Helping Patients with Paranoia: Clinical Implications of Psychotic and Nonpsychotic Paranoid Psychologies Accredited for CE Credits from the Ontario Psychological Association The speakers invite clinicians to approach paranoia as a deeply intrapsychic process of disavowal and projection, often related to trauma and inadequate psychological separation from early caregivers. Although most visible in psychosis, nonpsychotic paranoid states of mind are common. Dr. McWilliams and Dr. Garrett offer a rare opportunity and a significant contribution to understanding paranoia with depth and complexity that impacts the possibilities for treatment.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this workshop, participants should be able to:
1. Identify not simply the more familiar persecutory paranoid dynamics (projection and denial of anger), but those involving projection and disavowal of other feelings (e.g., erotomania, paranoid jealousy, megalomania, paranoid hatred).
2. Summarize the suspected etiologies of paranoid dynamics.
3. Name three principles underlying effective psychotherapy with individuals with paranoia.