Empowerment Therapy (ET) is for therapists and others who want to accompany people on the journey towards equilibrium, wholeness and connection with their authentic self.
Testimonial
“Empowerment Therapy helps you to get out of your ‘head space’ and grounded into the power of your heart.”
- Cynthia Koskiewicz, LCPC, CADC
What is Empowerment Therapy?
Grounded in the work of Marshall Rosenberg and Carl Rogers, Empowerment Therapy (ET) is founded on the fulfillment of universal human needs. The underlying principle is that when our needs are met, we feel and do well.
Most people seek help because they have unmet needs which they are having difficult identifying and expressing. They may experience malaise but can only account for it in general terms. “My teenage son doesn’t listen.” “My partner is distant.” “I’m unhappy at my job.” Even when they are able to transform cognitive distortions, they are not necessarily able to identify their needs and ask for what they want. The reason for this has to do with early disconnection from needs compounded with self-judgment and conditions of worth.
Marshall B Rosenberg
Carl Rogers
The Empowerment model supports us in helping our clients identify, trust, and endeavor to meet their needs. Beyond symptom reduction, we help people to be happy and thrive.
Empowerment Therapy Program
Foundation Course
Level 1
Not just for therapists
Collaborative Learning /
Coached Practice Groups
9:00 - 10:45 am Central Time
Empowerment Therapy is for therapists, coaches, and anyone who wants to do Empowerment work — help others create more satisfying relationships and build more fulfilling lives. Empowerment practitioners don’t need a mental health background. While the work is therapeutic, it’s not a substitute for professional psychotherapy.
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Upon completion of Level 1 you will know how to:
cultivate trust in the relationship with your clients.
transform judgments of clients, when they arise, into unconditional acceptance.
express yourself more carefully to create safety for your client.
maintain a full presence during sessions.
listen empathically to your clients' feelings, needs, and meanings, thus creating a connection.
forge a partnership with your clients to create something better.
You will be able to help your clients:
recognize interpretations that exacerbate their suffering.
connect with, and honor the longing of their hearts.
connect with natural compassion.
identify life-alienating systems, their impact on their well-being, and ways to protect themselves.
ask for what they want in a way that’s more likely to elicit cooperation.
reduce reactivity and impulsivity and promote self-regulation and self-control and increase equanimity and resilience.
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Yes, ET offers us the following tools to enhance emotional well-being and increase satisfaction in relationships:
STABILITY AND EQUILIBRIUM
The Inner Silence Meditation - A practice to help reduce reactivity and impulsivity, enhance self-regulation, increase self-control, and foster calmness when faced with challenges.
The Surprising Purpose of Anger - A process to transform anger and meet one’s needs powerfully while protecting relationships (and one’s job!).
Calm at Last! - A process to transform fear into self-understanding and calmness.
SELF-LOVE
A process to transform self-judgment into empathy, tenderness and appreciation for self.
From Guilt and Shame to Self-Understanding and Growth - When your clients do something that is not in harmony with their values, share a process to transform guilt and shame into self-understanding and growth.
SELF-CONFIDENCE
Understand the origins of self-judgment.
Recognize the ways in which self-doubt and self-judgment constrain clients’ lives.
Increase self-understanding and trust in themselves.
Ask for what they want.
INNER-CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Integrative Intuitive Choices - When hesitant about what to do in a given situation, use a process to help clients identify solutions that incorporate all of their needs and values.
AUTONOMY
Increase autonomy and self-determination; learn to break free from demands and say no while protecting connection.
Identify domination systems; recognize the impact these can have on clients’ mental and physical health; develop strategies to protect their well-being.
MORE SATISFYING RELATIONSHIPS
Resolve disagreements and conflicts without fighting.
Find mutually satisfying, long-lasting solutions.
Express regret in ways that restore trust.
Increase understanding and connection in clients’ most important relationships.
A MORE FULFILLING LIFE
Assess and understand difficult situations in the family, at work, and other areas of life based on longings and values, and increase the ability to create better conditions.
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Each week, we alternate between conceptual learning and practice.
1) CHECK-IN — We begin each session with a few words from each person sharing how they feel at the moment and the needs that are met or not met.
2) INNER SILENCE MEDITATION — Next, we do a practice designed to promote self-connection—contact with our physical sensations, feelings, needs and natural compassion.
3) COLLABORATIVE LEARNING — In these interactive sessions we discuss Empowerment Therapy concepts and applications. You will learn from your peers and contribute to their learning; listen to real life stories; and likely gain new insights.
4) COACHED PRACTICE — During these sessions you will be able to do Empowerment work and receive coaching from Myra Walden and other seasoned practitioners. You will discover your strengths and learning edges; and you will witness, and likely be inspired by the power of this work.
5) ANNOUNCEMENTS AND CHECK-OUT — At the end we share matters that pertain to the group and say how we feel and the needs of ours that are met or not met. We give feedback to the facilitator regarding takeaways.
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There is a maximum of 25 participants per group. This allows all the participants, facilitators, and a tech support person to be visible on one Zoom screen.
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We meet on Thursdays at 9:00—10:45 am Central Time.
Find your local time here.
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To receive a certificate of completion of Level 1 we require attendance to 20 of the 24 sessions. Keep track of your attendance including date and topic; once you have fulfilled the requirement, submit a report to the program leaders.
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The course runs from January to June of every year. However, the program is designed in such a way that you can join at any time. If you join after January, you will need to meet with a trainer for 1 to 4 sessions to help you catch up.
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You will need the book Empowerment Therapy by Myra Walden. Please read Chapters 2-5 —Observations, Feelings, Needs and Requests— when you begin the course. These foundational concepts will help you understand and participate in the discussions.
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Yes! You will meet people interested in helping others. As you get to know your colleagues, you can reach out to those you connect with to get together for mutual empathy, companionship, and learning. We are a close-knit community which we hope will help meet your need for belonging.
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No. The program is designed for people who want to help others. If you’re seeking healing and personal growth we recommend the NVC Academy where you will find a myriad of programs for personal and relational development.
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The following is our sliding-fee scale.
$50 — $30 USD per month
The monthly subscription gives you access to all the weekly sessions.
In order to support our work, please choose the highest amount you can contribute comfortably.
Our fees are low compared to other certification programs of this kind because we want to help develop practitioners whom we hope will bring this powerful work to people who cannot afford support services.
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Prior to your first session, write to Myra Walden to schedule a ½ hour orientation meeting: empowermenttherapymw@gmail.com
To help us assess goodness of fit, please answer these questions in your email:
What attracts you to the program?
How would you like to use the skills?
What is your current occupation?
Do you have background in Nonviolent Communication? If so, how much?
To promote safety and protect flow and cohesiveness, we request the following:
Arrive promptly. The doors close 10 minutes after the start time.
Keep your camera on throughout the session.
Join the breakout groups.
Stay until the end.
Let Myra know when you’re going to miss more than two consecutive sessions.
Remain fully present and engaged throughout the session.
If these requests don’t meet your needs, you will be able to engage in a dialogue with Myra during the orientation meeting.
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Yes. There are five foundational concepts that will recur at every session. Understanding them will make your learning experience easier, and you will be able to follow and participate in the discussions.
Observations vs. Evaluations
Feelings vs. Thoughts
Needs vs. Strategies
Requests vs. Demands
Empathy (Needs-based empathy)
If at the end of your trial month you decide to stay in the program, we recommend that you buy the book Empowerment Therapy and study the sections above. In addition, it will be helpful for you to print the Inventories and bring them to the sessions.
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Once you have met with Myra, fill out the registration form and let her know that you have registered. She will send you the link.
Certification
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Frequently Asked Questions
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I, Myra Walden, developed the model based on my own experience in therapy with a Client Centered practitioner, Dr. Marge Witty, my never-ending study of the human psyche, and over 30 years practicing psychotherapy in community mental health centers and private practice. In 1998, I started studying Nonviolent Communication and began to incorporate the concepts into my life and therapy practice. In 2021, I codified my experience and developed a coherent therapy model. We will need research to demonstrate its effectiveness, gain credibility and broaden usage in the field.
I was 28 years old. At a gathering of friends, each of us was to answer the question, “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?”
Myra: “I see myself divorced.”
Friend: “Myra, but you’re not even dating!”
No, I wasn't dating at the time, but I knew that if I were to get married, no one would put up with my temper for very long. My anger and reactivity were an aftereffect of the many years of severe lack of safety and respect I went through as a teenager that resulted in self-loathing and troubled relationships.
At age 33, I sought psychotherapy and pursued my healing in earnest. The work bore fruit. My beloved late husband of 35 years, Peter, saw me through the angry stage, and we built a relationship of Connection, Closeness, and Communion for which I am forever grateful.
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No. It is for mental health professionals and anyone who wants to learn to accompany others in their journey of healing, growth and fulfillment, even if they don’t have a background in mental health.
This approach is grounded on Carl Rogers’ seminal paper The Necessary and Sufficient Conditions of Therapeutic Personality Change. In it, Rogers describes the attitudes necessary to develop a therapeutic relationship. And, as we understand from the research, the most important aspect of therapy is the relationship between the therapist and the client. ET offers comprehensive guidelines to build the therapeutic alliance. At the same time, we are clear about cases when it is important to refer clients to mental health professionals.