Becoming a More Effective Therapist: An Introduction to Control-Mastery
Despite the claims of various promoters of new therapeutic techniques, there is no evidence supporting the superiority of one technique over another.
However, there is ample research data showing that responsiveness to a patient’s particular problems and goals is a strong predictor of effective therapy. In other words, understanding what the patient wants and how they want to use therapy to get it.
Over the past several decades, SFPRG has developed an empirically derived method of case formulation – the Plan Formulation Method (PFM) – that serves as a useful guide for decoding the patient’s plan and offers coaching to the therapist as to how to be most effective.
In this course, you will learn the fundamentals of The Plan-Formulation Method, also known as Control-Mastery Case Formulation, and begin applying it immediately to your cases. You'll learn how to integrate the PFM into your existing manner of working and strengthen the work you're already doing.
Live Lecture on Zoom:
Friday, September 19th, 2025
9:00am - 12:00 pm (PST)
Registration Open Until September 18th, 2025!
At a Glance
Course Level:
Introductory, Intermediate, Advanced
Registration Costs:
$100 for SFPRG Members
$150 for General Public
$30 for Students (No CEU’s)
Continuing Education Credits:
3 APA-approved CE Credits
3 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
If you would like CE credits, please indicate so during registration!
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The PFM provides a simple, reliable, learnable framework for understanding a patient’s conscious and unconscious goals, the pathogenic beliefs or schemas that prevent the patient from pursuing goals, traumatic experiences that contributed to the development of pathogenic beliefs, and how the therapist can optimize responsiveness to the patient’s problems, needs, and goals. In short, it points you towards not just WHAT to do, but HOW to be as a particular person’s therapist. It helps you to personalize your therapy. There is research evidence suggesting that therapists who are trained in PFM and use the formulation to guide their interventions are more responsive to their patients and achieve superior therapeutic results.
You will learn the fundamentals of The Plan-Formulation Method, also known as Control-Mastery Case Formulation, and begin applying it immediately to your cases. You'll learn how to integrate the PFM into your existing manner of working and strengthen the work you're already doing. -
The empirical basis for Plan-Formulation Methods and Control-Mastery
How to use the Plan-Formulation Method in your own cases
Understanding how trauma shapes beliefs and how therapist attitude can help rewrite and rewire old belief patterns
How to be more flexible, creative, and effective with patierts!
