CC17 Topical Panel 02 - Couples vs. Individual Therapy: What Works/What Doesn’t - Ellyn Bader, PhD; Sue Diamond Potts, MA, RCC; and Janis Abrahms Spring, PhD, ABPP
Total Credits: 7
- Average Rating:
- Not yet rated
- Topic Areas:
- Couples Therapy | Topical Panels | Therapist Development | Addiction | Behavioral Therapy | Clinical Psychology | Family Therapy | Psychotherapy
- Bundle(s):
- Learning Track - Couples Starter Kit
- Categories:
- Couples Conference | Couples Conference 2017
- Faculty:
- Janis Abrahms Spring, PhD, ABPP | Ellyn Bader, PhD | Sue Diamond, MA, RCC
- Course Levels:
- Master Degree or Higher in Health-Related Field
- Duration:
- 58:21
- Format:
- Audio and Video
- Original Program Date:
- Apr 01, 2017
- License:
- Never Expires.
Tags: Couples Therapy Learning Track - Couples Therapy Starter Kit Therapist Development Addiction Addiction Treatment Destabilization Ethics Hypnotic Communication Interpersonal Dynamics Open Secrets Policy Phenomenological Approach Relationship Problems Strategic Therapy Substance Use Therapeutic Experimentation Therapist Confidentiality Utilization
Description
Description:
Couples treatment requires an understanding of interpersonal dynamics. Clinicians need to understand the benefits and liabilities of couples vs. individual therapy, and have a mechanism for deciding when to use each approach.
Educational Objectives:
- Describe three essential differences between Couples and Individual Treatment.
- Given a couple describe the decision process for couples vs. individual treatment.
- List three benefits of Couples Therapy.
*Sessions may be edited for content and to preserve confidentiality*
Outline:
-
Introduction and Background
- Ellen Bader introduced, recognized for decades of work in couples therapy and activism.
- Janice joins as the session discussant, focusing on infidelity.
- Ellen receives a thank-you balloon for her contributions.
-
Infidelity as a Crisis
- Ellen asks audience members to stand if they or clients have experienced infidelity.
- Stresses the importance of the first therapy session for grounding clients in trauma.
- Therapists must manage their own biases, emotions, and the couple’s immediate crisis.
-
First Session Goals and Challenges
- Goals: slow impulsive decisions, assess accountability, and create space for pain.
- Recommends extended first sessions due to emotional intensity.
- Prepares audience for a case example involving repeated infidelity.
-
Case Study: Couple in Crisis
- Couple: 4 years together, planning engagement, facing the third instance of infidelity.
- Woman expresses trauma and fear of trusting again.
- Man struggles to connect emotionally due to unresolved trauma over his father’s suicide.
- Ellen and Pete facilitate understanding, while Janice highlights the man’s need for curiosity and vigilance.
-
Deeper Exploration of Perspectives
- Woman describes loss of identity and lack of space for her pain.
- Man reveals his fear of commitment tied to family history.
- Couple decides to live separately and continue individual therapy.
- Janice praises the session’s creation of emotional safety.
-
Reflections and Broader Impact
- Ellen reflects on how the first session shapes future therapy outcomes.
- Shares another case involving a secret long-term affair with a call girl.
- Emphasizes therapists’ role in holding hope and direction for couples in crisis.
- Ends by expressing her passion for the complexity of infidelity work.
Credits
Handouts
| gooogl | Available after Purchase | ||
Faculty
Janis Abrahms Spring, PhD, ABPP Related Seminars and Products
Janis Abrahms Spring, Ph.D., ABPP, is a board certified clinical psychologist and nationally acclaimed expert on issues of trust, intimacy, and forgiveness. Her first book, After the Affair: Healing the Pain and Rebuilding Trust When a Partner Has Been Unfaithful, has sold more than a half million copies and was a Books for a Better Life Award finalist in the categories of Best First Book and Best Relationship Book. The completely updated second edition (2012) includes a new chapter on affairs in cyberspace. How Can I Forgive You? The Courage to Forgive, the Freedom Not To, was a Books for a Better Life Award finalist in the category of Best Psychology Book. Life with Pop: Lessons on Caring for an Aging Parent, a Living Well Award Silver Medalist, captures the extraordinary, ordinary personal challenges and moments of grace that come with caregiving and growing old.
Ellyn Bader, PhD Related Seminars and Products
Ellyn Bader, PhD, is a founder and director of The Couples Institute in Menlo Park, California. As a clinical psychologist, workshop leader, author, and speaker, she is dedicated to helping couples create extraordinary relationships. Over the past 30 years she has trained therapists in couples therapy throughout the United States as well as Europe, Asia, South America, and Australia. She served as a Clinical Faculty in Stanford University School of Medicine for 8 years.
