Workshops,
Seminars & Lectures
with Barry Bub, M.D.
Maintaining Healthy Boundaries in Medical Practice
Most practicing physicians have had little if any training in boundaries.
What are those "invisible" boundaries frequently spoken about by therapists
yet never by physicians? Relationships with patients, family, colleagues,
employees and others are dependent on an awareness, understanding and
respect of healthy, fluid, flexible boundaries. In this workshop we will
explore an important topic that will enhance your patients’ feelings of
safety, encourage communication and protect you from unhealthy
relationships.
Transforming the Trauma of Litigation to Physician Empowerment
The health care delivery
system today is increasingly termed a battleground by medical professionals.
Still, many view litigation as “a normal aspect of medical practice.” Not so
those who are traumatized by litigation, some severely. The consequence may
be fear, anger, withdrawal, isolation, alcohol and medication abuse – all
ironically adding to the risk of future litigation. Additionally, defensive
medical practices may diminish quality of care and increase cost. In this
lecture, litigation is approached as a potential major trauma and you will
learn how to improve your feelings of well-being and improve your
relationship and communication skills in the process.
Trauma
Victims All: Physicians, Patients, Caregivers
Vehicle accidents, natural and man-made disasters are commonly thought of as
traumatic, what about domestic abuse, a diagnosis of terminal illness, a
frightening and unpleasant stay in hospital, a malpractice suit, a
stillbirth? Far from being healing, an encounter with the medical system
often traumatizes. In this workshop you will learn how conditions such as
acute stress reaction and post traumatic stress disorder play a prominent
role in medical practice for physician and patient alike. Your will also
learn the appropriate response to psychological trauma to yourself, your
colleagues and most importantly, your patients.
Doctor: So You've Made a Mistake
Amongst the many traumas physicians experience in their professional lives,
making a medical mistake is one of the most devastating. If the trauma is
unrecognized and ignored, the toxic emotions such as shame, guilt,
self-loathing persist often with serious long-term negative consequences. A
medical mistake cannot be undone - however, the journey of recovering from
making one can be turned into a healthy personal and professional growth
experience. This interactive workshop prepares you to integrate your
unintentional error and its sequellae in a way that is healthy for you and
your future medical practice.
Traumatic Childbirth: A Survivors Story
In this presentation,
intended for obstetricians, midwives and delivery room nurses, the true
story of a woman who delivers prematurely is presented. The outcome is
disastrous, the baby dies and the mother suffers an acute stress reaction.
As we study this case we explore what steps can be taken to prepare for the
inevitable psychology trauma associated with a poor outcome and what can be
done to help in her recovery.
The
Patient’s Lament: Hidden Key to Effective Listening
Laments are pervasive in
medicine, from the complaining patient to the disgruntled employee to the
overworked physician and his/her long-suffering spouse and children. The
clues that someone is lamenting are often subtle and overlooked - important
since once diagnosed as a specific clinical entity, a lament can become a
valuable stimulus for personal growth. For physicians, this might well mean
the difference between burnout and practice satisfaction.
In this experiential
workshop, participants will examine what constitutes a lament; learn how to
hear and recognize laments both within themselves and others; as well as
learn effective techniques of responding to them. Emphasis will be placed on
how to avoid commonly made mistakes in dealing with laments.
Using a combination of
didactic teaching, music, role-play, and interactive exercises, we create a
powerful learning experience.
When
words are not enough.... The Power of Ritual
Physician empowerment
requires reclaiming skills beyond procedures and prescriptions - ones which
facilitate healing from the multitude of traumas of medical practice which
erode the joy and satisfaction of life and work.
When a patient dies,
current medical practice usually consists of moving his/her chart to an
inactive bin and perhaps making a phone call to a spouse or family member. A
ten minute ritual might acknowledge the death, provide opportunity for
sharing of memories and enable physician and staff to give thanks for the
opportunity to be of service. The effect of this, is to create community,
respect and holiness in the workplace.
In days which can
disappear in a blur of activities and multitasking, rituals are the speed
bumps which enable one to mourn losses, celebrate gains, and provide pauses
for listening to oneself and others. Rituals mark transitions - minor ones
such as waking up, eating, entering an examination room - or major ones such
as change of job and even retirement. Far from taking up valuable time,
rituals can in fact, expand time.
In this highly creative
experiential workshop, participants will gain a fresh perspective in the use
of ritual to promote physician emotional, spiritual and physical health.
Communication Skills that Heal
In a presentation based
on the book of the same name, we see that healthy communication benefits
both professional and patient. We also see that poor communication has many
causes, with lack of time not necessarily the principal one. Listening is a
complex professional skill that requires training and practice – and self
care. As you begin to listen to yourself, your patients and others, the
positive relationship feedback spiral will both improve medical care and
create an immense satisfaction that envelopes you and those you connect
with. Side effects of listening better (not longer) are many, including a
lower malpractice risk and if anything, an increased rather than decreased,
income.
A
small hole in the body, a large hole in the soul
It’s not emotion, it’s
not intellect. It cannot be seen, touched, measured and examined. It cannot
even be defined, yet we know it exists because we experience its
presence when we feel uplifted and we experience its absence when we feel
demoralized, isolated and dispirited. Spirituality does not necessarily
reside in the chaplain, the rabbi or the priest. It can exist in anyone and
between anyone. Even a seemingly "minor" illness or injury can impact the
spirit of the patient; similarly the unrelenting stresses of medical
practice frequently erode the spirit of the physician. In this workshop we
explore the challenging yet fascinating and important topic of the
application of spirituality to the practice of medicine.
Make an
appointment with Mental Health, I just treat the body
No you don’t, since the
human being is a beautifully integrated organism. Not only are your
patient’s mind, body, spirit indivisible; your personal emotions, if
unprocessed and unclear, may become intertwined with those of your patient.
Defy the stereotype of the uncaring, aloof, insensitive physician, grow your
practice and reduce your malpractice risk. In this interactive workshop you
will learn principles of brief counseling that will greatly add to your
ability to care for the whole person and significantly increase your
practice satisfaction
Who has
the energy....
Burnout has been
described as "an erosion of the soul." It occurs as a consequence of
unrelenting stress when the "soulstream" has been deprived of its nutrients.
It frequently occurs in patients with chronic illness and their caregivers.
It is also one of the principal occupational hazards of physicians. Life is
too short to be spent in a state of half-living and exhaustion. In this
workshop, using a real case, we will explore this topic and see how it is
possible to re-ignite a sense of awe, empowerment and excitement with life
and work.
Manifestations of Physician Emotional Health
There is much talk
nowadays about physician health. What is meant by this term? Is it a
euphemism for impairment or are there genuine identifiable manifestations of
health? In this lecture/workshop we shine a light onto the topic and see
that there are very definite consequences to current training and practice
that explain physician behavior.
Uncovering Listening Myths
Standard medical dogma
has it that listening to patients (and others) is time consuming, expensive,
initiated by compassion, passive, relatively simple and a luxury. Nothing
could be further from the truth. It is in fact one of the most complex,
active, tasks in medical practice - one that is both diagnostic and
therapeutic. In this interactive presentation we discover we can derive all
the benefits of skilled professional listening and communication, while
saving time in the process.
Misperceptions about the role of Emotions revealed through Narrative.
“The Student’s Dilemma”
is a 55 word story published in JAMA. As we examine this short piece
utilizing an ancient text-studying technique called hevrutah, we will
uncover some surprising twists in the narrative – ones which point to
pervasive contemporary misperceptions about the role of emotions in
communication, health and well-being of the student and physician. In this
highly interactive workshop, we will look at other texts that highlight
prevailing myths about emotions that are introduced early in the training of
the student. A thought-provoking list of healthy attributes will then be
examined with the aim of answering the question: What constitutes an
emotionally healthy physician?
Doctor,
Will you please sit with my while I commit suicide?
As we study this case, we
begin to see that the helpful response is counter-intuitive. We then unlearn
a prevailing myth in medicine that hampers us in our communication. The
technique of Focusing is introduced and participants will be given an
opportunity to experience this as a method of enhancing communication.
“Wow,
what a honker!” The role of Shame in the Medical Encounter.
In this workshop we
explore the reasons why healthcare professionals so frequently aggravate the
shame of patients not uncommonly triggering anger and retaliation in the
process. Mostly, this behavior is unintentional and a consequence of
training. In this workshop, we will teach the nature of shame; various types
of shame; the helpful and sometimes unhelpful, even toxic role that shame
plays in our lives. Finally, we will study practical ways to create an
environment of safety and support for our patients, employees and
colleagues.
Communication Skills that Heal: A Practical Guide to a New Professionalism
in Medicine.
This workshop is based on
the book published by Radcliffe Medical Press. In this overview of
communication in medicine, we see how prevailing myths endemic to the
medicine profession interrupt the listening and relationship process.
Participants are taught how to set the stage for effective communication;
what to listen for; how to respond therapeutically and often counter
intuitively; how to avoid the common pitfalls of communication, and how
authentic communication demands self-care
You are
so wonderful doctor. Will you just do me this just this one little favor?
Studies confirm that
patients with personality disorder are frequently encountered in practice.
In this situation, simply being “reasonable” and creating “normal”
boundaries in relationships may not suffice. Protect yourself and your
practice when you learn to spot potential problem situations long before
they occur.
How to
create the Healing Plan
Learn to use the word
“heal” with specificity and clarity. Create a truly integrative practice
when your healing plan parallels your treatment plan. In this
workshop we will study the differences between healing and treating and in
the process you will be given practical tools that expand your therapeutic
options. Additionally, we will look at the use of power in the practitioner
– patient relationship and how to empower patients to create therapeutic
partnerships with you. You will find the healing plan particularly helpful
in your work with those suffering from chronic or terminal conditions,
significantly enhancing your practice satisfaction.
A
60-Year Old Woman Who Has Felt Sad for Much of Her Life: “Treatment
Resistant Depression” examined through a psycho-spiritual lens
In this
highly participatory workshop, we will examine the case of a patient
diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression and personality disorder. In
her narrative, the patient offers a diagnostic alternative – if only her
clinicians could hear…….
Some Workshop Feedback
from Organizers:
“…..it was pretty
obvious that your group was absolutely challenged and energized by the
workshop. They were still actively engaged in discussion with each other out
in the garden (and what a perfect spot on a perfect day) throughout the
lunch break. At the wrap-up, they also expressed great appreciation for your
presentation.”
R.S. MD
“On the first
anniversary of the 9/11 attack, your teachings on The Physician’s Lament was
the healing our Medical Staff needed at that time. It was valuable learning
a Gestalt approach to the practice of medicine. The training was rated as
being extremely useful and enjoyable by the attendees.”
C.W. MD
“You were our best
speaker by far, Dr. Bub, and I've
received so many emails since your visit in praise of the event - wanting to
invite you back in the fall. We would honored to have you back for
subsequent programs”
K.C. med student
“I
cannot tell you how much we appreciated your presentation last week, and how
blown away we were (once again) by how your incredible ability to engage
everyone in the room. For us, the form of your workshop is nothing less
than ideal; it is exactly how we believe learning occurs best. It is
fascinating
how you are able to enact - during these presentations - the type of
person-to-person interaction you are talking about; the form of your
workshop embodies the content, and we are all aware of it. As usual, I
predicted that only a few guests would come to this, but we had more than 50
by the end; this is a testament to the way you do things.”
K.C.
med student
“…..we
both agreed that yours (session) was great. Your session generated genuine
excitement among the participants, and I think it could be very valuable for
med students, residents, and physicians--especially those physicians in
mentoring roles.”
D.F. MD
“Thank
you for coming and giving such inspirational sessions. Although I didn't get
to go to one I heard such great things about them and I know they were very
meaningful to many people.”
D.S.
PHD
“On the first
anniversary of the 9/11 attack, your teachings on The Physician’s Lament was
the healing our Medical Staff needed at that time. It was valuable learning
a Gestalt approach to the practice of medicine. The training was rated as
being extremely useful and enjoyable by the attendees.”
C.W. MD
