USING THE THURSTON CRADOCK TEST OF SHAME (TCTS) IN THERAPEUTIC ASSESSMENT:FROM ADMINISTRATION THROUGH ASSESSMENT INTERVENTION SESSION
JULIE CRADOCK-O’LEARY
DECEMBER 6 ● 10AM-2PM CST
The Thurston Cradock Test of Shame (TCTS; 2009) has been increasingly used in Therapeutic Assessment (TA)in the U.S. and abroad. Given the pervasive nature of shame, and TA’s interest in understanding the root of a client’s problems in living, it is an essential measure to have in an assessor’s repertoire.
Shame is a profound sense of inadequacy, and a belief that your core self is fundamentally bad. While common, shame is often a hidden phenomenon, as most people don’t wish to share that which mortifies them.This makes an assessor’s job more difficult. Helen Block Lewis (1987) called it the “sleeper in psychopathology.” Shame underlies many relationship difficulties and is often hidden within the very symptoms (e.g., depression, angry outbursts, substance abuse) that lead to therapy and psychological assessment. It is imperative that clinicians improve their ability to discover, understand and treat shame dynamics lest a key element of a client’s experience be missed. By uncovering the shame dynamics that might drive a client’s problems in living, clinicians can effect change at a much deeper level.
This introductory workshop will teach the Thurston Cradock Test of Shame (TCTS; 2009), a card-based storytelling measure deeply rooted in shame theory and designed to access the multidimensional internal,interpersonal and behavioral aspects of shame. Actual TCTS protocols will be used to provide a brief primer on the topic. Examples of overt and subtle expressions of shame will be provided. Common shame triggers or phenomena (e.g., achievement, body image, sexuality, being different in some way), key defenses (Deflation,Aggression, Inflation/Contempt), and varying abilities to manage or resolve shame will be highlighted. Cultural differences in experiencing and effectively addressing shame will be illustrated via recent TCTS protocols from Japan and Italy.
Workshop participants will learn the fundamentals of administering, scoring and interpreting TCTS protocols via didactic instruction, small group exercises, and large group discussion. Special attention will be given tothe use of the TCTS in Therapeutic Assessment, as it has been found to be useful in TA cases with children,adolescents, adults, and families. For example, the TCTS has frequently uncovered shame and related issues that were previously unknown to the assessor and client, and sometimes not apparent in other psychological testing results. Workshop participants will learn how the TCTS can be used to compliment other psychological measures to address the client’s Assessment Questions. Finally, examples of using the TCTS in Assessment Intervention Sessions will be provided.