Helpful insight about using Psychology of the Self to encourage centered, communicative parenting

Interview-style, with Elizabeth Irias, LMFT

  • Course Description

    All parents sometimes struggle with keeping their cool during tough interactions with their children, particularly during stressful times. This course uses the theory of Psychosynthesis (the Psychology of the Self) to shed light on how clinicians can support parents in developing strategies that will both improve family cohesion and their own sense of parental satisfaction. Children have an innate drive to express their best selves- to develop their highest potential- and this course covers interventions and psychoeducation for clinicians to use in session with parents to help support their children while staying calm and centered themselves.

  • Learning Objectives

    Upon completing this course, participants will be able to: Describe the application of Psychosynthesis to parenting; List the Quality Parenting principles; Explain the Three-Step Process


    Target Audience and Instructional Level
    This course is intended for psychologists, therapists, social workers, clinical counselors, and addiction counselors. Instructional level: Intermediate

  • How To Take This Course

    In order to receive a certificate of completion reflecting the associated CE credit hour, you must:
    #1: Have an active paid Clearly Clinical membership
    #2: Listen to the corresponding course podcast
    #3: Achieve a passing grade on the post-presentation test (the test has up to ten questions and you must earn a score of at least 80%; you are able to re-test)
    #4: Complete the requested course evaluation.

    Course elements (including the course audio, post-test, and requested course evaluation) can be completed on a computer or mobile device via your Clearly Clinical account.

  • Course Format

    This high-quality and interesting course contains a one-hour, non-interactive audio podcast presentation which is available for free via all major public podcast providers. You can also listen to and download the file via our course player.

  • Commercial Support

    There is no known commercial support or conflict of interest for this CE program, content, sponsor, or instructor. Dr. Val Essen is the author of parenting-related books and articles, which she mentions as a potential resource during this course.

  • Certificate Access Details

    Once you've completed the course, your certificate will automatically populate in the 'Certificate' section of your account; it will also be emailed to you. Access to completion certificate will expire 365 days after issuance. Course certificates will be on file for ten (10) years from date of course completion.

  • Accommodations

    If you have special needs or need an accommodation, please email us at info@clearlyclinical.com and we will do our best to assist you.

Expert Interviewee and Interviewer

Dr. Ilene Val Essen, LMFT

Parenting Expert

Dr. Ilene Val-Essen has been passionately serving parents for decades. An innovator in the field of parent education, she blends Western psychology with Eastern philosophy, bringing a unique voice to the global community. Her books, Bring Out the Best in Your Child and Your Self and Parenting with Wisdom and Compassion, along with her Quality Parenting programs, invite parents to enter a new paradigm of parenting. Family life becomes so much easier and more rewarding. To serve a wider, more diverse community of parents, Dr. Val-Essen recently created the Bring Out the Best Book Club, an online opportunity for parents to study and practice the attitudes and skills in her award-winning first book. At UCLA, Education Extension, Dr. Val-Essen tailored her program for teachers, giving birth to Quality Teaching.

Dr. Val-Essen is known for her passion, warmth, clarity, and practical wisdom. She practices as a MFT in Culver City, CA.

Please visit her at BringOutTheBest.com, LinkedIn, Book: Bring Out the BEST in Your Child and Your Self: Creating a Family Based on Mutual Respect, and Book: Parenting with Wisdom and Compassion: Bring Out the Best in Your Family.

Elizabeth 'Beth' Irias, MS, LMFT

Interviewer & Clearly Clinical Founder

Elizabeth 'Beth' Irias (she/her) is a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and the Founder and President of Clearly Clinical. She has specializations in Clinical Documentation, Best Practice, and Utilization Review, and works closely with clinical teams across the US as a trainer and national conference presenter; Beth was formerly an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University in the Graduate Psychology and Education department. Licensed in California and Oregon, she provides therapy via her private practice to young adult and adult clients, members of the LGBTQ population, and those with addictive disorders. She has two young children, a super cool spouse who helps out with Clearly Clinical's tech, and a rescue dog.

See why we're the country's premier CE provider

  • CONVENIENT: All courses are 1-hour podcast episodes, available on all public podcast platforms

  • AFFORDABLE: We offer quality CE courses through a reasonably-priced membership

  • SOCIALLY-RESPONSIBLE: We donate to The Trevor Project for LGBTQIA+ youth suicide prevention

  • WOMEN-OWNED: We are founded and run by Elizabeth Irias, LMFT

  • DIVERSE: We highlight expert presenters from historically-marginalized communities

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