A309 A Clinic on Countertransference

Burnout, rescue fantasies, sudden rage and boundary confusion are all part of countertransference--the great occupational hazard of this profession. The conventional wisdom is that the best way to address countertransference is to work on your own family of origin issues with a colleague or a supervisor. In this course, we'll explore the model for how you can identify and actively deal with the cognitive distortions and extreme emotionality that lead to losing perspective on what a client needs. You'll learn to become sensitive to how your own inner parts can become activated by a client's emotional issues and how to restore your therapeutic perspective. You'll also learn a language for discussing countertransference issues that can enable you to address them right in the therapy session.

Meet The Instructor

Richard Schwartz, Ph.D., is director of the Center for Self Leadership in Chicago and the originator of the Internal Family Systems Model. He's the author of five books, including Internal Family Systems Therapy.

Course Contents

Session 1: An introduction to the Internal Family Systems Model and its view of the therapeutic relationship • The nature of the Self, of parts, and a map of how internal systems are organized • The importance of your relationship with clients in IFS and how that relationship is different from other therapies

Session 2: Qualities of Therapists that Foster Healing and Parts of Therapists that Interfere • Exploring qualities like patience, persistence, perspective and presence • The 8 C's of Self leadership • The effect that your protective parts have on your clients • Common therapist parts that interfere

Session 3: Getting to Know Your Parts that are Triggered by Certain Clients • Finding and getting to know the parts of you that come up with certain clients • How to make a repair with clients and use the disconnect to foster healing • Creating boundaries from your Self rather than your parts

Session 4: How to Help Your Parts Trust Your Self to be with Clients • Exercises for getting your parts to step back during sessions and trust your Self

Session 5: Developing a Good Self and Parts Detector to Take with You • How to notice when you're embodying Self energy • How to notice when parts come up Self-to-Self connection at all levels

Learning Objectives

1. Explain the importance of the therapeutic relationship in IFS therapy
2. Describe how that relationship is different from other therapies
3. List the therapist qualities that contribute to an effective relationship in IFS
4. Identify the inner parts of the student that interfere in their therapy
5. Describe how to handle the inner parts that interfere

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