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• BVPA In-Person Peer Consultation Group, Spring, 2026

  • Start
    28 Feb 2026
  •  
  • End
    23 May 2026
  •  
  • Schedule
    4 sessions
  • Location
    Oakwood Counseling Group Room

  Register

  It's time to join the next round of BVPA's 

  In-Person

  Peer Consultation Group

  Moderated by Rakhi Sen, PhD
  

  TIME:  9 AM - 10 AM CT

  DATES:  (Usually the last Saturday of the month,

  BUT please note change for May due to Memorial Day)

  February 28;

  March 28;

  April 25;

  May 23

  VENUE:  Oakwood Counseling Group Room

  1100 Briarcrest Drive

  Bryan, TX 77802

  Meetings run for 1 hour. Registration is for the series of 4 meetings, but we understand that scheduling conflicts come up, so if you can't make a particular session, please notify the moderator, Dr. Rakhi Sen, at dr.rakhisen@gmail.com

  Meetings are a free benefit for BVPA Members

  & Associate Members

  and are eligible for 1 CEU per meeting

  (potentially Ethics CEU, depending on topic)

  
  

  Registration is restricted to BVPA Full and Associate Members.

  Interested non-members are encouraged to join BVPA

  in order to attend.

  Peer Consultation Meetings provide an opportunity for members to provide one another with valuable information to increase the efficacy of our work, as well as provide an opportunity to engage in “best practices” for consultation about difficult cases.  As you may recall, one of the best risk management practices, when dealing with difficult clients or situations, is to document peer consultation in your notes. 

  In addition to consultations on individual cases brought by participants, issues of general concern that we address include professional liability questions, compliance with regulations, the impact of changes in legislation, insurance guidelines, and practical questions about the business of running a practice.  Additionally, you may have a specific area of expertise that you would be willing to share with the group, such as training in specific treatment modalities, expertise with certain populations, teletherapy expertise, or insights that come from years of practice. 

  ABOUT OUR MODERATOR: Rakhi Sen, PhD is a Licensed Psychologist and Doctoral Practicum Coordinator at Texas A&M University Health Services.

  ABOUT OUR VENUE: Special Thanks to Adam Saenz, PhD and his staff at Oakwood Counseling, for providing the meeting space.

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• BVPA Peer Consultation Group (Zoom), Spring 2026

  • Start
    20 Mar 2026
  •  
  • End
    21 Aug 2026
  •  
  • Schedule
    6 sessions
  • Location
    Zoom link to be sent upon registration

  Register

  Can you believe it? It's time for...

  Yet-ANOTHER ROUND OF THE

  BVPA Peer Zoom Consultation Group

  Spring 2026 SCHEDULE

  begins at 12pm on March 20

  Meetings are a free benefit for BVPA Members

  & Associate Members

  and are eligible for 1 CEU per meeting

  (Depending on content of discussion, could count towards Ethics requirement)

  Registration is restricted to BVPA Full and Associate Members.

  Interested non-members are encouraged to join BVPA

  in order to attend.

  Peer Consultation Meetings provide an opportunity for members to provide one another with valuable information to increase the efficacy of our work, as well as provide an opportunity to engage in “best practices” for consultation about difficult cases.  As you may recall, one of the best risk management practices, when dealing with difficult clients or situations, is to document peer consultation in your notes. 

  In addition to consultations on individual cases brought by participants, issues of general concern that we address include professional liability questions, compliance with regulations, the impact of changes in legislation, insurance guidelines, and practical questions about the business of running a practice.  Additionally, you may have a specific area of expertise that you would be willing to share with the group, such as training in specific treatment modalities, expertise with certain populations, teletherapy expertise, or insights that come from years of practice. 

  Please join us and take advantage of this free membership benefit.  

  Our Spring 2026 meeting schedule begins at 12:00 PM Central Time, on Friday, March 20, and then continues at 12:00 PM third Friday every month, through August 21, 2026. (Often the 3rd Friday of the month, but some date changes may occur due to holidays or unavoidable conflicts).

   Meetings run for 1 hour. Registration is for the full series of meetings, but we understand that scheduling conflicts come up, so if you can't make a particular session, please notify info@bvpa-tx.org.

  Registration is limited, so please register early.

  
  

  Date changes may be required due to unavoidable conflicts,

  in which case registered participants will be notified via email.

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• BVPA March Social Event

  • When
    28 Mar 2026
  •  
    10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    What's The Buzz Specialty Coffee- 2511 Texas Ave, Bryan, TX 77802

  Register

  
  

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• Interpersonal Theoretical Approach to Improving Sleep Health in Psychotherapy (3 CEUs)

  • When
    17 Apr 2026
  •  
    1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
  • Location
    Online/Zoom (Link will be sent 2 days before the event)

  Register

  Please Join Us: 

  Interpersonal Theoretical Approach to Improving Sleep Health in Psychotherapy

  (3 CEUs)

  with:

  Heather Gunn, Ph.D. and Julia Makaronis, Ph.D.

  When: Friday, April 17, 2026 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. 

  Where: Online via Zoom (link will be emailed 2 days before the event) 

  Cost: BVPA Members Free, Non-Members $80, TPA Members 10% discount at registration with TPA Member Number, Student Non-Members $10.

  Program Description: Sleep problems are ubiquitous, can interfere with therapy goals, and can also be indicative of inter- and intrapersonal patterns relevant to people’s presenting concerns. In this interactive session, attendees will learn basic principles of sleep and how to evaluate and help clients modify sleep patterns through an interpersonal framework. Thus, after the first half of this interactive session, attendees will be able to define good sleep health, describe brief assessments for sleep health and disorders and how to monitor sleep changes, and identify empirically-based methods to ameliorate problematic sleep and identify severe sleep issues that require specialized care. In the second half of the session, attendees will be able to identify common interpersonal patterns that interfere with good sleep health and will learn how to recognize treatment-relevant sleep patterns.

  Learning Objectives:

  1. Attendees will learn the biology governing sleep and components of sleep health, which comprises sleep satisfaction, duration, efficiency, timing, alertness, and regularity.

  2. Attendees will describe empirically-supported behavioral strategies to help modify clients' sleep patterns and hallmarks of severe sleep issues requiring a specialized referral

  3. Attendees will identify common inter- and intrapersonal patterns that interfere with sleep health.

  

  About Our Speakers

  
  

  Dr. Heather Gunn completed her PhD in clinical health psychology at the University of Utah, her internship at Rush University Medical Center, and postdoctoral training at University of Pittsburgh. She has expertise in interpersonal theory and behavioral sleep medicine. Her research focuses on social influences (i.e., SES, race, family dynamics, school start times) on health, and particularly sleep, and has been supported by the National Institute of Health and the Sleep Research Society Foundation. She is currently an Associate Professor at The University of Alabama.

  
  

  Dr. Julia Mackaronis completed her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Utah, her internship at the Southwest Consortium Doctoral Internship, and postdoctoral training in couple and family health at the Seattle VA. She has expertise in applying interpersonal theory to psychotherapy, clinical decision-making, and supervision. Her current position is primarily clinical, but she remains active in psychotherapy research as a Lead Mental Health Provider at the Roger Saux Health Center, Quinault Indian.

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• The What, Why, and How-To of Trauma-Informed Psychological Assessments (2 CEU)

  • When
    08 May 2026
  •  
    1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom link will be sent 2 days before the event

  Register

  Please join us as

  Samantha Straughn, PsyD

  & 

  Rebecca Fisher, PsyD

  share information and insights

  specifically for BVPA 

  
  

  At 1-3 on May 8, 2026

  and earn 2 Ethics CEUs

  ________________________________________________________________

  Learning Objectives:

  • Define trauma.
  • Discuss the heterogeneity of trauma symptoms to assess for in a trauma informed evaluation.
  • Via a case study, discuss common assessment measures when used with trauma survivors, including those with minority statuses.

  • Discuss common diagnostic considerations, how to deliver feedback, and provide recommendations. 

  About our Presenters:

  Samantha Straughn, PsyD:

  
  

  I work as an outpatient therapist at Growth Opportunity Center located in Southampton, Pennsylvania, a suburb outside of Philadelphia. I graduated from Chestnut Hill College with my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Psychological Assessment. I practice individual therapy for adults and psychological assessment for all ages, and supervise pre-doctoral interns and pre-licensed professions. My approach with every client is to combine my clinical knowledge with my client’s understanding of themselves, and together, work towards insight and growth. While my approach in therapy is often based in acceptance and mindfulness, I utilize cognitive, psychodynamic, and systems techniques. I have experience as a therapist in outpatient clinics, community mental health centers, and college counseling centers. As an assessment clinician I have worked in outpatient clinics and within hospital settings. I also have experience teaching psychology at the graduate level and I have presented material on trauma-informed assessments at the 2025 APA National Conference.

  Rebecca Fisher, PsyD:

  I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with over 10 years of clinical experience in a wide variety of settings, including community mental health centers, university counseling centers, neurorehab, and a non-profit group practice. I obtained my doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at Chestnut Hill College with a concentration in Psychological Assessments. I have experience teaching advanced psychopathology and neuropsychological assessment based graduate level classes as well as presented on trauma informed psychological assessments at the APA 2025 Annual Convention. I currently have a private practice focused on providing neuro-affirmative, trauma informed and multiculturally competent psychoeducational and neuropsychological evaluations for children and adults. I also specialize in trauma informed therapy for complex PTSD as well as chronic pain and illness. I utilize an integrative and evidence-based approach in treatment and evaluations to help understand how experiences and diversity characteristics influence an individual’s functioning. I firmly believe that knowledge is power. Thus, I focus on teaching my clients about brain and behavior connections, their cognitive strengths and weaknesses, and resilience.

  PLEASE NOTE: This is a free event for members; available to non-members for a  registration fee.  If you would like to attend this presentation for free, please make sure that your membership is still current on May 8, 2026...And if you are not yet a member, we welcome you to join us before then!

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• An Update on Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies (3 CEUs)

  • When
    05 Jun 2026
  •  
    1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
  • Location
    Online/Zoom (Link will be sent 2 days before the event)

  Register

  An Update on Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies 

  (3 CEUs)
  

  with:

  Dr. Thomas D. Meyer, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth)

  When: Friday, June 5, 2026 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. 

  Where: Online via Zoom (link will be emailed 2 days before the event) 

  Cost: BVPA Members Free (including student members and bundle members), Non-Members $80, TPA Members 10% discount at registration with TPA Member Number, Student Non-Members $10.

  Program Description: 

  From 1950-1970, interesting research focusing on psychedelics was conducted. Then, for a variety of reasons, all psychedelic-related research programs came to a halt and the related substances were classified as Schedule 1 drugs. Schedule 1 drugs are characterized as having a high risk of abuse, with no currently accepted medical use for treatment purposes. However, recently, there has a been a resurgence of interest in the potential for these drugs to assist in psychotherapy.

  This workshop will briefly outline the history but will focus primarily on recent developments with regards to efficacy of psychedelics such as psilocybin, LSD, and 5 MEO-DMT. A focus of the workshop will also be on the type of psychological support and psychotherapy that has been used as adjuncts to psychedelics. The program will also include a discussion of whether “psychedelic-assisted therapy” is psychotherapy or not.

  Learning Objectives: After the presentation, participants will

  1. be able list at least two mental health areas where Psychedelic Assisted Therapy is moving closer to FDA approval.

  2. know what the terms, set‘ and ‚setting‘ mean when it comes to Psychedelic Assisted Therapy. 

  3. be able to name at least two strategies used to provide psychological support in the context of Psychedelic Assisted Therapies.

  4. be able to discuss whether Psychedelic Assisted Therapy is psychotherapy or not.

  

  About Our Speaker
  

  
  

  Dr. Thomas D. Meyer, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Director of the Psychological Intervention and Research Program for Mood Spectrum Disorders (PIRL-M), and Co-Director of the UTHealth Brain Collection. He has over twenty years of experience conducting research in Germany and the United Kingdom, and joined UTHealth in 2014. He has published papers on a variety of topics such as screening for bipolar disorders (BD) and misdiagnoses of or attitudes towards individuals with mood disorders. However, his core interest has always been developing and evaluating psychosocial treatments to improve or maintain mental health. He was the PI of the first published randomized controlled trial (RCT) of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) for BD in Germany as well as a large study looking at risk factors for mood disorders, and involved as Co-I on several other funded projects; for example, studies evaluating early intervention for recurrent mood disorders, or the ABC study (a cohort study of Bipolar II disorder). His expertise in psychosocial interventions for mood disorders resulted in having been involved in the development of the national German S3 Guideline (the highest-level evidence-based consensus guideline) for assessment and treatment of BD, the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) Competency Framework for Severe Mental Illness and to the Guideline Development Group for the update of the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) BD treatment guideline.

  More recently, he developed a strong interest in the potential of psychedelic substances for mental health and well-being. He became a lead therapist for MindMed Phase II LSD trial for General Anxiety Disorder and the COMPASS Phase II and III trials investigating psilocybin for treatment resistant depression. He is also the primary mentor and supervisor for all therapists in the German COMPASS study sites. Currently he is also the PI of an open-label trial supported by gifts from the Anne & Don Fizer Foundation to investigate “Acceptability & Safety of Two Sequential Doses of Psilocybin in Bipolar II Depression and Suicidality” (ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT06706232).

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