Applying the Psychological Flexibility Model to the Therapeutic Relationship

Virtually all psychotherapists believe that the therapeutic relationship is important, but that is not enough to create an empowering therapeutic alliance. In this workshop I will show how the elements of the psychological flexibility model can be used to guide the creation of powerful therapeutic relationships that increase human resilience. Working in small teams, attendees will learn and practice a few core methods in each of the key domains of psychological flexibility which reorient clients toward greater openness, awareness, and active engagement.

This model applies not not just to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, but psychotherapy more generally. Attendees with leave this workshop with a set of simple but broadly applicable skills that will empower their work, regardless of their currently preferred model and methods.

Keywords: therapeutic relationship, psychological flexibility, acceptance and commitment therapy; 

Objectives

Attendees will learn

Objective #1: to describe the three key pillars of psychological flexibility
Objective #2: to formulate common clinical problems using a psychological flexibility model
Objective #3: to link the key features of psychological flexibility to methods that empower the therapeutic alliances
Objective #4: to reorient clients toward psychological flexibility processes in a natural way
Objective #5: to leverage the therapeutic relationship so as to create therapeutic change using psychological flexibility concepts