8.-9.6.2026
The TFP Working Group Prague of the Czech Society for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
invites you to an international professional educational event.
Contemporary Topics of Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP)
• TFP Treatment for Narcissistic Patients
• Applied TFP in Clinical Practice
Date: June 8.-9., 2026
Location: Prague (address will be specified)
Form: in-person and online
Simultaneous interpretation from English to Czech (available only for in-person participants)
Participation fee: CZK 4,750 (approx. €195 — final amount depends on your bank’s exchange rate on the day of payment)
Application deadline: March 31, 2026 (application link below)
Accreditation: AKP, ČLK
Keynote speaker: Frank E. Yeomans (New York, USA), professor of psychiatry at Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York and at the Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research at Columbia University. President of the International Society for Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (ISTFP), close associate of Otto F. Kernberg, author of numerous books and publications, and one of the world’s leading experts on the treatment of narcissistic and borderline personality disorder using a highly effective form of psychoanalytic psychotherapy – Transference-Focused Psychotherapy.
NARCISSISM
▪ Patients with narcissistic problems expose only one part of themselves, but inside they always fluctuate between two split poles: grandiose and devaluing versus fragile and devalued.
▪ TFP equips therapists with knowledge of how to set effective limits to the destructive manifestations of the grandiose part, and at the same time how to recognize, name, and establish a relationship with the fragile part of the patient.
▪ Patients with narcissistic problems provoke strong countertransference reactions in the therapeutic situation. TFP shows how not to deny or act out these emotions, but how to effectively use them in the therapeutic process.
APPLIED TFP
▪ Not every clinician has TFP training or the opportunity to provide classic long-term therapy. Does this mean that they have to give up their therapeutic ambitions with personally traumatized clients? Can psychiatrists, crisis interventionists, nurses, pedagogues, social workers, or addiction-treatment specialists use the highly effective principles of TFP even in short-term contact?
▪ Applied TFP, a newly developing variant of TFP, shows that it is possible — it offers specific procedures for working therapeutically effectively even in time-limited conditions.
▪ However, therapists in classic intensive psychotherapy also benefit from knowledge of applied TFP. Their interventions are more targeted and effective.
A CLOSER LOOK AT NARCISSISM
Narcissism and narcissistic personality disorders are extremely important today – as an individual and as a social phenomenon. We encounter them both in the therapy room and outside it – in everyday life.
Narcissism often evokes strong feelings in us. This reaction may be related to the often overlooked mechanism of splitting. People with narcissistic problems usually express the grandiose part of their personality – known for their devaluation, rejection, superiority and sometimes even open exploitation of others. This side of their inner world naturally provokes a negative reaction.
From the perspective of Object relations theory, it makes sense that within the same personality there is also a second, often hidden part – needy, dependent, longing for recognition and relationship. Both of these parts coexist within a person with narcissistic difficulties, although they are not always obvious at the same time. The defense mechanism of splitting is acting not only in interactions with people in everyday life, but also in the therapeutic room.
Only a deep, but at the same time lively understanding of both poles allows the therapist to remain aware of them, and truly relate to both of them. This means being able to set clear boundaries towards the grandiose part and thus limit its destructiveness. At the same time, it is necessary to recognize and establish contact with the vulnerable part hidden behind the defenses.
In clinical practice, we encounter not only narcissistic personality disorder, but also prominent narcissistic defenses and dynamics that influence the course of therapy. Learning to recognize them and work with them is the key if we want to be truly helpful to our patients.
A CLOSER LOOK AT APPLIED TFP
Not every clinician works directly as a psychotherapist. Many professionals do not work in a classic psychotherapeutic setting. However, they encounter challenging situations every day in the outpatient clinic, emergency room, psychiatric ward, in a medical-consulting role, in the eating disorders treatment, in addiction treatment, etc.
Although we may be well-versed in psychopathology, psychopharmacology, and have a clearly set working framework, we hold ourselves to high professional standards. We search for ways to expand our understanding, improve our skills, and deepen our relationship with patients, their families, and other colleagues in the care system.
Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP) was originally developed as a specifically modified form of long-term, highly effective individual psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Over time, however, the question emerged of how to make its principles accessible to clinicians who do not work within a traditional psychotherapy framework. Moreover, applied TFP offers greater efficiency and time savings for those who are already familiar with TFP.
In Prague, we will have the unique opportunity to personally attend a lecture by Frank Yeomans, an expert who has dedicated his work to understanding and treating narcissism. He builds his lecture on the profound principles of TFP, as discussed in his recent book Treating Pathological Narcissism with Transference-Focused Psychotherapy. Join us, we believe it can enrich your clinical practice since the first day.
About the method
TFP (Transference-Focused Psychotherapy) is an evidence-based psychoanalytic treatment for severe personality disorders, particularly borderline and narcissistic personality disorders. Developed since the 1980s by a group led by Otto F. Kernberg, TFP aims to strengthen identity integration, improve affect regulation, and enhance the quality of interpersonal relationships. Clinical research outcomes have been extensively published and spread by a network of working groups and certified instructors and supervisors in many countries worldwide. For details, visit www.borderlinedisorders.com and the International Society of TFP website at www.istfp.org. The therapeutic principles systematized within TFP can also be adapted to different psychotherapeutic modalities.
The event is intended for clinically working professionals and psychodynamic psychotherapists, including trainees; academics are also welcome.
All lectures will be presented in English, translation into Czech will be provided for in-person participants.
The conference fee includes refreshments during breaks, a light lunch and an evening networking reception after the first day of the conference.
Website of the TFP Working Group: www.cspap.cz/studovna/pracovni-skupina-tfp/
E-mail: tfp()cspap.cz
Mgr. Renata Herentinová, PhDr. Michal Novák, PhDr. Michael Václavík
for the preparatory team of the event
We recommend early registration – the number of places for in-person participation is limited. Application deadline 31. 3. 2026.
Cancellation policy:
Until February 1, 2026: CZK 500 cancellation fee
Until April 1, 2026: 80% cancellation fee (20% refund)
After April 2, 2026: No refund