If you work with couples, it’s likely that you’ve come across Imago therapy, or you’re at least familiar with the famous ‘reflect-validate-empathy’ couple dialogue.
Australia Counselling recently spoke with Brenda Rawlings who has trained therapists in Australia and New Zealand for the past 8 years and is Dean of the Imago International Institute in New York.
In this interview, Brenda also shares:
- How she came to be interested in Imago
- Whether Imago is a stand-alone therapy or a technique
- The history of Imago therapy and how it came about
- The philosophy regarding human relationships that underpins Imago
- Other things you might not know about the Imago approach
- Whether Imago is suitable for all types of couple problems and when it’s contraindicated
Brenda also tells us about her upcoming therapist training and couples workshops in Australia.
About the presenter:
Brenda trained originally as a Social Worker through Massey University in Palmerston North in New Zealand. After several years working in the Department of Social Welfare, she took time to travel overseas for a number of years before returning to work as a Community Health Social Worker. This particularly suited her interest in community development, in that she was involved in initiating and developing a number of social service agencies, including a Women’s Resource Centre, Family Support Services and Stopping Violence Services, all of which continue to flourish after close to 20 years. In 1989 Brenda retrained in Counselling, beginning in private practice in 1991. She has been specialising in working with couples since 1996 and has been a Clinical Instructor for more than ten years. She a Certified Imago Relationship Therapist, Workshop Presenter & Clinical Instructor and is currently Dean of the Imago International Institute in New York.
Along with her husband, Peter McMillan, they were the first Imago Therapists outside of the USA and Canada to be accepted onto the Faculty of the Imago International Institute, and have been instrumental in establishing Imago therapy in NZ. They have presented almost 80 ‘Getting the Love You Want’ Couples Workshops in Australia and New Zealand and Brenda has been facilitating Imago Relationship Therapy Training in Australia and New Zealand for the last 8 years. www.relationshipsuccess.com.au
