EP17 Great Debates 10 - Present-Centered and Strategic Therapies: Commonalities and Differences - Cloe Madanes, LIC, HDL and Erving Polster, PhD

Description:

Strategic therapy and present centered therapy have often received attention as discretely different phenomena. Cloe Madanes will present her views of strategic therapy and its relevance for present centered therapy. Erving Polster will do the same, showing the disparity and commonality of the two. Their individual views will animate a conversation with each other.

Educational Objectives:

1. Describe the power of in vivo action.
2. Discuss how to be enabled to build on a recognizable personal momentum in the patient.

*Sessions may be edited for content and to preserve confidentiality*

Outline:

• Introduction

  • Dan Short introduces the event featuring Cloe Madanes (strategic family therapy) and Erving Polster (Gestalt therapy).

  • Format includes brief talks followed by discussion and Q&A.

• Cloe Madanes' Approach

  • Trains therapists and life coaches online and in person.

  • Works with a wide range of issues: incest, abuse, spousal violence.

  • Focuses on understanding interactions using concepts like unit, sequence, and hierarchy.

  • Uses case examples (e.g., a child in a waiting room) to show how family structure influences behavior.

• Erving Polster's Gestalt Perspective

  • Explores action/process in therapy vs. goal-focused outcomes.

  • Introduces the Gestalt idea of “contact boundaries” and “safe emergencies” in sessions.

  • Shares personal stories, including learning from Fritz Perls.

  • Encourages experimentation in therapy to provoke insight and growth.

• Case Examples

  • Madanes: Teen with paranoid schizophrenia improved after changing school dynamics and joining a basketball team.

  • Emphasizes changing social context to resolve psychological issues.

  • Warns against cross-generational coalitions in families.

  • Uses metaphors (e.g., Incredible Hulk) to help children process emotions—such as a five-year-old boy recovering from tantrums and hospitalization.

• Approach Comparison

  • Madanes: Focus on restructuring relationships and solving problems strategically.

  • Polster: Focus on therapeutic relationship, presence, and building supportive communities.

  • Madanes sees strategic interventions as teachable, not reliant on instinct or “luck.”

• Audience Interaction

  • Both speakers emphasize the value of hearing the client's needs and using simple, prepared interventions.

  • On enlightenment: Madanes advises framing interventions around personal growth and contribution.

  • Polster stresses breaking stuck patterns and encouraging flexibility.

• Closing Reflections

  • Madanes shares a success story involving family reconnection and resolution of anxiety.

  • Polster reflects on the challenge and importance of confident, well-timed interventions.

  • Both stress understanding each client’s unique situation and being adaptive as therapists.