After a brief description of Family Therapy on the 1960s, and an equally brief description of where it is today, we will make a comparison of the success of family therapy in Europe and the shrinkage in the U.S. A new model of family assessment in four easy steps will be described.
The terror of death plays a larger role in our inner life and our psychological problems than is generally thought. Too often psychotherapists avoid inquiry into death anxiety; either because they do not know what they can offer patients or because they have not confronted their own anxiety about death. If we come to terms with mortality in our own personal therapy and familiarize ourselves with the topic, we can offer a great deal to patients terrorized by death. Individuals with much terror about death can be helped, not only to enjoy relief from fear, but also may find that an encounter with death will enhance their life. As wise men have pointed out through the millennia, death confrontation can awaken us to a fuller life.Awakening experiences, if we learn to recognize them, are amply available in everyday therapy. One important method of coping is to avoid large reservoirs of un-lived life.
Science measures, art impacts. We will study methods of impact used in various arts, including painting, music, writing, movies and dance. These methods can be applied in therapy where they can provide impact, making clinical work more experiential, more effective. A model will be offered and explained.
An expanded understanding of the suicidal urge, and reasoning, belongs to the capability of any therapist, since suicide is always a human potential. The therapist needs to come to terms with his/her own suicidal urges, fears and fantasies, and ideas of death as well. Objective reports – diagnosis, demographics, age groups, psychological situation, social history, personal styles, etc. may or may not help the practitioner in encountering the client’s risk of suicide.
Patsy and Josh are a volunteer couple, already in Emotionally Focused Therapy. They are further helped through an EFT session with Sue Johnson. Patsy, suffering from deep wounds of the past, is vulnerable and fearful, and often shuts down—even though she knows her actions prevent connection with Josh. Her husband tries to be caretaker and nurturer. Johnson helps them stay with emotion, expand their connection and shapes their interaction bringing both to a safer, more loving place.
Dr. Burns will describe disturbing new research on the accuracy, or lack of accuracy of clinician’s perceptions of how patients feel, and how they feel about us. He will illustrate new, brief and highly accurate assessment instruments that can dramatically boost your clinical understanding and effectiveness.