Beyond the Identified Patient: Integrating Family Systems Thinking with CBT for Adolescent Anxiety Beyond the Identified Patient: Integrating Family Systems Thinking with CBT for Adolescent Anxiety

When an adolescent walks into therapy with anxiety, whose anxiety is it?

Family systems theorists have long argued that a young person’s symptoms can reflect something happening at the level of the family—tension carried on behalf of a parent, a strained marriage, or an unspoken imbalance in the system. This webinar revisits that idea and puts it in conversation with CBT, today’s dominant treatment model for adolescent anxiety. Rather than treating these as competing approaches, we’ll explore how systems thinking can deepen CBT case conceptualization, helping clinicians spot when a symptom is signaling something beyond the individual—and when treatment needs to look beyond the adolescent in the room.

CE credit(s) available for clinical professionals, psychologists, therapists, counselors, and social workers. See below for details.

Learning Objectives

Articulate the core theoretical tension between CBT and family systems approaches to adolescent anxiety—specifically how each model locates the "problem" and what each implies about the unit of treatment.
Recognize clinical indicators (e.g., symptom onset tied to family events, disproportionate parental anxiety about the symptom, rapid symptom shifts across family members) suggesting an adolescent may be functioning as a symptom bearer within the family system.
Integrate systems-informed case conceptualization into a primarily CBT-based treatment plan—identifying concrete points in assessment, treatment planning, or family sessions where a systemic lens can supplement rather than replace individual intervention.
Apply evidence-based strategies to strengthen family functioning and promote children's perceived control and resilience in clinical practice.

1.5 CE credits will be provided by AKH Inc., Advancing Knowledge in Healthcare.

Please note:
CE credits are only awarded to attendees who participate in the live session. Watching a recording of the previously recorded webinar does not qualify for credit.

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Presenters

Ben Bernstein, PhD

Clinical Psychcologist, Redwood Psychology Group

Dr. Benjamin Bernstein is a nationally recognized clinical psychologist specializing in the treatment of adolescents, young adults, and professionals. His writing and expertise have been featured in the American Psychological Association (APA), The New York Times, The New Yorker, TIME, Psychology Today, and Well+Good.

He trained at Brown University and the City College of New York, and has held clinical positions in college counseling centers, VA hospitals, state psychiatric facilities, and outpatient clinics. Dr. Bernstein served as the Adolescent Psychologist, Director of the Argent Assessment Program and Assistant Director of Education at Silver Hill Hospital, and is a Clinical Supervisor in the Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at City College. He is the 2025 recipient of the Susan C. Warshaw Award for excellence in child and adolescent psychodynamic psychotherapy.

Dina Nunziato, PhD, LCSW

Chief Clinical Officer, Anxiety Institute

BA, University of Virginia // MSW, New York University // PhD, University of Buffalo

Dr. Dina Nunziato serves as the Chief Clinical Officer at Anxiety Institute, overseeing clinical operations in our Greenwich, CT; Madison, NJ; and McLean, VA locations. She has spent over two decades working with young adults in anxiety-related clinical and educational settings and enjoys working with her Anxiety Institute colleagues to provide excellent clinical care for our clients and families. Dr. Nunziato’s Anxiety Institute training courses include The Impact of Chronic Mis-attunement: A Psychobiological Approach to Understanding Anxiety in Adolescents; Using Positive Psychology Techniques to Address Anxiety Disorders in Adolescents and Young Adults; and Under the CBT Umbrella: Exploring ERP and DBT Treatment Options and Choosing the Right Approach for Your Clients.

Prior to joining the Anxiety Institute, Dr. Nunziato was the Director of Counseling & Psychological Services at Sarah Lawrence College and was an adjunct professor of Integrated Clinical Practice at New York University. Her research and publications focus on the use of evidence-based mindfulness techniques to support anxiety management, academic success, and emotional well-being.

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Co-Hosted By

Questions regarding this course?

Birgitta Johnson

Email: [email protected]
Phone: (612) 280-4503

Training Refund, Cancellation & Certification

Virtual Courses and Webinars

If you are unable to attend an online course or webinar, Anxiety Institute offers a 100% money-back guarantee, if you notify us at least 24-hours prior to the scheduled start date. For a multi-session course, cancellation must be received 24-hours prior to the first session.
If you are unable to attend a course session/webinar due to extenuating circumstances, a recording of the session will be available for viewing for two weeks after the live session date.
If Anxiety Institute cancels the availability of a course or webinar for any reason, participants will be notified via email. Though we would not do so without good reason, we reserve this right, as well as the right to reschedule courses and webinars and/or substitute presenters. In the case of a cancelled or rescheduled course, you may request a full refund of course/webinar fees paid.
If you wish to cancel your course registration, notification must be sent to [email protected] at least 24-hours prior to the scheduled start date.

Anxiety Institute, LLC disclaims any liability for any losses or damages, direct or indirect, arising from a training cancellation.

Certification
To receive CE credits, clinicians must attend the course sessions in real time, not via recorded sessions. All CE Certification fees are non-refundable.

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