An approach to working with children and adolescents that involves a variety of projective, creative and expressive techniques with Gestalt Therapy theory, philosophy and practice as the underlying framework. Included will be an overview of the Oaklander model of the therapeutic process, case material, a direct experience, and discussion.
This workshop presents the Ericksonian and Self-Relations Psychotherapy approach to human states of suffering: depression, anxiety, trauma, addiction, etc. This practical and positive approach assumes that each core human experience has equivalent potential to be positive or negative, depending on the human relationship to it; and thus focuses on how problems can be transformed into resources by skillful human connection. This process operates at two levels: (1) developing a generative state (in the therapist, client, and relationship field) and then (2) using specific methods of transforming negative experiences and behaviors.
A compelling social ethos beckons psychotherapy to expand beyond pathology into the way people live their everyday lives. This workshop will illuminate psychotherapy’s inherent thrust toward the communal: people joining together to explore universal issues of living; naming themes; developing novel formats, and introducing life-defining exercises. This will include a live communal demonstration.
The late Gabrielle Roth, founder of the 5 Rhythms movement practice, was a quintessential woman of the body and sometimes called an “urban shaman.” Gregory Bateson was an iconic man of the mind and a foundational contributor to most modern methods of systemic therapy. Bateson and Roth interacted at Esalen in the legendary times during the late 1970s and Bateson encouraged Roth to bring her creation into the world. This workshop will explore the work of these two pioneers and how to integrate movement and mind to create generative resources for change and healing.
Language is both informative and expressive. It is the expressive component that elicits changes in emotion, sensation, “state,” and physiology; 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. Lecture, demonstration, small group practice.
Educational Objectives:
To describe two patterns used for a behavior change.
Given a patient with a behavior problem, propose a behavior change dialogue.
Theory, research and practice of facilitating the RNA/DNA dynamics of creating consciousness here and now is hypothesized as the next step in the evolution of psychotherapy. A live group demonstration of how to facilitate gene expression and brain plasticity by optimizing the 4-stage creative process will be experienced by everyone.