Tuesday, February 10, 2015| 7:00pm – 8:30pm
Presenters: Michael Hickey, Ph.D. & Deniz Sidali, M.A.
Valentine’s Day is rapidly approaching and “love is in the air”, and also likely on the mind. This is probably true of most individuals regardless of their relationship status. Valentine’s Day often triggers thoughts and emotions about our romantic lives, but we may be less aware of our own self-care and interest. As the saying goes, “you need to love yourself before you can successfully love someone else.” Participants in this lecture will learn cognitive and behavioral techniques from Rational-Emotive & Cognitive Behavior Therapy (RE&CBT) theory to foster self-acceptance and self-interest. Whether you are single or in a romantic relationship, lack of self-acceptance can lead to a myriad of unhealthy emotions and goal interference. So put the Valentine’s Day blues and/or stress aside and take the opportunity to improve your own well-being by attending this lecture.
Michael Hickey, Ph.D. is the founding Director of the Center for Psychological Evaluation and the Center for Treatment and Research of Obsessive-Compulsive & Related Disorders at the Albert Ellis Institute (AEI). In addition, he is a licensed psychologist and coordinator/quality assurance person for Cogmed Working Memory Training at AEI. A graduate of Western New England University, Dr. Hickey earned his B.A. in Psychology, Summa Cum Laude, and received the University’s prestigious Alumni Award for graduating with the highest cumulative grade point average. He went on to earn his M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical and School Psychology at Hofstra University and completed a pre-doctoral internship and fellowship at AEI.
Deniz Sidali, M.A. is a pre-doctoral extern at the Albert Ellis Institute (AEI). She received her B.A. and M.A. in Psychology from New York University, and a second M.A. degree in Clinical Psychology from Hofstra University, where she is currently working on completing her Ph.D. in clinical psychology. Ms. Sidali has worked extensively in the field as a therapist for NY State treating sexual offenders, individuals with personality disorders, and conducting group therapy using (DBT) Dialectical Behavior Therapy techniques. Ms. Sidali worked for several years at the BioBehavioral Institute in Great Neck as a study coordinator for clinical drug trials. At the BioBehavioral Institute, she conducted intensive individual and group therapy utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy to treat adults, adolescents and children diagnosed with severe Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Hoarding Disorder, Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and anxiety disorders. Her research interests include investigating the differences in perceptual distortions in individuals diagnosed with BDD and OCD. Ms. Sidali is a member of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) and International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation (IOCDF).