Today, I have the great pleasure of interviewing Marina Blanchart, psychologist and director of the Virages systemic brief therapy training centre in Louvain-la-Neuve. 🏢🌿 Specialising in strategic brief therapy and hypnosis, Marina shares with us her 15 years of experience in trauma support, psychotherapy, and parental and couples coaching. 👨👩👧👦
To mark the release of her book “Accompagnez-moi en séance“, she unveils the behind-the-scenes of her practice and the powerful impact of this therapeutic approach. 📚✨
Having had the honour of training at the Virages Centre myself, I draw a lot of inspiration from her approach in my daily practice. Together, we will explore how brief therapy can help regain control of one’s life and break free from suffering. 🌟
1. Marina, you are a key figure in strategic brief therapy. What inspired you to write “Accompagnez-moi en séance”? 📖💡
Marina: It was mainly the participants in the training courses who pushed me to write it! They often asked why I hadn’t yet written about our approach, particularly the therapist’s key tool during sessions, which we call the “Mapping.” I was frequently told that my way of explaining things was pragmatic and clear. This gave me the motivation to start writing, even though I doubted my abilities as an author. But as the Palo Alto model, on which our approach is based, teaches us: you don’t know if you’re capable until you try! 😉
2. You’ve been teaching brief therapy and hypnosis for nearly 15 years. What makes this approach so different from other forms of therapy? 🌀💭
Marina: It’s an ultra-pragmatic method that really provides relief to people. After my psychology studies, I didn’t have much faith in traditional therapy… I often saw it as a long process that complicated matters. However, when I discovered the systemic strategic approach through my work with young people, everything clicked! We finally had concrete tools to create change. 🙌💡
3. For those unfamiliar with this method, how can systemic brief therapy help someone quickly overcome suffering? 💔➡️🌈
Marina: Brief therapy changes the relationship a person has with their problem. 🧩 By understanding how the problem is maintained, the therapist helps them act differently to break free from it and regain balance.
4. You’ve trained many therapists at the Virages Centre, including myself! 👩🎓 How do you see the evolution of this practice in the coming years? 🔮🚀
Marina: It’s a highly effective model that will continue to grow. Nowadays, I have the privilege of training psychologists and psychiatrists through a third cycle at the University of Namur, as well as psychotherapists, life coaches, and professional business coaches. 🌱
5. How can brief therapy transform relationships within a couple or family? 💑👨👩👦
Marina: As a systemic approach, it’s ideal for working with families and couples. By changing just one element in the system, the entire dynamic is affected. For example, if one partner changes their behaviour, it encourages the other to evolve, creating a new balance. ⚖️
6. Could you share an example where brief therapy helped overcome trauma? 🎯🛠️
Marina: A personal example, my daughter was at Zaventem Airport during the terrorist attacks. In such cases, the approach helps to accept and process intense emotions without rejecting them. For traumas, I also use hypnosis, always in connection with the Palo Alto model, to help the person move through the difficult episode and regain serenity. 🌿💤
7. What essential qualities should a therapist develop to effectively practice brief therapy? 🛠️❤️
Marina: The first quality is the relationship. It must be based on empathy, kindness, non-judgment, and authenticity. A non-normative stance is also crucial: listening without imposing one’s worldview, trusting the patient, and helping them out of their suffering without trying to change them according to our own standards. 🤲🧘♀️
8. How can your book help both therapists and patients better understand what happens during a session? 📚✨
Marina: For professionals, it offers a concrete tool, the Virages Mapping, which helps to structure the support better. For patients, the book demystifies therapy, helps them understand how it works, and can motivate them to undertake the therapeutic tasks proposed during or between sessions. 🔑🛤️
9. What message would you give to those still hesitant about seeking therapy? 🚪🌟
Marina: A session doesn’t commit you to anything. Try it, experience it, observe. If you don’t try, you can’t know if it’s right for you. Closing this door without looking behind it would be a shame… Dare to take a step, and you’ll see! 🚶♀️🚶♂️
Thank you, Marina! 🙏🌟
A big thank you to Marina Blanchart for this inspiring interview. Her book, “Accompagnez-moi en séance“, available in all good bookstores, is a must-read to better understand strategic brief therapy. 📖✨
I wish her continued success in her work and her teaching, which continues to inspire and guide so many therapists, including myself, in my practice. 🌿
Once again, thank you, Marina, for shedding light on this path of transformation! 🙏