Workshop Description:

One of the most prevalent experiences that counsellors report during clinical supervision, including school counselors, is attempting to help or at least cope with personality disordered clients. And invariably the experiences have been defeating and discouraging, because the counselors didn't have the understanding nor the skills to handle the manipulations of and gaminess acted out by the client. 

This two-day workshop will give clinicians the insights and skills they need to survive this type of encounter; plus, it will provide counsellors with a whole new set of skillful approaches to deepen counselling in general. Having been mentored by Drs. Kluft and Masterson in the skill sets required to effectively work with personality issues, Dr. Downs provides an in-depth discussion of diagnosis and treatment of various personality styles and will show videos of his own as well as the renowned Gestalt therapist, Dr. Erving Polster’s successful interventions with personality issues.

This workshop is designed for mental health practitioners, school counselors, counseling and therapy supervisors and educators, and counseling and therapy trainees who are currently doing their practicum and internship.