Hi my passion is for sharing the power of parts therapy. In particular the amazing Resource Therapy. Being a psychologist, mentor, and supervisor I love to encourage others in the field of therapy.
Happy 2022 Resourceful Therapists! Super excited to have my amazing guest Neville Starick on The Resourceful Therapist YouTube Channel January 2022 episode. A perfect start to the year.
We had a great chat. It was lovely getting to know Neville’s previous life, prior to counseling. Neville has totally upskilled my accounting practices, to his credit.
He’s created an amazing niche from his experience to assist therapists launch and maintain sustainable and ethical therapy businesses.
In the second half, you will get some invaluable tips for your counseling or psychology business.
Neville’s passion for supporting others shines through, he has a program available – Therapy Business Booster covering practical and essential skills for any business owner.
One possibly challenging suggestion is to think about raising your fees. When might be the best time for you and your clients? Neville shares how he discovered while delivering quality care and great rates, he was struggling to put food on the table.
While we are in the people business it is only fair therapists earn a decent living while having the freedom to see both your full fee-paying and paying it forward with a sliding scale. As I said in the podcast the regular paying clients mean you can have space for those who are in struggle street. Find out more about the secret business sauce by watching and subscribing to our channel to get the latest updates.
Enjoy the latest episode of the Resourceful Therapist here. Love to hear your feedback thanks for watching.
As a trained EMDR therapist, I belong to a EMDR Clinician group Facebook (hmm Metaverse, who knows?) . It has lots of aweosme therapists and information. After seeing a post requesting help on Blocking Beliefs, I thought it would be helpful to view this from a parts therapy model as I note a lot of people are trained in Ego State Therapy. In EMDR therapy these beliefs may sabotage or limit effective processing and must be attended to. Jim Knipe has some excellent information on this.
Coming from a parts therapy lens, Resource Therapy (RT) views these as the personality aspects, unique to us. Designed to help us possilby in ways that no longer serve. They require some negotiation as in the case blocking reprocessing or access.
You may have seen these parts of clients in your office. Perhaps they have an intellectual question they roll out – Why? Why would have to be one of the commonest I have heard. This is an intellectual State heading off intense affect. Or also popular is ‘ I can’t do this/ speak ill of… you fill in the blank. Usually, as a means to protect the person from some percieved guilt, shame or fear.
These are adaptive parts, in RT terms Retro States ( a part also known as a type of Ego State/ Resource) developed to support our emotional selves coming out on the deck of our ship with their fragile, possibly overwhelming affective sensory experience. Avoidance hypervigilance is often a natural defense considering what a client has been exposed to.
Whilst they do hold a belief that blocks it’s often due to the Retro State’s lack of awareness. Trapped in the belief if they don’t stop things, it may be too much emotionally. You can see the logic.
In RT we work directly with this part using the Resistance Alliancing Protocol RT Action 13. With this easy method, there are a couple of ways to get this State onside for therapy to continue and sidestep block beliefs artfully. For a quick look at this technique jump over to RT Action 13.
At its heart, Resource Therapy holds ALL OUR parts are there for a reason.
I was first introduced to Ego State therapy by Gordon Emmerson in 2013. Watching Gordon do a live demonstration of therapy was both amazing and confusing. Yet I was curious for more. He has since adapted and changed his version of Ego State into it’s own therapy modality – Resource Therapy aka Emmerson’s Ego State Therapy.
Personally, I love all the parts modalities and their advocates. My favourite Ego State Therapist would have to be Robin Shapiro, very helpful for those of us trained in EMDR.
Resource Therapy (RT) has been the one I have trained in and now train others in. Better add a disclaimer here – I am formerly vice president of Resource Therapy International (RTI). We are honoured to have Dr Karlheinze Erbe, a psychiatrist based in Bamberg Germany as Vice President of RTI. My current role is Australia Executive Director under the auspices of Resource Therapy International. Gordon Emmerson is President.
Emmerson’s Ego State Therapy was founded by Professor Gordon Emmerson Ph.D. Gordon’s expertise in Ego State Therapy and hypnosis is world-renowned, previously Vice President to Ego State Therapy International (ESTI).
Gordon formed a close connection with the late and great John and Helen Watkins, the pioneers of Ego State Therapy, spending a summer with them in the 1980s.
Professor Emmerson is the author of several books, Ego State Therapy, Resource Therapy The Complete Guide With Case Examples & Transcripts, Resource Therapy Primer and many research and journal articles.
How come we now have Resource Therapy ?
In his transformational work with clients, research, and journal writing, and he found himself referring to Ego States as Resources. Although Gordon respected Ego State Therapy, he was developing his unique model later known as Resource Therapy. Talking with Gordon too it’s clear he wishes parts therapy accessible to more therapists globally.
Resource Therapy (RT) formally superseded Advanced Ego State Therapy from 2014. You will know when you hear or read Advanced or Emmerson’s Ego State therapy, we are referring to Resource Therapy. Gordon says the name change seemed natural as he was always referring to Ego States as Resources (parts).
Gordon as a psychology and statistics professor believed in the need for a RT personality theory. The RT theory of our personality parts evolution forms the foundation of the Resource Therapy Actions. These guide us in working with our client’s presenting issues.
Gordon is a genius in my opinion with his development of techniques directly and rapidly offering life-changing results for ourselves and our clients.
Truly I have both experienced and witnessed this in my own therapy adventures as a psychologist. RT is kind, gentle, heart centred, respectful as a powerful therapeutic tool for change.
Key similarities and Differences in Resource Therapy and Ego State Therapy
Personality Theory
Both models’ view of the personality is one of ‘parts’ that make up the whole. RT Personality theory expands further stating these parts of us are our “Resources” formed in childhood as opposed to Ego States. These therapies originate from a psychodynamic perspective.
Watkins saw personality parts developing from the personality splitting; “split off from the core ego because of trauma” (Watkins & Watkins, 1997, pp. 26). According to RT our Resources are formed through the axon and dendritic synaptic firing in our brains in line with current neuroscience.
RT says all our Resources are formed in a healthy state and there for a beneficial purpose to live our life fully. Hence are termed Resources as they each have unique skills and abilities when in the conscious. It’s great to have a child part of us enjoying being on a swing, riding a bike, or drawing.
This state of health can change if the state is exposed to distress, neglect, or some form of trauma and does not get the support it needs. It will become ‘pathological’ in RT terminology ‘Vaded.’ RT is trauma aware and consistent with the belief in Oprah and Dr Bruce Perry’s book title – (it’s )”What happened to you? Not what’s wrong with you. RT therapists are changologists having skills to heal our hurt parts.
Great book here from a conversation with Dr Bruce Perry and Oprah on how childhood trauma impacts our lives.
Hypnosis
Resource Therapy does not require hypnosis induction or training in its application. From what I understand traditional Ego State Therapy often does. All clients with a high level of focus will likely be in a state of hypnosis. If you know more about this please let me know.
Introjects
Ego State (ES) and RT vary in their view of an Introject. ES may say that Introjects are parts – Ego States and need to be worked with for change. RT says it is only Resources that are our parts. Introjects are merely a type of internal imprint of a person, place, or object held by a particular Resource State.
We work to empower the Resource State using Emmerson’s concept of a Sensory Experience Memory (SEM). Each of us may have parts that hold an internal representation of an introject. Introjects can be positive or negative. For example, we can have a child part that may hold a sense of a caregiver who was unsupportive. In adulthood, we may have a different introject who can see how loving this caregiver is to their grandchildren.
Introjects are not real and we don’t have to alter them or protect the part from the Introject. We can change them or remove them from a personals internal space. I have seen in an CBT imaginal rescripting workshop I attended we were required to put the introject in gaol, outer space or even the firing squad. In RT we only attend to the parts needs and empower it over the Introject.
Resource Therapy’s Diagnostic Framework
Rt therapists are trained to diagnose the problem a Resource State holds and in how to apply a clear set of procedures – the RT treatment actions for resolution.
RT personality theory informs the 15 treatment Action steps. This diagnostic system guides the RT Treatment Action steps providing a road map for clinicians to follow. Working directly with the part holding disturbance and resolving the issue for rapid results.
So that’s my take on the key differences. RT is being trained in Europe and worldwide. Please let me know your thoughts and comments below.
