Insight-Based Therapies in Action: Depth Work Tools to Set Up Behaviour Change
You have a client whose symptoms lift and then return. The thought records worked. The behavioural work worked. And then the same pattern arrives wearing different clothes, because whatever is underneath it was never the target.
Katherine Helm’s argument is that the field has drifted for understandable reasons. We moved toward empirically validated treatments, which was the right move, but validation requires a strict protocol, a manual, every clinician applying the theory identically, and a fixed number of sessions. Insight theories do not sit still for that, so they got studied less, and less-studied came to read as less effective. Her point is that these are different things, and that the clinicians who do best tend to be the well-rounded ones rather than the ones with a single approach.
Two and a half hours across Gestalt, psychodynamic, existential, narrative, emotion-focused and interpersonal process approaches, with a live demonstration. She is practical about the part that actually decides whether this works: choosing which theory suits which client. That means knowing the assumptions and biases built into each one, and knowing whether the person in front of you wants to understand why this keeps happening or simply wants the symptom to stop. Both are legitimate, and they point to different work.
You’ll walk away with
- An honest account of how treatments get empirically validated, and why insight approaches fare badly under that method without faring badly in practice
- A way to choose a theory for a specific client rather than applying your preferred one to everybody, based on where that client actually lives: behaviour, cognition, emotion or meaning
- The question that tells you whether insight work fits at all, which is whether this client wants to know why the pattern keeps repeating
- Six insight approaches covered with their interventions, so you can borrow from them without adopting a whole new orientation
- Case formulation treated as a working document with gaps in it, revised continuously, with the client as a partner in building it rather than its subject
- The assumptions buried inside each theory about human nature, motivation, attachment, development and what counts as psychologically healthy
- Cultural and identity considerations applied to theory selection, including the biases theories carry and the populations some of them were never built for
- How insight approaches combine with the structured models you already use, so this adds to CBT, ACT or DBT rather than replacing them
- A live demonstration of the work rather than a description of it
- Material you can use in supervision, since this is also a way to teach supervisees how to think about theory instead of just applying one
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CPD Information For Mental Health Professionals
Enjoy complete flexibility with 100% self-paced learning you can access anytime, anywhere, and on any device. This course is included with your Tatra Training membership, along with every other course in the library.
Course Duration: 2.5 learning hours
Certificate and CPD hours: On completion you’ll receive a Certificate of Completion to support your CPD records. Your certificates are yours to keep.
Assessment: Complete a short quiz at the end (80% pass mark), which you can resit as many times as needed.
Revisit Anytime: Come back to the course as often as you like while your membership is active, whenever you want a refresher for practice.
CPD Eligibility: This program may be suitable for CPD for professionals such as:
- Psychologists
- Counsellors and Psychotherapists
- Social Workers
- Community Workers
- Mental Health Nurses
- General Practitioners (GPs)
- Occupational Therapists
CPD requirements vary between professional bodies, so please check with your association or credentialing body to confirm you can claim CPD hours/OPD points for this program and what evidence they require.
This training will provide participants clinical knowledge and tools to:
a). Identify and describe at least two insight-based theories and their interventions.
b). Learn and practice using insight-based theories with clients through direct therapist-client interaction.
c). Understand and describe how insight theories can be used in conjunction with action-oriented, structured theories to achieve progress in therapy.
Target Audience:
Mental Health Clinicians & Therapists, Social Workers, Psychologists, Marriage & Family Therapists, Counselors, School Personnel, Youth Development Workers; Healthcare Workers
Course Content
Meet Your Instructor
Couples struggling with recurring conflicts, individuals navigating complex relationship patterns, and communities where mental health stigma prevents healing - particularly in the Black community - need practitioners who understand both the universal dynamics of human connection and the unique cultural factors that influence help-seeking behavior. Katherine Helm has spent over 25 years bridging these gaps, becoming a respected voice in relationship therapy while advocating for culturally responsive mental health care and breaking down barriers that prevent people from accessing the support they need.
As Professor of Psychology and Director of Graduate Programs in Counseling at Lewis University for over 20 years, Dr. Helm has shaped the training of countless mental health professionals while maintaining active clinical practice at Fox Valley Institute for Growth and Wellness. Her featured column "Counseling Is for Black People, too!" in The Black Wall Street Times demonstrates her commitment to dispelling myths about therapy and advocating for mental health accessibility in underserved communities. Her multiple books on couples work and sex education, combined with her TEDx presentation, reflect her ability to translate complex relationship dynamics into practical guidance for both professionals and the public.
Dr. Helm's expertise spans couples therapy, relationship counseling, marital and premarital counseling, trauma and PTSD, multicultural mental health issues, and Black mental health advocacy. Her approach recognises that effective therapy must address both individual psychological patterns and the cultural contexts that shape how people understand relationships, help-seeking, and healing. She specialises in helping couples break destructive patterns, supporting individuals through major life transitions, and training practitioners to work effectively across cultural differences.
What sets her training apart is authentic cultural competence combined with practical relationship expertise. Helm doesn't just teach generic therapy techniques - she shows practitioners how to understand the cultural, historical, and systemic factors that influence client presentations while providing concrete tools for relationship transformation. Her 25+ years of experience with diverse populations gives her deep insight into how to create therapeutic relationships that honor clients' backgrounds while facilitating genuine change.
For your practice, expect to gain specific techniques for working with couples from diverse backgrounds, tools for addressing cultural factors in therapy, and frameworks for breaking down barriers that prevent clients from engaging in treatment. Her approach particularly benefits practitioners working with Black clients, those treating couples with complex cultural dynamics, or clinicians wanting to develop authentic cultural competence.
Quick Win: Helm's "relationship revolution" technique helps couples identify how small daily interactions either build or erode relationship satisfaction - helping to create awareness and motivation for change that transforms everyday interactions into opportunities for connection.
Qualifications
- Ph.D., Counseling Psychology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, 2001
- M.A., Counseling Psychology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
- B.S., Psychology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
- Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Illinois
- Over 25 years clinical experience
- Divorce Mediation Training, Northwestern University School of Professional Studies
Authored Publications
- Multiple books on working with couples and sex education for high school and college students
- Featured columnist: "Counseling Is for Black People, too!" (The Black Wall Street Times, January 2022)
- Several publications about racial and cultural issues in mental health, couples' issues, and pedagogy in multicultural courses
Leadership & Teaching
- Professor of Psychology & Director, Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program, Lewis University, August 2001–present (23+ years)
- Director of Graduate Programs, Counseling, Lewis University, June 2003–present (21+ years)
- Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Fox Valley Institute for Growth and Wellness, October 2019–present
- Consulting Specialist, Freelance, February 2021–present
Professional Experience
- Supervisor of Clinical Training, Governors State University, August 2003–September 2019 (16 years)
- Mental Health Counselor, Hartgrove Behavioral Health System, September 1995–August 2002 (7 years)
- Instructor, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, August 1996–August 2001 (5 years)
- Provided college counseling services and created practicum programs
- Supervised MA and doctoral supervisees
Clinical Specialties
- Couples therapy and relationship counseling
- Marital and premarital counseling
- Trauma and PTSD treatment
- Black mental health advocacy and culturally responsive therapy
- Multicultural issues in mental health
- Sex education and relationship dynamics
- Family conflict resolution and infidelity counseling
- Life transitions, gender identity issues, and grief counseling
- Anxiety, depression, and coping skills development
Advocacy & Community Focus
- Breaking down mental health stigma in the Black community
- Training culturally competent mental health professionals
- Dispelling myths about therapy accessibility and effectiveness
- Promoting mental health awareness through media and education
Ready to develop authentic cultural competence while enhancing your relationship therapy skills? Discover how Dr. Helm's culturally informed, practical methods can help you create meaningful therapeutic relationships with diverse clients while facilitating genuine transformation in couples and individuals.
Feedback & Reviews
This course includes:
- Lessons 3
- Topics 0
- Duration 2.5 hours
- Quizzes 1
- Language English