FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                             

CONTACT: Marnie McGann

                                                                                    (602) 956-6196

marnie@erickson-foundation.org

 CALLING FOR THERAPUTIC PERFORMANCE RATHER THAN RELIANCE ON THEORY, CREATIVE THERAPUTIC TECHNIQUES PROVIDES THERAPISTS WITH INNOVATIVE WAYS TO BRING FORTH CHANGE 

In a practical how-to guide, the dynamic duo of Hillary and Brad Keeney gives therapists tools to get unstuck in dead-end sessions by using fresh techniques. 

PHOENIX, Ariz. – April 15, 2013 – Comparing psychotherapy sessions to theater or film, where there are plot lines, storyboards, and an actual beginning, middle and end, Hillary and Brad Keeney encourage therapists to think of themselves more as actors who are required to perform first and gain understanding later. The Keeneys believe that doing so allows therapists to focus more on movement and change rather being trapped in the typical problem/solution world. Exercises are offered as well as case examples so that therapists can creatively reframe impoverished sessions and transport clients from a problem-focused life to a life of infinite possibilities. One exercise has therapists starting at the end with a client, requiring them to “act in order to know how to act next” and put aside any habitual overreliance on the client’s background information.

Another idea the Keeneys promote to create movement and change is the very-Ericksonian method of utilizing all resources. In fact, they ask therapists to learn how to “smell a resource” and utilize whatever the client brings to a session as fodder for creative change. Physical props such a flea market finds — the wild, wonderful, and even weird – are also recommended to use as more than just as conversation starters but as game changers — ways to breaks the cycle of stalled sessions. And, there is much praise for the beauty and usefulness of the absurd in “Absurdity Lubricates the Wheels of Change.” Therapists are advised to steer clear of expected questions which are abundant in the problem/solution world, such as “Tell me how that makes you feel?” (Although discussing emotions at the right time is not discounted.) Instead, the Keeneys suggest throwing out unexpected, even slightly shocking question, such as “Has anyone in your family ever told a joke to a grasshopper.” Called an “out-of-frame attractor,” this type of question and can be useful in Feeding a Virtuous Circle and Starving a Vicious Circle — part of what the Keeneys call Circular Therapeutics –which happens to be the title of their last book.

In the final chapters of Creative Therapeutic Technique, the authors demonstrate ways in which they’ve helped other practitioners utilize their own unique resources and discuss the philosophical nature of the therapist as a traditional healer, who through their own wisdom-based learning and experience can guide others.

Witty, wise, and refreshingly irreverent, the Keeneys are true innovators in the field of psychotherapy. More interested in real change rather than theory or plaques on a wall, they give new meaning to thinking outside the box. Like Dr. Seuss they turn the world of psychology upside down by introducing the whacky and wonderful and what truly works.

For more information visit: http://erickson-foundation.org/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                             

CONTACT: Marnie McGann

                                                                                    (602) 956-6196

marnie@erickson-foundation.org

BRIDGING THE FIELDS OF PSYCHOLOGY AND SPIRITUALITY, THE DISORDERLY SOUL FOLLOWS ONE WOMAN’S JOURNEY TO HEAL CHILDHOOD WOUNDS THROUGH SYSTEMIC FAMILY CONSTELLATION WORK

Psychologist Jan Crawford’s fascinating and candid quest to find her rightful place and make peace with her family begins with opening her heart and mind to understand the connection between all that came before, and all that will come in future generations.

PHOENIX, Ariz. – April 8, 2013 – In the The Disorderly Soul, Jan Crawford first pays homage to her teacher and mentor, Bert Hellinger and to Hellinger facilitators, including Suzi Tucker and her Guided Learning in New York City. Crawford then describes constellation work in which a client may give a brief description of a family issue and participants are asked to step into a circle to play the role of a family member, person, or entity related to that issue. Through this interaction, a client may have a spiritual or emotional awakening that is different than the story they have told themselves and accepted as their fate. Their story most likely has also imprisoned them in a broken life. This was the story of Jan Crawford, and her most recent book, The Disorderly Soul, is an account of her brave journey to heal childhood wounds through the same methods she uses to heal others. Like many who feel disconnected with their families, Crawford first had a family history to examine before she could even attempt to understand, forgive and reconcile. Fortunately, with Mormonism in her lineage (Mormons kept fastidious records), which Crawford sees as both a blessing and a curse, she discovered detailed records of relatives and ancestors, giving her a glimpse into their personal lives, including their hardships. There was poverty, destitution, violence, grueling work, emotional, physical and sexual abuse, abandonment, depression and anxiety and often times little education. Yet, by learning of these struggles and the fragility of her family, Crawford takes the first step in healing, especially in her relationship with her mother, which is by far the most significant relationship in the book. It’s probably no coincidence Crawford comes full circle in her relationships with her family and that constellation work itself involves stepping into a circle to heal one’s life.

Honest, powerful, and emotionally and spiritually uplifting, The Disorderly Soul is a courageous voyage of self-discovery and becoming whole within one’s family lineage. Jan Crawford practices what she preaches and her life story is the best example of how constellation work can begin the process of healing.

A former psychoanalyst, Jan Crawford is a graduate of the International Trauma Studies Program of New York University.  Currently, she supervises health professionals training in Somatic Experiencing psychosomatic trauma work for the Foundation for Human Enrichment. Strongly influenced and mentored by Bert Hellinger, she also is certified in systemic family constellation work by Bert Hellinger, USA and Hellinger Sciencia, Germany.

For more information visit: http://erickson-foundation.org/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                             

CONTACT: Marnie McGann

                                                                                    (602) 956-6196

marnie@erickson-foundation.org

ERICKSON FOUNDATION AND SPECIAL GUESTS CELEBRATE FOUNDATION’S NEW HEADQUARTERS AT GRAND OPENING

The Milton H. Erickson Foundation honors both Dr. Erickson and donors with grand opening celebration.

 PHOENIX, Ariz. – October 8, 2012 – In celebration of its new headquarters and to honor Dr. Erickson and patrons who have donated generously, The Milton H. Erickson Foundation will hold a grand opening reception on October 11th, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Incorporated more than 30 years ago, the Erickson Foundation was established to promote and advance the contributions made to the health sciences by the late Milton H. Erickson, M.D. (1901-1980) who was a seminal force and pioneer in psychiatry and psychotherapy. Dr. Erickson lived and worked in Phoenix for many years and was the archetypical Wounded Healer who was stricken with polio at an early age and then suffered post-polio syndrome in his mid-fifties. However, he rose above his maladies to heal many with physical and mental pain. Dr. Erickson has been called “the father of hypnosis” and is best known for his use of hypnosis and utilization. He believed in the power of the subconscious and maintained that it was always positive, creative, and solution-generated. He also used an approach he coined as “Brief Therapy,” in which therapeutic changes could be made in relatively short sessions.

The Milton Erickson Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to training and educating behavioral health and medical professionals through large conferences, programs, workshops, a newsletter, webcasting, social media, and archives. Since its inception, the Foundation has operated out of modest ‘40s style bungalows in central Phoenix. In August of this year the Foundation moved to 2632 E. Thomas Road. The new location has allowed for the expansion of Foundation’s rich archives and will serve as a global destination for Ericksonian practitioners. It also is home to the Foundation Press, a strong publishing arm for the educational activities of the Foundation.

Every three years the Foundation hosts the International Congress in Ericksonian Approaches to Psychotherapy in Phoenix. The first Congress was held in 1980 and the most recent in December 2011.

Through the contributions of many donors and support from Friends of the Foundation, the Milton H. Erickson Foundation has begun a new chapter in its growth and is further committed to excellence in education and to preserving the legacy of Milton H. Erickson.

For more information visit: http://erickson-foundation.org/