Moving from Chaos to Clarity: Core-Focused Family Therapy
– Presented by Judye Hess, PhD [SEMINAR]

A major strength of Core-Focused Family Therapy (CFFT) is that it addresses all three dimensions of our experience: individual, interpersonal and systemic. One of the major critiques of family therapy in general is that, while it focuses on the interpersonal dynamics, it lacks the depth of individual therapy. CFFT attempts to correct this problem by encouraging clients to experience their core truths in several ways, including, the somatic level. This assists in communication among the family members. When the family can express their deepest truths to one another, profound changes can occur that lead to greater differentiation authenticity and closeness. The role of the therapist is to help families uncover and communicate these truths by teaching better communication, which, in turn, helps them to take greater responsibility for their role in conflict and alliances.  When dyads or triads change, this leads to a systemic change in the family.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Upon completion of this workshop, participants should be able to:

1. Summarize the clinical techniques and skills used in Core-Focused Family Therapy.
2. Explain the concept of the “identified patient” (IP) and how it both serves and debilitates the family.
3. Recognize, elicit and deepen client emotions to further change by utilizing skills of:
4. deep empathy for each member,
5. guiding family members to move from defensiveness to open-hearted communication
6. maintaining a position of neutrality
7. Explain “surface area of problem”,
8. Demonstrate Checking In at the start, Checking Out when done.
9. Select and assess families in terms of readiness for Core-Focused Family Therapy.
10. Identify how the IP may be “holding” a certain emotion for the family.
11. Explain how family therapy helps the family to see the broader context of a particular member’s difficulties, by increasing the “surface area” of the problem.
12. Recognize when the family dynamic shifts from a one-person interaction with the therapist, to a dyadic encounter between two family members, e.g. direct interaction
13. Explain the 11 common mistakes therapists make when working with families.
14. Identify and utilize the five techniques of working with a family from start (initial phone call) to finish (termination).

Judye Hess graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a PhD in clinical psychology in 1975 and have been licensed in the state of California since 1978, and has a private therapy practice in Berkeley since 1980 where she sees couples, families and facilitates groups.

She has been teaching experiential classes in Family Dynamics, Couple counseling and Group Dynamics at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco over the last 27 years, where she is a Professor and Core Faculty member. She has also taught these courses at John F. Kennedy University, the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology, and California State East Bay University.

Judye is an active member of the Northern California Group Psychotherapy Society (NCGPS) and the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA) where she has facilitated groups (Interpersonal Gestalt, Interpersonal Growth, and Group Process in the NOW) at both local and national conferences and Institute. She is active in the Association for Family Therapy of Northern California (AFTNC), the American Family Therapy Association (AFTA), and the International Family Therapy Association (IFTA). 

She has written many articles and has presented at national and international conferences in the Netherlands, Turkey and Vancouver, Canada, on her method of family therapy as presented in her book Core-Focused Family Therapy: Moving From Chaos to Clarity, which she wrote with Ross Cohen, LPC. (Idyll Arbor, 2008)

COST:

CIP Members:

$75 early registration 10 days prior to seminar; $90 after

Non-Members:

$100 early registration up to 10 days prior to seminar, $115 after

CEs: 4 CEs for LMFTs,

LCSWs, and Psychologists.

Community Institute for Psychotherapy is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Community Institute for Psychotherapy maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Cancellations must be received in writing 10 business days prior to the seminar or class for a refund minus a $25 cancellation fee.

Accommodations will be made wherever possible to those with disabilities.  Please let us know of any disabilities upon registration, to ensure proper accommodations are put in place prior to workshop/training.

Grievance Procedure: CIP will respond to complaints in a reasonable, ethical and timely manner, when submitted by program attendees in writing to the Chair of CIP’s Professional Development Committee.

Anti-Discrimination Policy: CIP shall not discriminate against any individual or group with respect to any service, program or activity based on gender, race, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, age or other prohibited basis. CIP does not require attendees to adhere to any particular religion or creed in order to participate in training. CIP will not promote or advocate for a single modality of treatment that is discriminatory or likely to harm clients based on current accepted standards or practice.

*There is no conflict of interest or commercial support related to this CE program.