Session 14: Transformational Moments: How Master Clinicians Think, Talk, and Listen When Facing the Most Challenging of Clinical Tasks
This symposium will offer a variety of innovative strategies and interviewing techniques for transforming many of the most problematic clinical challenges encountered in everyday practice. Traditionally daunting clinical tasks are the focus of this symposium including: rapidly and sensitively engaging clients with borderline and/or narcissistic disorders, exploring incest and domestic violence, uncovering subtly presenting and/or dangerous psychotic processes (demonstrated with vivid videos of actual patient interviews), unraveling diagnostically complex or atypical presentations of anxiety disorders such as OCD, Panic Disorder, and PTSD (also demonstrated with vivid actual client interviews), and transforming angry client encounters or antagonistic client questions. Dr. Shea – with a subtle grace and keen insight – deconstructs these troubling everyday clinical gremlins and re-imagines the situations providing clinicians with new maps for navigating these daunting clinical terrains. By doing so, he not only helps clinicians to more effectively transform these difficult moments but also decreases clinician burn-out by enhancing clinician confidence and increasing fascination with the intricacies of the therapeutic dyad. The techniques described are immediately applicable to therapists in all clinical settings from community mental health centers, college counseling centers, and private psychotherapy practices to emergency departments and inpatient units.
Psychology CE Credit Statement
The Medical College of Wisconsin is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Medical College of Wisconsin maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
This activity contains content or processes that may be potentially stressful.
Target Audience
- Physicians
- Nurse Practitioners
- Physician Assistants
- Nurses
- Pharmacists
- Psychologists
- Social Workers
- Psychiatry Residents
- Medical Students
- Allied Health Professionals
Learning Objectives
- Use specific interviewing techniques and strategies for rapidly engaging clients with borderline and/or narcissistic processes by utilizing an admixture of cognitive-behavioral principles with psychodynamic techniques from schools of thought such as Object Relations and Self-psychology.
- Utilize interviewing techniques for spotting delusional mood, delusional perception, the life-cycle of psychosis, and dangerous psychotic processes including command hallucinations, alien control, psychotic hyper-religiosity, and hidden smoldering paranoia.
- Use interviewing techniques to differentiate the subtle phenomenological presentations and symptoms of both typical and atypical Panic Disorder and OCD (which may have important treatment ramifications) as well as sensitively uncover hidden histories of physical and sexual abuse that may be the etiology of a client’s PTSD.
- Assess and gracefully transform moments of intense disengagement with clients including angry confrontations and awkward client challenges or personal questions to the clinician.
Thursday:
- Rapidly and sensitively engaging clients with borderline and narcissistic personality disorders
- Uncovering subtle and /or dangerous psychotic processes that can lead to violence, suicide, or self-mutilation (Video Demonstrations)
Friday:
- Gently uncovering hidden OCD, Panic Disorder, and PTSD (Video Demonstrations)
- Exploring physical and sexual trauma with sensitivity and compassion (Video Demonstration)
- Practical techniques for turning moments of angry disengagement into moments of therapeutic magic

Lodging in July and August is in great demand; you must make reservations early. A block of suites has been set aside at the Landmark Resort. These suites will be held until June 6th, 2025, or until they are filled.
From its site on the bluff, the Landmark offers outstanding views of the waters of Green Bay with 294 units comprised of 1, 2, and 3-bedroom suites. Facilities include the Carrington Pub and Grill, 1 indoor and 3 outdoor pools, 2 tennis courts, whirlpools, steam rooms, and a fitness center and game room. The Landmark Resort is Door County’s largest and best full-service facility.
The Landmark Resort
4929 Landmark Drive
Egg Harbor, Wisconsin 54209
Reservations: (800) 273-7877
http://www.thelandmarkresort.com
To book through our discounted group rate, please call the Landmark reservation line at (800) 273-7877 and state that you are attending the Door County Summer Institute. No group code is required.
Group rates cannot be booked online.
Shawn Christopher Shea, MD, is the Director of the Training Institute for Suicide Assessment and Clinical Interviewing and is the author of numerous books and articles in the fields of suicide assessment, creating resiliency, and clinical interviewing. Having given over 850 workshops worldwide, he is popular for his provocative, fast-paced presentations laced with a wicked sense of humor. He has been a frequent presenter at venues such as the Cape Cod Symposium and the Santa Fe Symposium and has been a featured presenter at twenty-two Annual Meetings of the American Association of Suicidology. Dr. Shea is the creator of the internationally utilized Chronological Assessment of Suicide Events. His text Psychiatric Interviewing: The Art of Understanding, 3rd Edition, was chosen by the British Medical Association as the 2017 Book of the Year in Psychiatry. His book The Practical Art of Suicide Assessment is viewed as a classic in the field of suicide prevention.
Activity Director:
Carlyle H Chan, MD
Professor of Psychiatry and
the Institute for Health and Equity-Bioethics and Humanities
Medical College of Wisconsin
Planning Committee Members:
Ellen Leitner, MSW, LCSW
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine
Medical College of Wisconsin
Kevin Bozymski, PharmD, BCPS, BCPP
Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical Science
Medical College of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine
Medical College of Wisconsin
Kylie Lenz, PA-C
Physician Assistant
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine
Medical College of Wisconsin
Heather M. Smith, PhD, ABPP
Lead Psychologist
Director of Psychology Training
Milwaukee VA Medical Center
Associate Professor
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine
Medical College of Wisconsin
Marisa Stich, APNP
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine
Medical College of Wisconsin
In accordance with the ACCME® Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, Standard 3, all in control of content must disclose any relevant financial relationships. The following in control of content had no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
- Carlyle H Chan
- Ellen Leitner
- Kevin Bozymski
- Kylie Lenz
- Heather M. Smith
- Marisa Stich
- Shawn Shea
Accreditation Statement:
The Medical College of Wisconsin is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Designation of Credit Statement
The Medical College of Wisconsin designates this live activity for a maximum of 15 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Hours of Participation for Allied Health Professionals
The Medical College of Wisconsin designates this activity for up to 15 hours of participation for continuing education for allied health professionals.
National Association of Social Workers Credit Statement
This program is pending approval by the National Association of Social Workers for continuing education contact hours.
American Association of Nurse Practitioners Credit Statement
The Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc. is approved as a provider of nurse practitioner continuing education by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners: AANP Provider Number 150930. This program has been approved for 8 contact hours of continuing education (which includes 0 hours of pharmacology).
American Academy of Physician Assistants Credit Statement
This program is not yet approved for CME credit. Conference organizers plan to apply for 8 AAPA Category 1 CME credits from the AAPA Review Panel. The total number of approved credits is yet to be determined.
Available Credit
- 8.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
- 8.00 APAAPA credit.
- 8.00 Hours of ParticipationHours of Participation credit.
- 8.00 NASW
- 8.00 NP Contact Hours
- 8.00 PAPA credit.
Price
*All registrations will be assessed $27.00 non-refundable processing fee, per session.
Credit MUST be claimed before November 30, 2025.
We highly encourage you to complete the evaluation and credit steps before leaving on your last day!
Early Bird! Tuition for 5-day sessions will be reduced to $695 and $375 for 2-day sessions, if received by June 1, 2025. Tuition for 5-day sessions (3 hrs/day) is $745. Tuition for 2-day sessions (4 hrs/day) is $395. Graduate and medical students and resident physicians will have a discounted rate, so please contact Caimen at [email protected] to inquire about this discount.
To receive a refund, the request must be made 15 days before the requested session begins. If the refund request is received less than 15 days before the session begins, the registration fee will be forfeited. There is also a $50 cancellation fee, should the request be received within the allotted window. Each session is also charged a non-refundable $27 processing fee.
2-Day Sessions | |
EARLY BIRD PRICING | PRICING AFTER JUNE 1st |
$375 | $395 |
PLEASE NOTE! The billing address entered upon checkout must match the billing address on the credit card you will be using to pay for this course. MCW accepts MasterCard, VISA and Discover card. For a more user-friendly registration and payment experience, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox are the recommended web browsers.
Registration scams:
Registration for courses managed by MCW Office of Continuing Professional Development can only be completed through our portal at https://ocpe.mcw.edu/. Course registrations made through other sites cannot be honored. MCW Office of Continuing Professional Development is not able to refund fees paid through unaffiliated registration sites, such as eMedEvents.com, MedConfWorld.com, EventEgg.com, and 10times.com. Please report any unauthorized websites or solicitations for registrations to [email protected].