Internal Family Systems therapy synthesizes two paradigms: systems thinking and the multiplicity of the mind—and brings concepts and methods from many schools of family therapy to the world of sub-personalities. In addition to learning how to help clients access their Self, participants will learn the dif-ferent kinds of parts they will encounter in clients (managers, firefighters, and exiles) and how to help those parts transform. The workshop will provide tools to help therapists stay centered and open-hearted, as well as provide a user-friendly language for therapy that encourages disclosure and empathy.
People change due to the experiences they live, more than the information they receive. A brief overview of the experiential approach will be followed by a demonstration and discussion of the experiential methods used for assessment and treatment, which include couples and therapist sculpting, attunement, and the use of signals.
Society has lost control. Many in the culture are living in a downward spiral of a new addiction, chasing money, power, success and a wilder, faster pace of life. What is the impact on our understanding and treatment of the addicted couple and family who must live and work in a culture that is out of control? Dr. Stephanie Brown will present her new work on American culture’s addiction to FAST, and outline how all couples therapy must now include an understanding of addiction.
Using a simple three-part model of spirituality, you’ll learn how to infuse a spiritual sensibility into couples therapy even with clients that are non-religious, dogmatically religious or who are hostile towards spirituality or religion.
BT12 Workshop 05 – Don Jackson, MD: Rediscovering the Brief Therapy of a Forgotten Father – Wendel Ray, PhD
Obscured by the passage of time Don D. Jackson, MD is as important in the development of Interactional theory and effective brief therapy as his two contemporaries Milton Erickson and Gregory Bateson. Rare video/audio recordings will be used to teach practical and learnable techniques of brief therapy Jackson introduced.
What are the characteristics of an advanced therapist? There was an artistry to the work of Milton Erickson, Virginia Satir, and Carl Whitaker. Brief therapists of all persuasions can learn to advance their artistry. Those who seek counseling often seem to suffer a lack of resilience. Traumatized clients have lost ability to access their resilient foundation. Explaining the need for resilience is not enough; clinicians need proper tools to help. Resilience can be access through experiential methods, not didactic information. Through lecture, demonstration, and practice groups, we will realize methods to promote resilient vitality.
BT12 Workshop 07 – Three Positive Connections Needed for Therapy Transformation – Stephen Gilligan, PhD
Psychotherapy is an exploration of how individuals can forge positive, therapeutic responses to life challenges. This workshop focuses on the three core connections that allow clients to do this: (1) Positive intention and goals (“towards a positive future”); (2) Somatic Centering (“embodied presence”); and (3) Field Resources (“positive connections beyond the problem”). We will see how in a repetitive problem, all three of these connections are typically absent. More importantly, we will see how clients may be helped to developed and sustain these positive connections while engaging with challenging material—e.g., a past trauma, a present difficulty, or a future possibility. Participants will be offered multiple techniques and examples, as well as several demonstrations to illustrate this positive orientation to psychotherapy.
BT12 Workshop 08 – Brief Adlerian Therapy – Jon Carlson, PsyD, EdD
Adlerian psychotherapy is an effective brief therapy model that integrates from many other approaches. Adler’s ideas highlight the importance of not only understanding the individual but the social context. This approach emphasizes working from a multi-cultural orientation and highlights personal responsibility. This approach uses a four-step process: Engagement, Assessment, Insight, and Reorientation. The focus of the treatment is positive as the therapist uses encouragement strategies to help the client identify their assets and strengths. DVD examples of actual sessions will be used to highlight the process and demonstrate how short-term change is possible with this approach.
BT12 Workshop 17 – Advanced Techniques of Therapy II: Creating Emotional Impact – Jeffrey Zeig, PhD
Communication is composed of nonverbal/paraverbal contextual aspects; the words only convey part of the message. We will study the effective use of prosody, proximity, gesture, expression and context, and how those channels can be woven into the process of communication to create dramatic moments that empower effective clinical outcomes.
BT12 Workshop 18 – Enhancing Resilience Through Self-Leadership – Robert Dilts
Resilience is the capacity of people to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. When individuals are challenged, they can sometimes rise to the occasion. But if the challenge seems too great, they may “crash and burn.” This is where the skills of self-leadership are an essential resource. Self-leadership is about ensuring that you are personally prepared to be your best, meet challenges, overcome obstacles and reach your goals.