CC25 Workshop 05 - From Avoidant to Happy: Helping Male Couples Connect - Rick Miller, MSW

Male couples face challenges of being overly independent, and frequently come to couples therapy due to loneliness and feelings of betrayal based on awkward communication styles. Though each partner yearns for their intimate and emotional needs to be met by the other, many gay men lack these skills due to the secrecy and shame which are typical aspects of gay development. 
He will share a video of a couple who went from experiencing distance and questioning their relationship to achieving intimacy and connection through the couples work they did.
This workshop will define how norms in the gay community encourage avoidance, and how male couples can benefit from learning how to communicate, hear, and nurture each other, enhancing secure functioning. Clinicians will feel confident with existing modalities for treating couples and will be able to adapt these skills to successfully treat male couples.

1. Attendees will list developmental challenges unique to gay men.
2. Attendees will learn how to decrease avoidance and promote intimacy with male couples.
3. Attendees will discuss how to encourage male couples to increase their modes of communication with each other.