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When therapy fails

Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we occasionally fail our clients. We either get into a rut or the client, under the pretext of lack of money or time, leaves therapy prematurely.
In this workshop, we will examine the conditions indicating early in therapy that things may falter later on. Then we will see in actual clinical cases the impact of certain issues that are common in almost every treatment:

Self disclosure of the therapist
Client’s idealization of the therapist
The masochism of the therapist

Participants are welcome to bring their own cases for discussion.

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    Transference

    Some psychotherapy schools emphasize and explore the therapeutic relationship while others take it for granted. In this workshop we will find out how a transference relationship develops early in the therapeutic process independent of the theoretical perspective espoused by the therapist and the conscious feelings of the client for the therapist. Transference reactions which are not recognized as such block the therapeutic process, so it is useful for a therapist to be able to understand and work with these reactions as well as his/her own countertransferance feelings to the client.

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    Chiron’s constellation: Loss and grief in our life

    Loss is an integral part of human life, however, several people cannot get over an intimate loss. In this workshop we will analyze the experience of loss

    • As a relational trauma
    • As a narcissistic wound
    • As an existential issue

    Such an analysis reveals that not everyone is able to process their loss and be in touch with their feelings, therefore realistic goals and individually tailored interventions are a necessity.

    We will also reflect on whether we can “cure” or “ get over” our past wounds; this is the existential dimension of loss, poignantly depicted in the myth of Chiron.

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    Mentalization

    Most psychotherapy models assume that the client has an inner world, a self and the ability to relate- regardless of how inadequate or blocked those may be.

    However, clinical experience has shown that we should not assume these attributes. Particularly borderline, psychotically  and psychosomatically organized clients manifest many problems in the area of mentalization and symbolization.

    In this workshop we will focus on the work of Peter Fonagy and other attachment theorists to study the mentalization process which takes place during infantile life and leads to the formation of their inner world. We will also discuss clinical interventions to use with adult clients with inadequate mentalization skills, which may help them develop further those skills and deepen their inner world.

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    The puzzle of psychosomatics

    Why do we fall ill? Why do we get the specific disease? This seminar will provide answers to these questions based on different theoretical perspectives: psychoanalysis (Franz Alexander, Francoise Dolto, Joyce McDougall) alternative medicine ( acupuncture and homeopathy) and contemporary research findings with patients.
    The following diseases will be explored from a psychological perspective: coronary heart disease and hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, ulcerative colitis, ulcer migraine headaches and cancer.
    The participants will also have the opportunity to explore experientially their personal symptoms.

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    Ethical dilemmas in psychotherapy

    Many therapists believe that ethical issues seldom rise in the course of a treatment. Furthermore, they believe that since they behave ethically in all aspects of their lives, naturally their behavior will not provoke ethical conflicts in their professional work.
    However, many issues of ethics are so common and so subtle that they slip by unnoticed, having managed to corrode the therapy process. In this workshop we will discuss some of the more salient issues such as the therapist’s self-disclosure, boundary problems, confidentiality when working with more than one client; we will also discuss more subtle forms of ethics such as the conflict between the values of the therapist with those of the client.
    Actual cases will be presented to highlight these points and you can bring your own for discussion.

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    Family unconscious: Archetypes, family secrets and a child’s ‘destiny’

    In this workshop we will investigate the legacy of the family to its offspring. Not only talents but also traumas, secrets and unresolved conflicts passed down from one generation to the next.

    These unresolved issues play a significant role in the formation of current family relations and the « destiny» of each individual family member.

    Specifically we will examine:

    •   The archetypes emerging from the father and mother imagos
    •   The archetype of the black sheep and the scapegoat
    •   Incestuous themes in the family
    •   Motifs regarding jealousy, envy and death wishes aimed at the child
    •   Ways to deal with unresolved issues in our own family

    Several clinical vignettes will  be presented and you can bring your own cases for discussion.