Virtual Workshop : The New Social Anxiety: Managing the Impact of Social Media, Gaming and 24/7 Internet Access

The New Social Anxiety: Managing the Impact of Social Media, Gaming and 24/7 Internet Access

Presenter: Margaret Wehrenberg, PsyD

Friday April 23, 2021  9:00am to 4:30pm

Online – Microsoft Teams

REGISTRATION FEE: $95.00

The verdict is in: The internet is changing our brains and our social skills. The verdict is still out on absolutes about the damage or the benefits, but there is enough data in to begin altering our relationship to the devices we use every day.

Socializing in the online world, 24/7 Internet access, and gaming are exciting but also introduce startling risks for neurobiological changes that affect learning, nervous system reactivity and anxiety levels, not just in youth but at every age.

Increasingly, therapists are called upon to respond to conditions like FOMO (the fear of missing out) and NoMophobia (no-mobile-phone phobia). Clients are struggling to manage the challenges of living IRL (In Real Life) when overwhelmed by the Fantasy of Perfection and “Close Enough to Reality” images of life that impair emotional and skill development. Perhaps most pressingly, therapists need to be able to recognize, assess and correct maladaptive neurobiological changes resulting from clients’ excessive gaming and media exposure.

In this seminar you will explore the impact of screen time and gaming on learning and the nervous system; you will examine how social media affects social and emotional development; you will learn to identify the causes of and corrections for the addictive nature of new technology; and you will learn strategies to manage the anxiety outcomes of the new online social world.

AGENDA:     

You will learn:

• How to reduce the neurobiological impact of rapid screen shifting, prolonged gaming and screen time
• Strategies for youth to develop emotional management skills that combat anxiety and depression
• How older adults can more easily navigate the stresses technology places on them as relationships with family are altered and the demand for fast change increases
• Methods to diminish the power of anonymity and the Comparison Fallacy in social anxiety
• To apply Grodzki’s “coaching style” therapy to combat the fear of “adulting” that interferes with romantic relationships, normal socializing, driving or working
• To engage the default mode network to promote emotional awareness and creative problem solving—the antithesis of anxiety
• How to develop “demand delays” that diminish the addictive nature of communication notifications, gaming and social media “likes”
• How to help young adults to recognize and alter the Fantasy of Perfection and the demand to live an “amazing life” that interferes with actual skill development and damages genuine, appropriate self-esteem

PRESENTER:  Margaret Wehrenberg, Psy.D., is a practicing clinical psychologist and the author of 9 books on the topics of treating anxiety and depression. She is a sought-after speaker for conferences and trainings, consistently getting the highest ratings for her dynamic style and high-quality content. She coaches professionals in person and over the internet for anxiety management and has been training mental health professionals for 30 years. Margaret is a contributor to the award-winning Psychotherapy Networker magazine and blogs on depression for Psychology Today. Her books on topics of anxiety and depression are published by W.W. Norton, and The 10 Best-Ever Anxiety Management Techniques and its workbook were released in 2018 in revised editions.  Margaret’s newest book: Pandemic Anxiety: Fear, Stress, and Loss in Traumatic Times is available in e-book format from Amazon. https://www.amazon.ca/Pandemic...609779155&sr=8-1

PLEASE NOTE:  REFUNDS WILL NOT BE ISSUED AFTER APRIL 16, 2021

Please complete and return with payment of $95.00

Attention: Gail Robinson-House Email: ghouse@lh.ca

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