The Glendon Association

For Professionals

What prevents most people from being able to sustain romantic, meaningful relationships that satisfy their needs and desires? Why do people often feel compelled to punish those closest to them? What qualities should a person look for when selecting a partner? What are the factors that determine whether partners will end up experiencing love and fulfillment in their relationship or suffering pain and distress? This workshop helps answer these questions by providing participants with a theoretical model that integrates psychodynamic, existential, and family systems frameworks in a manner that can increase clinicians’ understanding of, and ability to assist individuals in developing and maintaining intimacy in their relationships.

Through the use of videotapes in which couples reveal painful truths, group discussion and experiential/interactive exercises, participants will learn how to help each partner challenge self-protective behaviors that interfere with closeness and intimacy.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

• learn how methods or defenses formed to deal with pain and anxiety in childhood later come to limit people as adults in their ability to develop and sustain attachments.
• become familiar with the concept of the fantasy bond, an imaginary connection formed with their partner, that relieves anxiety yet interferes with real relationships.
• learn to apply the techniques of Voice Therapy to help partners identify and challenge negative thoughts toward themselves and their partner

For the General Public

What prevents most people from being able to sustain romantic, meaningful relationships that satisfy their needs and desires? Why do people often feel compelled to punish those closest to them? What qualities should a person look for when selecting a partner? What are the factors that determine whether partners will end up experiencing love and fulfillment in their relationship or suffering pain and distress? This workshop helps answer these questions by providing participants with a theoretical model for understanding themselves and their relationship.

Powerful videotapes demonstrate how defenses formed to deal with pain and anxiety in childhood later come to limit people as adults in their ability to develop and sustain attachments. Examples from group discussions show how negative inner thoughts toward self and others interfere with intimacy in relationships, and how couples can learn to challege such negative thoughts in order to achieve greater closeness in all their relationships.

To see a complete list of upcoming workshops click here

To request a workshop in your area contact TheGlendonAssociation@glendon.org