Mindful Happiness

Anthony Quintiliani, Ph.D, LADC

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Helping Therapists Work with Diversity

Help For Therapists: Working with Diversity

Clinical interventions, especially strongly evidence-based interventions, impact clients via new skills and practices in mind-body clinical realities. No matter how good (or “good enough” ) a clinical intervention is it requires a highly positive, active therapeutic relationship. As ample research suggests, a strong and positive therapeutic relationship in therapy enhances client trust and courage – thus expanding their experimenting with new ways of being, thinking, and doing. A huge problem is establishing such a therapeutic relationship is the inability of some therapist to bond with diverse people – people not exactly like the therapist. Below I will present information from clinical  and social psychology about
what general variables/differences to be most mindful about.  This information will be noted in three categories: Universals; Group Differences; and, Individual Self-Development (within groups). If therapists practice paying more attention to some of these basic realities in their clients, the expectation is that their therapeutic relationship/alliance will improve along with their clinical outcomes.

UNIVERSALS: Here is the listing – Similar Life Experiences/History, Biological Similarities, Social Similarities, Psychological Similarities, Emotional Similarities, Self-Awareness Valences, Use of Symbols, Use of Art, Compassion and Aggression, Love and Hate, and, Differences in the Above. Noticing, being mindful of, and using these realities in therapy should improve alliance and clinical outcomes.

GROUP DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES: Here is the listing – Gender, SES, Age, Geography, Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Abilities, Disabilities, Religion, Marital Realities, Sexual Orientation, Urban/Rural, Education, Environmental Exposure (good/bad), etc. Again, therapists who are highly mindful of these realities will do their best to integrate them into their work with clients.  Good work here will improve the alliance and clinical outcomes.

INDIVIDUAL SELF-DEVELOPMENT: Here is the list – Genetic Transfer, Modeling Transfer, Familial Transfer, and All Non-Shared Experiences in Life. Therapist who make it a norm to differentiate carefully between individuals in therapy – and who actively use these differences in their work – will most likely experience stronger emotional ties/alliances and better clinical outcomes.

If you have not been fully conscious of using such differences and similarities in working with your clients, you may want to select a few variables and begin.  Begin NOW!

For more information refer to Pomerantz, A. M. (2017). Clinical Psychology: Science, Practice, and Culture. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications, pp. 69-93. See also the DSM-V emphasis on culture and diversity in treatment.

Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, VermontChiYinYang_EleanorRLiebmanCenter

Author of Mindful Happiness  

Mindful Happiness cover designs.indd

New Edition of Mindful Happiness in Production…Coming soon!

 

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Even More Psychoanalytic Gems

Psychoanalytic Gems – Even More

D. W. Winnicott has made significant clinical contributions to both building therapeutic alliance and maintaining a positive, helpful focus in psychotherapy. Below I have noted various approaches to
use in your therapy.  Use of these “gems” requires considerable knowledge and skill by the therapist.  Here is the list:

  1. Respect the client’s agency, and do nothing to exert direct control over her/him.
  2. Continue to support personal goals, striving, and motivation in your client.  Promote healthy maturational processes in this growth.
  3. If you understand how, use transitional space/transitional objects in our therapy to enhance positive emotional holding and nurturing of the client’s true self. Build more safety.
  4. Work to improve the client’s self-identifications, self-image, and self-objects. Where helpful note that initial introjections are the product of attachment experience. They occupy both intrapsychic and interpersonal space and time.
  5. Introduce playful free association as a method in your therapy. Use interpretation only when it is helpful.
  6. Support directly the client’s need for “continuity of being” in both therapy and day-to-day life experiences. This often includes integration of the true self and false self.
  7. Use gentle reflection to help move insight into action: changes in thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
  8. Notice both transference and cuntertransference experiences in therapy. Use these to better understand your client, as well as yourself.
  9. When possible enhance the client’s safe use of self soothing behaviors as a form of “primal satisfaction.”
  10. Help your client to integrate fragments of unhelpful past experiences.  This process should help to enhance the presence of a coherent self-narrative.   Such narratives often involve early traumatic experiences, and may be activated in the here-and-now of therapy.
  11. Do whatever is possible to re-integrate the sense of a secure self.  Maintain a safe and accepting therapeutic environment to do so.

For more refer to  Giovacchini, P. L. (1990). Tactics and Techniques in Psychoanalytic Therapy. Vol. 3, The Implications of Winnicott’s Contributions. Northvale, NJ: J. Aronson, pp.1- 243.

Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, VermontChiYinYang_EleanorRLiebmanCenter

Author of Mindful Happiness  

Mindful Happiness cover designs.indd

New Edition of Mindful Happiness in Production…Coming soon!