Psychotherapy Training Center - University of Arkansas Medical Sciences

The Psychotherapy Training Center (PTC) is a program co-sponsored by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Psychiatric Research Institute and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Social Work. Evidence-based psychotherapy training courses will be offered at the Psychiatric Research Institute (PRI) to those who wish to advance their expertise in one or more of the areas offered through the Psychotherapy Training Center.

Current training courses include:

Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: This course will be offered each fall and will run for ten weeks. The course will start with an overview of the basic principles and concepts of psychodynamic theory, followed by an in-depth presentation of an evidence-based object relations model that can be used in everyday practice situations. The cost is $250.

Cognitive-Behavioral Psychotherapy: This course will be offered each fall and will run for ten weeks. The course will draw from the work of Aaron Beck, the founder and originator of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Participants in this course will learn the central concepts of cognitive-behavioral theory and therapy. A particular emphasis will be on using CBT to understand and treat clients with mood, anxiety and personality disorders. The cost is $250.

Family Therapy: This course will be offered each spring and will run for fifteen weeks. It will provide an approach to understanding human behavior from the perspective of relationships and social context. The course will cover general systems theory and several models of family therapy. A unique component of this course will include the traditional learning model of live family interviews that will illuminate the complexity of family relations and the applicability of specific theories to resolve problems. The cost is $350.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy: This course will cover the principles and practice strategies of dialectical-behavior therapy (DBT). Participants will learn fundamental concepts that inform the DBT practice approach, in addition to practical application strategies that are designed to supplement cognitive-behavioral treatment interventions. The cost is $250.

“Couples Therapy: Couples Therapy is a course designed to apply principles of family therapy theory to couples work. Case formulation will be based on an understanding of personality theory, general systems theory, and attachment theory. Students will be challenged to consider differences and similarities between individual and family therapy in relation to couple’s therapy. Emphasis will be on the integration of knowledge and skills. Each participant will be challenged to become increasingly aware relational issues in her or his own life and demonstrate an understanding of how this affects treatment outcomes.”

Upcoming courses

Couples Therapy: Starts May 29, 2012

Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: Starts, Aug. 28, 2012

Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy: Starts Aug. 23, 2012

For more information on Psychotherapy Training Center courses, or to receive a registration form, please contact Dr. Kim Jones (kajones@ualr.edu).

Faculty of the PRI/UALR Psychotherapy Training Center

Kim Jones, Ph.D., is director of the PsychotherapyTraining Center. Dr. Jones received his doctorate from the Smith College School of Social Work and has more than 25 years of clinical social work experience. Dr. Jones is currently an Associate Professor at the UALR School of Social Work; Coordinator of the Graduate Social Work Program and chair of the clinical concentration; and a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UAMS. He is a Licensed Certified Social Worker in the State of Arkansas.

Howard M. Turney, Ph.D., received his doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy from Florida State University (FSU) and clinical training at the FSU Marriage and Family Clinic. He holds the rank of Professor and is the Director of the UALR School of Social Work. Dr. Turney is also a clinical member and approved supervisor of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). For the past 16 years Dr. Turney has maintained a private practice and is licensed as both a Marriage and Family Therapist and a Licensed Certified Social Worker in the State of Arkansas.

Grace Aikman, Ph.D., received her master’s degree in counseling from Georgia State University in 1991 and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Texas A&M University in 2000. She completed a VA internship and postdoctoral fellowship, and then began working in a rural outpatient mental health clinic in Kentucky. She currently works at the Central Arkansas Veterans’ Health Care System (VA) as a therapist in the outpatient mental health clinic where she was trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and is part of the clinic’s DBT team.

John Milwee, Psy.D., received his doctorate from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He worked for and was trained as a cognitive behavioral therapist in the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research. After completing his internship in 2006, Dr. Milwee began working as a clinical psychologist in the Mental Health Clinic of the Central Arkansas Veteran’s Healthcare System in North Little Rock. He is a licensed psychologist in the State of Arkansas.

Rebecca Ward graduated from the UALR School of Social Work (MSW) in 1979. After two years in community mental health, she went into private practice in Little Rock. She is licensed by both the Social Work Licensing Board (LCSW), and the Board of Examiners in Psychology. Rebecca is the author of "How To Stay Married Without Going Crazy" (Rainbow Books, Inc.2000), and is a frequent lecturer and speaker.

Alan Bagley, M.D., received his medical degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in 2006 and completed his adult psychiatry residency at UAMS in 2010. He is a licensed physician in Arkansas and is currently a first-year child psychiatry fellow at UAMS and Arkansas Children's Hospital (ACH). His experience and training in DBT has been through his work with the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) team in the outpatient mental health clinic at the Central Arkansas Veterans Health Care System (VA).

Dane Clement, LCSW received his master’s degree from Tulane University in 1985, and has more than 25 years of clinical social work experience. Mr. Clement has worked at the Central Arkansas Veteran’s Healthcare System in North Little Rock since 1986, specializing in the treatment of Addictions, and PTSD. Mr. Clement has also been an Adjunct professor of Social Work at UALR, Graduate School of Social, since 1998. He has received his training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) from Kelly Wilson, Ph.D., one of the authors of the ACT treatment model. Mr. Clement is a Licensed Certified Social worker in the state of Arkansas.

Don Streit, LCSW, has practiced social work in the Little Rock area for over 35 years with a private practice in psychotherapy. He is a field instructor of social work interns and an adjunct professor for the School of Social Work at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He has presented several workshops in the field of spirituality and social work. He offers book studies in the areas of Jungian dreamwork interpretation and the Shadow archetype.