WELCOME TO 2025!
Registration is open through April 2025. We here at the Frank Ridge Memorial Foundation are busily creating fresh content and revisiting old favorites for the New Year. AND, we’ve added a couple of NEW Self Study offers (scroll down to see details).
Seminars presented by the Frank Ridge Memorial Foundation are topical & novel; feature movies (with authentic movie-style popcorn!); are delivered in our intimate home/office space or live-online via Zoom; and they’re fun. Class sizes are small to enhance optimal participation. I watch hundreds of movies every year in search of accurate, responsible, compassionate depictions of mental health conditions & issues that impact well being. Movie-viewing provides the springboard for provocative thought and lively conversation. Seminars are enriched with up-to-date, comprehensive study materials. For details and registration SCROLL DOWN THE ENTIRE PAGE. Self study seminars are posted at the end.
In 2025, the Frank Ridge Memorial Foundation proudly celebrates our 12th year of service. All of our seminars are NY State Education Department approved for Continuing Education contact hours (CEs) for ALL NYS licensed Psychologists (#PSY-0009), Social Workers (#SW-0096), Mental Health Counselors (#MHC-0010), Marriage & Family Therapists (#MFT-0014), Creative Arts Therapists (#CAT-0065), and Psychoanalysts (#P-0018). (Live-online via Zoom hours count as live-in-person CEs.) Seminars are created and facilitated by Julie Ridge, LCSW-R, a master trainer with 30+ years of teaching experience. Our refund policy is at the bottom of this page.
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To complete our seminars:
- Register and make payment online. The code on the registration page is case sensitive – the first letter in the code MUST be lower case. Our system is SSL protected and we never save your credit card information. Payment is preferred at the time of registration. However, if you are in need of a Payment Plan, email me at: jridgemha@aol.com for options.
- When you register, I will email a custom-tailored reply. Your final confirmation and/or study materials will not arrive instantly upon registration. If you are participating in a live online (via Zoom) with self study seminar or series, I will email study materials by PDF attachments 3-5 days in advance of our session. The link to our Zoom session will be sent the day before we meet. You access and watch the movie or mini-series required for the seminar or series independently. I can not provide a links. For live-in-person seminars, we watch the movies together.
- As per NY State regulations you need a 70% or higher to pass post quizzes and receive your Certificate of Completion.
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NEW – MADNESS IN THE PALACE – uneasy lies the head that wears the crown – 6 CEs. Life among the Royals has held the public’s fascination for eons. For this intriguing study, I’ve selected two movies – the first based on the life of an eccentric Empress from Austria from the 1800s; the second, a more modern glimpse into the challenges of Hollywood royalty transitioning to life as a Royal Princess. Conversation will focus on how mental illness impacts the throne, when royal sacrifice shatters the fairy tale, and when governmental systems blur the lines between democracies and monarchies. [For live-in-person seminars we watch the movies together. For live-online via Zoom seminars, you watch the movies independently. I can not provide links to movies.]
WHEN: live-in-person, Saturday, February 22, 2025, 11-5:30 pm. ONE seat left.
WHERE: Our home/office: 400 W 43rd St (corner of 9th Avenue), #41E, NYC, NY.
COST: $150 for all NY licensed SWs, MHCs, MFTs, Psychoanalysts (LP), CATs and Psychologists (PSY).
To REGISTER for MADNESS IN THE PALACE live-in-person Feb 22, 11-5:30 pm: PRESS HERE
OR
WHEN: Live-online + self study, Zoom session Tues., February 25, 2025, 7-9:30 pm, 6 CEs (3 live-online + 3 self study).
WHERE: Live-online via Zoom.
COST: $150 for all NY licensed SWs, MHCs, MFTs, Psychoanalysts (LP), CATs and Psychologists (PSY).
To REGISTER for MADNESS IN THE PALACE live-online via Zoom + self study Feb 25, 7-9:30 pm: PRESS HERE.
Fill in all fields. Enter BOTH your discipline (LMSW or LCSW, MHC, MFT, Psychoanalyst (LP), CAT or Psychologist (PSY)) and license number to complete your registration.
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CONNECTING DOTS: mental health practitioners behaving professionally – addressing clients’ concerns and needs. 18 CEs (half your triennial renewal cycle requirements). Maintaining Professional Boundaries with Clients is required, by the state, in every 3-year renewal cycle for all mental health practitioners. Psychologists are required to take Ethics in every 3-year cycle. This series meets 4 consecutive weeks, features 4 movies spanning different cultures & times, and meets the NY State Ed Department requirement for both Ethics and Maintaining Professional Boundaries. For individuals who have taken this series before – though some of the movies will be familiar, the series is updated with material and conversation to address this highly unusual and unpredictable period in history – you can take this series for your current cycle. All four sessions must be taken for CEs. This series fills quickly. I encourage you to register at your earliest convenience.
WHEN: Live-in-person series: 4 consecutive Saturdays, March 1, 8, 15 & 22, 1:00-5:30 pm, 2025. 18 live-in-person CEs. [Only TWO seats left. If full when you go in to register, email me at jridgemha@aol.com. If there is enough interest, I’ll open another series.]
WHERE: Our home/office: 400 W 43rd St (corner of 9th Avenue), #41E, NYC, NY.
COST: $350 for all NY licensed SWs, MHCs, MFTs, Psychoanalysts (LP), CATs and Psychologists (PSY).
To REGISTER for CONNECTING DOTS: mental health practitioners behaving professionally – live-in-person Saturday series: PRESS HERE
OR
WHEN: Live-online + self study, Zoom series: 4 consecutive Tuesdays, March 4, 11, 18 & 25, 7-9:30 pm, 2025. 18 CEs (10 live-online + 8 self study).
WHERE: Live-online via Zoom. The Zoom series is open for registration.
COST: $350 for all NY licensed SWs, MHCs, MFTs, Psychoanalysts (LP), CATs and Psychologists (PSY).
To REGISTER for CONNECTING DOTS: mental health practitioners behaving professionally live-online via Zoom + self study Tuesday evening: PRESS HERE
Fill in all fields. Enter BOTH your discipline (LMSW or LCSW, MHC, MFT, Psychoanalyst (LP), CAT or Psychologist (PSY)) and license number to complete your registration.
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SAVE THE DATE!
BIPOLAR & THE ENGLISH CHANNEL will be performed at the prestigious College for Physicians in Philadelphia, PA, on Wednesday evening, March 26. Details to come.
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NEW – EMBRACING AGING – 6 CEs. Have you ever wondered why you walk into a room and forget what you went in there for, then retrace your steps and recall? Did you know that those who resist aging shave an estimated 7 years off their lives, while those who accept it gracefully live longer? There will be information in your handouts about neurocognitive disorders, but this new variation on an old theme is all about celebrating aging and acknowledging that we will never again be as young as we are today. Two movies, multiple views of life after 80. NOTE: if you took AGING WELL last year, you can take this – it has different movies and a shifted focus. [For live-in-person seminars we watch the movies together. For live-online via Zoom seminars, you watch the movies independently. I can not provide links to movies.]
WHEN: live-in-person, Saturday, April 19, 2025, 11-5:30 pm.
WHERE: Our home/office: 400 W 43rd St (corner of 9th Avenue), #41E, NYC, NY.
COST: $150 for all NY licensed SWs, MHCs, MFTs, Psychoanalysts (LP), CATs and Psychologists (PSY).
To REGISTER for EMBRACING AGING live-in-person Saturday, April 19, 11-5:30 pm: PRESS HERE
OR
WHEN: Live-online + self study, Zoom session Tues., April 22, 2025, 7-9:30 pm, 6 CEs (3 live-online + 3 self study).
WHERE: Live-online via Zoom.
COST: $150 for all NY licensed SWs, MHCs, MFTs, Psychoanalysts (LP), CATs and Psychologists (PSY).
To REGISTER for EMBRACING AGING live-online via Zoom + self study April 22, 7-9:30 pm email me at jridgemha@aol.com with your interest. If enough people wish to attend, I will instruct you on how to register.
Fill in all fields. Enter BOTH your discipline (LMSW or LCSW, MHC, MFT, Psychoanalyst (LP), CAT or Psychologist (PSY)) and license number to complete your registration.
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BRAND NEW – WE ARE MORE THAN OUR WORST DAY: people in prison – 6 CEs. We all have bad days. Some of us have colossally bad days – with severe consequences. Most people in prison have not committed violent crimes, an estimated 25% of all prisoners have serious mental illness, and some innocent people wind up in jail. Two new movies – Sing Sing, about a prison program that rehabilitates through an innovative theater program, starring Colman Domingo and featuring former prisoners who were in the program and have remained prison-free, and Daughters, a poignant documentary about a prison program designed to bring daughters together with their incarcerated fathers for a father-daughter dance – are the springboard for an exploration of the humanity behind the prisoner. [For live-in-person seminars we watch the movies together. For live-online via Zoom seminars, you watch the movies independently. I can not provide links to movies.]
WHEN: live-in-person, Saturday, April 26, 2025, 11-5:30 pm.
WHERE: Our home/office: 400 W 43rd St (corner of 9th Avenue), #41E, NYC, NY.
COST: $150 for all NY licensed SWs, MHCs, MFTs, Psychoanalysts (LP), CATs and Psychologists (PSY).
To REGISTER for WE ARE MORE THAN OUR WORST DAY live-in-person Saturday, April 26, 11-5:30 pm: PRESS HERE
OR
WHEN: Live-online + self study, Zoom session Tues., April 29, 2025, 7-9:30 pm, 6 CEs (3 live-online + 3 self study).
WHERE: Live-online via Zoom.
COST: $150 for all NY licensed SWs, MHCs, MFTs, Psychoanalysts (LP), CATs and Psychologists (PSY).
To REGISTER for WE ARE MORE THAN OUR WORST DAY live-online via Zoom + self study April 29, 7-9:30 pm email me at jridgemha@aol.com with your interest. If enough people wish to attend, I will instruct you on how to register.
Fill in all fields. Enter BOTH your discipline (LMSW or LCSW, MHC, MFT, Psychoanalyst (LP), CAT or Psychologist (PSY)) and license number to complete your registration.
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SELF STUDY SEMINARS
To earn 1 FREE BONUS live-in-person CE after completing your Self Study, email me at: jridgemha@aol.com to schedule an hour Zoom conversation.
NEW – FLY ME TO THE MOON: the allure of space – 6 self study CEs. Michael Collins, one of the 3 astronauts on Apollo 11 – the 1969 mission that landed the first man on the moon – writes: “What is there in us – genes, character, culture, spirit, ethos, whatever – that makes us look up into the night sky and become curious and restless?” What indeed? With two movies, one historic, the other futuristic, we will explore who has the right stuff and what it takes to boldly go where no man has gone before. I do not provide links to the movies. How you access them depends on your cable network and premium channels. Upon receipt and confirmation of your registration, you will be sent the class materials and instructions. Study packets are sent manually and will not arrive instantaneously. Thank you for your patience.
COST: $150 for all NY licensed SWs, MHCs, MFTs, LPs, CATs and Psychologists.
To REGISTER for FLY ME TO THE MOON self study: PRESS HERE
Fill in all fields. Enter BOTH your discipline (LMSW, LCSW, MHC, MFT, LP, CAT or Psychologist) and license number to complete your registration.
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BRAND NEW – SURVIVING THE SEASONAL BLUES: with an assist for alleviating year-round doldrums. 6 self study CEs. During the holiday and winter season, not everyone is decking the halls and feeling the jolly. When it seems everyone else is merry and gay, for many being alone feels lonelier, the Winter Blues swell into full blown depression, and the need to check in with loved ones is more powerful than ever. A classic holiday movie and an Academy Award nominee, have been selected to prompt thought of how we can help those we care for, as well as provide ourselves with much needed self care. I do not provide links to the movies. How you access them depends on your cable network and premium channels. Upon receipt and confirmation of your registration, you will be sent the class materials and instructions. Study packets are sent manually and will not arrive instantaneously. Thank you for your patience.
COST: $150 for all NY licensed SWs, MHCs, MFTs, LPs, CATs and Psychologists.
To REGISTER for SURVIVING THE SEASONAL BLUES self study: PRESS HERE
Fill in all fields. Enter BOTH your discipline (LMSW, LCSW, MHC, MFT, LP, CAT or Psychologist) and license number to complete your registration.
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NEW – LOVE IS LOVE: LGBTQ stories. 6 self study CEs. After decades of progress, LGBT rights are under assault again. Two movies – Milk and Every Act of Life – feature the fight for LGBT freedoms, the gains, the losses, and the struggles that lie ahead. For us, the ‘T‘ in LGBTQ is alive and well! I do not provide links to the movies. How you access them depends on your cable network and premium channels. Upon receipt and confirmation of your registration, you will be sent the class materials and instructions. Study packets are sent manually and will not arrive instantaneously. Thank you for your patience. Though you may be tempted, please do not watch the movies before you receive the study materials – they guide your viewing.
COST: $150 for all NY licensed SWs, MHCs, MFTs, LPs, CATs and Psychologists.
To REGISTER for LOVE IS LOVE: PRESS HERE
Fill in all fields. Enter BOTH your discipline (LMSW, LCSW, MHC, MFT, LP, CAT or Psychologist) and license number to complete your registration.
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AGING WELL: cognitive decline is not inevitable. 6 self study CEs. The learning objectives of this self study are: how to age gracefully; how to tell the difference between natural memory loss and cognitive decline; and compassionate senior care. Though information on dementias will be in your study materials, the focus is not dementia. I do not provide links to the movies. How you access them depends on your cable network and premium channels. Upon receipt and confirmation of your registration, you will be sent the class materials and instructions. Study packets are sent manually and will not arrive instantaneously. Thank you for your patience. Though you may be tempted, please do not watch the movies before you receive the study materials – they guide your viewing.
COST: $150 for all NY Licensed SWs, MHCs, MFTs, LPs, CATs and Psychologists.
To REGISTER for AGING WELL: cognitive decline is not inevitable: PRESS HERE.
Fill in all fields. Enter BOTH your discipline (LMSW, LCSW, MHC, MFT, LP, CAT or Psychologist) and license number to complete your registration.
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THE OPPOSITE OF ADDICTION ISN’T SOBRIETY: it’s connection. 6 self study NY SED approved CEs. Two movies –The Days of Wine and Roses, starring Jack Lemon and Lee Remick and The Year of the Dog (2022), starring and directed by Rob Grabow. This new seminar on addiction takes a fresh view on healing and recovery. I do not provide links to the movies. How you access them depends on your cable network and premium channels. Upon receipt and confirmation of your registration, you will be sent the class materials and instructions. Study packets are sent manually and will not arrive instantaneously. Thank you for your patience. Though you may be tempted, please do not watch the movies before you receive the study materials – they guide your viewing.
COST: $150 for all NY licensed SWs, MHCs, MFTs, LPs, CATs and Psychologists.
To REGISTER for THE OPPOSITE OF ADDICTION ISN’T SOBRIETY: it’s connection: PRESS HERE.
Fill in all fields. Enter BOTH your discipline (LMSW, LCSW, MHC, MFT, LP, CAT or Psychologist) and license number to complete your registration.
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BORN THIS WAY – about Neurodevelopmental Disorders. 6 self study NY SED approved CEs. With the documentary Far From the Tree, based on Andrew Solomon’s Best Seller of the same name, and the romantic comedy Keep the Change, participants will explore a myriad of neurodevelopmental disorders – from learning disabilities to Dwarfism. I do not provide links to the movies. How you access them depends on your cable network and premium channels. Upon receipt and confirmation of your registration, you will be sent the class materials and instructions. Study packets are sent manually and will not arrive instantaneously. Thank you for your patience. Though you may be tempted, please do not watch the movies before you receive the study materials – they guide your viewing.
COST: $150 for all NY licensed SWs, MHCs, MFTs, LPs, CATs and Psychologists.
To REGISTER for BORN THIS WAY self study: PRESS HERE
Fill in all fields. Enter BOTH your discipline (LMSW, LCSW, MHC, MFT, LP, CAT or Psychologist) and license number to complete your registration.
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VOICES IN MY HEAD: about schizophrenia. 3 self study NY SED approved CEs. With the documentary A Guy Called Dad: a daughter’s journey, Stavon Arnold – a sweet, kind, gentle father, husband and son – provides us a glimpse into the world of schizophrenia. His daughter Kacey Arnold shows us how his chronic condition impacts individuals trying to care for a beloved family member. I do not provide a link to the movie. How you access it depends on your cable network and premium channels. It is available on Amazon Prime, or purchase on DVD. Upon receipt and confirmation of your registration, you will be sent the class materials and instructions. Study packets are sent manually and will not arrive instantaneously. Thank you for your patience. Though you may be tempted, please do not watch the movie before you receive the study materials – they guide your viewing.
COST: $75 for all NY licensed SWs, MHCs, MFTs, LPs, CATs and Psychologists.
To REGISTER for VOICES IN MY HEAD – self study: PRESS HERE
Fill in all fields. Enter BOTH your discipline (LMSW, LCSW, MHC, MFT, LP, CAT or Psychologist) and license number to complete your registration.
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THE REVOLVING DOOR OF INSTITUTIONAL CARE. 6 self study NY SED approved CEs. Have you ever wondered why individuals with severe mental illness go round and round in the seemingly endless revolving doors of institutional care (e.g. hospitals, asylums, jails, prisons)? For this self study you will watch two documentaries: Bedlam and Out of Sight, Out of Mind ,which explore the question in depth. I do not provide links to the movies. How you access them depends on your cable network and premium channels. Upon receipt and confirmation of your registration, you will be sent the class materials and instructions. Study packets are sent manually and will not arrive instantaneously. Thank you for your patience. Though you may be tempted, please do not watch the movies before you receive the study materials – they guide your viewing.
COST: $150 for all NY licensed SWs, MHCs, MFTs, LPs, CATs and Psychologists.
To REGISTER for THE REVOLVING DOOR – self study: PRESS HERE.
Fill in all fields. Enter BOTH your discipline (LMSW, LCSW, MHC, MFT, LP, CAT or Psychologist) and license number to complete your registration.
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Important Information from the NY SED Office of the Professions: beginning April 1, 2023, all mental health professionals (social workers, mental health counselors, creative arts therapists, psychoanalysts, marriage & family therapists, and psychologists) must complete at least 3 CEs with a State Approved Provider in “Ethics & Maintaining Professional Boundaries with Clients” within their next renewal cycle. If your current cycle began before April 1, 2023, you can wait until your next renewal cycle to fulfill this requirement. I offer seminars that meet this requirement annually.
Additionally, the NY SED Office now requires that we all take a course in Child Abuse and Neglect by April 1, 2025 (one time only). Their website below has a list of approved providers. I recommend the Child Abuse Prevention Center – www.thecpca.org. Their course via Zoom is only $25 and meets the mandate. Note that this particular course, though mandated by the state, does not provide CEs toward your 36 required CEs. [Explanation is complicated – email the State Office if you’re curious.] REMEMBER: You must accrue 36 CEs in each 3 year renewal cycle: 24 must be live-in-person (my live-online via Zoom CEs count as live-in-person). Only 12 can be from self study.
For more information about Continuing Education contact hours go to the New York State Office of the Profession’s website at: https://www.op.nysed.gov/about/training-continuing-education. There is no State restriction as to how many of your 36 CEs you can earn from a single provider, within a single calendar year. We present Certificates of Completion after completion of each seminar.
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If you would like to receive notifications as soon as registrations open, email us at: jridgemha@aol.com to be placed on our mailing list. We thank you for passing our information along to your colleagues. Your patronage keeps us alive!
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REFUND POLICY: Cancellations received more than 5 days in advance of fully Live-in-Person or Live-online (via Zoom) sessions, can receive an 100% refund or full credit toward a seminar of equal price. Cancellations for live-in-person received less than 5 days in advance may receive credit toward another seminar of equal price, but refunds cannot be issued. Cancellations for Live-online (via Zoom) sessions after you have gotten your study materials, cannot be refunded, nor can tuitions be applied to future seminars. Self Study seminars cannot be refunded. If you have extenuating circumstances, please contact me and I will do my best to reach an equitable solution with you.
