A division of the International Masterson Institute (East Coast USA)
Masterson Australia is the Australian branch of the International Masterson Institute (East Coast USA).
Masterson Australia aims to broaden understanding of the Masterson Approach, and to increase access to Masterson therapists in Australia.
The Masterson Approach is a method of psychoanalytic psychotherapy developed by USA psychiatrist, Dr James Masterson from the 1960s onward. Originally developed for the treatment of disorders of self, the Masterson Approach is similarly effective for deep-seated character-based issues rooted in early developmental experiences.
Key concepts of the Masterson Approach have elsewhere been adapted into the Circle of Security, an intervention program for parents designed to improve childhood attachment.
Training in the Masterson Approach, as founded by Dr Masterson in 1986, was traditionally available to American psychotherapists in training institutes on the east and west coasts of the USA.
The International Masterson Institute (East Coast USA) was formed in 2009 to expand the reach of training in the Masterson Approach to psychotherapists internationally. As a result, there are now growing Masterson psychotherapist communities in South Africa, Australia and Turkey, as well as in the USA and Canada.
In Australia, two training avenues operate, representing the USA East Coast and West Coast divisions of the International Masterson Institute. The USA East Coast training is based in New York; the USA West Coast training is in affiliation with IMI Australia, based in Sydney.
Trained Masterson psychoanalytic psychotherapists in Australia, from both training bodies, are listed in the Masterson Therapists directory on this website.
The International Masterson Institute (East Coast USA) conducts a 3 year online postgraduate program, as well as offering PD events, including biennial conferences, webinars and short online courses, all relevant to the understanding and treatment of disorders of self.
Masterson theory integrates attachment and object relations theories and the neurobiologic development of the self