- Click on Wendy's picture to view a "Sneak Peak" of her Keynote Address -

"Harnessing a Sturdy & Effective Empathically Attuned Caregiver Mode in the Treatment Room"

Keynote by Wendy T. Behary

~Empathy is not just a therapeutic skill; it is a basic relationship process (Bohart&Greenberg, et al., 1997).

The data suggests that empathically attuned resonance generates an emotionally robust healing link in the therapy relationship, necessary for change to occur.

Triggered by schemas and modes in the treatment room, therapists can become distracted—preoccupied with vulnerability, emotional safety, or incompetence; held hostage by our own once-upon-a-time early experiences, thus hindering the empathically attuned stance of the adaptive caregiving mode.

Decentering ourselves in the treatment room involves emotionally protecting our vulnerable side without completely muting our realness when activated by implicit and explicit conditions that might overwhelm and distract us from an otherwise sturdy and empathic posture.

Wendy T. Behary: With 25 years post-graduate training and advanced level certifications, Wendy is the founder and director of The Cognitive Therapy Center of New Jersey and The New Jersey Institute for Schema Therapy. She has been treating clients, training professionals and supervising psychotherapists for more than 20 years. Wendy was on the faculty of the Cognitive Therapy Center and Schema Therapy Institute of New York (until merging in 2012 with the NJ Institute), where she trained and worked with Dr. Jeffrey Young since 1989. She is a founding fellow and consulting supervisor for The Academy of Cognitive Therapy (Aaron T. Beck Institute). Wendy served as the President of the Executive Board of the International Society of Schema Therapy (ISST) from 2010-2014, and is currently the chair of the Brainstorming Sub-Committee for the ISST.

Wendy has co-authored several chapters and articles on Schema Therapy and Cognitive Therapy. She is the author of "Disarming the Narcissist...” (New Harbinger, 2013) translated in 10 languages. Wendy has a specialty in treating narcissists and the people who live with and deal with them. As an author and an expert on the subject of narcissism, she is a contributing chapter author of several chapters on schema therapy for narcissism for professional readers. She lectures both nationally and internationally to professional and general audiences on schema therapy, and the subject of narcissism, interpersonal relationships, anger, and dealing with difficult people. Her work with industry has included speaking engagements focused on interpersonal conflict resolution. Her private practice is primarily devoted to treating narcissists, partners/people dealing with them, parenting issues, and couples experiencing relationship problems.