ENGAGE – MENT An introduction to ENGAGE

“It is my experience that relational trauma lies at the heart of most psychological distress.”

In the 1970’s a course of brief intervention therapy typically comprised 20-30 sessions, in the 2020s the expectation is that the core therapeutic work will be completed in 4-6 sessions. At the same time, there is an ever-growing need for therapists to help clients with complicated, multi-dimensional psychological presentations. Whilst several efficacious brief intervention models are available, it is difficult to strictly adhere to one approach when working with complex cases in real world settings and/or to find one model that is compatible with the therapeutic style and abilities of all practitioners. ENGAGE and MENT are distinct but interrelated domains of therapeutic process. ENGAGE operates primarily through explicit, cognitive and reflective mechanisms, offering clients structure and containment within time-limited work. MENT attends to implicit, intersubjective and embodied processes, foregrounding moment-by-moment relational experience and the therapist’s use of self. Held in parallel, they provide a coherent framework for brief therapy, including work with complex trauma and CPTSD. The ‘sessions’ described below are offered as phases that may overlap and recur in practice, particularly in brief work.

In this In-Person workshop I will present ENGAGE, the first part of the model, a therapeutic toolkit comprising key components selected from a range of theoretical teachings and clinical applications, reformulated into a coherent framework. ENGAGE is an acronym for:

E – educate

N – notice & name

G – game

A – analysis

G - generate 

E – end

About The Trainer

Nicole Addis is a UKCP registered integrative psychotherapist, trainer and supervisor with extensive clinical experience in both NHS and private settings. Nicole set up Peel Psychological Consultancy in 2012, a trauma informed private counselling organization and training centre.