Is Complex Illness Hiding in Your Practice?
A Patient Profile You Need to Recognize

  • 2.0 HOURS

    Course duration

  • 2.0 CE HOURS

    Continuing education

  • 59 USD

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    Why You’ll Love this Course:
    Complex illness is a rapidly increasing phenomenon wherein a patient has multiple (often invisible) medical conditions that interact with one another and interfere with effective mental health treatment. Because clinicians typically miscategorize these cases as anxiety, depression, or trauma, they often prescribe the wrong treatments or interventions. Fortunately, complex illness has traditional hallmarks that providers can learn to recognize, making treatment more clear and effective and restoring hope to patients.

    Course description:
    This course provides an introduction to the phenomenon of complex illness by defining what complex illness is, how it presents in mental health treatment, and ways in which traditional interventions such as exposure and behavioral activation can actually be contraindicated for these patients. It leverages theory and emerging evidence to review common constellations of factors present in complex illness, including specific personality traits, patterns in onset and chronicity of symptoms, and crucial pivots in conceptualization and treatment approach. Finally, it offers an integrative, ACT-based intervention framework specific to complex illness that allows clinicians to improve their effectiveness for this “treatment resistant” population. 

    Who is this for:
    Clinicians who have complex, challenging, or treatment resistant cases on their caseload.

    Instructional Level:
    Beginner to Intermediate

    Included:
    Handout:
      Clinical Framework

    Educational Objectives: 
    By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
    1. Define complex illness. 
    2. Identify at least five common hallmarks of complex illness cases.  
    3. List three traditional evidence-based interventions that can be contraindicated for this population. 

      Katie Arfa, Psy.D.

      Health Psychologist
      Co-founder
      Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)
      Katie Arfa, PsyD. is a co-founder and the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of MindScience Collective. She is a licensed clinical psychologist in California (PSY31016), who specializes in using integrative, evidence-based treatments for health conditions. She is sought after for her particular expertise in the emerging fields of nutritional psychiatry, gut-brain interaction, pain psychology, and lifestyle medicine.

      In her private practice, Dr. Arfa focuses on using ACT, CBT, and nervous system approaches to treat families and adults dealing with medical conditions, complex illnesses, or treatment-resistant cases. She provides supervision and consultation to trainees and professionals on the intersection of medical and psychological diagnoses, especially differential diagnosis of complex cases.

      Dr. Arfa is the creator of ACT for GI, a group treatment protocol for GI conditions; a psychology education program for fitness professionals; and a postdoctoral training program in integrative health psychology. She completed a fellowship in integrative psychiatry and has a background as a certified personal trainer through National Strength and Conditioning Association. She has also served as adjunct professor at Antioch University. 

      Patients are referred to Dr. Arfa by some of the most notable healthcare systems in the country, including UCLA Health, Cleveland Clinic, and the Mayo Clinic.

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      Disclosures:
      Dr. Arfa is a co-founder of MindScience Collective and will receive financial benefit from all course sales. She is also the instructor of “Using Common S.E.N.S.E: Incorporating Lifestyle Factors for Optimal Patient Outcomes” and “Intro to Gut-Brain Psychology: Science and Practice that Applies to Every Patient.”

      Course Requirements:
      In order to obtain course credit, participants must view the entire course, complete the post-test with a minimum score of 75% across up to three quiz attempts, and complete a course evaluation. Upon completion of these components, participants will be immediately able to download a certificate verifying successful completion of the course. No partial credit will be awarded.

      Course History:
      Created 2-16-2026
      MindScience Collective is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. MindScience Collective is recognized by the New York State Education Department!s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Psychologists (#PSY-0312). MindScience Collective maintains responsibility for this program and its content. MindScience Collective, 2816, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority oncourses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 7-22-2026 through 7-22-2027. Social workers completing this course receive the number of clinical continuing education credits stated above.

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