What's your passion? What's your question? What's your experience? What concerns you about the field? This year's Institute on Psychiatric Services is offering a new format, “Practical Pearls,” that will strike these interrogative chords. Each session is led by a recognized expert who will start out with brief remarks about his or her topic, then lead an engaging discussion that follows the course of audience interest. These were launched at last year's institute as an experiment and succeeded, receiving high praise from participants.
“Practical Pearls” are informal, exciting, and designed to deliver information, knowledge, and practice development. Discussion topics on this year's agenda include many timely and provocative issues affecting mental health. For example, Philip Muskin, M.D., will lead the discussion“ Assisted Suicide: Where Are We and Where Should We Be Going?” Jack Drescher, M.D., will engage participants in a conversation examining shifting roles of the therapist within the interpersonal therapeutic field:“ Managing Self-Disclosure in Psychotherapy.” Areas of clinical issues among challenging patient populations will be examined too: Carl Cohen, M.D., on geriatric psychiatry and Richard Rosenthal, M.D., on co-occurring substance use and mental illness.
The sessions also will accentuate interdisciplinary collaboration and the role of consumers as active participants. Debbie Dennis, M.A., and Yvonne Perrett, M.A., M.S.W., will shed light on the federal disability application process and how psychiatrists can optimize their role. Andrea White, M.S.W., will lead an informative discussion on understanding housing options for people with mental illness. Fred Osher, M.D., will discuss mental illness and incarceration, focusing on services to keep people out of jail. And Mark Ragins, M.D., will challenge us all with “Ask Your Doctor About Recovery.”
Other down-to-earth discussions will address challenges in administration through team building techniques (Joseph Merlino, M.D.), setting up an ECT Service (Charles Kellner, M.D., Max Fink, M.D., and colleagues), and how to really balance a varied psychiatric career and a personal life (Carolyn Robinowitz, M.D.). Clinicians will also value Joel Feiner, M.D.'s discussion on “Attitudes, Affect, and Engagement,” and Michael Myers, M.D.'s introspective topic, “When a Physician Is Your Patient.”
The “Practical Pearls” format is at the heart of the institute's philosophy of practicality and professional growth through the interaction of a community of committed people in the field. This year's offerings will be compelling and keep you thinking and talking long after the sessions are over. ▪
