Modes in Camouflage - Recognise, UnMask & Overcome Coping Modes, Disguised as the "Inner Critic" and "Vulnerable Child"

Maskierte Coping-Modi als Missverständnisse vom "Inneren Kind" und vom "Inneren Kritiker" 

Workshop Description:

One of the superpowers of Schema Therapy is reparenting. It is the depth of warmth, nurturance, and attunement we provide that helps heal our client's schemas. But what happens when we unwittingly fall into the trap of reparenting a coping mode?

Some coping modes can present a 'false' presentation of vulnerability. They can elicit powerful countertransference dynamics within us and the teams we work with. We can find ourselves with long-term clients who seem stuck, without any real work happening, and with no end point in sight. Other signs may include guilt feelings, an urge to find solutions, to work harder, or to 'rescue' our clients from their suffering and despair.

These modes do not want to be challenged and are very powerful in disarming us from using empathic confrontation techniques. We may find ourselves tip-toeing around due to fears that the client is too fragile or that we are harming them.

Additionally, some clients present with relentless self-criticism, self-punishment, and self-attacking patterns that can be mistaken for an Inner Critic (Introject), when they are actually coping modes—such as the Flagellating Overcontroller. These modes developed as trauma-bonding survival strategies, where the child learned to turn against themselves to preserve attachment and maintain hope. Understanding the difference between introjected parental voices and self-punishing coping mechanisms is crucial for effective intervention.

What This Workshop Will Cover

In this skills class, participants will learn how to:

    Tell the difference between genuine child modes and pseudo vulnerability modes (including Complaining Protector, Attention/Recognition Seeking, Self-Pity/Victim, Helpless Surrenderer)
    Tell the difference between Inner Critic (Introject) and the Coping Modes that attack and inflict pain on self - such as Flagellating Overcontroller
    Understand typical origins of these modes and the schemas that often underlie them (including Abandonment/Emotional Deprivation, Defectiveness/Shame, Subjugation, Negativity/Pessimism)
    Understand the role of guilt, shame, and trauma bonding in maintaining these patterns, including how children learn to turn against themselves to preserve attachment (Stockholm Syndrome dynamics)
    Recognize how the Flagellating Overcontroller develops as a self-punishment strategy to maintain psychological coherence, preserve hope, and appease the powerful other
    Identify how anger energy is redirected inward to keep attachment bonds safe, and how to help clients reclaim anger as protective energy
    Use empathic confrontation to bypass these modes and reach the underlying authentic Vulnerable Child mode
    Tune into countertransference reactions as a guide for interventions and avoid falling into rescue dynamics

This skills class will provide therapists with the opportunity to identify and work therapeutically with pseudo-vulnerable modes through demonstration, experiential exercises, and role-plays.

freie Plätze verfügbar

Online - Zoom

290 CHF
(für diesen Kurs gibt es leider keine reduzierte Teilnahmegebühr für Clienia-Mitarbeiter)

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Der Workshop findet in einem gut verständlichen Englisch statt.

Based on: Simpson, S. G., & Navot, L. (2023). Differentiating authentic versus pseudo vulnerability in therapeutic practice. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1200981