Abstract:

Guided Self-practice (SP) of therapy interventions followed by written self-reflection (SR) is increasingly seen as an important, if not critical, component of psychotherapy training and continuing education, supported by the publication of workbooks for various therapy models and the research of Bennet-Levy and associates. This session provides a SP-SR experience of Schema Therapy (ST). It has the goal of increasing participants' self-awareness - the personal level - combined with SR to further understand clients’ experience - the professional level. SP/SR plays an important and unique role in therapist training and development as it integrates declarative understanding with procedural skills; integrates the conceptual with the interpersonal and technical and enhances communication between personal and professional selves. The conscious understanding of one’s own emotions, thoughts, and attitudes at the time of their occurrence, and the ability to continuously recognize them are among the most important abilities of therapists and supervisors. The growing body of empirical research evaluating SP/SR for CBT demonstrates that SP/SR enhances understanding of therapy models, skill, confidence as a therapist and belief in the model. Participants report “a deeper sense of knowing” of the therapy. They also report enhanced reflective skills, a key metacognitive competency important for continued learning for therapists. Participation in SP/SR has also demonstrated changes in attitude toward clients, enhanced interpersonal skills and increased empathy. Therapist reports suggest that SP/SR may also increase therapist resilience and decrease the propensity for burnout.  Our preliminary research suggests similar benefits from the ST version of SP/SR. SP/SR is beneficial for novice and experienced practitioners particularly for therapists less familiar with experiential interventions. This day long workshop is based upon “Experiencing Schema Therapy from the Inside-Out: A Self-Practice/Self-Reflection Workbook for Therapists”, Guilford, 2018.

About the Presenters:                   

Ida Shaw:

Ida Shaw Joan Farrell, Ph.D. and , M.A. are ISST Certified Trainer-Supervisors in Individual and Group SchemaTherapy; Ida holds the same level in Child-Adolescent Schema Therapy. They train internationally (16 countries) and are recognized as enthusiastic and motivating trainers who blend didactic and experiential elements in a compelling manner. Joan is an adjunct professor of clinical psychology at Indiana-Purdue University and director of research at the Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) Center for BPD Treatment & Research. Ida is the training director of the Center. Most of their time is spent in training and supervision to pass on their learning and experience to the next generation of psychotherapists. They have published three books on ST. Their most recent is the basis for this workshop: “Experiencing Schema Therapy from the Inside-Out: A Self-Practice/Self-Reflection Workbook for Therapists”, Guilford, 2018.