For Professionals
Emotional Integrity: A two-day training concerning self-awareness, emotional regulation and interpersonal expression for men

Folks of all genders and walks of life want to “be heard.” This core need is fundamental to the notion of emotional integrity and is expressed in its relationship with ourselves, significant others, and our ability to connect as humans. If this is the need of your clients, then this is the training for you.

Emotional Integrity is both a core value in the psychotherapy field as well as a core outcome in clinical work. Based on 25+ years of providing the Emotional Integrity group therapy program (previously known as Emotional Intelligence) to men, this training helps practitioners to bolster the psycho-social needs and skills of their male clients.

Men face a variety of roadblocks to emotional integrity – the traditional male code is arguably one of the biggest barriers to authentic interpersonal connection. Aside from gendered conditioning, past trauma, emotional dysregulation, affective numbing, and habitual over-expression of anger and rage play a part in diminishing emotional integrity. Once these stumbling blocks are addressed, there is still a need to deepen and refine elements of self-knowledge as well as to practice interpersonal connection with others. Whether the modality is group programming or individual psychotherapy, this training addresses the core needs of male clients around cultivating greater emotional regulation and interpersonal skills.

Using a variety of learning methods (e.g., lecture, small group work, role play and experiential exercises), participants in Emotional Integrity will be empowered to incorporate this awareness and newfound skills into their practice. Whether the goal is to work with clients’ perceptions, utilization, expression, and/or regulation of emotions, or ability to experience intimacy, this training is vital for those who work with male clients.

SCHEDULE A TRAINING

To schedule a training or presentation, or to inquire about our offerings, contact [email protected]

Length:
2 days (13 hours).

Format:
In-person or online.

Prerequisites:
None.

Learning Style:
Participatory! Combining lecture with small group work, role plays, video debriefings, experiential exercises.

Audience:
This training is ideal for healthcare professionals, counsellors, mental-health advocates, group practitioners as well as other frontline staff who clinically engage with clients.

Group Size:
The ideal for participatory learning is 20 maximum.

Curriculum Detail for Day One

9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

  • Welcome and Introductions
  • Defining Emotional Integrity
  • Emotional Expression & Responsiveness
  • The Intersection of Male Socialization with Men’s Experiences of Trauma
    • The Traditional Male Code
    • Gender Role Strain
    • Psychotherapy vs. Masculinity
    • Vulnerability vs. Invulnerability
  • The Aftermath of Trauma
    • The Human Response to Danger
    • Dissociation and the Traumatic Response
    • The Wobble: An Adaptation of the Dialectic of Trauma in Men’s Lives
    • The Working Zone
  • Ego State Approaches to Emotional Presence:
    • Functional Ego States
    • Structural Ego States
    • The Drama Triangle
    • The Trauma Triangle
  • Attachment Theory
    • The Regulation of Emotionality
    • Working the Therapeutic Relationship
  • Closing

Curriculum Detail for Day 2

9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

  • Welcome and Introductions
  • Re-visioning Men’s Anger, Rage & Violence:
    • Correlation between Childhood Abuse and Men’s Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
    • The Role of Shame
    • Shame-Rage Spiral
    • Male Emotional Funnel
  • The Intersection of Mind and Emotions
    • Mindfulness as an Adjunct to Therapy
    • Reflective Listening
    • Fact, Story, Experience
    • Irrational Thinking & Therapeutic Confrontation
  • Promoting Emotional Expression & Interpersonal Connection
    • Johari Window
    • The Four Corners of Emotional Presence
    • The Skill Set of Assertiveness
    • Conflict Resolution
  • The Emotional Regulatory System – A Summation
  • Emotional Integrity as a Group Program Model – Some Considerations
  • Closing
FPO
EXIT