Melbourne trauma psychotherapy

I trained in a form of psychotherapy known as relational psychotherapy, at institutes in both Australia and New York. Relational psychotherapy is a therapeutic approach that recognises our experiences with others, especially attachment relationships in early childhood, profoundly influence our self-concept, emotional patterns, and overall mental health.

Relational psychotherapy is based on the idea that our sense of self develops from early experiences of having our emotions and needs recognised and responded to within our attachment relationships. However, if our needs are not responded to by caregivers, then we unconsciously learn to turn away from our own emotional needs and attune instead to who and what our caregivers want us to be. The process of doing this time and again creates unconscious patterns which come to shape the way we respond to our own emotions, and relate to others (see my page on ‘Parts work‘ for further information about working with these patterns).

These patterns have been variously called ‘internal working models’ (Bowlby), contact styles (Gestalt), schemas and modes (Young), and representations of interactions generalised (RIGs; Stern). These unconscious patterns are generally understood across psychodynamic traditions as being the foundation of both an individual’s attachment style, and their defense mechanisms, which subsequently contribute to their ongoing emotional and relational difficulties. These patterns can therefore explain things like people-pleasing behaviours, avoidance and addiction behaviours, and over-controlling behaviours (e.g. eating disorders, perfectionistic tendencies, OCD), as well as the more traditional DSM-V diagnoses of anxiety, depression, personality disorders, and even psychotic experiences.

Psychotherapy with a relational psychotherapist therefore aims at assisting the client gradually discover, express and integrate emotions and needs that have previously been cut off or denied in early attachment relationships. In doing so, individuals can develop a more full, embodied and whole sense of self that is not reliant on defense mechanisms or painful coping strategies to survive. Relational psychotherapy utilises several key practices to support individuals to do this:

• The therapist’s empathic understanding of the client’s emotional world, and communication of this understanding
• Development of the client’s awareness of their emotional experiences, and increased capacity to identify and express these experiences
• An exploration of past relationships, with a special focus on attachment relationships
• An understanding of interpersonal patterns, and unconscious ways of regulating relational connection and disconnection
• Transference and counter-transference experiences, which can provide insights into the client’s interpersonal patterns and emotional experiences
• Relational opportunities with the therapist that allow clients to take risks in expression and self-disclosure, the experience of which can provide both a corrective emotional experience for the client and a model for future healthy relationships

Further information about some of the techniques and interventions I use can be found on my experiential techniques and parts work pages.