CLINICAL FORMULATION IN THERAPEUTIC PRACTICE
Book ticketsOrganised by:
Counselling Service, Birkbeck University of London
Description
CLINICAL FORMULATION IN THERAPEUTIC PRACTICE BY BRIDGET TOWNSEND
WEDNESDAY 17 MARCH 2027, 9:30-13:30
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
Formulation is a central component of therapeutic practice, providing a dynamic and evolving understanding of a client’s difficulties that guides assessment, intervention, and therapeutic decision-making. Unlike diagnostic approaches, which focus on categorisation, formulation seeks to make sense of a person’s experiences within the context of their unique history, and to relate this to psychodynamic models.
This workshop is designed for trained therapists and counsellors who wish to deepen their confidence and skill in developing and working with formulations across a range of therapeutic settings. Participants will explore different approaches to formulation, consider how formulation varies within short- and long-term work, and examine the relationship between assessment, hypothesis-building, and the therapeutic process.
The workshop will begin with an overview of formulation, including its purpose, key principles, and distinctions from diagnosis. We will then discuss different assessment protocols and models of understanding client presentations, while paying attention to working with uncertainty and the importance of maintaining a stance of curiosity and not-knowing.
Using clinical examples and small-group discussion, participants will have opportunities to consider how formulations are constructed, communicated, and used in practice. The workshop will explore how formulations can support therapeutic focus in brief interventions, and in longer-term work provide a framework for understanding complexity. Participants will consider how formulations evolve, and the challenges that can emerge when initial understandings prove insufficient. The workshop will suggest how therapists can revise hypotheses in response to new information, to therapeutic enactments, and to shifts within the therapeutic relationship.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
BRIDGET TOWNSEND has worked as a psychodynamic psychotherapist for more than 20 years across the NHS, third-sector organisations, and private practice. She now divides her time primarily between private clinical work and teaching at Birkbeck.
Her experience of teaching alongside clinical practice has shaped and enriched both areas of her professional life, with each continually informing the other.
She particularly values the opportunity teaching offers to revisit theory, challenge assumptions, and reflect on how theoretical ideas translate into contemporary clinical work.
Through her work on the Birkbeck MSc programme and introductory counselling courses, Bridget has developed a particular interest in psychotherapy training and education, including how neurodiversity can be meaningfully engaged with in both learning environments and clinical practice.
For any queries about the training, information about discounted tickets or group bookings, please contact:
Aditi Dhar
Email: counselling-services@bbk.ac.uk
