Led by Patrick Brook, CTA (P), TSTA (P), this event is a workshop designed for therapists, counsellors, and mental health practitioners who wish to deepen their understanding of how clients (and we ourselves) unconsciously minimise, ignore, or distort reality as a psychological defence.
We all have moments when we 'pull the wool over our own eyes'—denying, minimising, or exaggerating aspects of our experience to protect ourselves from difficult realities. In therapeutic work, these unconscious processes can become significant barriers to change, leaving clients feeling stuck and unable to move forward. Drawing on Transactional Analysis theory, this workshop explores the concept of discounting—the internal mechanism through which we selectively filter our awareness to avoid processing uncomfortable truths.
In this session, we will explore:
How discounting operates as an unconscious defence mechanism that blocks the processing of difficult experiences
The four levels of discounting—from ignoring stimuli entirely to minimising the significance or solvability of problems
Practical frameworks for recognising when clients (and ourselves) are stuck in patterns of self-deception
How to distinguish between healthy selective attention and problematic discounting that keeps people trapped
The workshop will combine theoretical input, case discussion, and interactive breakout exercises to help you identify discounting patterns in your clinical work. You will leave with practical tools to support clients in moving beyond denial and toward meaningful processing and change, as well as increased awareness of how these dynamics may manifest in your own therapeutic practice and supervision.
Patrick Brook, Academic Director of Connexus Institute, is a UKCP registered psychotherapist and supervisor, a Certified Transactional Analyst (CTA), a Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst (TSTA) and an NCS Senior Accredited counsellor and supervisor.
This event is hosted by CPD Sussex: an initiative focused on supporting the professional development of counsellors and psychotherapists in Brighton & Hove and the wider region.