Famous Therapists (mostly!)
I developed the "talking cure" in the late 19th century and became known as the "Father" of Psychotherapy.
Who was Sigmund Freud?
It means "understanding clients from their own perspective" and trying to capture their momentary experience.
What is empathy or reflective listening?
"My friend must be really mad at me; they haven't returned my call in the past 24 hours"
What is mind reading?
In this therapy approach, you encourage clients to remember traumatic events while encouraging bilateral stimulation, typically through side to side movements of their eyes.
What is EMDR (Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)?
He famously likes to say "I wear different hats depending on the client I am working with or the needs of the therapeutic situation".
Who is Jonathan Mattanah?
I started out as a psychoanalyst but began realizing that my depressed clients often made very negative, self-denigrating remarks. From that observation, I developed a new, revolutionary form of therapy still practiced today.
Who was Aaron Beck?
Developed by ACT therapists, this technique/approach helps clients to see "thoughts as just thoughts" and try to get some distance from them.
What is cognitive defusion or "Leaves on a Stream" (or any other cognitive defusion exercise)?
"If I don't get an A on this exam, I am going to fail this class and probably will end up failing out of school!"
What is catastrophizing?
This type of therapy strongly encourages body awareness, breathwork, and movement exercises to help clients become more aware of and release bodily sensations/tensions.
What is Somatic Therapy (or somatic therapies)?
She will be continuing a tradition of working at a large, very diverse private practice, at which we have had students for the past 8 years, and one of whom is now the assistant director of training for this site (about to become the director of training).
Who is Autumn Wiggins (working at iHEAL).
Among lists of the 100 most influential therapists of all time, I am often listed as the most influential of all.
Who was Carl Rogers?
When a therapist is using this technique/approach, they are commenting on what is happening "in the room" with a client, in hopes of deepening the therapeutic work or challenging a client to notice something they would rather not look at.
What is immediacy (or therapeutic self-disclosure)?
"I felt embarrassed after my dinner party last night, so I must have made a bad impression on my guests."
What is emotional reasoning (maybe a little bit of mind reading here, too)?
This is a group-based treatment approach that helps clients with depression to notice when they are feeling dysphoria and to learn to accept those feelings without fearing that they signal the beginning of another depressive episode.
What is Mindfulness-Based CBT?
This student challenged him or herself to work with an emotionally constrained, avoidant male client this year, not entirely by choice, and learned a great deal from the experience, both positive and not entirely positive!
Who is Jackson Borchers?
I developed a new form of therapy that encourages clients to both accept themselves for who they are, and challenges themselves to change gradually, kind of a paradoxical state of mind, don't you think!
Who is Marsha Linehan?
I did this technique with Tiana Morel in class one day, to demonstrate a way for clients to get in touch with "unfinished" business they may have with someone important in their life (like a close friend, family member, etc.)
What is the empty chair technique (or just "chair work")?
"I helped one of my clients with a difficult problem they were going through - but that doesn't mean anything because they were an easy client to work with".
What is discounting the positive?
While not all that new, this therapeutic approach has been developed to treat a wide range of conditions and situations, when clients feel hesitant to change. It encourages a gentle, client-centered approach to helping clients find their own reasons for changing their behaviors.
What is Motivational Interviewing?
She is the "resident expert" on trauma in our department, someone who you may have a chance to learn from again next year.
Who is Dr. Dardis, aka Tina!
Even though I swear I don't want to become a therapist in my future, I am really talented at therapy, offering clients a great deal of respect and empathy while gently challenging their thoughts and difficult relationship problems.
Who is Carson Brooks or Minha Asif?!
When therapists use this technique, they are trying to get their clients to think more rationally about a issue or problem.
What is examining the evidence, or putting a thought on trial, or just "cognitive restructuring"?
"My supervisor has an angry look on her face. I must have done something to make her upset".
What is personalizing?
This is not a new therapy per se, but is sometimes called the "fourth wave" in psychotherapy, encouraging a radical restructuring of the way we think about the therapeutic encounter.
What is Multicultural Counseling, or Multiculturalism, or Feminist approaches?
She is the only student in the program who is completing a thesis but also will be doing a full-time clinical internship next year, reflecting her twin strengths in both research and clinical practice.
Who is Chesna Bosnic!