Schema Therapy Skills: Empathic Confrontation. Helping yourself and your client through challenging behaviours with compassion and honesty

Presenter: Chris Hepworth

Empathic confrontation is a key skill which will allow you to work with individuals from narcissism to avoidance in a way that will help you feel empowered, confident, and change frustrating or hurtful behaviours in a compassionate and honest way.

Schema Therapy is an evidence-based treatment for treating Borderline Personality Disorder, Narcissism, recurrent dysfunctional patterns and chronic Axis 1 disorders. Although Schema Therapy encompasses a number of skills (e.g. imagery rescripting, CBT techniques) one of its core skills is empathic confrontation: the skill of pointing out to a client how a behaviour may be negatively affecting themselves and others, in a compassionate, yet honest and direct manner, and consequently how and why they may want to change it. The skill allows clinicians to successfully work with and approach some of the most difficult in session behaviours such as narcissistic put-downs, anger, avoidance and ‘therapy blocks’, which if not dealt with can ultimately burn the therapeutic relationship, relationships for the client outside of therapy and continue to impede the clients progress and quality of life. Qualitative research on schema therapy, in addition to personal experience, continues to show the importance of this skill for difficult to treat-behaviours and populations, yet it is a skill which clinician often struggle with.

In this masterclass the presenter will take you through the steps of successful empathic confrontation, show you its application live, in addition to expert videos, and give you the opportunity to practice the skill yourself. You can walk away more confident in your ability to have that tough conversation and enhance your own and clients satisfaction.

Key Learning Objectives

1. Understand and apply the steps of Empathic Confrontation to difficult client behaviours
2. Understand how empathic confrontation is used within the broader context of schema therapy

Assumed Background Knowledge and Experience of Attendees

Basic: Casual familiarity with Schema Therapy

Implications / Applications of Learning for Clinical Practice

Empathic confrontation can be used as a trans-diagnostic skill to help clients understand and change behaviours which may be causing them difficulties. Its application allows the clinician to approach difficult topics in a compassionate and client centred manner to give the maximum chance that the client will be able to ‘hear’ the therapist and change their behaviour.

Duration & Format / Training Modalities

This workshop has 2 hours CPD, and morning tea is included in your registration.

References – readings

Disarming the Narcissist by Wendy Behary (2013) (Wendy’s website)

Schema Therapy in Practice by Arnoud Arntz et al (2012)

Please arrive after 9:30am for a 10:00am start.

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