Therapeutic Applications of Neuroscience, Psychoneuroimmunology and Epigenetics
John Arden has been in the mental health system for over forty years, as a psychologist, a community mental health director, a college instructor and a training director running clinical training programmes across twenty-four medical centres in Northern California. He describes going through a change of view during that time: excitement at the start, then discouragement at how compartmentalised everything was and how little the silos spoke to each other, then a growing sense that the disciplines had started collaborating in a way that changes what a clinician can do.
This course is the twelve-hour version of that argument. The central point is that poor physical health contributes to poor mental health and the reverse, that the feedback loops run in both directions, and that a clinician who cannot see the loops is working with one hand tied. An overactive immune system and depression. Adverse childhood experiences and long-term physical illness. Sleep, diet and movement as clinical variables rather than lifestyle advice.
Nine sessions, taken at your own pace. He begins with the word mind, because the field uses it constantly without agreeing what it means. Then the social brain and what isolation does to it. Genes and epigenetics, including a careful account of why the so-called depression gene turned out not to be one, and how the same variant produces better outcomes in a well-supported child. Memory, its fallibility, and why that matters beyond the consulting room. Anxiety and its brain dynamics, with a working mnemonic for treatment. Depression as a heterogeneous set of conditions rather than one thing, including the inflammation research. And throughout, which intervention to choose for which presentation, and why.
You’ll walk away with
- How poor physical health and poor mental health feed each other, and what to do with that in a session
- Where an overactive immune system fits in depression and anxiety, and what sickness behaviour looks like clinically
- Adverse childhood experiences and their long-term physical and mental health consequences, and what can be done
- Epigenetics without the pop version: why single genes for single disorders did not hold up, and what replaced that idea
- The social brain, and what isolation costs physiologically as well as psychologically
- Sleep, diet and exercise treated as clinical variables you assess and address, not advice you dispense
- Memory and its fallibility, including flashbulb memories and why eyewitness accounts fail
- The neurodynamics of anxiety, with a treatment mnemonic covering exposure, acceptance and labelling
- Depression as a set of different conditions, and matching the intervention to which one you are looking at
- Choosing between psychotherapeutic interventions on the basis of mechanism rather than allegiance
- Where ethnicity, socioeconomic position and identity belong in an individualised treatment plan
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CPD Information For Mental Health Professionals
Enjoy complete flexibility with 100% self-paced learning you can access anytime, anywhere, and on any device. This course is included with your Tatra Training membership, along with every other course in the library.
Where this sits: the foundation course for John Arden’s work and the longest course in the library. Energy to Mind, The Hijacked Brain, Practical Neuroscience of Sleep, Brain Therapy for Improved Memory and The Science of Healthy Aging each take one thread of it further.
Structure: nine sessions of roughly an hour to ninety minutes, designed to be started and stopped over weeks rather than taken in one sitting.
Course Duration: 12 learning hours
Certificate and CPD hours: On completion you’ll receive a Certificate of Completion to support your CPD records. Your certificates are yours to keep.
Assessment: Complete a short quiz at the end (80% pass mark), which you can resit as many times as needed.
Revisit Anytime: Come back to the course as often as you like while your membership is active, whenever you want a refresher for practice.
CPD Eligibility: This program may be suitable for CPD for professionals such as:
- Psychologists
- Counsellors and Psychotherapists
- Social Workers
- Community Workers
- Mental Health Nurses
- General Practitioners (GPs)
- Occupational Therapists
CPD requirements vary between professional bodies, so please check with your association or credentialing body to confirm you can claim CPD hours/OPD points for this program and what evidence they require.
Course Content
Meet Your Instructor
Practitioners seeking to deepen their understanding of why therapeutic interventions create lasting change - and those curious about the neurobiological mechanisms underlying successful therapy - can enhance their clinical effectiveness by integrating neuroscience with established therapeutic approaches. John Arden has spent over 40 years pioneering the integration of neuroscience and psychotherapy, becoming one of the world's leading authorities on an integrative approach and helping thousands of practitioners understand how to leverage neuroplasticity and neurogenesis for more effective treatment outcomes.
As former Northern California Regional Director of Training at Kaiser Permanente for 25 years, where he developed one of the largest mental health training programs in the United States overseeing 150+ interns and postdoctoral residents, Dr. Arden brings unparalleled expertise in training mental health professionals. His 16 books translated into 20 languages - including Mind-Brain-Gene: Toward Psychotherapy Integration, Rewire Your Brain 2.0, and Brain-Based Therapy with Adults - represent the definitive resources for understanding how neuroscience transforms clinical practice. His Choice Outstanding Academic Book Award and recognition as one of the most entertaining and integrative speakers in professional psychology reflect his unique ability to make complex concepts immediately applicable.
Dr. Arden's expertise spans integration, neuroplasticity and neurogenesis applications, metabolic, psychoneuroimmunology, epigenetics, mindfulness-based interventions, and nutritional neuroscience. His approach synthesises evidence-based practice with cutting-edge neuroscience research, showing clinicians how psychotherapy literally rewires the brain. He specialises in anxiety disorders, OCD, PTSD, depression, and memory improvement, with particular focus on how therapeutic relationships activate neuroplastic change and how lifestyle factors influence brain health and therapeutic outcomes.
What sets his training apart is scientific rigor combined with practical application. Arden doesn't just teach neuroscience theory - he shows practitioners exactly how body-brain systems influence therapeutic success and failure. His seminars in all 50 U.S. states and over 30 countries demonstrate his exceptional ability to translate complex neuroscience into immediately usable clinical strategies that enhance existing therapeutic modalities.
For your practice, expect to gain specific integrative interventions that enhance treatment outcomes, tools for educating clients about their neurological processes, and frameworks for integrating neuroscience principles with your current therapeutic approach. His methods particularly benefit clinicians wanting to understand why their interventions work, those seeking to enhance treatment efficacy, or practitioners interested in cutting-edge therapeutic applications.
Quick Win: Arden's "SEEDS" formula (Social connection, Exercise, Education, Diet, Sleep) provides clients with five evidence-based lifestyle interventions that promote neuroplasticity - often creating measurable improvements in mood and cognitive function while supporting therapeutic progress.
Qualifications
- Ph.D., Psychology, University of New Mexico, 1980–1984
- Post-License Training, Neuropsychology, California School of Professional Psychology, 1987–1988
- M.A., Counseling Psychology, Northern Arizona University, 1975–1976
- B.S., Social Sciences, Northern Arizona University, 1969–1973
- Over 40 years experience in psychology
Authored Books (16 total, translated into 20 languages)
- Mind-Brain-Gene: Toward Psychotherapy Integration (2019)
- Rewire Your Brain 2.0 (updated edition)
- Brain2Brain (2015, practical neuroscience for psychotherapy)
- The Brain Bible (comprehensive guide to brain-based approaches)
- Brain-Based Therapy: Adults (co-author with Lloyd Linford)
- Brain-Based Therapy: Children & Adolescents (co-author with Lloyd Linford)
- Conquering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (co-author with Victoria Beckner)
- The Brain-Based Anxiety Workbook, The Brain-Based OCD Workbook
- Improving Your Memory for Dummies
Professional Experience
- Author 1996–present
- International Trainer & Speaker, Integrative Approaches, 2009–present
- Northern California Regional Director of Training, Kaiser Permanente, 1999–2016 (26+ years)
- Chief Psychologist, Kaiser Permanente (prior to 1999)
- Supervisor, Mental Health Practitioners, Kaiser Permanente
- Seminars conducted in all 50 U.S. states and 30 countries worldwide
Clinical Specialties
- Integration of neuroscience and evidence-based psychotherapy
- Neuroplasticity and neurogenesis applications in treatment
- Psychoneuroimmunology and epigenetic factors in therapy
- Brain-based approaches to anxiety, OCD, PTSD, and depression
- Memory improvement and cognitive enhancement
- Mindfulness and nutritional neuroscience
- Lifestyle interventions for brain health
Ready to revolutionise your therapeutic effectiveness through neuroscience? Discover how Dr. Arden's integrative approach can help you understand exactly why your interventions work and how to leverage neuroplasticity for faster, more lasting client change.
Feedback & Reviews
This course includes:
- Lessons 10
- Topics 0
- Duration 12 hours
- Quizzes 8
- Language English