The Essential Tenets of Symbolic Experiential Psychotherapy

The Essential Tenets of Symbolic Experiential Psychotherapy Abstract

“We can make our minds so like still water that people may see their own image and live a clearer, fiercer life because of our quiet.”  W.B. Yeats

In the 1950’s, Carl Whitaker and Tom Malone defined the Symbolic-Experiential model of psychotherapy in their book The Roots of Psychotherapy.  In the same decade, Whitaker, Malone, Richard Felder, John Warkington, Ellen Kaiser and others formed the Atlanta Psychiatric Clinic (APC) and began practicing together at a very exciting time in the field.  They made significant contributions to the theoretical knowledge base of Experiential Psychotherapy publishing: The Roots of Psychotherapy (Whitaker & Malone, 1981), The Family Crucible (Napier & Whitaker, 1978), Experiential Psychotherapy: A Symphony of Selves (Felder & Geurin Weiss, 1991), From Psyche to System (Whitaker, 1982), Midnight Musings of a Family Therapist (Whitaker), The Art of Intimacy (Malone & Malone, 1987), and Windows of Experience (Malone & Malone).  During five decades they taught and supervised many psychotherapists from multiple disciplines including psychiatry, clinical psychology, clinical social work, pastoral counseling, marriage & family therapy, and professional counseling.

With his use of metaphor, his gift for humor, his “crazy” fantasies, and his deep caring for human beings – Whitaker (practicing with his colleagues at APC) began to develop a theory and a way of “being” a therapist stressing the importance of “the person of the therapist.”  This two-hour workshop will teach the essential tenets of Symbolic-Experiential Psychotherapy and how these concepts can be applied to individual therapy, couples’ therapy, family therapy, and group therapy.

Learning Objectives

1.  Participants will learn certain elements of the history of the Atlanta Psychiatric Clinic and how these clinicians gave birth to the Symbolic-Experiential Psychotherapy Model.

2.  Participants will learn the essential tenets of Symbolic-Experiential Psychotherapy.

3.  Participants will learn certain applications of Symbolic-Experiential Psychotherapy concepts in working with individuals, couples, families, and groups.

4.  Participants will learn and witness (from video clips) certain applications of Symbolic-Experiential Psychotherapy in clinical settings with an emphasis on good training and continued growth as a person and as a therapist.

Michael L. Chafin, M. Div., M. Ed, LMFT

Michael Chafin is a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Pastoral Counselor who has practiced psychotherapy for 38 years.  He is a Clinical Fellow and Approved Supervisor with the American Association for Marriage & Family Therapy (AAMFT), a Fellow with the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, and a member of the Atlanta Group Psychotherapy Society.

He has practiced at the Brookwood Center for Psychotherapy since 1989, specializing in working with depressed men, couples, families, and individuals with existential life crises.  Facilitating groups and supervising therapists are two of his favorite professional activities.

He is a Past President of AAMFT, a Past President of GAMFT, and former Chair of the AAMFT Ethics Committee.  He has presented workshops at local, regional, and national conferences on Symbolic-Experiential Psychotherapy, Supervision, and Ethics.