Abstract:

Allan Schore (2009) suggests that emotional communications between therapist and
patient lie at the psychobiological core of the therapeutic alliance, and that
right-brain to right-brain emotional processes are essential to development, psychopathology, and psychotherapy (Schore, 1994). Indeed, recent clinical
research reports that the more therapists facilitate the affective experience/ expression of patients in psychotherapy, the more patients exhibit positive
changes; furthermore, therapist affect facilitation is a powerful predictor of treatment success (Diener et al., 2007). Right brain to right brain therapy is attachment based, emotion focused techniques to activate and re-wire these very early unconscious patterns processed and stored in the RH of the brain when they are unhealthy.
There is neural plasticity in the brain lifelong; that’s a tremendously exciting, recent discovery of neuroscience. Every experience we have, every single moment of experience, causes neurons in our brain to fire, neurons all over our brain, not just the RH, and when we can create new experiences – of relationship and emotion – that causes the brain of the client to fire in a new way, new synaptic connections can happen, new neural pathways can develop, new neural circuits can grow; that’s all true, and clients can experience themselves, their emotions, themselves in relationships, in new more wholesome, healthy ways. The goal of any therapeutic process- As in Schema Therapy.
This skills workshop considers the effects of core needs not being met, the development of schemas and modes, the neurobiological impact and the ways in which Limited Re-Parenting can assist patients to repair attachment injuries. Keeping patients in the Right Hemisphere to provide them with a "corrective experience" is crucial in achieving the goals of Limited Re-parenting, barriers to this will be discussed including therapist schemas and inability to stay in their Right Hemisphere to provide the corrective experience. This skills class will be both didactic and dyadic in nature.

Target Audience:

All therapists interested in the neuroscience literature and the therapeutic relationship.

Learning Objectives:

* Understand the Neurobiology of Emotional Needs not being met * Neurobiology of Schemas and Modes
* Educating Patients on this
* Potential Hemispheric differences in Schemas and Modes

* Keeping patients in the Right Hemisphere to provide a Corrective Experience within the therapeutic relationship - Limited Reparenting * Understanding Hemispheric Differences in Imagery Rescripting

About the Presenters:

Rita Younan:

A clinical psychologist; Certified Schema Therapist and Supervisor/Trainer in Individual Schema Therapy and Group Schema Therapy.  Rita has presented at the Australian Psychological Society's Clinical College Conferences, run workshops throughout Australia and worked with Australian Catholic University supervising students and lecturing.  Rita has an interest in neuroscience, attachment and personality pathology.  Rita developed a Group Schema Therapy inpatient program at a private psychiatric hospital and published findings on the feasibility of this treatment program. 

Ruth Holt:

A Certified Schema Therapist and Supervisor/Trainer in Individual Schema Therapy and is certified as an Advanced Schema Therapist for Couples. She is based in Canberra, Australia and works with individuals and couples with a range of presentations and conducts workshops and training in Schema Therapy, couples therapy, women's mental health and abuse in relationships. Ruth has presented at the Australian Psychological Society's Clinical College Conferences, run workshops throughout Australia and worked with The University of Canberra Psychology Clinic supervising and presenting for postgraduate students. She has been involved in editing the soon to be published Schema Therapy for Children and Adolescents.