Mapping the Journey Together
If you've been looking for a way to bring more structure and clarity into your therapeutic work — without losing the warmth and the connection — this is for you.
Many therapists were never really taught case conceptualization. It wasn't part of the training, or it was mentioned briefly and never practiced. And yet in the room with a client, you feel the need for something — a structure, a shared language, a way to see where you are and where you're going together.
I've spent years thinking about this. Reading, trying different models, discussing them with colleagues, testing them with clients. At some point, my own model appeared — and it turned out to be surprisingly simple. A few questions. A drawing. A dance. A tool the client takes home.
In this webinar, I want to share what I've found. I'll show you my approach — not as a lecture, but the way I actually use it: I'll create a conceptualization of my own experience, right in front of you. Then we'll try it together. And yes, we'll dance it too.
Case conceptualization is a shared map of a client's inner landscape — where they're going, what gets in the way, and what resources they already have. When it works, it strengthens the alliance, helps plan treatment, regulates emotions, and becomes something the client carries beyond therapy — like a transitional object.
The problem is that conceptualization is often taught as a technical procedure: fill in the boxes, identify the modes, draw the arrows. Accurate but lifeless. My model does it differently.
The map is drawn with the client, not for them. Their words, their images, their experience — not our jargon translated into their language.
We start with what's already working — values, intentions, connection with the Happy Child. People move toward change from hope, not shame.
Where is the client going? What derails them? How can they return? This frame is empowering and future-oriented.
The conceptualization becomes a movement sequence. The body remembers what the mind forgets.
The map becomes something the client takes home — as a drawing, a dance, a coping card. It supports self-guidance after therapy ends.
What case conceptualization is (in plain language), why I find it indispensable, and how my version works. The questions, the visual map, what makes a conceptualization good enough. I'll create one live — mapping my own experience of coming to this webinar. Questions and discussion throughout.
You'll practice creating a conceptualization in pairs, using the questions and the drawing template. I'll be there to help. We'll also learn and try the dance sequence together — no skills required, this is play.
We share what worked, what didn't, what was confusing, what surprised us.
90 minutes in Zoom. A small group — camera on, please.
Practicing therapists and psychologists. You don't need to know Schema Therapy or any specific model — I'll explain everything as we go. If you already use conceptualization, you may find a fresh angle. If you've never been taught how — even better.
I'm Natalia Dikova, a clinical psychologist, certified Schema Therapist (ISST, 2018) and DBT Therapist with 23 years of experience. I began as a psychoanalytic therapist and have integrated psychodynamic, Schema Therapy, and DBT approaches over the years.
I'm passionate about making therapy collaborative, transparent, and — where possible — joyful. This is where my conceptualization model comes from: the belief that a good therapeutic tool should be co-created, embodied, and simple enough for the client to use on their own.
I currently maintain a private practice in Mauritius, working with clients from diverse cultural backgrounds.
More about my work: ndikova.pro
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