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Like it or not, confrontation is a necessary part of all therapy. Maybe your client comes into therapy with grand pronouncements: “I’m all in—I'll do the work!” And for a little bit, it seems like they’ll follow through. But when you bring up, even gently, the ways in which they’re undermining their goals, they deny, diffuse, or become defensive, and the work stalls. In this workshop, you’ll discover the six skills that are proven to help clients take accountability without triggering defensiveness. Using video from actual client sessions—including moments of confrontation—we’ll break down the “confrontation cycle,” walking through techniques that move clients forward, instead of causing them to regress or feel attacked. You’ll learn how to:
Prime clients for moments of confrontation
Use confrontation in individual and couples sessions
Recognise and process your own emotional reactions during confrontation of all sorts, including soft, empathetic, and indirect
Help clients confront themselves
Planning Committee Disclosure - No relevant relationships
All members of the PESI, Inc. planning committee have provided disclosures of financial relationships with ineligible organizations and any relevant non-financial relationships prior to planning content for this activity. None of the committee members had relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies or other potentially biasing relationships to disclose to learners. For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.
PESI Australia, in collaboration with PESI in the USA, offers quality online continuing professional development events from the leaders in the field at a standard recognized by professional associations including psychology, social work, occupational therapy, alcohol and drug professionals, counselling and psychotherapy. On completion of the training, a Professional Development Certificate is issued after the individual has answered and submitted a quiz and course evaluation. This program is worth 2 hours CPD for points calculation by your association.
| File type | File name | Number of pages | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual - Confrontation Without Defensiveness (2.6 MB) | 20 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Manual - Confrontation Without Defensiveness - French (2.6 MB) | 20 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Manual - Confrontation Without Defensiveness - Italian (2.6 MB) | 20 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Manual - Confrontation Without Defensiveness - German (2.6 MB) | 20 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Manual - Confrontation Without Defensiveness - Spanish (2.6 MB) | 20 Pages | Available after Purchase |
Ellyn Bader, PhD, is a psychologist, codirector of The Couples Institute in Menlo Park, California, and co-creator of The Developmental Model of Couples Therapy. She’s one of the early founders of couples therapy, as well as a recognized thought leader and trailblazer in relationship therapy. She coauthored the award-winning textbook In Quest of the Mythical Mate and Tell Me No Lies: How to Face the Truth and Build a Loving Marriage with her husband, Dr. Peter Pearson. She’s been featured on Nightline, Good Morning America, and NPR, as well as in O Magazine, Cosmopolitan, and the Wall Street Journal.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Ellyn Bader is the director of The Couples Institute and receives compensation as a consultant. She receives royalties as a published author. Ellyn Bader receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Ellyn Bader is a member of the American Psychological Association, the International Transactional Analysis Association, and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.
Access never expires for this product.
For a more detailed outline that includes times or durations of time, if needed, please contact cepesi@pesi.com
What is confrontation and why is it necessary in therapy?
What is involved in skillful confrontation
The 6 types of confrontation
Confrontation challenges the therapist
The confrontation cycle
Symbiotic beliefs and regressive patterns that require skillful confrontation
Preparing a client for a confrontation
How to decide whether a confrontation should be made by the client themselves, by their spouse or by the therapist
Video demonstrations
Risks and Limitations
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