Rena Pollak, LMFT, CGP, has dedicated herself to the practice of interpersonal group therapy since her traineeship in 2010.  She provides group therapy as well as individual and couple counseling in her private practice in Woodland Hills.  In addition to leading process groups, Rena has led cancer support groups, child and adolescent grief groups, and parenting groups.  

Rena has had hundreds of hours of group therapy training, involvement in group therapy consultation as well as being a participant in therapy groups.   She earned a Certification in Group Therapy from the International Board of Group Therapy.

Rena Pollak, LMFT, CGP

Group Therapy for
Shame Resilience:

How Interpersonal Group Therapy can
Reduce Shame

CANCELLED

Brene Brown has clearly defined shame as “…. that warm feeling that washes over us, making us feel small, flawed, and never good enough.”  For some, this feeling is intense, persistent and soul crushing.  For others, it is such a feared emotion that it’s avoided at the cost of intimacy, vulnerability, and self-expression. 

All of us and all of our clients encounter shame.  Sometimes we even encounter it in the therapeutic relationship.  How do we deal with the debilitating effects of shame when we are so often ashamed to talk about it?   

Brene Brown so very eloquently shared a path forward, “If you put shame in a petri dish, it needs three ingredients to grow exponentially: secrecy, silence, and judgment. If you put the same amount of shame in the petri dish and douse it with empathy, it can't survive.”

Interpersonal group therapy is that petri dish.  At the same time that interpersonal relationships can be the catalyst for shame, it can also be its cure. 

This workshop will demonstrate the power of group therapy to heal the old wounds of shame as well as learn to tolerate and productively work through the emotion when it arises in the future.

In the first section, we will start by identifying and defining the experience of shame.  Through lecture and discussion we will bring awareness to the different ways that shame is felt and expressed behaviorally.

I’ll explain the top shame triggers that most people experience.  We will discuss the general societal beliefs, as well as the culturally specific beliefs, that can lead to shame.

Following that discussion, I will conduct a demonstration group session with participant volunteers so that group members and observers can experience the opportunity to deepen awareness of shame triggers in an interpersonal group session.  

In the second section, interventions for shame reduction and shame resilience will be described.  Discussion will include examples of shame reduction and resilience as well as unconscious shaming communications.

I will follow up this discussion, by conducting a second group session so group members and observers can experience the interventions that lead to shame reduction and shame resilience.

At the conclusion of this experience, we’ll evaluate what we’ve learned.

Instructional Objectives

Participants will be able to:

• Identify shame screens in therapy groups
• Explain common shame triggers
• Apply group interventions that facilitate the development of shame resilience and interpersonal connection
• Utilize the techniques that build shame resilience
• Demonstrate interventions that reduce blocks to shame resilience.

Continuing Education

Continuing Education credits are available for this training.  

Psychologists: The Insight Center is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Insight Center maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This course provides 4 CE.

MFTs / LCSWs / LPCCs:  The California Board of Behavioral Sciences accepts APA authorized continuing education. This course provides 4 CE.