Superhero Therapy for Trauma and PTSD: Integrating Pop Culture to Quickly Build Client Trust, Motivation, & Engagement in Therapy

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Janina Scarlet, PhD Related seminars and products

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Janina Scarlet, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist, PTSD/trauma expert, co-founder of Superhero Therapy (ST), author, TEDx speaker, and a full-time geek. She works with active-duty service members, as well as veterans and non-veteran civilians with PTSD and trauma.

A Ukrainian-born refugee, she survived Chernobyl radiation and persecution. Dr. Scarlet immigrated to the United States at the age of 12 with her family and later, inspired by the X-Men, developed ST to help people with anxiety, depression, and PTSD. ST is a tool that helps clinicians incorporate clients’ passions about popular culture into evidence-based therapies, such as CBT, ACT, DBT, CPT, EMDR, and narrative therapy to help build rapport with clients, increase adherence to treatment, and narrative therapy to help build rapport with clients, increase adherence to treatment, and to help clients determine their own sense of purpose (i.e., the client’s own heroic journey).

Dr. Scarlet is the lead trauma specialist at the Center for Stress and Anxiety Management and with the Pop Culture Hero Coalition. She is the recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award by the United Nations Association for her work on Superhero Therapy. Dr. Scarlet’s work has been featured on Yahoo, BBC, NPR, Sunday Times, CNN, CW, ABC, The New York Times, Forbes, and many other outlets. She regularly consults on books and television shows, including HBO’s The Young Justice and was portrayed as a psychologist comic book character in Gail Simone’s Seven Days graphic novel.

Her books include Superhero Therapy, Harry Potter Therapy, Therapy Quest, Super-Women, It Shouldn’t Be This Way, Superhero Therapy for Anxiety and Trauma, and many others.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Janina Scarlet is the founder of Superhero Therapy and has an employment relationship with Pop Culture Hero Coalition. She receives royalties as a published author. Dr. Scarlet receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Janina Scarlet has no relevant non-financial relationships.

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Objectives

1. Integrate pop culture examples into evidenced-based therapies, such as CBT, ACT, DBT, EMDR, and narrative therapy.
2. Develop a treatment plan utilizing the client’s origin story.
3. Utilize game-based approaches to improve client engagement with between-session activities.
4. Employ creative exercises of fanfiction and cosplay creation to decrease anxiety and trauma symptoms.
5. Conduct the superhero mentor exercise to increase clients’ distress tolerance and emotional resilience.
6. Develop a superhero narrative that strengthens clients’ motivation for change and willingness to engage in exposure therapy.

Outline

• Concepts of ST and origin story
• Integrate with CBT, ACT, DBT, EMDR, narrative therapy
• Research related to ST and Parasocial Relationships (PSRs)
• Books, movies, TV shows, and video games as coping tools
• Builds trust and rapport with the client quickly
• Help clients feel more understood and supported
• Limitation of research and potential risks

• Ways to inquire about the client’s experiences with popular culture
• Client’s pop culture expertise as a strength
• Ways to empower client as the pop culture expert in the room
• Incorporate the client’s fandom into treatment

• Synthesize the client’s origin story, presenting problems, maladaptive/adaptive coping tools, and strengths
• Treatment plan as a guide for intervention

• Misconceptions about video games
• Psychological benefits of video games
• Discuss video games in session without being a gamer
• Integrate video games into therapy and gamify homework practices

• Benefits of creativity and self-expression
• Foster creativity and self-expression

• Reduce therapy attrition by incorporating exposures into narrative therapy
• Increase distress tolerance and emotional resilience skills via the superhero mentor exercise
• Help clients to change their trauma narrative from victim to survivor

• Becoming their own version of a superhero in real life
• Strengthen motivation for change and willingness to engage in exposures
• Other therapy skills as a form of courageous steps on their superhero journey

Target Audience

• Counselors
• Social Workers
• Psychiatrists
• Psychologists
• Psychotherapists
• Addiction Counselors
• Marriage and Family Therapists
• Therapists
• Physicians
• Chaplains/Clergy
• Case Managers
• Other Professionals Who Work with Teen and Adult Clients within the Mental Health Fields

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