describe Seeking Safety by covering (a) background on trauma and substance abuse (rates, presentation, models and stages of treatment, clinical challenges); and (b) implementation of Seeking Safety (overview, evidence base). Assessment tools and community resources are also described. By the end of the training, participants can implement Seeking Safety in their setting. Learning methods include powerpoint, video, exercises, and discussion. |
