67th Annual Conference

Friday, February 26

Morning Workshops

10:00 A.M.-12:30 P.M.

Workshop 43

The Over-functioning Therapist: How Do You Know When ‘Enough’ Is Too Much?

Chairs: 

Jeanne Bunker, MSSW, CGP, Private Practice, Austin, Texas

DeLinda Fox, MSSW, CGP,  Private Practice,  Austin, Texas

Open to participants with less than four years of group psychotherapy experience

Therapists can experience the compulsion to over-function in their clinical and private lives.   We explore the roots of this compulsion, whether about family of origin or a desire to have it all, evaluate past attempts to cure ourselves, and finally arrive at sustainable selfcare for a more satisfying, passionate life.

didactic-experiential-sharing of work experiences-demonstration

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify narcissism in the therapist.

2. Utilize the Concept of Sustainable Selfcare^TM.

3. Track and apply the etiology of over-functioning to self and patients.

4. Develop tools to implement Sustainable Selfcare^TM in personal and therapeutic work.

Course References:

Glickauf-Hughes, C. & Mehlman, E. (1995) Narcissistic Issues in therapists: Diagnostic and treatment considerations. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training.32 (2), 213-221.

Kohut, Heinz, (1971) The Analysis of the Self. New York: International University Press.

Miller, Alice (1997) The Drama of the Gifted Child. Basic Books.