Whilst pharmacological interventions show effectiveness in managing the acute symptoms of psychosis-spectrum disorders, they appear less effective in addressing the fragmented sense of self and intersubjective experience that lies at the heart of psychotic conditions.
This clinical workshop will present a mentalization-based treatment (MBT) framework for working therapeutically with people who are on the psychosis-spectrum, focusing specifically on technical adaptations aimed at meeting the unique needs and challenges that this patient group faces. The workshop will begin by discussing the clinical rationale for therapeutically targeting mentalizing disfunctions in psychosis, as well as clinical challenges pertaining to the hypervigilant, suspicious, or even paranoid attitude with which people suffering with psychosis may approach the therapeutic encounter, the complex forms this may take in the consulting room and the emotional pressure it can generate in therapists. Against this background, clinical case vignettes will be used to illustrate the importance of adopting a flexible therapeutic approach that moves between implicit techniques aimed at regulating emotional arousal, anchoring the patient into shared perceptual experience and fostering epistemic trust and more explicit techniques aimed at engaging the patient in exploring and reflecting on their complex emotional states. In addition, an experiential group activity will be used to illustrate how recognizing and regulating one’s own strong emotional responses, including the anxiety and confusion that high-intensity work with psychotic patients will inevitably generate, is critical in helping therapists retain the mentalizing stance and remain attuned to their patients’ emotional experience.
Presenters George SALAMINIOS — London, UK / Mark DANGERFIELD — Barcelona, Spain / Jonas WEIJERS — Leiden, Netherlands / Pablo CASCONE — Lausanne, Switzerland / Marco ARMANDO — Lausanne, Switzerland
Workshop 3 – Thursday May 28 – 13:45 – 15:15 – Salle Marie Curie