Description:

The psychobiologically oriented couple therapist understands that the intersubjective, phenomenological process operating in primary attachment relationships relies heavily on fast acting implicit memory systems. Because of this phenomenon partners in a relationship rarely know what they are doing or why, and so they confabulate meaning in the absence of real understanding. Additionally, partners in couple therapy maintain hidden agendas and use deception in order to protect themselves from loss. Therefore, it is up to the couple therapist to find out who partners are, what they really want, and what they are up to in the first or second session. In this workshop we will learn to accept deception in couple therapy is a part of normal human behavior while utilizing specialized techniques to help partners clarify themselves and their agendas in an effort to move them toward secure functioning.

Educational Objectives:

1. To be able to list at least four common behavioral markers of deception.
2. To be able to apply at least three interventions for bringing deception out into the open.
3. To be able to identify somatic markers that conflict with partner narratives.

*Sessions may be edited for content and to preserve confidentiality*