• COURSE DESCRIPTION

    This course equips clinicians with a versatile framework to navigate challenging moments in therapy when “stuck” points arise. Led by Dr. Julia Mackaronis and Dr. Ken Critchfield, experts in psychotherapy process and SASB, this course explores how relational patterns influence therapeutic dynamics and client behaviors. Listeners will learn to track interpersonal behaviors across dimensions of warmth, hostility, independence, and enmeshment to enhance conceptualization and intervention strategies. With applications spanning CBT, attachment-based therapies, and beyond, this course empowers therapists to decode complex relational patterns, foster collaboration, and deepen therapeutic alliances in their practice.

  • LEARNING OBJECTIVES

    Upon completing this course, participants will be able to: Define structural analysis of social behavior (SASB); Describe SASB’s primary dimensions, focusing on how they map interactions and relationships; Briefly explain how SASB can be used to track client-therapist dynamics during sessions and improve therapeutic alignment


    TARGET AUDIENCE & 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%; users can re-test up to three times. After three attempts, users are advised to re-listen to the audio course in its entirety and then subsequently re-test. Psychologists who are seeking CE credit may not be awarded credit if they attempt to pass the post-test more than three times.)
    #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 course contains a one-hour, non-interactive audio podcast which is available for free on all major public podcast platforms, including YouTube, by searching for 'Clearly Clinical'. You can also listen to and download the audio file via our course player. References are available upon request.

  • ACCOMMODATIONS

    If you have special needs or need an accommodation, please email us at [email protected] and we will do our best to assist you.

    If reading along while listening is helpful for you, we recommend listening to our podcast on YouTube with the closed captioning feature enabled (to do this, click the button in the YouTube video player with the 'CC' on it).

  • 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. Course certificates will be on file for ten (10) years from date of course completion regardless of a user's paid membership status.

  • COMMERCIAL SUPPORT

    There is no known commercial support or conflict of interest for this CE program, presenter, sponsor, instructor, or content. The instructors references their own resources as a potential option for further learning.

Interviewer and Interviewees

Dr. Julia Mackaronis, Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Supervision Trainer

Julia Mackaronis is a licensed clinical psychologist who lives on the Washington coast. She is the lead mental health provider for the Roger Saux Health Center of the Quinault Indian Nation. She also enjoys freelance consultation, supervision, and writing.

Julia completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Utah in 2014, and her fellowship in Interprofessional Couple and Family Health at the VA Puget Health Care System – Seattle Division in 2015. Supervision has been central to her work since being a peer supervisor of other students in graduate school over a decade ago.

Julia identifies as a generalist, although specific areas of expertise include working with couples, trauma, sexuality, and members of the queer community. She works by integrating behavioral, acceptance, attachment, and interpersonal processes. Julia is passionate about the craft of psychotherapy; please email her at [email protected] or visit her at LinkedIn.

Dr. Kenneth L. Critchfield, Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Structural Analysis of Social Behavior Expert

Kenneth L. Critchfield, PhD, is a tenured associate professor and program director of the Clinical Psychology Program of the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University. Dr. Critchfield’s research, teaching, and clinical work all emphasize interpersonal and attachment-based principles of change implemented in Interpersonal Reconstructive Therapy (IRT). He was co-director of the IRT clinic at the University of Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute until 2014. Dr. Critchfield is an APA Fellow (Division 29, Society for Advancement of Psychotherapy) and has long been a member of both the Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration and the Society for Psychotherapy Research. He is the director of the IRT Institute, which provides training in the use of Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) and certification in IRT, while also maintaining an independent practice.

Please visit him at IRTInstitute.com, Book: Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB) A Primer for Clinical Use , and Yeshiva University.

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, Feedback Informed Treatment, 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.

Why is Clearly Clinical the nation's premier CE provider?

  • CONVENIENT: All courses are 1-hour podcast episodes, available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, and all other free public podcast platforms

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

  • SOCIALLY-RESPONSIBLE: We make ongoing donations to The Trevor Project for LGBT youth suicide prevention, and have also previously donated to Black & Brown Founders, the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund, Black Women’s Blueprint, Feeding America, and The Center for Reproductive Rights.

  • WOMAN-OWNED & QUEER-OWNED: We are founded and run by Elizabeth Irias, LMFT

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


Quick Note: Are you confused about the difference between a Continuing Education Unit (CEU) and a Continuing Education (CE) Credit Hour?  Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for clarification!