Real-World Therapy in Action
- Speakers:
- Janine E. Oliver, PhD, MSW, LCSW, RYI200, CH, CCATP | Sharon Saline, PsyD, ADHD-CCSP
- Duration:
- 1 Hour 31 Minutes
- Format:
- Audio and Video
- Copyright:
-
Feb 26, 2026
- Product Code:
- POS150548
- Media Type:
- Digital Seminar
Description
This dynamic session explores how cultural pressures, social media, and self-diagnosis shape clients’ expectations and anxiety in therapy. Through interactive reflection, role plays, and practical tools, you’ll learn how to unmask identity struggles, address misinformation, and guide clients toward authentic self-understanding.
You'll learn:
- Client misconceptions from self-diagnosis, social comparison, and cultural pressure.
- Practical strategies to gently confront unrealistic therapy expectations while maintaining rapport.
- Integrate cultural, generational, and media literacy perspectives into treatment to deepen insight and engagement.
Credit
Speaker
Janine E. Oliver, PhD, MSW, LCSW, RYI200, CH, CCATP Related seminars and products
Janine Oliver, PhD, MSW, LCSW, RYI200, CH, CCATP, is a psychologist, author, and licensed clinical social worker with over 20 years’ experience counseling in the mental health field. She has researched social media and reality television’s impact on critical thinking for over 10 years and has been studying generational changes for two decades. Her specific area of research focused on how these mediums, reality TV & social media, have impacted critical thinking ability in America.
Dr. Oliver is trained in cognitive psychology and uses cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy and logotherapy as primary interventions in treatment to help with grief, loss, anxiety and depression. Dr. Oliver is a certified yoga instructor, acknowledging the connection between body, mind and spirit as a holistic approach to overall health and well-being. She is also a certified hypnotherapist, meditation instructor and EFT practitioner; using these modalities to focus on the subconscious and emotion centers as a means of treating a variety of issues, such as habits, phobias, inner child work, pain and regression. In addition, Dr. Oliver is a certified clinical anxiety treatment professional, using the most current interventions to treat anxiety and enhance the lives of those suffering with crippling anxiety to lead healthy active lives. She is a psychology professor and presenter for continuing education credits for mental health professionals.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Janine Oliver has employment relationships with Estadt Psychological and Delaware Country Community College. She receives compensation as a yoga and certified hypnosis instructor. Dr. Oliver receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Janine Oliver has no relevant non-financial relationships.
Sharon Saline, PsyD, ADHD-CCSP Related seminars and products
Dr. Sharon Saline, PLLC
Sharon Saline, PsyD, ADHD-CCSP, clinical psychologist and author of the award-winning book, What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew: Working Together to Empower Kids for Success in School and Life and The ADHD Solution Deck, specializes in working with children, teens, and families living with ADHD, learning disabilities, twice exceptionality and mental health issues.
With decades of experience as a clinical psychologist, educator and consultant, she guides people towards a greater understanding about neurodivergence and to live with more productivity and connection. She lectures and facilitates workshops internationally on topics such as ADHD ad neurodivergence, executive functioning, the anxiety spectrum, motivation, perfectionism and working with different kinds of learners.
Dr. Saline is on the advisory panel, serves as a contributing editor at ADDitudemag.com and hosts their monthly Solve My Problem live webinar sessions. She is an instructor in the department of psychiatry, University of Massachusetts-Baystate, T.H. Chan School of Medicine, Springfield, MA. She also blogs for PsychologyToday.com, appears as a featured expert on MASS Appeal on WWLP-TV and is a part-time lecturer at the Smith School for Social Work. She has been featured in numerous online and print publications including The New York Times, MSN, The Washington Post, The Psychotherapy Networker, Smith College Studies in Social Work, Attention Magazine, Attitude Magazine and more.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Sharon Saline maintains a private practice and has employment relationships with Smith College School for Social Work and Additudemag.com. . She receives royalties as a published author. She receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Sharon Saline is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Massachusetts Psychological Association, the Children and Adults with ADHD, and the Attention Deficit Disorder Association.
Additional Info
Access for Self-Study (Non-Interactive)Access never expires for this product.
For a more detailed outline that includes times or durations of time, if needed, please contact cepepesi.com
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Objectives
- Recognize the impact of cultural pressures, social media, and self-diagnosis on client anxiety and therapy expectations.
- Implement role-played strategies to correct misconceptions and address overfunctioning, imposter syndrome, and avoidance behaviors.
- Integrate culturally and generationally informed approaches, media literacy, and psychoeducational tools into clinical practice.
Outline
Introduction & Framing
- Opening reflection: the cultural drive toward toxic productivity and constant striving
- Quick interactive poll: “What unrealistic expectations of therapy have you heard from clients?”
- Set the stage: differences between therapy and coaching, what therapy can and cannot do
- Brief cultural lens: AI vs human therapist, calling out myths, stigma, and culturally shaped expectations of treatment
Psychoeducation & Misinformation
- Facts vs. Myths about therapy, treatment outcomes, and “quick fixes”
- The problem with self-diagnosis: pre-packaged labels from influencers/social media
- Overuse of technology, constant comparison (“compare & despair”), and the role of imposter syndrome
Unmasking & Identity Struggles
- Why “unmasking” is terrifying: the facades people put forward to meet unrealistic expectations
- Striving and busyness as avoidance of self-reflection
- The hidden cost: loss of personal awareness and self-understanding
Interactive Learning
- Role Play Sequence:
- Therapist-client dynamic addressing self-diagnosis
- Overfunctioning and avoidance of self-awareness
- Imposter syndrome and compare/contrast spirals
- After each role play: ask guiding questions, encourage reflection, highlight clinical takeaways
- Video Clips (1 & 2): examples of client misconceptions and therapeutic correction
Practical Applications
- Tools for teaching critical thinking skills as part of psychoeducation
- Strategies to gently confront unrealistic expectations of therapy
- Integrating cultural and generational considerations into treatment
- Using humor, metaphors (e.g., “apple cider vinegar cures”), and media literacy to build rapport and insight
Q&A: “What strategies resonate most with your clinical work?”
Target Audience
- Psychologists
- Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Social Workers
- Physicians
- Other Mental Health Professionals
Reviews
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