RESOURCE
THERAPY
WELCOME
Resource Therapy is an advanced Parts Work model that helps clients resolve inner conflict, attachment trauma, cPTSD, anxiety, chronic pain, and more.
It is an Australian-developed, parts-based psychotherapy offering clinicians a structured yet flexible way to work with complex trauma and inner conflict. It can be used as a complete therapy model, or to enhance existing modalities such as EMDR.
I’m Claudia Wolf, Advanced Clinical Resource Therapist & Trainer, based in Geelong and teaching across Victoria and online. I am on a mission to bring Resource Therapy under the spotlight in the parts work therapy landscape!
[This page is evolving- be sure to check back for updates!]
This page is designed to provide deep-dive into this parts based model, for clients wishing to choose the right therapy style, and therapists curious about training. Skip to the summary if you prefer an overview.
ON THIS PAGE (click to skip to section):
TRAINING IN RT
Teleport to my training page, complete with upcoming dates and training offerings in Resource Therapy and topics such as parts work + EMDR
SEE RT IN ACTION
Head over to my YouTube channel where you can watch live demonstrations, learn more about what is covered in training, and pick up tips about Parts Work
WHAT IS PARTS WORK?
Parts work recognises that we are made up of many different “parts” or states of self. Each part has its own role, feelings, and memories- such as a protective part that avoids pain, a nurturing part that cares for others, or a fearful part that carries trauma.
Trauma is rarely held in a single memory; it is spread across attachment wounds, developmental experiences, and survival strategies. In therapy, parts work helps us:
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Identify which part is active when clients feel stuck or conflicted
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Understand each part’s role, even when behaviours are unhelpful
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Support distressed parts so they no longer need to protect in harmful or unhelpful ways
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Strengthen healthier parts to create balance and resilience
Why learn parts work?
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Address attachment hurt by validating and resourcing younger or vulnerable parts
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Target the right events, not just the intellectual part who turns up to therapy
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Resolve inner conflict between parts that block or sabotage one another
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Reframe symptoms (e.g. depression, anxiety, self-harm) as coping strategies of parts doing their best
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Work below the surface, and repair imprints and wounds- not just desensitise emotional responses
WHAT IS RESOURCE THERAPY?
INTRODUCTION
Resource Therapy (RT) is an advanced, parts-based psychotherapy developed by Dr Gordon Emmerson in Australia over 20 years ago. It is grounded in the understanding that our personality is made up of many different parts of self, known as Resources.
Each Resource has its own perspective, feelings, and strengths. Some are healthy and adaptive, while others may be burdened by trauma, confusion, or old survival strategies. In therapy, it is often the part holding the distress that needs support- and RT provides clinicians with a direct way of engaging and resolving this.
RT is particularly relevant for clinicians who work with:
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Trauma and PTSD – including developmental and attachment trauma
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Unwanted behavioural responses – addictions, compulsions, eating disorders, avoidance, phobias, self-harm
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Fear based responses- anxiety, phobias, panic attacks
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Relational difficulties- rejection, abandonment fears, avoiding intimacy
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Mood difficulties- depression, low motivation
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Inner conflict – procrastination, rumination, sleep disturbance, decision paralysis
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Performance – blocks in sport, education, workplace, or creativity
Resource Therapy is designed to use alone as a complete therapy model. However parts work can also be integrated seamlessly into trauma processing protocols (such as in EMDR) to prepare, stabilise, or deepen trauma processing.
THEORY & PSYCHOTHERAPY
Unlike some other parts work models, Resource Therapy offers a full theory of personality, rather than just a set of concepts for working with parts. The structured classification roadmap allows therapists to identify which state is active and apply specific treatment actions to restore healthy functioning.
Resource Therapy recognises several types of Resource states:
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Normal States – healthy, balanced, adaptive parts
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Vaded States – parts overwhelmed by unresolved emotions (fear, rejection, confusion, disappointment)
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Retro States – parts that carry out unwanted behaviour (e.g. avoidance, addiction, rage)
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Conflicted States – parts in conflict to the point of distress (e.g. procrastination, indecision, insomnia)
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Dissonant States – otherwise healthy parts that emerge at the wrong time (e.g. performance blocks, “not myself” moments)
To respond to States, Resource Therapy offers a series of Action Steps- practical interventions, much like protocols, that therapists learn during training. Each Action Step and series of action steps targets a particular type of State, such as a vaded (emotion-holding) state, or a conflicted state.
In practice, these actions can be woven together to meet the client’s presentation. For example, a therapist may use Bridging to connect a part with its origin, Expression to give it voice, and Negotiation to resolve inner conflict. This combination of structure and flexibility is what makes Resource Therapy both clinically precise and adaptable to the individual.
WHAT PRESENTATIONS CAN RESOURCE THERAPY ADDRESS?
Resource Therapy can be used as a standalone psychotherapy or alongside your other modalities such as EMDR therapy. RT offers specific actions (protocols) to support:
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Trauma and PTSD – developmental, attachment, and single-incident trauma
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Anxiety and Panic – phobias, generalised anxiety, performance anxiety
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Depression and Low Self-Worth – addressing states overwhelmed with disappointment or rejection
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Addictions and Compulsions – gambling, substance use, OCD, eating disorders, shopping, perfectionism
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Self-Harm and Risk Behaviours – where avoiding states may dominate
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Grief and Loss – including complicated bereavement
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Inner Conflict – procrastination, sleep disturbances, decision paralysis
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Performance Issues – exam stress, creative blocks, sporting slumps, public speaking difficulties, job interviews
FOUNDATION TRAINING- 2 DAYS
ONLINE & IN PERSON
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Advanced Parts Work training open to all allied health and therapeutic professionals looking to go deeper, navigate complexity, and transform practice.
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Covers RT history, theory, terminology, and case applications
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Live demonstrations and practicum skills including RT Actions 1, 2, 3, 8, 11 and 15:
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Learn how to quickly and confidently conceptualise / categorise presenting issue each session
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Vivify to bring a Resource into Conscious for targeted intervention
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Bridge to an earlier life experience (to find a positive State)
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Find a Resource the 'client' wants to see more of
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Anchor in Resources to access them in future
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Undertake a full Conflicted State Negotiation to aid inner turmoil
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Learn about the other RT Actions, and when we apply them clinically in Resource Therapy to address fear, rejection, and more
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Creates an essential foundation to begin using RT immediately
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Training Manual, Resource Therapy Primer text, pre-reading materials, and full script set provided.
CLINICAL TRAINING - 8 DAYS
ONLINE & IN-HOUSE
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More advanced Resource Therapy training for therapists wanting to further develop processing skills
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Builds on the Foundation training to qualify as a Clinical Resource Therapist
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Provides supervised practicums and structured skill development of all the RT Action Steps & advanced clinical applications
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Bridge to an adverse life experience for focussed processing
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Practice full protocols for States holding on to fear or rejection
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Practice Action Steps for depression, chronic pain, parts mapping, problematic/ distressing behaviours and addictions
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Training Manual, Resource Therapy Casebook text, pre-reading materials, and full script set provided. 2026 Dates
Trainings are available in Geelong, Melbourne and online, with private in-house bookings available for teams
To learn more about Resource Therapy training, go to our training
page or click the buttons to your left.
Enquiries and bookings: training@wolftherapies.com.au
BENEFITS OF LEARNING RESOURCE THERAPY
If you’re familiar with other parts models like Internal Family Systems (IFS), Schema Therapy, or Ego State Therapy (EST), you may wonder where Resource Therapy sits in the broader training landscape. Why choose Resource Therapy as your parts work modality of choice?
Resource Therapy was developed out of Gordon Emmerson’s interest in Ego States. While each of these parts work therapies acknowledge the existence of parts, Resource Therapy has some unique strengths:
BACKED BY PERSONALITY THEORY
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RT is grounded in personality theory, and offers an identification framework that categorises states into Normal, Vaded, Retro, Conflicted, and Dissonant.
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This clarity helps clinicians quickly identify which state requires intervention rather than working only with the presenting self (like the ‘intellectual’ part who came to therapy!)
DIRECT & SHORT TERM APPLICATIONS
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RT engages (and speaks) directly with the part in distress, rather than primarily with the self/ego.
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This makes the therapy brief, focused, and often highly effective, especially for entrenched trauma responses.
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Other than precision, it also helps the other Resources within the client to understand and build compassion for its needs, drivers, and concerns.
STRUCTURED ROADMAP- NO GETTING STUCK
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RT provides 15 treatment Actions
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These are clear, repeatable techniques that help therapists feel confident and clients feel safe.
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Each Action is taught progressively to trainees across Foundation and Clinical Training.
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We apply the Action steps according to the clear conceptual framework provided by Resource Therapy
INTEGRATIVE AND FLEXIBLE
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Resource Therapy is a full, complete, standalone therapy model that can be learned by professionals with different backgrounds. I favour RT as my modality of choice in trauma work.
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Once mastered, Resource Therapy skills also complement other modalities such as EMDR and ACT
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Many EMDR clinicians find it particularly useful for better explaining parts work to clients, client stabilisation, unblocking processing, or deepening resourcing.
AUSTRALIAN BASED & ACCESSIBLE
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Developed by Dr Gordon Emmerson, who was living in Australia in the early 2000s, RT has over 20 years of clinical use worldwide.
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Training is more affordable, obtainable and practical than other models, and available locally. This makes advanced parts work skills accessible to Australian clinicians.
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Training is open to allied health, therapists, counsellors and suitable helping professions. There is no hierarchy/ privileging of certain professions or qualification levels, if you are assessed as competent in the training content.
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The training process is straight forward- you do not need to go on long waitlists or progress through level upon level before getting to ‘the good stuff’.
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The 2 Day Foundation gives most therapists all the tools they need to really run with formal parts work. Further training is available to therapists who wish to deepen their practice or advance their careers.
Clients describe feeling relief, clarity, and empowerment when parts that once held trauma or protective behaviours are understood and supported back into healthier roles.
RESOURCE THERAPY WITH NEURODIVERGENT CLIENTS
IS RESOURCE THERAPY AFFIRMING?
At first glance, a couple of the Resource Therapy (RT) language terms can sound a little dated. Developed around 25 years ago by Dr Gordon Emmerson, a psychologist and statistician with a passion for structure, the model contains unique terminology that must be taught in its original form. This includes concepts such as Diagnosis (Action Step One) and reference to Pathological Parts.
As a neuro-affirming and trauma-informed practitioner, I initially felt cautious about this language. Like many contemporary therapists, I prefer to move away from DSM-style labels that risk pathologising trauma responses or identity. Terms such as “disorder” or “pathology” can reinforce the stigma that something is wrong with the person, rather than recognising their responses as adaptive in context. I was concerned how this model would fit with my practice.
However, the more I studied and applied Resource Therapy, the more I realised that the heart of the model is profoundly compassionate. Whilst the terminology needs to be updated, it is not using ‘diagnosis’ or ‘pathology’ in the way that the medical model suggests.
Importantly, Gordon was clear that it is never the person who is diagnosed or pathologised. Instead, it is a specific part (Resource state) that is identified as carrying unresolved distress.
For example:
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Instead of saying someone “is depressed”, RT would describe a part as “Vaded with Disappointment”.
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Instead of saying someone “is anxious”, RT may identify a part that is “Vaded with Fear”.
The goal of therapy is not to label or fix the person, but to bring relief to that part so that it no longer needs to block joy, avoid connection, or carry painful protective responses.
This reframe can be deeply empowering. Many clients have internalised labels such as “I’m an anxious person” or “I’m depressed”. RT offers a more nuanced and hopeful perspective: our clients are always more than any one of their parts.
In practice, I teach Resource Therapy using Gordon’s terminology- because fidelity to the model matters in training. But in the therapy room, I hold these “diagnoses” as a form of case conceptualisation, not as fixed labels. To me, dis-ease simply points to a state of unease. Healthy parts, once relieved of trauma, are freed to return to their useful, life-affirming roles.
In this way, Resource Therapy aligns beautifully with affirming practice: it validates that what may look like “symptoms” are actually adaptive responses held by parts of the self — and that healing involves bringing those parts back into harmony
I'M NEURODIVERGENT- WILL IT WORK?
YES! Everyone is different, of course. Resource Therapy can be highly supportive for neurodivergent clients when adapted with care. Some people may find visualisation, guided imagery, body scans, or sensory activities challenging or overwhelming.
Resource Therapy can be flexibly delivered using language-based approaches, adaptations, concrete supports (e.g. objects, drawing, mapping), sense based aids (like music or scent) and sensory regulation strategies.
I successfully support clients without visual memories or interoceptive differences to use their own individual concept of a ‘felt sense’ to process their past trauma.
As a neurodivergent individual, I am closer to the end of ‘hyperphantasia’, meaning I have an extremely vivid visual imagination. Despite this, I have trouble accessing early life memories.
I have undergone Resource Therapy processing myself, using a ‘felt’ sense rather than reliance of visual memories. All of my trainings are run with the understanding that clients and therapists alike have different styles of processing the world around them.
I encourage therapists to collaborate with clients to adapt methods, respecting communication preferences, sensory needs, and processing styles. This ensures RT remains affirming, inclusive, and effective across diverse neurocognitive experiences.
SEE RT IN ACTION
Watch Resource Therapy skills with real demonstrations of Actions like Bridging, Vivify Specific, and Conflicted Part Negotiation.
More Demos Here
TL; DR | SUMMARY
RESOURCE THERAPY
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An advanced parts work model and personality theory, conceptualising that we are made of 'parts' called Resources
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Compassionate and empowering way to recognise the client is not flawed, but has parts holding onto pain, trauma, or protective behaviours that are no longer helpful
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All clients have parts that hold strengths, positive emotions, pleasant mood states too- no matter what they have been through
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Suitable for complex, developmental and attachment trauma, chronic pain, performance, anxiety, depression, burn out, life stress. Can be tailored to different population groups including neurodivergent clients.
BENEFITS FOR THERAPISTS
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Greater clarity in case formulation for complex clients
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Practical, repeatable techniques for therapy sessions
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Increased confidence working with attachment wounds and dissociation
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A framework that is structured enough to never get stuck, yet adaptable to your client
BENEFITS FOR CLIENTS
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Relief and clarity when Parts that once held trauma or protective behaviours are understood
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Empowering modality that aims to support Parts back into healthier roles- never shaming, ‘getting rid of’ or fusing parts.
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Experiencing more balance, resilience, and self-compassion in daily life.
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Strengthening emotional states, and seeing ‘more of’ the Parts of themselves they truly value
TRAINING OPTIONS
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2 Day Foundation Training- for therapists, allied health, helping professions to learn valuable skills & knowledge around parts work
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8 Day Clinical – for advancing skills in Resource Therapy
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Advanced Training options for those interested in career progression/ becoming a trainer
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Click here for upcoming training dates, the Weekend training retreat and how to book
ARTICLES ABOUT RT
EXTERNAL LINKS
EXTERA
READ my blog Here
GO TO RESOURCE THERAPY INTERNATIONAL WEBSITE Here
WATCH on Youtube - Claudia Wolf Here
FOLLOW on Instagram: @wolf_therapeutic_community
Tracy Lynch Understanding EMDR Podcast- tune in for incredible discussions about Resource Therapy, parts work, and more
More to Come!
