1 About the conference Welcome Welcome to the New Zealand Psychological Society’s annual conference. The New Zealand Psychological Society is the largest professional association for psychologists in New Zealand with over 1500 members and students. Our aim is to “improve individual and community wellbeing by representing, promoting and advancing the scientific discipline and practice of psychology”. The theme of this year’s conference is Te Ao Tūroa - The World in Front of us which recognises that as well as responding to the past and the present, psychology needs to consider the world unfolding before us. We need to adapt our professional and social justice focus to address the issues which are likely to impact on us as individuals, whanau, communities and nations through our psychological practice, research, teaching and learning. Keynote speakers at the conference include: John Briere, Dawn Darlaston-Jones, Julian (Joe) Elliott, Willem Kuyken, Gerald Monk and Barry Smith. We also welcome our guest speakers: JaneMary Castelfranc-Allen & Barry Parsonson; Nadine Kaslow, Alison Towns & Neville Robertson as well as the many presenters at conference. Special thanks goes to the opening speaker, Mere Balzer and Academic Programme Convenor Dr Carol Barber as well as to her team of reviewers, Cate Curtis, Jeannette Berman, Robert Isler, Ian Lambie, James McEwen, Mike O’Driscoll, John Perrone, Elizabeth Peterson, Neville Robertson, Maree Roche, Rebecca Sargisson, Kyle Smith, Armon Tamatea, Jo Thakker, Waikaremoana Waitoki. Many thanks also to Dr Pamela Hyde, NZPsS Executive Director, Heike Albrecht, NZPsS Professional Development Coordinator and Angus Macfarlane (NZPsS Kaihautu) The following student assistants are helping with the smooth operation of the conference: Jonathon Ashe, Shevon Barrow, Juliana Brown, Gabrielle Cornelius, Jane Currie, Amanda Drewer, Hannah Finnigan, Pare Harris, Veronika Lang, Nasalifya Namwinga, Leah Oh, Jess Steadman. You will be able to identify them by their yellow name badges. We would like to thank the Psychologists Board and ACC for their sponsorship of this conference and Wilkinson Insurance, NZCER, Overeaters Anonymous, the Women’s bookshop and Sage Publications for their support. 2 Agenda FRIDAY John Briere Full day workshop Friday - 28th Aug 2015 09:00 - MSB 1.01 This workshop introduces an empirically-based treatment for multiply traumatized, multi-problem adolescents and young adults, Integrative Treatment of Complex Trauma for Adolescents (ITCT- A). This components approach includes relational, cognitive-behavioral, affect regulation, and mindfulness interventions that are specifically crafted to engage and assist seriously traumatized -- and sometimes alienated – young people. It offers a flexible, nonjudgmental, but focused approach to issues such as substance abuse, tension reduction behaviors (e.g., self-mutilation), dysfunctional sexual behavior, and other avoidance responses. Interventions are individually adapted and customized according to the youth's current challenges, specific symptoms, and functional capacities. Treatment outcome results will be reviewed. Learning objectives: After this presentation, the attendee will be able to: (1) Describe three major effects of complex trauma on adolescents and young adults (2) List three core components of Integrative Treatment of Complex Trauma for Adolescents (ITCT- A) (3) Define "trigger identification and intervention” (4) Describe three principles of the ITCT-A approach to substance use/abuse Joe Elliott - Full day workshop Friday - 28th Aug 2015 09:00 - MSB 1.02 This workshop will permit more detailed analysis of scientific research into reading disability/dyslexia. It will examine the evidential basis for different psychological theories that seek to explain such difficulties and the relevance of this work for informing intervention. It will also consider common misunderstandings and misappropriations of the dyslexia label in higher education settings. The workshop will then consider the merits of various critical responses to the book’s conclusion that dyslexia is an unhelpful term that should be discontinued. Finally, it will seek to explain the reasons for the sometimes vituperative and hostile ad hominem attacks that have been made by those who are resistant to this suggestion. 3 Willem Kuyken - Full day workshop Friday - 28th Aug 2015 09:00 - MSB 1.05 This one-day workshop will explore a number of questions and themes: What is compassion? Compassion as understood in evolution and animal behaviour Contextualizing compassion - Traditional understandings of compassion - Contemporary understandings of compassion Can compassion be trained? How is compassion trained in mindfulness-based interventions? Embodiment and personhood Gerald Monk - Full day workshop Friday - 28th Aug 2015 09:00 - MSB 1.13 Introduction to Narrative Mediation Narrative mediation is a culturally focused practice that is based upon the notion that our lives are shaped by the stories that people tell about us and by the stories that we tell ourselves. The goal of the narrative mediator is to co-author stories that highlight strengths and competencies, rather than conflict. It helps people separate themselves from conflict-saturated stories and gives them the opportunity to re-author relationships in more peaceful, cooperative, and respectful ways. From this alternative position, the resolution of conflict can often happen much more smoothly and effectively than in traditional problem-solving approaches. The one-day workshop will include a mixture of lecture, small group activities, discussion and participants will view a live demonstration of the narrative mediation method. Participants attending this workshop will learn about: - some commonly held assumptions that impact people in conflict - the ideas that underpin a narrative mediation approach to resolving conflict - how to help people separate themselves from the divisiveness of a dispute and create shared meaning - opening new possibilities within the midst of a conflict - how to acknowledge the cultural influences that impact the parties in conflict. 4 Dawn Darlaston-Jones - Workshop 1 Friday - 28th Aug 2015 09:00 - MSB 1.03 Theory into practice: Incorporating critical reflexivity and decolonisation theory into the therapeutic alliance Associate Professor Dawn Darlaston-Jones PhD MAPS There has been an increasing awareness that service provision for Indigenous peoples globally is not achieving the necessary outcomes in order to close the range of disparity gaps that exist. Numerous reports and investigations suggest that mainstream theory and practice might not offer the best approach in working effectively with Indigenous persons and communities. The history of colonisation and the resulting legacies that accrue to Indigenous and non-Indigenous persons in a settler context often contribute to oppositional binaries that can lead to misunderstandings and confusion in the therapeutic relationship and service provision. In this workshop participants will be encouraged to critically reflect on their own position relative to the settler context and how to work towards a decolonisation framework that allows for the emergence of a third space that respects and incorporates multiple knowledges and ways of working. Such an approach to practice offers the potential for psychologists and psychology to achieve greater relevance in contributing to a broader social change agenda. Morning Tea Friday - 28th Aug 2015 10:30 - Lunch Friday - 28th Aug 2015 12:30 - 5 Dryden Badenoch - Half day workshop Friday - 28th Aug 2015 13:30 - MSB 1.15 1:30pm to 5pm Most psychologists have little presentation training. Or so we think. Inexperience, time pressure and anxiety lead us into bad habits: text-heavy slides, unreadable graphics, reading our slides aloud. These distract our audiences and impair their retention of the information we’re presenting. Applying principles of perception, cognition and interaction we learned as undergraduates can make our presentations more engaging and so more effective. In this workshop, we’ll review and redesign, slide-by-slide, an actual conference research presentation. We’ll observe the gains due to a psychological approach to presenting, while learning some useful frameworks and techniques. It’s suitable for any psychologist: student, intern, researcher or clinician, however often you give presentations. While not essential, you’ll derive most benefit from this workshop if you bring one of your presentations on your laptop or tablet, in your usual presentation program. Afternoon Tea Friday - 28th Aug 2015 15:30 - 6 Dawn Darlaston-Jones - Workshop 2 Saturday - 29th Aug 2015 13:30 - MSB 1.03 (Re)Constructing curriculum for decolonisation education in psychology Associate Professor Dawn Darlaston-Jones PhD MAPS This workshop is designed to assist academics to create integrated content in the delivery of psychology courses whether in a stand-alone unit of study or across an entire degree. There is a particular focus on embedding Indigenous knowledges within and alongside psychological theory so that students have a more critical understanding of the importance and value of these perspectives. Participants will be introduced to a method of mapping a psychology curriculum in order to incorporate a decolonisation framework into the degree. Each unit of study will be deconstructed to demonstrate the foundational principles as well as the pedagogical structure, disciplinary knowledge and generic skill