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

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.

Encounters Between the Psychoanalytic Community and the U.S.-American Intelligence Community 1940-1945 – A Short History of an Unexpected Liaison

Beginning in 1940, members of the US-American psychoanalytic community began to collaborate with the US-Intelligence Community (IC). Early activities (1940-1945) focused on the immediate threat of Nazi Germany, fascist Italy, and their imperial Japanese ally and included studies on a variety of anti-axis propaganda issues, e.g., home front radio broadcasts, analysis of enemy broadcasts, studies on domestic morale, analysis of enemy national character etc. Moreover, psychoanalysts used clinical data retained from ongoing analyses to be used by the IC in search of certain patterns of totalitarian attitudes in patients which might be counteracted by psychoanalysis or by psychoanalytically informed propaganda programs.

Meditative flow-Psychotherapy: cognitive paradigm shift that offers positive outcomes in solving relationship issues

Relationship issues affect everyone. Much research has been carried out to resolve them through the engagements of various therapy and counselling techniques. Nonetheless, before the advent of counselling and psychotherapy protocols, those with relationship issues had sought the advice and guidance from some respected members of the families, village chiefs, temple and church elders or even those with shamanic practices. Today there are trends towards “spiritual” solutions to heal and repair those relationship issues. The presenter through his personal experience in this topic had found that one aspect of meditation - guided meditation could prove to be more useful than general or even mindfulness meditation modalities. The presenter, who is presently engaged in providing counselling for those incarcerated, had found that the practise of “guided meditation” not only relaxes the clients but could be used to transform their views (attitudes) and meaning of their own journey in life also. “Guided meditation” evokes the meditators’ visual, audio and kinetic faculties.

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”.

Metaphor Links Brain, Body and Mind

Keeping Developmental Trauma in Mind. Phil Graham, Kamal Touma, George Lianos

The Figure 8 Trauma Cycle and the Conversational Model

Working in the Flame. Conversational Model Psychotherapy with the Narcissistic Borderline Client

Self Coming Into Being

On Becoming a Psychotherapist

Resistance and Re-traumatisation – First Cut is the Deepest