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Resource Attributions & Academic Credits

Constructed Self Therapy (CST) is a meta-theoretical, integrative psychotherapeutic framework designed and practiced by Roger Packham.

The model does not claim to create these foundational ideas from scratch. Rather, the power of CST lies in its precise synthesis of four world-class clinical, neuroscientific, and psychological paradigms. We believe in complete academic transparency and honor the pioneering minds whose research serves as the architecture for our therapeutic model.

Below are the formal academic credits and attributions for the models integrated into Constructed Self Therapy:

1. The Neurobiological Engine: The Theory of Constructed Emotion

  • The Architect: Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett, University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University.

  • Core Integration: CST utilizes Dr. Barrett’s groundbreaking neuroscience to explain how emotions, internal states, and behaviors are actively constructed on the fly by the brain using allostasis (the management of the body budget), interoception (raw bodily sensations), and conceptual predictions based on past data.

  • Key Reference: Barrett, L. F. (2017). How emotions are made: The secret life of the brain. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

2. The Experiential Landscape: The Internal Family Systems (IFS) Model

  • The Architect: Dr. Richard C. Schwartz, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School.

  • Core Integration: CST maps internal subsystems using the intuitive cartography of IFS. We translate Dr. Schwartz’s concepts of Exiles, Managers, and Firefighters into neural prediction habits, and use the concept of Self-energy to define a homeostatically stable, regulated nervous system operating under a prediction of absolute safety.

  • Key Reference: Schwartz, R. C. (2021). No bad parts: Healing trauma and restoring wholeness with the Internal Family Systems model. Sounds True.

3. The Secure Relational Currency: The Mindful Self-Compassion Model

  • The Architects: Dr. Kristin Neff (Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Texas at Austin) and Dr. Christopher Germer (Clinical Psychologist and Lecturer on Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School).

  • Core Integration: CST utilizes the three pillars of self-compassion (Self-Kindness, Common Humanity, and Mindfulness) as high-intensity, somatic data inputs of safety. We treat self-compassion as a literal biological deposit into a depleted body budget to calm the nervous system and open the neuroplastic window required for concept renewal.

  • Key Reference: Neff, K. D. (2011). Self-compassion: The proven power of being kind to yourself. William Morrow.

4. The Interpersonal Action Menu: The Functional Fluency Model

  • The Architect: Dr. Susannah Temple, Transactional Analyst and Educational Consultant.

  • Core Integration: CST integrates Dr. Temple's model to bridge internal healing with real-world relationship skills. We use her behavioural mapping to help clients recognize when their parts are defaulting to energy-draining reactive modes (Dominating, Hiding, Marshmallowing) and explicitly train them to execute secure, fluent modes (Structuring and Nurturing).

  • Key Reference: Temple, S. (2002). Functional Fluency: An introduction to a model of interpersonal effectiveness. Transactional Analysis Journal, 32(3), 164–174.

5. The Developmental Foundation: Attachment Theory

  • The Architects: John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth.

  • Core Integration: CST relies on classic attachment theory to understand how a client’s childhood environment shaped their early prediction library. We frame insecure attachment styles (Anxious, Avoidant, Disorganized) not as fixed identities, but as highly organized childhood energy-allocation strategies built to secure caregiver proximity.

  • Key Reference: Bowlby, J. (1988). A secure base: Parent-child attachment and healthy human development. Basic Books.

Formal Legal Disclaimer Notice

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a registered trademark of the IFS Institute. Functional Fluency is a registered trademark of Functional Fluency International. Roger Packham and Constructed Self Therapy operate as an independent clinical practice and maintain no official endorsement, licensing, corporate partnership, or institutional affiliation with the IFS Institute, Functional Fluency International, or any of the academic authors credited above.