Managing Interactions in the Therapy Room Training
Free · On-demand · 3 CE hours · Learn at your own pace
On-Demand Course
at your pace and convenience.
This engaging, self-paced course is approved for 3 continuing education (CE) hours. To earn CE hours, you will need to complete 1) all required course activities and 2) the course evaluation survey. A certificate of attendance will be made available on the Student Dashboard upon course completion.
What You'll Learn
After completing this course, you will be better prepared to:
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notice your own contributions to family interactional patterns;
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determine when to ask clients to speak directly, talk through you, or meet individually; and
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actively facilitate interactions to meet individual and relational goals.
Who This Course Is For
Behavioral health providers across the globe, including:
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family therapists, art therapists, mental health counselors, social workers, psychologists, and other mental health clinicians,
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problem gambling treatment providers,
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Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselors (CADCs),
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Certified Gamling Addiction Counselors (CGACs),
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problem gambling treatment supervisors, and
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prevention specialists.
What Is Included
In family sessions, some of the most powerful therapeutic moments happen not just in what clients say to you, but in what happens between them. In this online training, you’ll learn how to recognize interactional patterns as they unfold, become more aware of how your own responses may shape those patterns, and make intentional decisions about when to encourage clients to speak directly with one another, communicate through you, or meet individually.
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The course features immersive case studies, presentations, readings, research snapshots, handouts, and other resources.
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This course includes videos of experienced mental health clinicians demonstrating clinical skills in scenarios adapted from real sessions. Clients are portrayed by actors. This provides authenticity while protecting client privacy.
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We suggest you take your time, view content as many times as you like, and access suggested readings and resources when possible. It is not necessary to complete the course in a single sitting. You are free to open and close a course as many times as you like.
Instructor
Senior Instructor Teresa McDowell
Teresa McDowell, EdD, LMFT is professor emerita at Lewis & Clark, where she served as department chair and co-founded the college’s Problem Gambling Services. With over 40 years of experience as a clinician, educator, administrator, and consultant, Teresa focuses on workforce development, equity-based clinical practice, integrated treatment for problem gambling, and clinical supervision. She is a social researcher, program evaluator, and consultant with Partners in Social Research and Senior Instructor for ACORN. Dr. McDowell has authored more than 50 scholarly publications and is lead author of Socioculturally Attuned Family Therapy: Applying Third Order Thinking to Theory and Practice (3rd Ed., 2026).
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What About CE Hours
Certificate of completion will be made available on the Student Dashboard after you complete all required course activities and the course evaluation survey.
ACORN is approved by the Mental Health & Addiction Certification Board of Oregon (MHACBO), Provider ID: 26-0044, to provide continuing education courses. Additionally, ACORN is approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7274. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. ACORN is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
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