This program is co-sponsored by the New Jersey Psychological Association and Dr. Diepold. NJPA is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. NJPA maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Heart Assisted Therapy (HAT) is a mindful, treatment focused approach to psychotherapy that uses “Awareness Streaming” in concert with the body’s electro-physiology and respiration to facilitate healing and stabilizing shifts in emotion, sensation, cognition, and behavior.
This model of HAT is designed to complement your existing skills and orientation as a psychotherapist. Pieces of many psychotherapy approaches I have learned throughout my 30 years of working as a licensed psychologist come together in this model; Pieces from psychoanalytic approaches, Roger’s client-centered approach, Ericksonian hypnosis, cognitive, behavioral, and somatic approaches, EMDR, mindfulness approaches, thought field therapies, along with my 6 years of learning from using the original model of HAT.
The HAT approach costume fits the individual and his or her unique experiences and associations. Specifically, the individual is not made to fit into a technique per se, nor is the therapist required to figure out a solution. As you will learn from a therapist’s perspective, “There’s no need to figure it out…just let it play out.”
The important and interesting role of mind-body polarity (i.e., our body’s electro-magnetic physiology) has become an essential feature to facilitate successful change in the psychotherapy process and is built into this HAT model. Identifying and clarifying the most appropriate treatment focus is an important skill to develop and will be emphasized. Likewise, the monitoring and use of “heart breaths” is designed to maintain an open mind-body polarity gateway and is an important component when using this HAT psychotherapy model.
Each workshop day will incorporate didactic, observational, and experiential learning to prepare for immediate application in your clinical practice. Use of “The 4 Guiding Principles” to construct the “acceptance statements” used with HAT, the use, purpose, and monitoring of “heart breaths”, and other relevant background information will also be presented.
HAT is a gentle, user and practitioner-friendly approach that is easy to engage and designed to maximize your therapeutic skills in listening, observing, and planning while integrating procedures that enable the possibility for the individual to be validated, and to heal, shift, adapt, and move forward.
HAT has been used to successfully treat a wide variety of psychological conditions including trauma/PTSD, anxiety/phobia, depression, loss/grieving, sport and performance issues, self-regulation issues, anger/stress management, and pain management.