The Therapist’s Vulnerability

The Therapist’s Vulnerability

Emerging Themes in Clinical Work

Friday 31 March 2023

A Live Webinar with Dr Karen Maroda

CPD Credits: 3.5 hours

  • Includes a subtitled recording of the event and a transcript, with access for a year (14 days post the event) 
  • Bookings close at 9:00am BST Tuesday 28 March

It has long been recognised that therapists have a history of being caretakers in their families of origin. Yet we have not pursued how that role impacted our own personal growth, values, ideas and limitations. What are the vulnerabilities and strengths that we share as a result of being precociously assigned the responsibility for others’ happiness or even their psychic survival? 

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SPEAKERS

Karen Maroda,

FULL PROGRAMME

14.00 BST
Introductions

14.05
The Therapist’s Early Experience
Presenting as unusually sensitive and empathic children, we were naturally enrolled as soothers and peacekeepers. Yet at the same time that we were rewarded for these behaviors, and experienced some success, we were ultimately destined to failure. It was not possible for us to truly heal our depressed mothers and other family members. As a result, we carry a legacy of guilt, shame and the need to heal ourselves as we attempt to heal our clients. More importantly, these needs and desires both fuel our therapeutic work and can limit our success to the extent that we are unaware of these motivations and the unrealistic expectations they can produce.

15.00
Break

15.15
The Limits of Empathy
The capacity for empathy is arguably the keystone of all therapeutic work. It is essential in the early stages of treatment as we help our clients feel understood and accepted. But have we exaggerated both its relative value and our capacity to provide it as the therapeutic relationship evolves? Mirror neuron research has been interpreted incorrectly to mean that deep empathy is both possible and automatic. But this is a fallacy. The social science literature has documented that empathy is not automatic, even among therapists. The experience of ‘personal distress’ in the face of the client’s sadness, anger and helplessness often results in a distancing response. And the heavy focus on empathy can easily lead to the closing down of needed conflict.

16.00
Q&A

16.15
Break

16.30
Enactment and Therapeutic Action
Enactment has been accepted as inevitable, particularly with clients who cannot access their feelings at a conscious level. Described as mutual projective identification, resulting in some unplanned, unconscious emotionally charged event, it has become a primary focus in the conversation about therapeutic action. Is it true that because so much communication in the therapeutic dyad is unconscious, we need to rely on enactment to know what both our clients and ourselves are feeling? Can we only know our minds, and process our feelings, once they have been enacted? This presentation argues that self-awareness and selective expression of countertransference emotions can minimize both impasses and the enactments that typically follow.

17.30
Discussion and Q&A

18.00
End

FEES

Bookings close at 9:00am BST Tuesday 28 March

Live Webinar:

£70 (Member £56)
(Click here to become a member)

Includes a recording of the event

CPD

Certificates of attendance for 3.5 hours will be provided.

To receive the full CPD credits, you are required to attend 100% of the live event. No partial credit will be given.

Please note that if you are unable to attend all of the live event, you will need to undertake our event specific test in order to receive the CPD certification. This will be made available soon after the live event has taken place.

VENUE

Live webinarZoom

Zoom is free to download and use.

For more information about Zoom click here.

To download Zoom free of charge click here.

SCHEDULE

Friday
14.00 BST Introductions
14.05 The Therapist’s Early Experience
15.00 Break
15.15 The Limits of Empathy
16.00 Q&A
16.15 Break
16.30 Enactment and Therapeutic Action
17.30 Discussion and Q&A
18.00 End

BOOKING CONDITIONS

Regrettably, refunds cannot be given in any circumstances except as follows:

  • You cancel in writing to info@confer.uk.com 60 days before the first date of the event you have booked, in which case you will be entitled to a 100% refund.
  • You cancel in writing to info@confer.uk.com 30 days before the first date of the event you have booked, in which case you will be entitled to a 50% refund.

This does not apply to parts of an event such as a seminar within a series but only to a whole event or complete series. You may give your place to another person if you let us know that person's name at least 24 hours before the event begins.

We reserve the right to change a speaker at one of our conferences without offering a refund. However, if a solo presenter cancels we will offer a full refund OR transfer of your fee to another Confer event. If the entire event is cancelled we will offer you a full refund.

We reserve the right to change our prices at any time. Regrettably, discounts offered after you made your booking cannot be claimed or applied retrospectively.