Working with people with disability: a workshop for Psychologists and mental health professionals

Webinar on working with disability for psychological therapists (e.g., psychologists, provisional psychologists, counsellors). 

Psychological strategies have demonstrated efficacy for treating mood disorders, anxiety, symptoms of psychosis and improving quality of life in  individuals across the lifespan. The Medicare and National Disability Insurance Schemes have improved access to psychological therapies for people with disability at an unprecedented rate. There is good evidence that adapting psychological therapies for people with disability (e.g., ASD, Acquired Brain Injury, Developmental Disability) is effective at alleviating psychological symptoms and supporting people to build better lives. 

For psychological interventions to be successful and ethical, those delivering them need to have a good understanding of disability, how it impacts on therapeutic outcomes and adapting therapy interventions for people with disability. 

This webinar provides an overview of working with people with disability as a psychological therapist. Topics covered include:

- Features of high frequency disability (e.g., ASD, ABI, intellectual disability)

- How cognitive profile impacts on psychological treatment

- Adapting mainstream therapies (i.e., CBT, ACT and IPT) for people with disability (a brief overview)

- Stakeholder engagement 

- Record keeping and working in the context of NDIS

About the presenter

Dr Lee Cubis is a Psychologist with 19 years of experience working in the disability sector where he has delivered frontline services to individuals with moderate to severe behaviours of concern. This includes work with people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Intellectual Disability, Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) and neurodegenerative disease (e.g. dementia, Multiple Sclerosis, Huntington's Disease). Lee works with individuals, families and formal support workers across university, private and community ABI settings. He regularly runs professional development training to the disability support sector in the areas of Positive Behaviour Support and adapting psychological interventions for people with cognitive disability. Lee is also an active researcher in disability and regularly presents at national and international conferences.