Florida

The Southwest Florida Imago practitioners do not meet as a region. Some small, informal groups of two may meet for lunch to share Imago skills and challenges. I hope to help ignite an interest in forming a region. If formed, it would probably include approximately a half-dozen people.

One Imago therapist told me that an increased sense of cooperation among Imago therapists is desirable, as opposed to one of competition. She feels this is essential so that we “practice what we preach,” model caring, and are dialogical in our relationships with our colleagues. We also need to improve the ways of getting the Imago message out to the public. A few ways to accomplish this is through great marketing materials, such as tapes of the Oprah shows; a library of promotional programs; more videos and booklets, such as “Preparation for Couples Therapy,” for new or prospective couples to view in their therapist’s office; and shorter programs, prepackaged for presentations and time-limited groups. The Dialogue process needs to be renewed and used flexibly, yet be a “standard product” with uniform quality. We need to continue to be innovative and not be too “personality” dependent. We also need a clarification of terms, such as what a region is and whether or not the definition changes over time.

The Southeast region of Florida was trained by Hedy, and after their training, they continued to meet monthly. They are not sure that they are a region. As of yet, there are no bylaws. They do not have a formal structure but aim to meet bimonthly. At the meetings, members share what is going on in their lives and in their practices. Occasionally, a member makes a presentation on topics such as Imago, coaching, EMDR, and the brain. Supervision is done by telephone by speaking with a respected colleague.

Barb Jacob is currently completing training to be a workshop presenter. New members are recruited through e-mail from the directory. The Southeastern Florida therapists are most interested in seeing clients, and developing a marketing strategy is key to this.