Self-of-the Therapist in the Living Moment: Dr. Aponte

Jeannette Kiser is a graduate student in the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology program here at Trinity Christian College.

In the Marriage, Couple & Family Counseling class offered at Trinity Christian College my then professor Dr. Mike Ideran, assigned the class a choice of a written final or a final presentation. My cohort member, Terry Jones, and I felt we would learn more through putting together a presentation on one of the concepts that we learned in class rather than regurgitating information on a test. During one of our subsequent class sessions, Dr. Ideran came in with an article entitled, “Training of the Person of the Therapist in the Academic Setting” (Aponte, et al, 2009).

The article offered many indications of how important family of origin issues are in the life themes of individuals. The article also introduced Terry and I to a rather fascinating individual, Dr. Harry Aponte. Dr. Aponte is a Structural Family Therapist who also teaches at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The article further introduced us to his work on the concept of signature theme and the Person of the Therapist Training Model (POTT Model). The POTT model is a training program where one spends a year exploring, working, and resolving their signature themes. Signature themes are struggles or wounds that permeate through an individual’s being without them being aware of them.

In October of 2013 Terry contacted Dr. Aponte to ask if he would be willing to spend 15 to 20 minutes being interviewed by us so that we may further understand his concept of signature themes and the POTT Model. About a month later Dr. Aponte granted our interview. This gracious man provided us with one hour and fifteen minutes of his valuable time. This interview was an amazing experience. The understanding that Dr. Aponte has of working with clients and the therapeutic experience aligns quite well with my view of therapy. We discussed everything from cultural influences (he is Puerto Rican and Catholic “raised in the slums of New York”) to the use of the self-of-the therapist.

The use of the “self-of-the therapist” is realizing that the client gets us (the therapist) as we are. It is the therapist’s responsibility to be aware of what it is that they bring to the therapeutic process (or the living moment). Dr. Aponte suggested a question that therapists should often ask themselves, “What of me is affecting the therapeutic process?” That question is really what the POTT model and signature themes are all about. What about us, good, bad, ugly, indifferent is affecting our therapeutic presence in the living moment?

 

Dr. Aponte states, “I have to take something from my human experience that relates to the core of the other person’s humanity. Yes, I have to recognize our differences. But if I am going to do this work we have to discover our sameness. We all suffer, we all get lonely, depressed, discouraged. We all are longing for love and somehow or other I have to find that very essence of what it is to be human and vulnerable and fallible.”

 
We as therapists have to get in touch and feel “our common humanity” so that we can feel what our clients are feeling, cry when they cry, hurt when they hurt, smile when they smile, etc. In order to do this Dr. Aponte says that we have to open ourselves up to our own brokenness, our own woundedness.

As therapists we must know about ourselves in order to develop the skills and discipline that will allow us to tap into our experiences and figure out how those experiences will fit into our model of therapy. “How do we use ourselves to maximize our effectiveness in the therapeutic process?” When our clients come to us we are joining them in their journey, in that one particular life moment and we are offering to aide them in overcoming the hurdle they are presently facing.
 
Dr. Aponte offers his perspective on the human condition and the role of the therapist. “People are not broken or in need of being fixed. People are on a journey of their own and we are merely meeting them in a moment of their life history.” –Dr. Aponte

References:

Aponte, H.J, Powell, F.D., Brooks, S., Watson, M.F., Lizke, C., Lawless, J. & Johnson, E. (2009). Training the person of the therapist in an academic setting. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 35(4), 381-394.

What do we teach in our graduate program?

Recently, I was invited to visit one our undergraduate courses to discuss the Christian perspective that is taken in our graduate program.  The framework for this conversation was taken from Johnson’s (2010) book, “Psychology and Christianity: Five Views, 2^nd Edition.” After consultation with my faculty colleagues and reflection on our goals in the program two perspectives arise as the most salient, levels of explanation and integration.

The levels-of-explanation perspective asserts that there are unique means and methods to studying psychology that differ from other disciplines such as philosophy, theology or physics. This perspective endorses a belief that it is important for Christians to learn how to examine constructs of human behavior from a psychological point of view including such things as the scientific method and biological bases for behavior. In our graduate program this means that we study and explore many of the empirically validated treatments such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).  It is also reflected in our emphasis on ethical practices within the field and the development of a strong professional counseling identity. A levels-of-explanation perspective exposes our students to a wide range of information and leads to more prepared and informed practitioners.

The integration perspective more clearly blends the study and practice of psychology and Christianity. Integrationists value science and rigorous study but do so from a distinctly Christian perspective. Those using this perspective often examine psychological science and explore its direct relationship to Christian theology. In our graduate program conversations about the impact of Christian faith on the practice of counseling are commonplace. In one of my courses on Social and Cultural Diversity we spend time exploring the impact that Plantinga’s (1995) text, “Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin” has on our understanding of human pain and difficulty. Examining our clinical and scholarly work within a worldview shaped by Christian thought is an ongoing practice. Working within an integrationist perspective allows our students to deeply engage with biblical values while considering their application to the wider world.

When I consider what goals our faculty have for students who complete our graduate program two main ideas emerge:
 

When you complete TCC’s Master’s Program in Counseling Psychology our faculty aim for you to be a competent and qualified beginning counselor whether you want to work in an explicitly Christian setting or not.

When you complete TCC’s Master’s Program in Counseling Psychology our faculty want you to be able to articulate a holistic view of human nature, including a perspective on how a Christian worldview impacts the practice of counseling.

These two goals align clearly with our Christian perspective in the master’s program.  We value the application of science and the study of psychology from a research based perspective. In addition to that we explore the unique perspective that a Christian worldview provides on psychology. This flexibility suggests a well-rounded and thorough perspective.

          Ultimately our perspective in the graduate program is a reflection of our reformed and ever reforming theology.  As we seek to prepare well-rounded and well-prepared helping professionals we are also responding to the call echoed throughout the bible that “the Kingdom is coming and the Kingdom is here.”  Both are true, that we long for the coming of the day when God’s kingdom rules every corner of the world and that we know that God’s hand is at work within every part of creation right now in the midst of brokenness.  Our philosophy within the master’s program in Counseling Psychology seeks to honor and respect those realities.

References:

Johnson, E.L. (Ed.). (2010). Psychology & Christianity: Five views. 2^nd ed. Downers Grove: IVP Academic.

Plantinga, C. (1995). Not the way it’s supposed to be: A breviary of sin. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.