In this seminar we will explore Malan’s model of short term psychodynamic therapy. We will discuss the selection criteria and the clinical problems which are more suitable for this type of intervention. Valuable qualities of this perspective include the careful diagnosis; focus on a single aim; and the intensive working through of client’s issues in the transference relationship.
In our life we often encounter difficulties and disappointments. Our goals and desires get blocked by the circumstances of our life or by our own passivity and procrastination. Despite our weariness, we keep watching endless repetitions of “ the same old movie”.
Who is the dragon we need to confront? Who is the evil witch who keeps us enslaved? What stops us from realizing our desires? In this workshop we will use the wisdom of folktales and psychoanalytic theories to trace the basic motifs in our life.
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.
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.
This workshop aims to help participants find the answers to common questions they often raise as they begin to train as therapists. We use case studies and role-playing to elucidate the nature of the issues raised in this workshop.
What makes therapy different from other relationships?
How long should therapy last?
What qualities constitute a “ healing” relationship?
What is the role of the therapist?
Is it possible to change through therapy?
Is it always beneficial to express our feelings?
Do I run the risk to feel worse if I start therapy?
What theoretical approach works best?
How do I know that I am suitable for therapy?
What do I need to do to become an efficient therapist?
We often believe that all people who ask help are suitable for psychotherapy. However, in many cases, the problems confronting the person cannot be resolved through therapy alone. How do we investigate the suitability of a prospective client for psychotherapy?
What other resources should we look for to help this client? Are we the right person to help the specific client? What are the common mistakes made by therapists as they endeavour to help people?
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.
