Presented by Jessica Samson, Psy.D.
Target Audience: This introductory training is intended for behavioral health professionals, including Psychologists, Social Workers, Counselors, and MFTs. Pediatricians and psychiatrists would also benefit from this training.
Hair pulling, skin picking, nail biting, and cheek chewing are often misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or minimized in clinical settings. Yet for many children and adolescents, BFRBs are distressing, impairing, and deeply tied to shame.
This 3-hour training will equip clinicians with a clear, developmentally informed framework for understanding and treating Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs). Participants will learn how to accurately assess and differentiate BFRBs, conceptualize cases using a visual and practical model, and step-by-step guidance for implementing the Comprehensive Behavioral Model (ComB) with child and adolescent clients. Additionally, we will review other evidence-based approaches used to enhance BFRB treatment including Habit Reversal Training (HRT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI). Experiential activities, role-plays, and case examples will support skill-building and clinical confidence. Participants will leave with concrete tools they can immediately apply in their work with youth and families.
More Information:
Please contact our CE Coordinator, Candice Watson at cwatson@alvordbaker.com.
Continuing Education: 3 credits
Alvord, Baker & Associates, LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Alvord, Baker & Associates, LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Alvord, Baker & Associates, LLC is authorized by the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners as a sponsor of Continuing Education. A certificate for Category 1 credits will be awarded at the completion of each workshop.
Alvord Baker & Associates, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0213.
Treating Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors using Evidenced Based CBT
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Identify the diagnostic criteria and common clinical presentations of Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs) in children and adolescents.
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Conduct a functional assessment of BFRBs and formulate a case conceptualization using the Comprehensive Behavioral Model (ComB).
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Develop and implement developmentally appropriate ComB-based intervention strategies for youth with BFRBs.
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Differentiate and integrate components of Habit Reversal Training (HRT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Motivational Interviewing (MI) to enhance BFRB treatment.
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Identify common treatment barriers or roadblocks in BFRB treatment (e.g., shame, ambivalence, family dynamics, neurodiversity considerations) and apply strategies to address these obstacles in clinical practice.
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Dr. Samson is a licensed psychologist with over 15 years of experience providing evidence-based therapy to children, adolescents, and adults. She specializes in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for a wide range of mental health diagnoses.
Dr. Samson earned her Master’s and Psy.D. degrees from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Following graduate training, joined the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, where she served as a therapist on two multi-site clinical trials. In this role she provided cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) to children and adolescents with anxiety and tic disorders, further deepening her expertise in empirically supported treatments.
Dr. Samson is the founder of a small private practice in Bethesda, Maryland, where she works with children, teens, and adults experiencing anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), tic disorders, and body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs). In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Samson provides CBT case consultation and supervision to first and second-year psychiatry fellows at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC.