COURSES ▶ MARCH WORKSHOP

The 38th Annual March Workshop:
When Good Therapists Do Bad Therapy and How To Fix It

Why “Good Technique” Sometimes Leads to Bad Therapy

For many clinicians, good therapy is understood as the faithful implementation of prescribed tasks or techniques associated with a particular treatment model. Yet even “good therapists” sometimes find that these very techniques fall flat, patients feel misunderstood, become frustrated, and treatment stalls or fails. These forms of ineffective or “bad therapy” do not stem from a lack of expertise but from an overreliance on models and norms at the expense of attunement to the individual patient. The remedy is not better technique but better responsiveness: helping therapists shift their focus from strict model adherence toward a nuanced understanding of each patient’s specific problems, aims, and sensitivities, and tailoring their interventions accordingly. 

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Course Description

Workshop presenters will identify common pathways through which well-intentioned, skilled clinicians can inadvertently engage in ineffective or “bad” therapy, despite strong training and model fidelity.Particular attention will be given to moments when adherence to technique or theory overrides responsiveness to the patient’s unique fears, goals, and sensitivities. Presenters will outline practical strategies for recognizing early signs of therapeutic misattunement, such as ruptures in alliance, patient disengagement, or stalled progress, and will demonstrate concrete methods for repairing these difficulties. Emphasis will be placed on helping clinicians recalibrate their interventions in real time, restoring collaboration, deepening understanding of the patient’s organizing dynamics, and re-establishing momentum in treatment.

Workshop Schedule

Meet the Speakers

  • Professor Mick Cooper

    University of Roehampton, London

  • Eleonora Fiorenza, PhD

    CMT-Italian Group

  • Professor David Kealy, PhD

    University of British Columbia, Vancouver

  • Elizabeth Li, PhD

    University College, London

  • Trevor Ahrendt, PsyD

    SFPRG

  • Christina Gintel, PhD

    SFPRG

  • Professor John Curtis, PhD

    UCSF & SFPRG

  • Rachel Jones, MS, JD, AMFT

    SFPRG

  • Jim McCollum, PhD

    SFPRG

  • Denise Lew, PsyD

    SFPRG

  • Professor George Silberschatz, PhD

    UCSF & SFPRG

  • Sophia Winter, PhD

    SFPRG

  • Lemuel Constantino, MSN, PNP

    La Cheim

  • Luena Maillard, MSW, ASW

    SFPRG

  • Pamela Lyss-Lerman, MD

    SFPRG

  • Jessica Leonardi, PhD

    Sapienza University, Rome

  • Paige Pires de Almeida, MA, LMFT

    SFPRG

  • Professor Francesco Gazzillo

    Sapienza University, Rome

Course Level:  Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced

CE Credits: 15 APA approved CE hours. If you would like CEU's you should indicate so during registration. COA's will be sent within 30 days of the class. You must arrive on time to the course and stay for the entirety of the program to receive CE credit. 


Registration Costs:

$225 for SFPRG Members
$75 for Students (No CEU's or CME)

$300 for General Public
$225 for Early Career (Licensed 5 years of less)

CME Credits: SFPRG designates this for a maximum of 15 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

SFPRG is accredited by the California Medical Association (CMA) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

All planners and all presenters for this educational activity have no financial relationship(s) to disclose with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.

registrations

Course Schedule: If you would like know more about the schedule for this event please contact our front office at cmt@sfprg.org or 415-561-6771

Cancellation Policy: No refunds are provided for this event.  If you have questions about your registration, please contact our office at cmt@sfprg.org 415-561-6771

Co-sponsorship: There is no co-sponsor of this event.  

Commercial Support: There is no known commercial support for this program.

Please note that registrations for all PPI classes are handled by the website of our parent member organization SFPRG. You will be redirected to that website to complete your registration. You need not be a member to register, however, if you are a member or have registered for one of our classes before, you will be prompted to enter your information.

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