Finding Your Therapeutic "Sweet Spot" – A Meta-Model for All Therapists
There are three dimensions of the relational world: power, love, and mindfulness. A client's ability to navigate these three dimensions determines how well they function in their life and relationships – and how well therapists operate from a therapeutic "sweet spot" determines their ability to help clients become more emotionally intelligent. Outcome studies confirm that the most salient predictors of therapeutic success are not related to theoretical orientation or techniques, but to the therapeutic relationship.

In this workshop, Dr. Alibrando presents the Interpersonal Triangle, a meta-model developed from the work of Karen Horney and Wilfred Bion. Applications will be made to improve understanding of clients, therapist countertransference, and the change process. Working the Triangle, a practical tool, will create the dynamic balance of power, love, and mindfulness for both therapist and client, and provide therapists with a roadmap to work through impasses with challenging clients. Attendees will take the Interpersonal Triangle Inventory to identify their therapeutic "sweet spot" with any client at any given time. This seminar provides tools to transform the therapeutic process regardless of therapist theoretical orientation or level of experience.

Course Content

Interpersonal Triangle Inventory (ITI)

• Complete the inventory based on a challenging client

The Interpersonal Triangle

• Three dimensions
  • Power, love, and mindfulness
• Theoretical basis
  • Karen Horney
  • Wilfred Bion
  • Elias Porter
• Anecdotal/cultural basis
• Essence of each movement    
  • Against/power/red
  • Toward/love/blue
  • Away/mindfulness/yellow
• Exercise #1: Using the ITI

Working the Triangle

• The relationship circle
  • Three ways organisms protect themselves
    • Three negative reactions
  • Emotional intelligence and optimal human functioning
• Empirical support
• Neurobiological support
• The ACT of Working the Triangle
  • Acknowledge the imbalance
  • Consider the missing movement
  • Try on the missing movement

Therapeutic Implications

• Client
  • The true culprit: Anxiety-driven reactivity, implicit/emotional memories, and the limbic system
  • Psychopathology
    • Aggressors (red): Narcissism
    • Appeasers (blue): Dependent personality and depression
      • Purples (red + blue): Borderline personality
    • Avoidant (yellow): Schizoid, detached
      • Greens (blue & yellow): Passive-aggressive
  • How to use “Working the Triangle” with our challenging clients
    • Case examples
  • Exercise #2: Small group application

• Therapist
  • Six types of countertransference reactions
  • Theoretical orientation and The Interpersonal Triangle
  • Exercise #3: Finding your therapeutic “sweet spot”

• Helping relationship
  • The true cure: A healthy therapeutic relationship
    • Outcome studies
  • Projective identification (re-enactments) as a dynamic tool
    • Clinical and coaching examples

Case studies & Role-Playing

• Analysis of a challenging case
• Group exercise: Dyads and triads
• Large group case reviews
• Role-playing

Applications

• Exercise #4: Rapid review…
  • “One thing you do not want to forget?”
  • Call to action: Identify at least one thing you will apply next week