On-Demand: Resistance Reimagined: Navigating Deep-Seated Ambivalence in the Face of Change - 5 CEUs

To access the discount form for registering for multiple workshops or participants, please click here.

• CE Hours Included: 5 Core (please see below for details)
• Format: On-Demand Webinar (“Asynchronous”) ~ At your leisure to be viewed at your own pace. You may pause, rewind, and fast forward at any point during the videos. You are in complete control of how you view this workshop. It also comes with a PowerPoint and references. There is a quiz at the end to ensure viewing and required by all CE approval organizations.
• Investment: $120 (provides lifetime access!)
  • To pay with PayPal, ACH transfer, or CashApp, please email us at workshops@theknowledgetree.org or call us at 404-913-2005. Otherwise, click below on "Enroll Now!"
• Presented by: Linda Buchanan, Ph.D. (see bio below)
• Instruction Level: Intermediate
• Target Audience: Psychologists, Counselors, Social Workers, Marriage & Family Therapists, Psychotherapists, Other Mental Health Professionals

Educational Objectives:

In this workshop, you will learn how to:

• Classify resistance as Pathological Ambivalence (PA).
• Analyze why some individuals are more prone to developing PA than others.
• Identify common expressions of PA.
• Utilize strategies for sidestepping power struggles to empower clients to resolve ambivalence from within.
• Identify narratives and their projections while avoiding participating in the schemas or being the object of the projections.

Workshop Description:

Resistant, Oppositional, Borderline, Unmotivated. We often use such terms to describe patients who, despite expressing a desire to change, repeatedly reject our help. Therapists have all encountered clients that pay money for help and then resist the help offered often leading to labeling the client or causing the therapist to feel inadequate. Also it can be very difficult to know how to avoid getting into power struggles with our clients when they are not progressing as expected. This presentation, based on Dr. Buchanan’s Book, A Clinician’s Guide to Pathological Ambivalence: How to Be on Your Client’s Side Without Taking a Side, offers an alternative interpretation of patients’ apparent resistance, termed pathological ambivalence, which is rooted in early experience, biological functioning, and psychological narrative. These factors result in the development of strong but conflicting needs (such as wanting connection and fearing rejection) that can slow down, confuse or even halt the therapeutic process. The natural tendencies of therapists to take the side for growth can lead to many kinds of therapeutic obstacles. The therapist will be most effective when utilizing skills that promote a sense of being on the client’s side without taking any side. This workshop, will offer a framework to utilize specific strategies from a wide variety of evidence based treatments that enable the patient to resolve the ambivalence thus minimizing the likelihood that the therapy and/or therapist will become the target of the ambivalence. Case examples and experiential learning will also be utilized to educate the participants to sidestep power struggles, projections and splitting and to empower clients to resolve ambivalence from within.

Presented by: Linda Buchanan, Ph.D.

Dr. Linda Buchanan is a psychologist who has been working in the mental health field for over 30 years. She received her master’s degree from Georgia State University and a Diploma from the Psychological Studies Institute (now known as Richmont University) in Christian Counseling from which she received the Distinguished Alumnus Award for her work in founding ACE. Dr. Buchanan then went on to receive her Ph.D. from Georgia State University with a specialty in family therapy. Dr. Buchanan founded Atlanta Center for Eating Disorders in 1993 which was acquired by Walden Behavioral Care in 2017. She now primarily focuses on consulting and writing. Her book A Clinician’s Guide to Pathological Ambivalence was published in 2019, the content of which she has presented at national and international conferences. She has also self-published three workbooks (one serves as a client companion to the Clinician’s Guide) which can be found on her website at www.lindapaulkbuchanan.com. Additionally, she has published four research articles on the treatment of eating disorders including two outcome studies of the treatment provided at Atlanta Center for Eating Disorders and two book chapters. Dr. Buchanan serves as a peer reviewer of American Psychological Association (APA) Journals and writes a blog called From One Therapist to Another, writing about experience gained in 35 years of clinical practice. She has been married for over 30 years and is the mother of two adopted sons.

What people are saying about this workshop:

• “Excellent; warm; humble; engaging; very good at teaching in a direct but open non-judgmental way. Wish I had begun learning from her earlier. This course would be a welcome part of everyone's training.” – JW, LPC
• “Linda is the best presenter! She is knowledgeable, authentic, humble and this leads to genuine engagement, interest, curiosity, and learning!” – EB, LPC
• “This workshop was so engaging! …the presenter made it feel so intimate.” – AV, Psychologist
• “I enjoyed Linda's presentation. She is very knowledgeable and personable.” – BDC, LPC
• “Excellent workshop. Dr. Buchanan explains concepts clearly.” – DM, LPC
• “Very engaged and clear slides, was easy to follow.” – SW, LPC
• “Timely, pertinent, and great breadth.” – KTA

5 Core "Asynchronous" CEs Included - Details by License Type Below:

• PSYCHOLOGISTS: The Knowledge Tree is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Knowledge Tree maintains responsibility for this program and its content. For more detailed information on the current CE ruling in Georgia, or if you are licensed in another state or country, please click here.
• COUNSELORS: The Knowledge Tree has been approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) as an Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP), ACEP No. 7153. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. The Knowledge Tree is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Please click here for more detailed information.
• SOCIAL WORKERS: This workshop is approved for 5 Core CE hours through the Georgia Society for Clinical Social Work (GSCSW), approval #014425. If you are licensed in another state or country, please click here for more detailed information.
• MARRIAGE & FAMILY THERAPISTS: This workshop is approved for 5 core hours through the Georgia Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, approval # 026-2025-1. If you are licensed in another state or country, please click here for more detailed information.

Registration: To register for individual workshops, we recommend purchasing the course directly on the workshop's page on our website. If you would like to register for multiple workshops at once and receive our multi-workshop discount (detailed below), you may either complete the Multi-Workshop Registration Form (available HERE) and email it to our Customer Service Team at theknowledgetree@summit.zendesk.com or call them at 404-913-2005 to register over the phone. Workshops worth fewer than 3 CE hours are not eligible for the multi-workshop discount and are therefore not listed on the registration form. Workshop registration for live webinars is open until the time the workshop begins, unless otherwise specified.

Multi-Workshop Discount: There is a 10% discount when registering for two workshops, a 15% discount when registering for three or four workshops, and a 20% discount when registering for five or more workshops. To receive this discount, you must use the Multi-Workshop Registration Form (available HERE). The discount only applies to courses purchased in the same transaction; the discount cannot be applied to courses purchased directly on our website, and cannot be applied retroactively to courses previously purchased. As stated above, courses worth fewer than 3 CE hours are NOT eligible for the multi-workshop discount and are therefore not listed on the registration form.

Refund/Cancellation Policy: If you can no longer attend a workshop you have registered for, you can either receive a credit for another workshop or receive a refund if you are within the refund policy period. Refunds will be given for cancellations received at least five days prior to the workshop. More information about refund/cancellation can be found here.

Attendance Policy: 100% attendance and completion of a course evaluation is required at any CE program in order to receive credit for that CE program. No partial credit is given. Certificates of completion will be available in each attendee’s account once the broadcast has ended and the course evaluation completed.

ADA Requests: We will make every effort to accommodate any reasonable ADA request. Please call or email us at least two weeks prior to the event. Payment and registration are required to fulfill an ADA request.

No Conflict Policy: Neither The Knowledge Tree nor its speakers have received any commercial support for this program or its contents and will not receive any commercial support prior to or during this program.

System Requirements: Live Interactive Webinars are facilitated via Zoom. System requirements for the Zoom platform are linked at our FAQ page.

We are an approved vendor for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for easy reimbursement of educational expenses for VA employees.