March 9 | 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Presenters: 

Jacob A. Palm | Southern California Center for Collaborative Assessment
Stephen E. Finn, PhD | Center for Therapeutic Assessment
Alessandro Crisi, PsyD | Istituto Italiano Wartegg

Workshop Information:

Since its inception, Therapeutic Assessment (TA) has relied heavily on performance-based personality tests to help uncover “Level 3 information” (i.e., material outside of clients’ awareness) and on self-report personality tests to provide “Level 1 and Level 2 information” (more congruent with clients’ existing narratives) to help answer clients’ Assessment Questions. In this workshop the presenters will demonstrate how the Crisi Wartegg System (CWS) yields information at all these levels of information, and how this makes the Wartegg Drawing Completion Test (WDCT) a particularly useful instrument for TA. Dr. Finn will begin with a brief summary of self-verification theory and its implications for helping clients change inaccurate and shaming self-narratives via psychological assessment. Dr. Crisi will then provide a brief introduction to the CWS and a detailed discussion of how the “Analyses of Sequence” help assessors identify the level of integration, level of conflict, and level of awareness clients have regarding different aspects of their personalities. Dr. Palm will discuss specific ways of using the CWS with clients as a therapeutic tool. In the latter half of the workshop, Dr. Palm, Dr. Finn, and Dr. Crisi will lead participants through a series of case illustrations, including videos of sessions with clients, showing how extended inquiries and attuned feedback with the CWS can lead to powerful therapeutic moments in TA. Participants will take an active part in analyzing and discussing how the WDCT responses and CWS scoring provide a map for therapeutic interventions.

Goals and Objectives:

1. Discuss and summarize Self-Verification Theory and its relationship to CTA.

2. List and explain CTA-related “Levels of Information” as related to CWS Box Codes and preparation for client feedback.

3. Identify the Evocative Character and Interpretive Meaning for each WDCT box.

4. Describe process and content-based approaches to utilizing the WDCT as tool for Extended Inquiry and therapeutic change.

5. Summarize the characteristics of the WDCT that facilitate client engagement, development of insight, and therapeutic progress.

Skill Level:

This is an intermediate level workshop that will be most useful to participants who have some knowledge of TA and of the CWS. However, participants who are new to these topics will also be able to easily follow the lectures and discussion.

Available Bios

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