Live Event

Superhero Therapy: Combining Evidence-Based Therapy With Pop-Culture Narratives to Support Clients With Anxiety, Depression, and PTSD

Sat, Jun 13th, 2026

11:00am – 2:15pm US Eastern Time

$67 Included free with an Ignite membership!

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Event Details

Sat, Jun 13th, 2026

11:00am – 2:15pm US Eastern Time

(8:00am – 11:15am US Pacific Time)

3 CE Hours

Live Event

Profession Group

Behavioral Health

About the Event

People across the world are struggling with trauma and PTSD, yet many do not know how to process their traumatic experiences or have felt shamed for trying. As a result, many individuals experience profound loneliness and emotional disconnection from others. Many teens and adults turn to television shows, comic books, movies, and video games as a way to initially escape emotional pain, and later find meaningful social connections through these narratives.

Superhero Therapy (ST) incorporates elements of popular culture into evidence-based approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help destigmatize the client’s mental health experience, support narrative restructuring, and foster posttraumatic growth. This webinar will explore how clinicians can use Superhero Therapy to support teen and adult clients experiencing anxiety, loneliness, and PTSD symptoms.

Participants will learn practical ways to incorporate pop-culture narratives into therapy to help clients feel understood, develop meaning from their experiences, and foster posttraumatic growth. No previous experience with popular culture is necessary to participate in this training—capes optional.

Live Event

This live online event will be held as a Zoom Webinar. Attendees will have the option to interact through features such as the Chat and Q&A, but cameras and microphones will not be enabled.

Live Event Instructor

Janina Scarlet

Clinical Psychologist

Dr. Janina Scarlet is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, author, and a full-time geek. A Ukrainian-born refugee, she survived Chernobyl radiation and persecution. She immigrated to the United States at the age of 12 with her family and later, inspired by the X-Men, developed Superhero Therapy to help patients with anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Dr. Scarlet is the recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award by the United Nations Association for her work on Superhero Therapy. Her work has been featured on Yahoo, BBC, NPR, Sunday Times, CNN, CW, ABC, Huffington Post, The New York Times, Forbes, the Nerdist, BuzzFeed, and many other outlets. She currently works at the Center for Stress and Anxiety Management in San Diego. She authored Superhero Therapy, Harry Potter Therapy, Therapy Quest, Dark Agents, Super-Women, Supernatural Therapy, as well as numerous contributions to Star Wars Psychology, Star Trek Psychology, Wonder Woman Psychology, Supernatural Psychology and many other books.

Target Audience

This live interactive webinar is intended for behavioral health professionals, including Psychologists, Social Workers, Counselors, MFT's and Addiction Professionals.

Learning Objectives

After taking this activity, you should be able to:

1 Explain the concept and therapeutic purpose of Superhero Therapy.
2 Demonstrate ways to incorporate pop culture narratives into evidence-based treatment approaches.
3 Discuss strategies for helping clients develop meaning and posttraumatic growth through narrative-based interventions.

Anzman-Frasca, S., Singh, A., Curry, D., Tauriello, S., Epstein, L. H., Faith, M. S., ... & Pape, D. (2020). Evaluating a board game designed to promote young children’s delay of gratification. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 581025. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.581025

Ferchaud, A., Seibert, J., Sellers, N., & Escobar Salazar, N. (2020). Reducing mental health stigma through identification with video game avatars with mental illness. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 2240. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02240

Gabriel, S., Read, J. P., Young, A. F., Bachrach, R. L., & Troisi, J. D. (2017). Social surrogate use in those exposed to trauma: I get by with a little help from my (fictional) friends. Journal of social and clinical psychology, 36(1), 41-63. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2017.36.1.41

Landry, J., Asokumar, A., Crump, C., Anisman, H., & Matheson, K. (2022). Early life adverse experiences and loneliness among young adults: The mediating role of social processes. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 968383. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.968383

Lin, W. H., & Chiao, C. (2020). Adverse adolescence experiences, feeling lonely across life stages and loneliness in adulthood. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 20(3), 243-252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijchp.2020.07.006

Liu, P. J., Rim, S., Min, L., & Min, K. E. (2023). The surprise of reaching out: Appreciated more than we think. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 124(4), 754. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000402

Paul, E., Bu, F., & Fancourt, D. (2021). Loneliness and risk for cardiovascular disease: mechanisms and future directions. Current cardiology reports, 23(6), 68. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11886-021-01495-2

Vezzali, L., Stathi, S., Giovannini, D., Capozza, D., & Trifiletti, E. (2015). The greatest magic of H arry P otter: Reducing prejudice. Journal of applied social psychology, 45(2), 105-121. https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12279Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

Disclosure to Learners

CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity – including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).

The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity's planners, faculty, and the reviewer:

Planners and Reviewers

The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

Faculty

There are no known relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Commercial support

There is no commercial support for this distance-learning course.

Use our CE Approvals tool to look up your state requirements and how can help you meet them, or log in to your member account to show approvals relevant to your licensure.

Joint Accreditation (JA)

3 Social Worker CE credit hours Clinical

3 Psychologist CE credit hours General

Eligible until Jun 14th, 2026

In support of improving patient care, CE Learning Systems, LLC, is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

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American Psychological Association (APA)

3 CE credit hours Clinical

Eligible until Jun 14th, 2026

Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.

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Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB ACE)

3 CE credit hours Clinical

Eligible until Jun 14th, 2026

As a Jointly Accredited Organization, CE Learning Systems LLC is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 3 clinical continuing education credit(s).

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National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)

3 CE credit hours

Eligible until Jun 13th, 2026

CE Learning Systems has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5951. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CE Learning Systems is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. 3 NBCC hour(s) awarded.

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NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC)

3 CE credit hours

Eligible until Jun 13th, 2026

This course has been approved by CE Learning Systems, service provider of Impact CE, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #192243, CE Learning Systems is responsible for all aspects of their programming.

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Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling (FL CSW, MFT, MHC)

3 CE credit hours

20-1367618

Eligible until Jun 14th, 2026

Impact CE, a service of CE Learning Systems, is approved by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling (Provider # 50-315).

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Florida Certification Board (FCB)

3 CE credit hours

Eligible until Jun 13th, 2026

Impact CE, a service of CE learning Systems, is approved by the Florida Certification Board (FCB) to offer continuing education programs (Provider # 5069A).

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Florida Board of Psychology

3 CE credit hours

20-1367618

Eligible until Jun 14th, 2026

Impact CE, a service of CE Learning Systems, is approved by the Florida Board of Psychology (Provider # 50-315).

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Missouri Credentialing Board (MCB)

3 CE credit hours

Eligible until Jun 13th, 2026

AddictionCounselorCE is an approved provider of the Missouri Substance Abuse Professional Credentialing Board (Provider #101). AddictionCounselorCE maintains responsibility for this course and its contents.

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New York Education Department Board of Social Work

3 contact hours

Eligible until Jun 13th, 2026

CE Learning Systems, LLC, (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers. Provider #0060.

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New York Education Department Board of Creative Arts Therapy (NYSEDCAT)

3 CE credit hours

Eligible until Jun 13th, 2026

CE Learning Systems (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed creative arts therapists. #CAT-0008

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New York Education Department Board of Mental Health Counseling

3 CE credit hours

Eligible until Jun 13th, 2026

CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0072.

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New York Education Department Board of Psychologists

3 CE credit hours

Eligible until Jun 13th, 2026

CE Learning Systems, LLC, (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for psychologists, # PSY-0016.

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New York Education Department Board of Marriage and Family Therapy

3 CE credit hours

Eligible until Jun 13th, 2026

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Virginia Certification Board (VCB)

3 CE credit hours

Eligible until Jun 13th, 2026

Virginia Certification Board educational provider # 106

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Event Agenda

Agenda times are listed in US Eastern Time. That is 3 hours later than US Pacific Time. The event starts at 8:00am US Pacific Time.

11:00 – 11:15 AM

Introduction to Superhero Therapy

11:15 – 11:45 AM

Understanding PTSD, Anxiety, and Loneliness

Definitions and impacts on mental and physical health
How narrative and connection influence recovery

11:45 AM – 12:15 PM

Research and Foundations of Superhero Therapy

Empirical data supporting narrative and pop-culture interventions
How Superhero Therapy can help reduce loneliness and trauma symptoms

12:15 – 12:35 PM

Game-Based and Narrative Therapy Approaches

Introduction to game-based therapy
Examples of game-based and narrative interventions

12:35 – 12:50 PM

Break (15 minutes)

12:50 – 1:20 PM

Fostering Growth Through Creative Narrative

Fanfiction and comic creation as therapeutic tools
Using superhero narratives in trauma recovery

1:20 – 1:50 PM

Helping Clients Create Meaning and Purpose

"Create Your Own Movie” narrative intervention
Supporting identity development and posttraumatic growth

1:50 – 2:15 PM

Discussion, Case Examples, and Q&A

Policies

If a grievance arises pertaining to your participation in our continuing education activities, please contact our support team immediately. See our full grievance policy for more information.

ADA accommodations will be made in accordance with the law; please indicate your special needs when you register by contacting us.

Up to 30 days prior to the event, live event registrations may be canceled for a refund via the current courses tab in your member account. Less than 30 days prior to the event, live event registration purchases are not eligible for a refund, but can be transferred to a different event. Please contact our support team for assistance with changing your registration.

This is a live event, hosted via Zoom Webinar. you may be prompted to download or upgrade your Zoom app if using a mobile device. A strong WiFi/internet connection will be required for best quality.
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If you need to cancel your registration for a webinar, please contact our support team for assistance prior to the event. Please note our refund policy, above.

If the activity must be cancelled by the provider, all attendees will receive an email notifying them of the cancellation. The email will also provide details about transferring the registration to another educational activity or receiving a refund of the registration fee. As always, you can contact our support team if you have questions or concerns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you register, you'll receive an email with the link and instructions to join the live event. The event will be hosted via Zoom. You may test your Zoom connection prior to the event at the Zoom Test page We recommend logging in 10-15 minutes early to be sure your connection is ready.

Most live events are recorded and made available to registered participants for a limited time after the event. Check your event materials for specific details about recording availability.

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If the event is recorded, you may be able to access the recording after the live session. Contact support for information about makeup options for your specific event.

If you need to withdraw 30 or more days before the event, you can do this your self from your current courses tab.