Working with Shame and Anger in Psychotherapy

Overview

Shame is one of the most painful and challenging emotions therapists encounter in clinical practice. It often lies beneath depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship difficulties, perfectionism, and chronic self-criticism. Clients struggling with shame frequently feel defective, unworthy, or "not good enough," and may protect themselves through anger, withdrawal, or emotional avoidance. 

Knowing how to recognize and work effectively with shame is essential for creating lasting therapeutic change. In this workshop, Dr. Leslie Greenberg will demonstrate how therapists can help clients transform core shame by accessing healthy assertive anger, processing painful emotions, and developing greater self-compassion and resilience. 

Designed for psychotherapists from all theoretical orientations, this workshop centers on the discussion and video review of two complete therapy sessions, providing an in-depth look at the therapeutic process from beginning to end. Through detailed analysis of these sessions, participants will learn how to recognize key moments of emotional change and the specific therapist interventions that facilitate the transformation of shame.

A recording of the workshop will be available to registrants for 60 days. 

Please note that it may take 15–20 business days for the recording to be sent.

Learning Objectives

Participants will learn how to: 

• Apply emotion change principles when working with shame. 
• Differentiate healthy assertive anger from reactive anger and rage. 
• Help clients move beyond unhelpful anger and emotional reactivity. 
• Use specific interventions to transform core shame, including work with self-criticism, using age regression and episodic memories to activate childhood emotional injuries, and unmet needs. 
• Access healthy assertive anger, the adaptive sadness of grief, and self-compassion to promote emotional healing. 
• Help clients who struggle to access and process difficult emotions. 
• Foster new meaning, self-compassion, and healthier identity and relationship narratives through emotional change.