Presentations

I'm honored to speak with professional groups in psychotherapy and mental health care. For current information about speaking rates and scheduling, email ben@bencaldwell.com.

Presentation topics

The presentations I give most often are described briefly here. Timeframes are guidelines; depending on the needs of your group, these topics can be expanded into longer trainings or condensed into shorter ones. Points of emphasis in each presentation can be modified to meet the needs of your group.

California Law & Ethics Update

This full-day workshop is designed to fulfill the continuing education requirement for law and ethics for California license renewal for LMFTs, LPCCs, and LCSWs. Special attention is given to recent changes in state law and professional ethical codes, issues in telehealth, current ethical debates in the field, supervision, and value-driven decision making. Typically 6 hours.

Difficult Choices: Morals and Values in Therapy

This presentation honors the struggles therapists face every day in making moral and value-driven decisions where legal and ethical standards offer no guidance. Discussion focuses on the roles and responsibilities of therapist and client, acknowledging that the therapist is a moral being without imposing a moral structure, addressing value differences, handling competing needs of multiple family members, and larger philosophical questions of the purpose of therapy. Typically 2-3 hours.

Best Practices in Online Therapy: Telehealth, Email, Social Media, and More

Therapists and clients alike are growing more comfortable with technology. Most therapists now say they have emailed with clients, and many have adopted automated text-message appointment reminders to reduce client no-shows. This presentation focuses on legal, ethical, and best practice guidance for the use of technology in clinical practice. Issues addressed include telehealth requirements, practicing across state lines, software platforms, email, texting, and social media. Typically 2-3 hours.

Saving Psychotherapy

Decades of data prove that psychotherapy works. But data also shows that spending on therapy is rapidly declining as training costs and requirements increase. Therapists at all career levels are impacted by these trends, which are already pushing some well-qualified therapists out of the field. In this fast-paced, data-driven, and ultimately optimistic presentation, attendees learn specific steps they can take on an individual basis to improve their own practices, while saving our field from becoming one by and for the wealthy. Typically 90 minutes - 2 hours.

Custom presentations

If your group or organization has a specific need or an area of focus you would like me to address, let me know. If it's a topic I can speak to knowledgeably and passionately, I'll work with you to craft a presentation that meets your needs. If I can't speak well to that topic, I'll do my best to connect you with others who can.

Last updated April 2022