Foundational Skills in Dialogue Therapy
Join our Foundational Skills in Dialogue Therapy course designed for therapists, students and other interested professionals
Taught by Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph.D. & Jean Pieniadz, Ph.D.
Relationships in the 21st century are uniquely stressed by ideals of equality and reciprocity. The skills involved in negotiation with an equal partner, such as dealing with conflict respectfully, transcending power struggles, and authentically witnessing one another are key elements of Dialogue Therapy.
Rooted in psychoanalysis, psychodrama and mindfulness, Dialogue Therapy is a short-term, structured couple and relationship therapy designed and taught by Polly Young-Eisendrath, which specifically addresses the chronic and painful entanglements of couples and other dyadic relationships in disillusionment.
Join us for one or all in this series of CE credit courses in Dialogue Therapy. In these foundational training courses you will learn all of the skills needed to offer Dialogue Therapy in your practice.
Foundational Skills in Dialogue Therapy will use the following books for the training: Love Between Equals: Relationship as a Spiritual Path (2019); The Present Heart: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Discovery (2014); and The Self-Esteem Trap: Raising Confident and Compassionate Kids in an Age of Self-Importance (2009), all by Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph.D.Four training sessions: #1 Introduction; #2 Co-therapist Model of Dialogue Therapy; #3 Solo Therapist Model; #4 Review of Diagnostic and Clinical Principles
Foundational Skills in Dialogue Therapy: Session 3 (Co-therapist Model) $380
Foundational Skills in Dialogue Therapy: Session 4 (Co-therapist Model) $360 (early-bird discount)
*If you cancel before 30 days before the event you will receive 100% refund, after that it is non-refundable.
17 CE Hours per session
Training Session #1: Introduction
September 27 – 30, 2018
Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph.D.
Day One (Thursday, September 27: 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.)
Didactic
- What is Dialogue Therapy?
- What is couple therapy?
- Reviewing the two models: co-therapist and solo
- Pitfalls and short-comings of contemporary couple therapy models
- Ideals of equality: Idealization/splitting: Love’s # 1 enemy
- The nature of “personal love”
Experiential
- Mindfulness practice (see/hear/feel)
- Dyadic exercises: What is love? How do I want to be loved?
Day Two (Friday, September 28: 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 – 5:00 p.m.)
Didactic
- Challenges of equality, reciprocity, mutuality
- Enemy-making factors in personal love
- From disillusionment to intimacy: Witnessing and Minding the Gap
- How personal love differs from pair-bonding, romance, idealization or desire
- True love as a spiritual path
- True love: Love on a two-way street
- Cherishing: Love on a one-way street
- Witnessing: Whole self to whole self
- Methods and theories: Psychoanalysis, psychodrama, mindfulness
- Psychodrama technique: Alter ego or doubling
- Psychodrama technique: Role reversal
Experiential
- Mindfulness practice (concentration, equanimity, clarity of perception)
- Doubling exercises
Day Three (Saturday, September 29: 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 – 5:00 p.m.)
Didactic
- Evaluation of couple: Co-therapist Model
- Video demonstration
- Six Questions
- Empathy Interview for Relational History
- How to do the Relational History
- Managing the time limits
Experiential
- Mindfulness practice (see/hear/feel)
- Learning to do the Empathy Interview with a partner
- Using the Six Questions
Day Four (Sunday, September 30: 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 – 5:00 p.m.)
Didactic
- Dialogue: Speaking for yourself, paraphrasing, responding, being curious, expanding the story
- Working on a conflict (Session One: Dialogue Therapy)
- Video demonstration
- Coaching and Alter Ego
- Projective identification in couples and in therapy
- Wrap-up
Experiential
- Mindfulness practice (concentration, equanimity, clarity of perception)
- Alter Ego practice (two dyads, working together)
- Feedback and processing of weekend
Training Session #2: Co-therapist Model
November 29 – December 2, 2018
REGISTRATION CLOSED FOR THIS SESSION
Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph.D. & Jean Pieniadz, Ph.D.
Day One (Thursday, November 29: 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.)
Didactic
- Review of co-therapist process in the 7 sessions (review of each session)
- Note-taking and use of notes for “Map of Projective Identification”
- Review of Coaching and Alter Ego
- Projective identification in equal and reciprocal relationship: review
- Separation anxiety, pornography, open relationships, identification in pair-bonding
- Active and passive aggression versus anger
- Co-therapists as role models for communication in doubling
Experiential
- Mindfulness practice (see/hear/feel)
- Co-therapist practice of doubling and empathy interview
Day Two (Friday, November 30: 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 – 5:00 p.m.)
Didactic
- Finding and working with a co-therapist in Dialogue Therapy
- Contra-indications for Dialogue Therapy
- Best practices of Dialogue Therapy
- Why Dialogue Therapy works: differentiation as path to intimacy
- Working Through a Conflict: video
- Differences between therapists in Coaching and Alter Ego
- Reflecting team
- Empathy interview breakouts (when therapist switches chair with partner)
- Keeping no secrets
- Wrap-up
Experiential
- Mindfulness practice (concentration, equanimity, clarity of perception)
- Alter ego and reflecting team practice
Day Three (Saturday, December 1: 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 – 5:00 p.m.)
Didactic
- Psychodrama technique of Role Reversal
- Role Reversal: video
- Paraphrasing and stepping into someone else’s shoes: developmental issues
- Empathy, sympathy, pity
- Self-conscious emotions
Experiential
- Mindfulness practice (see/hear/feel)
- Practicing Role Reversal and Wrap-Up
Day Four (Sunday, December 2: 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 – 5:00 p.m.)
Didactic
- Comparing Dialogue Therapy with EFT, Imago Therapy and Gottman Method
- Clinical discussions about the videotaped couple and decisions made by the co-therapists
Experiential
- Mindfulness practice (concentration, equanimity, clarity of perception)
- Practicing in co-therapist teams: Evaluation and Working through a Conflict
- Feedback and processing of weekend
Training Session #3: Solo Therapist Model
Spring 2019 Feb 7-10 2019
Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph. D.
Day One
Didactic
- Solo-therapist Model: 13 sessions, how it works
- Therapeutic set-up and note-taking
- Advantages and disadvantages of the two models
- Demonstration of evaluation with solo therapist, using couple in group (either role play or real couple)
- Discussion of evaluation with couple in solo model
- Length of evaluation (should be limited to 3 hours, but often takes longer, depending on age of partners)
Experiential
- Mindfulness practice (see/hear/feel)
- Evaluation session with “couple”
Day Two
Didactic
- Clinical issues in solo evaluation of couple (debriefing with live demo couple)
- Clinical issues of projective identification in solo Working through a Conflict
- Demonstration of Working through a Conflict using demo couple
Experiential
- Mindfulness practice (concentration, equanimity, clarity of perception)
- Working through a Conflict, using a couple in the group
- Having participants step into the roles of Alter Ego and Coach with couple
Day Three
Didactic
- Differences between Dialogue Therapy (solo therapist) and other methods of couple therapy
- Projective identification in solo therapist model: use of breakout empathy interviews
- Second Session of Dialogue Therapy: Working Through a Conflict II (demonstration)
- Clinical issues in second session of Dialogue Therapy
- Clinical issues in third session of Dialogue Therapy
Experiential
- Mindfulness practice (see/hear/feel)
- Practicing alter ego, coaching and wrap-up
Day Four
Didactic
- Role Reversal in solo model
- Role Reversal session with demo couple
- Debriefing role reversal
- Different kinds of couples and empathy issues: hetero, same-sexed, trans, other differences
Experiential
- Mindfulness practice (concentration, equanimity, clarity of perception)
- Practicing role reversal and wrap-up
- Feedback and processing of weekend
Training Session #4: Review of Clinical and Diagnostic Principles
Spring 2019 April 11-14 2019
Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph.D. & Jean Pieniadz, Ph.D.
Day One
Didactic
- What is psychological development?
- What is spiritual development?
- How do individuals develop within a couple?
- Jung’s psychological complex
- Klein’s projective identification
- Affective unconscious communication in couples (the problem of contempt)
- Dialogue Therapy as individuation for partners
- How does meditation help partners develop in couple relationship?
- What are the limits of meditation for helping partners in couple relationship?
- How does meditation harm couple relationship?
- When do we refer for individual psychotherapy?
- Should you tell a couple “You should separate”? Different approaches
- How do you learn and develop as a Dialogue Therapist – in your own relationships, in your co-therapy relationship?
Experiential
- Mindfulness practice (concentration, equanimity, clarity of perception)
- Dyadic exercises
Day Two
Didactic
- How do we use the evaluation of partners diagnostically to know whether or not a couple will benefit from Dialogue Therapy?
- How do you look for the patterns of projective identification in your evaluation process?
- Participants’ videos of Dialogue Therapy evaluation
- Discussion of videos
Experiential
- Mindfulness practice (see/hear/feel)
- Evaluation practice in dyads – Empathy Interview, Relational History
Day Three
Didactic
- Participants’ videos of First Session: Working Through a Conflict
- Discussion of videos
- Questions and concerns about Doubling and Coaching
- Questions and concerns about Dialogue
- Defenses: adaptive and maladaptive
- Empathy
- Participants’ videos of Role Reversal
- Discussion of videos
Experiential
- Mindfulness practice (see/hear/feel)
- Doubling, Coaching and Dialogue practices
Day Four
Didactic
- The follow-up of Dialogue Therapy Sessions (after the 6 months interval)
- Diagnostics in the Follow-up: How do you evaluate the couple?
- Questions about Dialogue Therapy
- Questions about advanced training
- Additional participants’ videos
Experiential
- Mindfulness practice: (concentration, equanimity, clarity of perception)
- Feedback and processing of training
- Talking Circle