A One-Day Seminar on Case Formulation and
Emotional Processing in Emotion-Focused Therapy
　

Presented by Dr. Rhonda Goldman

9 December, 2008 (Tuesday)

Emotion-focused therapy focuses on helping individuals process their emotional experience so that they are able to access alternative more adaptive emotional responses in order to solve problems and heal wounds. EFT combines the person-centered relational attitudes with experiential methods that fit clients’ in-session emotional states. Specific interventions are used to resolve emotional processing problems that are seen as the source of dysfunction. Research studies have supported the importance of emotion-focused work. A manualised form of emotion-focused treatment has been shown to be effective in individual therapy and superior to Cognitive-behavioral therapy in improving interpersonal problems. Most recently EFT for depression was recognized by Division 12 of the American Psychological Association as an empirically supported treatment for depression.

In this seminar we will explore how to conduct a case formulation in EFT. Case formulation provides a map of how to move from presenting problems to access underlying emotional pain and ultimately resolve core thematic issues. We will first identify how to listen to and unpack the stories that clients present and access associated underlying pain. We will learn how to assess different emotional processing styles and identify blocks to healthy emotional processing. Next we will discuss how painful aspects of client’s experience are related to core thematic emotion schemes that are at the source of most problems clients bring to therapy. The link between core emotion schemes and related interpersonal and intrapersonal issues will be made.

We will learn to identify markers that are presented in sessions that indicate particular types of emotional processing difficulties and observe how to respond by implementing interventions that help resolve such difficulties. Finally, the major interventions of EFT will be demonstrated including empathic affirmation when shame and vulnerability emerges, two-chair work for self-critical splits and the empty-chair technique for working with emotional injuries and past trauma. Videotaped examples will be shown that outline the 8 steps of case formulation and show how to help clients move through and resolve the problems that they bring to therapy.

Learning Objectives

1. Learn to access core pain associated with presenting problems that bring people to therapy.

2. Learn to listen to clients’ stories in order to access core underlying painful emotion.

3. Learn how to assess blocks to adaptive emotions that are key to producing change.

4. Learn how to identify key markers in therapy that indicate when to intervene in order to change negative dysfunctional emotions.

5. Learn to identify phases in emotional processing in order to resolve core issues such as shame and vulnerability as well as self-criticism and emotional injuries.

Format: A combination of lectures, videotape demonstration, and focused question and answer period (to maximize skill acquisition).

About the Presenter

Rhonda Goldman, Ph.D., is currently employed as an Associate Professor at the American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Schaumburg, Illinois, USA. She is also an affiliate therapist at the Family Institute at Northwestern University where she sees both individuals and couples. Her research and clinical interests are in the areas of case formulation, couple therapy, emotion, depression, empathy, and change process research.

Dr. Goldman has been involved in training EFT therapists for the past 15 years through teaching and supervision. She ran the second research trial that was published in 2006 establishing empirical support for the use of EFT for the treatment of depression. She has co-authored three texts on Emotion-Focused Therapy including Leaning Emotion-Focused Therapy, Case Studies in Emotion-Focused Treatment of Depression and most recently, Emotion-Focused Couples Therapy: The Dynamics of Emotion, Love, and Power.  She currently sits on the editorial review board of two journals: Psychotherapy Research and Person-centered and Experiential Psychotherapies. In her current research she is working on adapting EFT for eating disorders and anxiety.

Recommendations/Feedback (from students)

“The instructor was extremely enthusiastic, excited and very knowledgeable about this (EFT) therapy.”

“I especially liked the instructor’s expertise and knowledge about the subject. Dr. Goldman really influenced my opinion about this field of Psychology. And now I have found something in Psychology that has really opened my doors and influenced my life for the better.”

“I entered this class with a healthy dose of skepticism, but not only did I enjoy it, I’m considering this as my primary therapy modality.”

“This was an excellent course.”

“I found the instructor’s overall teaching style enjoyable.”

“The instructor knew the subject matter well.”

“Instructor related material to “real-world material.”

“The instructor used effective teaching methods.”

Workshop Details
　

Pamphlet and Application Form (Adobe Acrobat required)

Application Method

For registration, please send the application form with a crossed cheque made payable to “The Hong Kong Catholic Marriage Advisory Council” to:-

The Hong Kong Catholic Marriage Advisory Council, Room 101, 1/F., Low Block, Grand Millennium Plaza, 181 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong. (Re.: Case Formulation and Emotional Processing in EFT)

Enquiry: Ms. Iris Mak / Ms. Maggie Lam (Tel: 2810 1104; Fax: 2526 3376; email: os@cmac.org.hk)

Important Notes

• Applications will be accepted on a first-come-first-served basis until quota is full, and in that case applicants will be informed.

• Receipt of application fee will be sent to applicants within two weeks after registration.

• A full-time student applicant must submit a copy of his/her student ID card as proof.

• A “Certificate of Attendance” will be presented to trainees with at least 80% attendance rate.

• Fees are non-refundable.

• Please copy this form if necessary.

• If black rainstorm warning signal is hoisted at or after 6:15 a.m., the seminar will be cancelled. Details of
  postponement or other arrangements will be announced afterwards.