Formação e Oficinas de Psicoterapia Integrativa

This master class is intended for psychotherapists who want to further their under-standing and refine their therapeutic contact with clients who are struggling with Relational Withdrawal, Internal Criticism, Compliance, and Shame. These components of a Schizoid Process can be present, yet unrecognized, in the psychotherapy of many clients. Often such clients fear intimate relationships and retreat into a protective internal space that requires sensitive therapeutic attunement to their private and never verbalized experiences. In having a thorough understanding of the Schizoid Process psychotherapists are less likely to have countertransference reactions such as working harder and harder, boredom, sleepiness, or feel ashamed of their lack of effectiveness.

In this master class Dr. Richard Erskine will lead an interactive group discussion to explore various This master class is intended for psychotherapists who want to further their understanding and refine their therapeutic skills in providing a Relational Psychotherapy for the Borderline Client. For many therapists, borderline clients present unique professional challenges owing to their frequent relational conflicts, varying developmental levels of transference, and polarization of emotions, such as : idealization and hate, elation and despair, anger and dependency.

In these 6 sessions (3-hours each) there will be case presentations, assigned readings, and group discussions that will address the following topics:

• the aetiology of Early Affect-Confusion and the formation of the Border-line Personality;
• responding to oscillating relational-needs;
• the bifurcation of therapeutically relevant challenges;
• calibrating for juxtaposition reactions;
• the therapeutic use of treatment contracts;
• a working knowledge of when and how to use behavioural interventions and/or supportive age regression.
• the importance of a sustained phenomenological inquiry; and,
• the significance of an attuned therapeutic relationship.


Participants are expected to bring therapy examples for a case discussion and are required to read Early Affect Confusion: Relational Psychotherapy for the Borderline Client by Richard G. Erskine, published in 2021 by nScience Publishing House (ISBN: 978-1-80068-382-2). Order through www.nscience.uk

To facilitate discussion specific chapters will be assigned for each meeting. Participants are expected to come to class prepared to discuss how the concepts presented in the assigned chapters may apply to their therapy prac-tice. This master class is an ideal follow-up to the previous live workshops and Zoom courses that Dr. Erskine has conducted on the Psychotherapy for the Borderline Client


Participation in these case discussions requires that each person.
makes an ethical commitment to client confidentiality.


Dates and Required Readings

February 1, 2022:
Foreword by Lynn Martin
Early Affect Confusion
Theresa: The “Borderline” Between Despair and Rage
Theresa: A Time of Evaluation

February 22, 2022
Crises and Coping
Theresa: Beginning the Psychotherapy
Theresa: “I’m unlovable”
Stabilization, Regulation, Reparation & Enhancement
Theresa: Resolving Confusion Between Behavior, Feelings and Needs

March 8, 2022
Forming Affect Confusion
Theresa: Managing the Transference
Relational Needs and Therapeutic Involvement
Theresa: “I have no memories of my childhood”
Considerations for Psychotherapy
Theresa: Deconfusing both the Child and Adult

March 22, 2022
Relational Methods
Theresa: The “Borderline” Between Neediness & Rage
Psychotherapy in Action
Theresa: Our Therapeutic Relationship Continued
Theresa: Verbalizing Implicit Memory

April 5, 2022
Life Scripts and the Script System
The Psychotherapeutic Process
Remembering, Reliving, and Re-experiencing
Theresa: Therapeutic Inference
Theresa: Dispelling Early Affect-Confusion

April 19, 2022
Guiding Principles