Psychoanalytic Sensibility in a Behavioural World: Supervising Intern Counselling Psychologists in Aotearoa New Zealand

The Silent Language of Art Psychotherapy: making meaning of symbols

Informed by hermeneutic philosophical traditions, this will be a presentation of a brief art psychotherapy intervention from a phenomenological perspective. The idea of “meaning-making” is constructed from a phenomenological interpretation of art making, revealing psychological life as defined by Jung to be “the totality of all psychic processes, conscious as well as unconscious”.

Family Therapeutic Alliance and Collective Family Therapy

Exploring into local collectivist Malays culture led the researchers to construct the Family Therapeutic Alliance (FTA) which is an invaluable therapeutic source of authority applicable as the underlying element in multicultural psychotherapy. FTA was used in a longitudinal study of relapse prevention among the Malay collectivist recovering addicts and their family that has produced a positive outcome. Four recovering addicts and their families were invited to form four study groups with an initial goal of establishing FTA, and later on, to maintain their alliances. Eight sessions of Collective Family Therapy using a multicultural approach that adopt the basic element of psychotherapy and critical values of the clients was used as the treatment approach.

7 Types of ADD, Brain SPECT Scan, Psycho-Nutritional, Neurotransmitter and Hormonal Therapy

Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADD/ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental psychological disorder. People with ADHD commonly display significant problems in executive functions. It has been suggested that underlying abnormalities in the brain contribute to ADHD (Amen, 2001). Seven types of ADD/ADHD were classified based on the symptoms and brain spectroscopy (SPECT) scans; different types of ADD/ADHD were attributed to different areas of brain atrophy and over-activation/inactivation. Several mechanisms and theories will be discussed: Neurotransmitters, Hormones, and Stress.

Mystery, Uncertainty and Complexity in Embryo Donation Counselling in Aotearoa New Zealand

Embryo Donation (ED) is the donation by a couple who have surplus embryos following in vitro fertilisation to another infertile couple or person. This presentation, on counsellors’ experience in providing compulsory ED counselling, was part of a larger research investigation designed to explore how ED is understood and experienced by donors and recipients in Aotearoa New Zealand, a country with unique legislative and policy donation guidelines. The practice of ED counselling in Aotearoa New Zealand differs from other jurisdictions in that counsellors enact and facilitate the policy of ‘open’ donation in which donors and recipients meet and select each other for ED.

A qualitative study of women who have undertaken a five phased programme of Psychotherapy and Hypnotherapy in concert with IVF - What were their experiences and outcomes?

The literature is rich with studies addressing stress effects on In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) outcomes. Debate continues regarding whether there is a cause-and-effect relationship, or merely a correlation, between stress and IVF failure. While several studies have addressed coping mechanisms used by couples undergoing IVF, and some even investigated the effects of coping mechanisms used at three points within an IVF cycle, the author found no study that presented a programme for women to deal with stress before, during and after IVF cycles.

Full Contact Couple Therapy

Most couple therapy models do not produce therapy that worked for couples. Their techniques, including visualisation, positive dialogues and homework as utilised for example by Emotion Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT) (Greenberg & Johnson 1988, Gottman based couple therapy (Declare & Gottman 2001), and Imago therapy by Hendrix and Hunt (Hendrix and Hunt, 2003; Hendrix and Hunt, 2005), have led to little successful outcome. These techniques are not able to address the multisensory amygdala based ruptures in relationships. The techniques employed by most couple therapy models are prefrontal lobe based i.e. they engage couples' prefrontal lobe only. The activations patterns of each other's amygdala by each party of the couple who seek therapy remain unchanged despite going through most of these therapies.

Evaluating Group Therapy Process through the Clients’ Feedback

The study purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of solution-focused brief group therapy based on the clients’ feedback about the process. The evaluation was to ensure that from the client’s perspective they were experiencing quality and effective service (Sharry, 2007). The research samples were from 30 undergraduate students of Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia of the 5th semester chosen by simple random sampling technique. They received 5 sessions of group therapy including termination and follow-up session. The data collection used the instrument adapted from Duncan and Miller’s (2000) (Sharry, 2007) supported by observation and interview.

Defining the concept of spirituality among Filipino counselors and clients.

Sport and physical activity in the treatment of refugee trauma survivors of torture and trauma

Community acceptance of refugees in a new refugee resettlement location, Armidale, NSW

Theme and Variations: The way the Complex Traumatic past becomes the Complex Traumatic present

Long walk to health: Working with the survivors of refugee trauma with a history of early childhood abuse

Limits in Neurofeedback Rehabilitation: What we need to know

Neuro-correlates of the ‘Self’ and Implications for Neuro-psychotherapists