Over the past decade, the concept of epistemic trust, defined as the trust in the relevance and personal significance of interpersonal communication, has assumed an increasingly central role in mentalization based treatment (MBT). It is now widely recognized among MBT clinicians that, in order to support mentalizing, patients need to hold a sufficient degree of epistemic trust in the therapist’s communication, as well as in that of significant others in their lives. But how do differences in patients’ epistemic trust actually manifest in the therapeutic process? Clinicians are generally familiar with assessing mentalizing, whether in structured or unstructured ways. However, how can epistemic trust be identified and evaluated in clinical practice?
This workshop invites participants to explore in a deeper and more nuanced way how variations in epistemic trust become visible within therapeutic sessions. The workshop will combine a brief presentation of relevant empirical findings about epistemic trust in psychotherapy with the discussion of clinical material involving three different therapists and their patients. The discussions will engage participants in experiential practice aimed at recognizing markers of epistemic trust and mistrust in therapeutic dialogue, and reflecting on how specific therapeutic interventions may foster or inhibit the emergence of epistemic trust.
Chair: Alessandro TALIA — Lausanne, Switzerland
Speakers (alphabetical order): Jordan BATE — New York, USA; Chloe CAMPBELL — London, UK ; Sebastian SIMONSEN — Copenhagen, Denmark
Workshop 10 – Friday 29 May 2026 – 11:30 – 13:00 – Amphithéâtre Farabeuf