Training Title:
Schizophrenia: The Revolution in Treatment Part 2

Clock Hours: 1.5

Objectives:
After listening to and/or reading this interview, participants should be able to • Understand the basis of the work of programs which have been shown to be most effective in the first episode treatment of Schizophrenia. • Become familiar with the technique that On Track clinicians use to trace a patient’s belief systems’ effect on functioning. • Use the best method for determining whether the schizophrenic patient is hallucinating. • Recognize the main goals in working with first episode schizophrenic patients. • Identify one of the main goals in working with the families of schizophrenic patients. • Recognize the importance of connecting with the schizophrenic patient through non-verbal methods. • Understand that the goal of discussing symptoms such as hallucinations is for the therapist to help the patient own the emotions in them. • Recognize that therapists must help the patient find something healthy in themselves. • Understand why making a connection with the person’s affect is such a good way to help a person who is psychotic or schizophrenic. • Appreciate that the method to understanding the madness in a schizophrenic patient is really an emotional method.

Description:
More than two million people in the United States have a diagnosis of schizophrenia. For the last half century, until even now, the treatment for most has consisted mainly of strong doses of antipsychotic drugs that blunt hallucinations and delusions but come with significant and unpleasant side effects. Now, there has been remarkable research leading to what will be a revolution in understanding and treating this debilitating mental illness. In part two of this three part program we move to a discussion of treatment. First we interview the program director of one of the clinical sites used to study how psychosis might be treated in its early stage. Following that we interview a psychiatrist who applies self-psychology in the very close and connected treatment of early episode patients.

Approval Bodies