About Resource Therapy
Working at the root – one part at a time
What Is Resource Therapy?
Resource Therapy (RT) is a powerful parts-based psychotherapy developed by Professor Gordon Emmerson, PhD. RT recognises that we all have different parts – called Resource States – that come forward in different situations. Some hold strength and creativity, others carry pain, fear, or outdated coping strategies.
RT is unique in that it provides a structured, action-based clinical parts work model with 15 distinct treatment interventions. These interventions are designed to directly access and resolve the pain and unmet needs of the personality part involved, while promoting internal harmony and client empowerment.
What Makes RT Different?
- Direct Access to Parts: RT allows therapists to speak directly with the part of the personality (Resource State) that needs help – not just talk about it.
- Diagnostic Clarity: RT maps effectively to DSM-5 and ICD-11 criteria with clearly defined pathology-based interventions.
- Memory Reconsolidation: RT facilitates deep change by working with the brain’s natural healing mechanisms to transform distressing emotional memories.
- Efficient & Targeted: RT is brief, psychodynamically informed, focused, and often produces results more quickly than traditional talk therapy alone.
- Ethical & Client-Centred: The model is respectful, empowering, and grounded in client safety and choice.
Who Is RT For?
Resource Therapy is ideal for therapists and mental health professionals working with:
- Complex trauma and PTSD
- Betrayal and relationship trauma
- Dissociation and identity confusion
- Anxiety, depression, and self-sabotage cycles
- Complicated Grief, Depression, and Anxiety
- Somatic Syndromes
- Emotional regulation and behavioural stuckness
- Internal conflict and a fragmented sense of self
Origins and Development
Resource Therapy was developed by Professor Gordon Emmerson as an evolution of Ego State Therapy. Over time, it became a distinct model with a structured theoretical foundation, an expanded clinical framework, and updated terminology that aligns with current neuropsychological and trauma-informed understanding.
Today, Resource Therapy is taught and practised in over 15 countries. It is used by psychologists, doctors, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, counsellors, trauma specialists, clinical hypnotherapists, social workers, and coaches who value its clarity, depth, and compassionate approach.
Curious to learn more about the Neuroscience that informs parts-based therapies like Resource Therapy – check out this article
Want to Learn More?
Explore RT Training Programs Coming soon
Read Gordon Emmerson’s Writings
Resource Therapy allows therapists to respond directly to the precise personality part that holds the problem. Many therapies speak with an intellectual, talkative personality part that is not directly related to the presenting issue.
Because Resource Therapy attends directly to the personality part, the Resource that is pathological, it is quick and lasting.
The personality is composed of parts, and those parts are our Resources. These parts may be:
- Normal States (Healthy)
- Vaded States (Exhibit unwanted emotions)
- Retro States (Exhibit unwanted behaviors)
- Conflicted States (Parts conflicted to the point of anxiety)
- Dissonant States (The wrong part is holding the Conscious)
A person with all states in a Normal Condition is psychologically healthy.
The process of Resource Therapy is straightforward:
The purpose of Resource Therapy is to move Pathological states to a Normal Condition.
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