Session 1 - Neurodiversity and Alliance
ADHD Certification Level 1
with W. Keith Sutton, Psy.D.
In this session, we will examine the debate over whether ADHD is best understood as a disorder or as neurodivergence. We'll review what the research tells us about the construct of a "disorder" and how that definition applies to ADHD, including how ADHD's status as a disorder confers legal protections for people with disabilities. We'll explore the impact of a diagnosis on clients, alongside neurodiversity-affirming ways of conceptualizing ADHD as a difference. We'll also review the research on the therapeutic alliance and its relationship to treatment outcomes, and examine Motivational Interviewing as an approach that engages clients in the change process while helping them feel truly seen. Lastly, we’ll learn and practice some motivational interviewing techniques.
This session fulfills the Level 1 requirements for Core Competency #1: Neurodiversity & Therapeutic Alliance
When: Friday, September 4, 2026
Where: Online
Time: 8:00am PST to 11am PST
Cost: $75 licensed clinicians, $35 student/prelicensed
This training is the first run and is discounted 50%
CE: 3 CE for an additional $30
Where: Online
Time: 8:00am PST to 11am PST
Cost: $75 licensed clinicians, $35 student/prelicensed
This training is the first run and is discounted 50%
CE: 3 CE for an additional $30
Can't make it? Sign up to be notified when the recording is available on demand.
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Schedule
8:00am - 8:45 - Introductions and need for training based on core competencies 8:45am - 9:10 - Understanding the concept of neurodiversity and neurodiversity affirming treatment and differences 9:10am - 9:30 - Defining the definition of a disorder based on research and how a defined disorder relates to legal protections 9:30am - 9:45 - Break 9:45am - 10:00 - Review research on the relationship between alliance and outcome and clinical application of Motivational Interviewing to individuals with ADHD 10:00am - 10:25 - Practice Motivational Interviewing 10:25am - 11:00 - Motivational Interviewing client session, practice & summary |
Learning Objectives
1 - Analyze the neurodiversity paradigm and its clinical applications for destigmatizing ADHD, in order to improve client engagement and therapeutic rapport. 2 - Evaluate the clinical and legal significance of ADHD's classification as a disorder, including its relationship to disability protections under federal law. 3 - Utilize techniques from Motivational Interviewing in order to build, strengthen and maintain a strong therapeutic alliance with clients. |
Presenter
W. Keith Sutton, Psy.D., is a licensed psychologist in the San Francisco Bay Area specializing in the treatment of children, adolescents, families, couples, and adults with ADHD. He has worked with ADHD clients since 1998, building on his earlier experience as a research assistant studying the heritability of ADHD in 1995. He received specialized training in ADHD diagnosis and treatment during graduate school and has completed numerous postdoctoral training hours in the area since. Dr. Sutton founded the Bay Area Center for ADHD in 2010 as a specialty center within his larger group practice and training institute, The Institute for the Advancement of Psychotherapy (IAP). He has provided workshops on ADHD for clinicians through IAP since 2011 and offers consultation to the licensed, experienced clinicians at his Center for ADHD. He also supervises associates at IAP's affiliated nonprofit, Bay Area Community Counseling (BACC), which provides treatment to those in financial need. Dr. Sutton has a specialty in child, adolescent, and family therapy, having trained with the Strategic Family Therapy Team at the Mental Research Institute; he is also the past president of the Association of Family Therapists of Northern California (AFTNC). His work with adolescents includes experience in teen shelters, residential treatment, and drug and alcohol outpatient programs, and he co-founded Bay Area Therapists Specializing in Adolescents (BATSA). He also specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for children, adolescents, and adults with depression, anxiety, panic, social anxiety, and OCD, and trains, consults, and supervises clinicians and associates in CBT. Dr. Sutton has a specialty in couples therapy using Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT) and, as an EFCT Certified Supervisor, trains, consults with, and supervises clinicians and associates in EFCT. In addition, Dr. Sutton specializes in treating PTSD and CPTSD using Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which he also trains and supervises others in, and he integrates his training in Internal Family Systems Level 1 and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Level 1 into his work. Dr. Sutton integrates Family Systems, CBT, EFCT, EMDR, and Motivational Interviewing (MI) into his own integrative approach, Attachment-Based Cognitive Behavioral Systemic Therapy (AB-CBST). He maintains a private practice with offices in San Francisco and Corte Madera, and provides therapy throughout California via Zoom. Dr. Sutton also hosts the podcast, Therapy on the Cutting Edge, where he interviews clinicians doing innovative, integrative treatment and research in psychotherapy. To learn more about Dr. Sutton, visit www.drkeithsutton.com or listen to his podcast interview on Shrink Rap Radio. |
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Interviews with Dr. Sutton
Watch the video of Dr. Sutton's 2024 interview on KTVU discussing the rise in ADHD diagnoses in women.
Read the 2021 NBC News article where Dr. Sutton is Interviewed Regarding the Difficulties Kids and Teens Face with Remote Learning During the Pandemic
and the Rise in ADHD Assessments
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Information on Continuing Education Credit for Health Professionals
• CE credits for psychologists are provided by the Spiritual Competency Academy (SCA) which is co-sponsoring this program. The Spiritual Competency Academy is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Spiritual Competency Academy maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
• The California Board of Behavioral Sciences accepts CE credits for LCSW, LPCC, LEP, and LMFT license renewal for programs offered by sponsors of CE who are approved by the American Psychological Association.
• LCSW, LPCC, LEP and LMFTs, and other professionals from outside of California need to check with their state licensing board as to whether or not they accept credits from programs offered by approved sponsors of CE by the American Psychological Association.
• SCA is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN Provider CEP16887) for licensed nurses in California. RNs must retain their certificate of attendance for 4 years after the course concludes. Nurses outside of California must confirm acceptance with their licensing boards.
• For questions about your certificate or the content, logistics, or other support issues regarding this course, please contact the Institute for the Advancement of Psychotherapy at [email protected]. For questions about whether APA CE is valid for you, contact your licensing board directly. For general questions about APA CE, contact SCA at [email protected].
• CE credits for psychologists are provided by the Spiritual Competency Academy (SCA) which is co-sponsoring this program. The Spiritual Competency Academy is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Spiritual Competency Academy maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
• The California Board of Behavioral Sciences accepts CE credits for LCSW, LPCC, LEP, and LMFT license renewal for programs offered by sponsors of CE who are approved by the American Psychological Association.
• LCSW, LPCC, LEP and LMFTs, and other professionals from outside of California need to check with their state licensing board as to whether or not they accept credits from programs offered by approved sponsors of CE by the American Psychological Association.
• SCA is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN Provider CEP16887) for licensed nurses in California. RNs must retain their certificate of attendance for 4 years after the course concludes. Nurses outside of California must confirm acceptance with their licensing boards.
• For questions about your certificate or the content, logistics, or other support issues regarding this course, please contact the Institute for the Advancement of Psychotherapy at [email protected]. For questions about whether APA CE is valid for you, contact your licensing board directly. For general questions about APA CE, contact SCA at [email protected].