Resource Therapy
As an Advanced Clinical Resource Therapist and a qualified Resource Therapist Trainer, Angela is dedicated to sharing her expertise and knowledge with you. Stay tuned for new training opportunities and course information that will help you enhance your skills and understanding in the field.
Additionally Angela integrates Resource Therapy into her therapy with clients as an additional trauma focused technique, see below to learn more about this highly effective therapeutic approach
What is Resource Therapy?
Welcome to our Resource Therapy page, where transformative change begins. Formerly known as Ego-State Therapy, Resource Therapy harnesses the power of your multifaceted personality, utilizing your inner Resources rapid and effective therapeutic outcomes. Developed by Professor Gordon Emmerson this brief solution-oriented therapy integrates cognitive psychology and client experience to address long-standing with immediacy. Discover how Resource Therapy can empower you on your journey towards healing and self-discovery.
A core belief in Resource Therapy is that therapeutic work must be done with the part of the personality that actually feels the distress or behaves in the problematic way. In many therapies, the part that attends sessions is an observer part—a part that can talk about the issue but is not the part experiencing it. Because the observer part is not the one holding the pain, insight‑based discussion alone rarely leads to resolution.
Resource Therapy therefore focuses on engaging directly with the part that is distressed, reactive, or stuck. Working with the part that feels the issue allows the clinician to address the true cause, creating meaningful and lasting change.
What does Resource Therapy Treat?
Resource Therapy is a trauma-informed approach that utilizes brief parts therapy to effectively address a wide range of mental health challenges. This innovative method is designed to treat various DSM-5 diagnoses, including anxiety, depression PTSD, complex PTSD, OCD, eating disorders, addictions, attachment disorders, panic disorder, phobias, and personality issues. By on the individual’s internal resources, Resource Therapy empowers clients to heal and achieve lasting change. Experience the transformative power of this compassionate approach to mental wellness.
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Traditional Diagnosis and the Resource Therapy Approach
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Depression
Depression is often linked to states vaded with disappointment, leaving the person depleted or disengaged. A disappointed state may dominate the system or affect only specific life areas. Treatment involves identifying and resolving the vaded state so energy and interest can return.
Drug Addiction
Addiction is understood as a retro‑avoidant strategy used to block or numb vaded states holding emotional pain. Because substances suppress access to these states, therapy can be slower. Treatment focuses on resolving the vaded states and then negotiating with the avoidant retro states. Strong therapeutic rapport and persistence are essential.
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
DID reflects severe trauma where parts have split into distinct personalities. Resource Therapy aims to restore communication between personalities, increasing internal coherence and safety. Each personality may contain its own vaded or dissonant states, requiring careful, slow, and consistent therapeutic engagement. Establishing genuine safety is central.
Anxiety
Anxiety typically arises from states vaded with fear, which may sit in chronic distress or activate when triggered. Treatment involves bridging to and resolving the fearful state, followed by negotiation with any retro or retro‑avoidant states maintaining avoidance patterns.
Eating Disorders
Anorexia and bulimia often involve states vaded with rejection, supported by retro and retro‑avoidant coping strategies. Treatment focuses on resolving rejection‑based vaded states and negotiating healthier coping behaviours. Progress is often gradual, and family involvement is important. Caregivers may benefit from their own therapy to address states influencing the treatment environment.
Trauma & PTSD
Resource Therapy recognises that trauma and grief are held by specific states that feel as though the event is still occurring. Therapy works directly with these states to help them move through the experience and create an internal sense of safety and empowerment. The memory remains, but the emotional charge does not need to stay active.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
In Resource Therapy, OCD is understood as a retro or retro‑avoidant state attempting to manage distress held in underlying vaded states. The compulsions are seen as coping mechanisms, not the core problem. Treatment therefore begins by bridging to and resolving the vaded states, after which negotiation with retro states becomes effective. Traditional approaches often treat OCD itself as the issue rather than the protective strategy.
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Resource Therapy views BPD through the lens of multiple vaded states carrying trauma. Treatment focuses first on resolving these distressed states, which reduces emotional overwhelm and allows healthier coping mechanisms to emerge. Work with dissonant and retro states follows once stability increases. Therapy is paced slowly, with strong emphasis on rapport, safety, and avoiding activation of retro behaviours such as self‑harm.