Among PORT’s innovations are the integration of the PORT Relational Brain Model that makes neuroscientific insights accessible for both clinicians and clients; The Presence Bridge Model which incorporates existential and mindfulness into the bridge concept; and the 5 Step Therapy Progress Model (AARNI) which informs intervention and manages client conflict. PORT’s challenge and achievement has been to integrate these diverse insights into an accessible, flexible and powerful approach that empowers clinicians while allowing them to incorporate their own unique insights and experience. Connection, Change and Trust is a brief introduction to Presence Oriented Relationship Therapy.

PORT is an intensely practical couples therapy modality that developed from the ground up out of the challenge of equipping a diverse team, including interns, with the most effective strategies from models as diverse as PACT, EFT, Imago, Gottman and the Developmental Model.  What became clear is that each of these models offered significant strengths but often lacked essential features or flexibilities present in other models.  In addition insights from other modalities including Narrative, ACT, NLP, Psychodrama, Gestalt, Relational Neurobiology were incorporated. PORT is an integrated eclectic approach developed over the last 8 years by the Relate NZ team.  Initially developed in the context of the weekly team training sessions  it was honed over the next 6 years of the intern programme to help distill the core insights of successful couples and relationship therapy to clinicians who had not been specifically trained to work with couples.

PORT is an intensely practical course that coalesce around the challenge of finding the successful common features of therapy models as diverse as PACT, EFT, Imago, Gottman and the Developmental Model.  What became clear is that each of these models offered significant strengths but often lacked essential features or flexibilities present in other models.  In addition insights from other modalities including Narrative, ACT, NLP, Psychodrama, Gestalt, Relational Neurobiology were incorporated.

Port’s focus was simple and driven by the clear imperative of research that indicated that untrained therapists working with couples were highly unsuccessful and the therapy process itself was highly stressful for the couple and the therapist.

The challenge of course is that everyone needs to start somewhere and our focus was to support our interns to be successful as soon as possible.

While Steven Dromgool was cross-training in Imago, Gottman and EFT he noticed a recurring pattern underlying their seemingly different methods. Steven adapted the Relational bridge model for interns to use and tested this among the team.  The developmental brain model was the next innovation that made relational neuroscience accessible to clinicians and clients and therapy progress model among other innovations.

The feedback from PORT trained therapists is that they quickly felt confident to hold a relational space for the couple that felt safe for deep intimate connecting work and that they had strategies to help them contain and manage conflict.  Additionally  clinicians could maintain and develop their own unique authentic style and presence and incorporate other training and experience more seamlessly and effectively.

The Connection, Change and Trust offering is designed to provide a resource and reference point for clinicians who want to learn the basics about PORT.

We have included two bonus training sessions that therapists have loved to help give you the flavor of PORT: 5 Challenges Couples Face After an Affair Couples: Introduction to Working with Affairs, Betrayal and Infidelity and How to Break  the Pursuer/Avoider Cycle.