C E R T I F I C AT E I N A P P L I E D P O S I T I V E P S YC H O LO G Y M A N UA L

The Empowerment Dynamic (TED)

Get out of the DDT
• Step 1: Recognize that you’re on it!
• Often that alone can stop the drama.
• Or flip it…
• Created by David Womeldroff in 2005
• A former Executive Trainer for BankOne and a current faculty member of the Notre
Dame Mendoza School of Business where he incorporates TED into their MBA
curriculum

TED Players:
• Persecutor becomes a Challenger: for growth, from threat to opportunity
• Victim becomes a Creator: of something new (way of interacting, belief, project, etc.) as a
product of being empowered.
• The Rescuer becomes a Coach: who sees all players as resourceful and whole. Supports
the creator and challenger by holding space for them and guiding them to their
resourcefulness.

The Empowerment Dynamic (TED) Example:

Same example as the Dreaded Drama Triangle (DDT), but applying TED principles:
Client: Her mother calls her up telling her that her sister can’t afford to send her daughter (client’s
niece) to college and suggests that she should pay for it.

Characters:
• Client – Instead of being the rescuer, the client can become a coach and convey to her
mother that her mother and her sister can handle the situation along with the niece. Ask,

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“What are your options?” “What other resources aren’t you looking at?” The client would
hold space for the mother and sister to figure out how to handle this because they are
resourceful and capable.
• Mom – Instead of being the persecutor, the mom can become the challenger in that she
is challenging the client to become the coach. The mom can then empower the sister and
niece to explore the available options.
• Sister – Instead of being the victim, the sister can become the creator and think of alterna-
tives to work through with the niece
• Niece - Instead of being the victim, the niece can be brought into the conversation as a
creator to see what she can do, e.g., take out student loans, limit her choices of colleges to
less expensive ones, etc.

Utilizing The Empowerment Dynamic (TED), you can flip the Dreaded
Drama Triangle (DDT).
Drama Triangle Practice:
• Step 1: With aUtilizing
partner, describe a recent “dramatic” event and label which roles were played
The Empowerment Dynamic (TED), you can flip the Dreaded Drama Triangle (DDT).
and the DDT and by whom.
Drama
• If the dramatic Trianglehad
event Practice:
a resolution, identify which roles were played on the TED
• Step 1: With a partner, describe a recent “dramatic” event and label which roles were played and
• If the dramatic event the DDTwas not resolved, use the TED and discuss how it will be shifted.
and by whom.
• If the dramatic event had a resolution, identify which roles were played on the TED
How can you use the• Drama
If the dramaticTriangle & Empowerment
event was not resolved, use the TED and discuss howDynamic
it will be shifted. professionally?

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How can you use the Drama Triangle & Empowerment Dynamic professionally?

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Types of Communication Styles
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Non-Violent Communication (NVC)
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• Developed by Marshall Rosenberg in the 1960s from his work as a civil rights activist and
mediator
Types of Communication Styles • Fundamentals:
Empathy
Self-empathy
Honest-self expression
What’s the #1 Reason Couples Seek Counseling?
• A 2004 studyWhat’s the #1 Reason Couples Seek Counseling?
of married couples identified the top reasons couples sought therapy (Doss,
Doss, B. D., Simpson, L. E., & Christensen, A. (2004). Why do couples seek marital therapy? Professional Psychology, 35, 608–614.
Simpson, Christensen, 2004).
• A 2004 study of married couples identified the top reasons couples sought therapy.
• Tied: both are communication-based
• Tied: both are communication-based reasons: reasons:
• Emotional affection: issuesissues
1. Emotional affection: likelike“lack
“lack ofof
love”love” and “affection/intimacy”
and “affection/intimacy” emerged emerged
2. General communication: issues like a “lack of understanding” as well as not “discussing
• General communication: problems” emerged. issues like a “lack of understanding” as well as not “discussing
problems” emerged.
Communication Style Communication Style
ASSERTIVE
PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE

PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE

Think of your parent’s communication style. What messages did you receive growing up about how
adults communicated?
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©2013 Emiliya Zhivotovskaya & The Flourishing Center Page 235