Package Description

You must register for the webinar. Once you have successfully registered, you will be redirected back to this learning center where you can start the course. You will also receive an email with a link to this course.

CPA members pay $45; non-members pay $55.

Pharmacological and Psychotherapy of Depression: Update and Best Practices
Prescribing Psychologists integrate pharmacology with psychotherapy. The American Psychological Association has released a Clinical Practice Guideline for 2022 for this topic, across three age cohorts, which primarily focuses on psychotherapy but includes pharmacotherapy. Dr. Lia Billington’s presentation of this topic will primarily focus on pharmacology to equip the consulting or future prescribing psychologist on the rationales for using certain antidepressants over others, and including initial dosing and titration, along with possible adverse effects. Case examples will illustrate features of treatment plans utilizing specific pharmacotherapies and psychotherapies. Foundational concepts from this webinar will be referenced in a second webinar on treatment of anxiety.

Program Level: Intermediate

Learning Objectives:

• Name three features of “expanded informed consent” (APA, 2011) that will give clients support in evaluating whether psychotropic medications are an option they wish to consider.
• Summarize the basic findings from the STAR*D study of antidepressants (2008), and list one recent update (2020) regarding switching to a different antidepressant if the originally selected one is ineffective.
• Compare and contrast the initial dosing of three SSRI’s with the NDRI bupropion.
• Describe the most common adverse effects of SSRI’s and how they can be prevented or managed.
• Identify antidepressants that are also sometimes used to treat sleep onset disorder or sleep maintenance difficulties.