Episode 18 - Bryan Nixon - Therapeutic Fish in Relational Waters

Welcome back and thank you for listening! Before I jump into the content of this episode, I have a request as well as some exciting news to share. My request is, if you enjoy this podcast and have found it to be useful, please consider heading to iTunes and offering a rating. It is super helpful with getting the podcast in front of more people who might enjoy it. Additionally, please consider sharing the podcast with others whom you think might be into it. I would be extremely grateful!

Now for the exciting news! As you may know, for the past 4 years I have been a trainer in the Relationally Focused Psychodynamic Therapy post-grad continuing ed program, which I helped develop with fellow therapists Krista Law, Clarissa Hill, and founder, Dr. Roy Barsness. RFPT for short.

We developed this program because Intuitively we all know that we are formed in relationship, harmed in relationship, and we heal in relationship. As therapists we have followed this intuition into a career path. And Research has clearly shown that in spite of which modality of therapy we are trained in, it is the quality of the relationship between therapist and client that will inevitably determine the outcome and yet our training is most heavily focused on equipping us with tools to use when certain symptoms are presented. We are not often taught how to fully show up in a healing and transformative way within the relationship itself.

RFPT exists to do precisely that. Rooted in Relational Psychoanalytic theory, we aim to help therapists deepen their clinical work to move beyond good rapport and techniques into transformational authenticity and presence with their patients. We have created this program to offer a communal and developmental structure to therapists who may find themselves silently wondering if they have what it takes to be a therapist or to those who find that their practice feels flat and stagnant, possibly on the brink of burnout, and are longing for a way to add depth, vibrancy, and vitality to the work they initially felt deeply drawn into.

The program has been housed within the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, which has been a huge source of support and organization for us as we have developed the program and we are grateful. As we prepare to begin our fourth year, I am so excited to announce that this Fall we will be launching a brand new institute named the Contemporary Psychodynamic Institute (CPI) which will become the new home for RFPT! In addition to the RFPT program, CPI will also have a number of additional offerings for therapists who are interested in learning more about Relational Psychodynamic practice, including: workshops and events, a learning library, e-courses, blogs and possibly a podcast of its own.

I could not be more excited about what is taking shape, so stay tuned for the upcoming launch of our website! I will most likely be posting updates about this process on my Instagram page: @wiwpodcast If you’re a therapist and this is interesting to you, you can also DM me there if you are curious to learn more about CPI & the RFPT program.

I think all of this segue’s nicely into today’s episode, which I am calling Therapeutic Fish in Relational Waters. In this episode I will give an overview of several of the most well known therapeutic methods…aka…the fish. And then I will describe the nature of the water in which all of the fish are swimming, that is the relational dynamics that take shape between every therapist and patient. As I mentioned a minute above, the relationship determines how effective the therapy will be, regardless of which technique is being used. Thank you for tuning in and I hope you enjoy!

Links:

Relationally Focused Psychodynamic Therapy (RFPT) - Post-grad continuing education program for psychotherapists that I teach in and mentioned at the start of this episode. If you’re a therapist and want to learn more, I’d love to chat with you! Send me an email at: bryan@mindfulcounselinggr.com.

Relationally Focused Psychodynamic Therapy (RFPT) is an evidence-based treatment approach with strong roots in depth psychology (particularly contemporary Relational Psychoanalysis), dialogical philosophy, and neuroscience. As of December 2018, the Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy has set forth policy recommendations that evidence-based therapy relationships and responsiveness be taught as frequently as other evidence-based treatments. (Reference: Norcross, J. C., & Lambert, M. J. (2019). Psychotherapy Relationships that work III. Psychotherapy, 55,4, p. 303-315). The RFPT certificate program is a direct response to these policy recommendations.

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Bryan Nixon is a psychotherapist and the founder and clinical director of Mindful Counseling GR in Grand Rapids, MI. He is also a teacher and facilitator in Relationally Focused Psychodynamic Therapy, a post-grad continuing education program for therapists.