Many Clients Are Highly Self-Critical
Many clients are highly self-critical, which interferes with them making positive changes in their lives. They are often depressed and frequently anxious. Their self-criticism is sometimes motivated by a desperate need to perform well enough to earn the approval of others. It is also sometimes part of an effort to meet unrealistically high standards they set for themselves.

Using an attachment-based compassion therapy perspective, Dr. Becker-Phelps will provide you with an effective framework and necessary tools to help these treatment-resistant clients overcome their harsh self-judgments. By guiding clients to develop compassionate self-awareness (self-awareness and self-compassion), they can learn to more fully understand their self-criticism, tolerate their distress, and transform their self-attacking into self-compassion.

Course Content

DEFINE SELF-CRITICISM
• Elements and consequences
• Associated types of depression
TREATMENT OVERVIEW
• Therapy goals
• Compassionate self-awareness
• Fundamental levels of treatment
THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP
• Effects of therapist’s perspective of self and client
• Therapeutic relationship as a mechanism for change
• Treatment-resistant clients
INCREASING SELF-AWARENESS
• Curiosity about self
• Treatment tailored to types of depression
• Awareness of STEAM (sensations, thoughts, emotions, actions, mentalizing)
NURTURING SELF-COMPASSION
• Building on attachment theory
• Kristin Neff’s model of self-compassion
• Interventions to nurture self-compassion and compassionate self-awareness