Para-verbal Communication in Psychotherapy Beyond the Words:

Extra-Verbal Communication in Therapy

Presentation by James Donovan, PhD and Kristin Osborn, LMHC

In this workshop, we'll discuss the findings in our recent book Para-verbal Communication in Psychotherapy: Beyond the Words. We'll discuss the influence of non-verbal messaging between client and therapist, on the process and outcome of the therapy. We'll illustrate how to look and listen, for shifts in facial expression, tones of voice and posture, as significant markers of change. Since we use videotape as our primary data, we can study both client and therapist simultaneously. We look for para-verbal shifts in the therapist as much as in the client, as the session continues.

Workshop Objectives: 

1. We'll learn how to search for nonverbal clues that the participants exchange, which point to the underlying direction of the treatment.

2. We'll see how the therapist can make para-verbal interventions in the treatment.

3. We'll observe that this nonverbal influence sometimes holds the key to treatment outcome. 

Wednesday, May 10, 2017 | 4:00 – 6:00 pm

BW16 | 2 CE Credits | $25*

*Open to the professional community and the public for FREE | No CE Credits | Pre-registration required.

Jim Donovan, PhD, Associate Professor, Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School is the founder and co-director of the Behavioral Health Fellowship at Atrius Health Care in Boston. He’s published two previous books and some 20 papers mostly on the subject of couples therapy.

Kristin Osborn, LMHC, is a lecturer (part time) at Harvard Medical School, Director of the HMS Psychotherapy Research Group and the President of the International Experiential Dynamic Therapy Association. She offers trainings and consultations in North America and Europe on affect in psychotherapy.

“Reading this volume will enhance your therapeutic efforts regardless of your preferred approach. Donovan, Osborn, and Rice’s collaboration resulting in this landmark work, Paraverbal Communication in Psychotherapy, offers us deep insight into the often-ignored realm of what transpires nonverbally in healing relationships. This represents a must-read for beginning and seasoned psychotherapists.” 

— Jeffrey J. Magnavita, PhD, ABPP, author of Unifying Psychotherapy: Principles, Methods, and Evidence from Clinical Science