Resource States – Australia Resource Therapy Institute

May 10, 2026May 10, 2026

What Makes Resource Therapy as a Parts Work Model Special ?

A cinematic Resource Therapy graphic showing a calm captain at the helm of a wooden ship, surrounded by Australian animal crew members representing different Resource States. The sea shifts from stormy to calm golden light, symbolising movement from distress to clarity. The image reflects Resource Therapy’s Australian origins, parts-based framework, and structured clinical map for trauma-informed healing.Philipa Thornton A therapist-like captain at the helm of a ship with Australian animal crew members, symbolising Resource Therapy as an Australian parts therapy model with a clear clinical map.

Ok I will admit my bias as President of RTI here. While most therapies help clients talk about the problem..

Resource Therapy helps therapists speak directly with the part of the person that is carrying it. The one holding stuck emotions, outdated coping behaviours or old shame.

That is the clinical elegance of Resource Therapy. And I think one of the reasons it is gaining attention among psychologists, counsellors, psychotherapists, and trauma-informed practitioners globally.

Developed in Australia by Professor Gordon Emmerson, PhD. I love this ! Resource Therapy grew from the lineage of Ego State Therapy. Gordon has developed RT into it’s own distinctive model. Indeed RT is often referred to as Advanced Ego State Therapy for this very reason.

Through Gordon’s many books, including Ego State Therapy, Healthy Parts Happy Self, Resource Therapy Primer, Resource Therapy, Learn Resource Therapy, and Therapist Gold we see this.

Gordon Emmerson offers therapists a practical, structured, and deeply respectful way to understand personality as a system of inner Resource States – our inner crew.

These states are not “broken parts.” They are inner resources.

Some are confident, calm, loving, creative, or competent. Others carry old pain, fear, rejection, confusion, avoidance, anger, disappointment, or conflict.

In Resource Therapy, symptoms are not treated as random pathology. They are understood as signals that a particular state is active, distressed, protective, or stuck in an old emotional learning.

That is where the model becomes powerful.

Resource Therapy gives therapists a clear clinical road map. Rather than asking, “What is wrong with this person?” RT asks:

Which part is at the helm?
What is this Resource State carrying?
What does this state need in order to heal, update, or relax?

This creates a more compassionate and precise therapy process.

A client may present with anxiety, but the real work may be with a Vaded State carrying fear. Client’s may describe depression, but the therapist may discover a state holding disappointment or rejection. A client who avoids closeness may not be “resistant” at all. They may have a Retro Avoiding State trying to protect them from old attachment wounds. Couples may appear locked in conflict, when underneath the fight are hurt states longing for safety, connection, and repair.

This is what makes Resource Therapy so useful in trauma work, relationship therapy, addictions, shame, anxiety, depression, and stuck therapeutic patterns. It does not leave therapists guessing. It offers a structured framework of diagnosis and treatment actions, so the clinician can identify the active state and choose the next therapeutic step with confidence.

Resource Therapy is also beautifully Australian in spirit. Which is why we use Aussie animals, and me being a kiwi a few from NZ too.

It is practical, direct, warm, and down-to-earth.

It does not overcomplicate healing. Instead it simplifies.

It gives therapists language clients can understand and targetted interventions that can create meaningful change in session.

At the Australia Resource Therapy Institute, we often describe the model through the ship and crew metaphor. The person is not one flat, fixed self. They are more like a ship with many crew members. Sometimes the wise, steady Captain is at the helm. At other times, a frightened, rejected, angry, confused, or protective crew member takes over the wheel.

Recognising the Captain of the moment who is driving is a key skill.

Resource Therapy helps the therapist meet that crew member with respect, not judgment. And then, gently and precisely, help the right part heal.

That is what makes Resource Therapy special.

It is not just another parts model – similar, yes, to IFS, EGO State Therapy, and Voice Dialogue. But unique in its structure, where you know what key actions to take and when. Applying your own therapeutic artistry.

It is an Australian-born, clinically structured, attachment-informed therapy that gives therapists a clear way to work with the part that needs help now.

Less guessing. More precision. Deeper healing.

Love learning? Join us in June.

References

Emmerson, G. (2007). Ego state therapy. Crown House Publishing.

Emmerson, G. (2012). Healthy parts, happy self: 3 steps to like yourself. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

Emmerson, G. (2014). Resource therapy primer. Old Golden Point Press.

Emmerson, G. (2014). Resource therapy. Old Golden Point Press.

Emmerson, G. (2014). Resource therapy trainer’s manual: For Resource Therapy Foundation Training and Resource Therapy Clinical Qualification Training. Old Golden Point Press.

Emmerson, G. (2015). Learn resource therapy: Clinical qualification student training manual. Old Golden Point Press.

Essing, C., & Emmerson, G. (2025). Therapist gold: Treating fear-based trauma and attachment trauma. Old Golden Point Press.

April 26, 2026April 25, 2026

False Memories, Real Responsibility: Why Therapists Must Follow The Science

From the past century, Psychology has leaned on a dramatic narrative:

“Memory is unreliable, and false memories are easily implanted”.

This idea hasn’t just lived in textbooks. It has shaped our legal systems and, at times, made clients feel hesitant to trust their own history unfortunately, and doesn’t match contemporary trauma research.

Science is evolving.

I was recently inspired by a deep dive in Scientific American that highlighted a shift in the data: Humans are far less susceptible to “implanted” autobiographical memories than we once feared. As a therapist, I find this incredibly reassuring.

As it means we can step away from the anxiety of “accidentally breaking” a client’s memory and get back to the heart of the work.

What Does Modern Memory Science Actually Show?

Let’s look at the facts (and the nuance) that often get lost in the headlines.

1. The Reality of Memory Malleability

We know memory isn’t a video recording. Elizabeth Loftus (2005) famously showed that post-event information can distort our recall. This “misinformation effect” happens when new details blend with or even overwrite original memory traces (Loftus, Miller, & Burns, 1978).

2. The Myth of the “Easy” False Memory

Here is the crucial update: while researchers like Roediger and McDermott (1995) showed how “word lists” could be misremembered, creating an entire life event (like being lost in a mall) is much harder.

As Leon et al. (2023) point out, fabricating a full autobiographical memory requires intense, repeated suggestion and specific “scaffolding” (Loftus & Palmer, 1974). It doesn’t just happen by accident in a warm, respectful therapy room.

3. Understanding the Mechanisms

Why does memory shift? Science points to three main culprits:

Source Misattribution: Confusing the source of a detail (Lindsay, 1990).
Suggestibility: The influence of authority figures—yes, that includes us as therapists!
Retroactive Interference: When new info bumps into the old (Wright, 1998).

These are process-driven vulnerabilities (Challies, 2011), not proof that memory is inherently “broken.”

The Resource Therapy Perspective: Parts, Not Proof

In my practice, I find that Resource Therapy (RT), developed by Professor Gordon Emmerson (2014), offers the perfect clinical bridge for this science.

In RT, we aren’t “investigating” a memory; we are working with the Resource State ( a personality part) that holds the emotional charge of that experience. As Emmerson (2014) teaches, we focus on the part of the personality that is currently “at the helm.” Whether a memory is a literal transcript or a symbolic representation, the emotional truth held by that part is what needs our attention.

We don’t need to be judges, Sherlock Holmes or historians. We need to be the safe harbour for the Resource State that is Vaded in fear or rejection (Emmerson, 2014).

How to Balance Science and Validation -The Clinical Gold

So, how do we remain ethical while being deeply supportive?

We find the Clinical Middle Ground.

❌ Avoid the Extreme: Don’t dismiss memories as “just unreliable,” but don’t treat every detail as “literal truth.”
✅ The Approach: Treat memory as a meaningful, reconstructive process that is usually grounded in real experience.

Practical Tips for the Therapy Room

Use “Clean” Language: Stay curious and open-ended to avoid the “suggestibility” traps noted by Loftus (2005).
Track the State: Instead of asking “Is this true?”, ask “Which Resource State is showing this and what does it need from a trauma-informed and attachment-aware parts lens?” (Emmerson, 2014).
Hold Complexity: You can validate a client’s pain without needing a signed affidavit of the facts.

Reflections

The updated science tells us that humans are remarkably resilient. We aren’t as easily “manipulated” as early studies suggested. If we follow the science, maybe using the power of parts work tools like Resource Therapy. We can help our clients navigate their past with confidence, focus on their emotional healing, and lead their “inner crew” toward a more peaceful future.

References

Challies, D. M. (2011). A behavioural account of the misinformation effect. Frontiers in Psychology.

Emmerson, G. (2014). Resource Therapy. Old Golden Point Road. Australia.

Frenda, S. J., Nichols, R. M., & Loftus, E. F. (2011). Current issues and advances in misinformation research. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20(1), 20–23.

Leon, C. S., et al. (2023). False memories and misinformation: A review of mechanisms and effects. Frontiers in Psychology.

Lindsay, D. S. (1990). Misleading suggestions can impair eyewitnesses’ ability to remember event details. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 16(6), 1077–1083.

Loftus, E. F. (2005). Planting misinformation in the human mind: A 30-year investigation of the malleability of memory. Learning & Memory, 12(4), 361–366.

Loftus, E. F., & Palmer, J. C. (1974). Reconstruction of automobile destruction: An example of the interaction between language and memory. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behaviour, 13(5), 585–589.

Loftus, E. F., Miller, D. G., & Burns, H. J. (1978). Semantic integration of verbal information into a visual memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory, 4(1), 19–31.

Roediger, H. L., & McDermott, K. B. (1995). Creating false memories. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition.

Wright, D. B. (1998). How misinformation alters memories. Journal of Experimental Psychology.

April 6, 2026April 6, 2026

When Every Part Has a Story: Supporting Healing in Resource Therapy

Clinical Resource Therapist with a client discussing Resource Therapy in session

As therapists, we sit with complexity every day. Clients often describe feeling pulled in different directions. One part of them wants change, another holds back. One part longs for connection, another expects harm.

We are often witnessing a system of resource states. It is not resistance. These states do exactly what they have learned to do to manage and survive.

For me, Resource Therapy (RT) has offered a way of understanding this. It is not something to fix. It is something to listen to. My work has shaped how I understand the internal system.

Clinical Resource Counsellor in her office using parts work with a client — Jaclyn Hall, Clinical Resource Therapist and Trainer

It has also shaped how I respond to the present resource state. When we slow down, what becomes clear is this: every resource state has a story.

I’ve never been drawn to ways of working that centre heavily on diagnosis or pathologising. It’s not that understanding patterns isn’t important but framing people through what is “wrong” with them has never felt like it honours the depth of what they’ve lived through.

I’ve always been interested in understanding what’s happened to a person, how they’ve survived, and what has supported them to get through.

Importantly, what they are now wanting to shift so they can live from a place of their own choosing, rather than from responses that may no longer be serving them.

Resource Therapy aligns deeply with this.

Resource Therapy Diagnosis

While RT includes classification of resource states, I don’t experience this as labelling the person. Rather, classification helps guide the therapeutic process. It supports the therapist in understanding the function of the part. This knowledge helps to select appropriate RT therapeutic actions.

At its core, RT is concerned with understanding function, not assigning fault.

RT understands personality as a system of resource states. At any given time, one resource state is in the conscious, the part that is present and engaging. Each resource state holds its own experiences, responses, and role within the system.

Each part has a purpose. Parts outdated behaviours or heavy emotions can easily be understood in the context of what a person has lived through.

This has influenced the way I listen. Rather than moving too quickly toward change, I am listening for which state is in the conscious, and what that state is ready to change today.

In my opinion, one of the most meaningful moments in therapy is when a resource state feels understood.

Often, what presents is not just a thought or behaviour, but a lived internal experience that has been carried, at times, for many years.

A look, a tone, a moment of disconnection can activate something younger, perhaps a resource state holding the experience of not mattering, of being too much, or not enough.

A state that learned to retreat, fight to be heard, to stay quiet, or to hold everything inside.

When we offer compassionate responses, like saying, “That makes so much sense… this state has taken on this role, and has worked to protect in this way,” we can notice a shift.

The system may soften. The urgency may reduce. Shame appears to lessen. Not because anything has been “fixed,” but because something this part carries has been understood and acknowledged. This often leads to opening a doorway to deeper healing.

My Experience of this Parts Therapy

In my Clinical work as a therapist and supervisor of counsellors, I have had the privilege of hearing the stories of highly insightful clients who have understood their history. Many who could see the links between what has happened and how they respond now.

Yet, they have continued to seek more from their healing journey, but something hadn’t quite clicked.

What I have come to understand is that insight alone does not necessarily lead to change. Why? Because insight often comes from a different resource state, knowledge and not the part holding the distress and emotional pain.

Resource Therapy provides a way of working directly with the resource state holding the experience, which is where shifts may begin to occur.

This is a key component to therapeutic change.

This is especially vital in trauma work, where protective resource states are often strong. They may avoid, distract, control, or limit access to distressing material. From the outside, these may come across as barriers.

Within RT, they are understood as serving an important function. These states have developed for a reason. They are doing what they have learned to do, to protect the system.

In RT, we work with them in a trauma-informed manner. We seek to understand their role. We respect their function. We support the conditions for other resource states to come into the conscious when appropriate. This supports safety, pacing, and readiness within the work.

What this can feel like internally is not always easy to capture in clinical language. At times, it is better understood through the expressed lived experience held within a resource state.

Here is a poem written from my heart:

I have a need,
I ask for care.
I see your look,
and freeze mid-air.

I know that pain—
the silent sting,
“I’m inconvenient,
I don’t mean a thing.”

“Why don’t I matter?”
races through my mind.
I shrink, retreat,
no safe space to find.

A smile appears:
“hold your head up high,”
but inside echoes
the young one’s cry.

Healing whispers:
You can hold them now.
Call on your parts,
they will show you how.

To sit with pain,
release the shame,
to hold them close,
and speak their name.

Your worth is not
their gaze, their tone—
your feelings are valid,
they are your own.

Sitting quietly, strengthening inside,
finding the strength that was always mine,

Each breath a reminder,
each moment proof—
healing is living
your authentic truth.

Resource Therapy has deeply influenced the way I understand both people and the process of therapeutic change.

It has deepened my focus on listening to the system, to the resource state that is present, and to what may be needed in that moment.

We participate in this work by honouring the story of each Resource State. When that story is deeply heard, something can shift. There can be less shame, more compassion and a greater capacity for change. Not by overriding the system, but by working with it.

Written by Jaclyn Hall, Mental Health Professional
PACFA Accredited Clinical Counsellor and Supervisor
Advanced Clinical Resource Therapist and Trainer
EMDRAA Accredited EMDR Practitioner
Founder and Director: Calm, Connect & Heal Therapeutic Services (Click link for Jaclyn’s website)

Thanks, Jaclyn, we appreciate your sharing your vast experience and knowledge with this insightful guest article. We appreciate hearing from other therapists’ parts therapy adventures. Want to share yours? Reach out today.

Want to learn the latest developments in parts therapy? Join us at our next training, with online and hybrid options to suit your needs. Click here for Professional Parts Therapy workshops.