Infidelity generally points out flaws in a relationship, and the revelation of an affair often triggers a crisis of trust and connection. We’ll examine the benefits and the costs of truth-telling and transparency, how couples can rebuild trust and intimacy, and how affairs can actually stabilize a marriage and prevent its dissolution. In particular, we will focus on how couples can turn the crisis into an opportunity. Combining didactic material, case studies and video vignettes, we will lay out a nuanced and multicultural therapeutic approach for working with extramarital relations, fantasized or real, disclosed or shrouded in secrecy.
Mindfulness is a deceptively simple way of relating to experience that has been successfully practiced for over 2500 years to alleviate human suffering and to increase awareness. Recently clinicians are discovering that mindfulness holds great promise as an add-on to couples therapy and education leading to greater kindness, love and acceptance. This program will discuss, demonstrate and offer experiential activities on how mindfulness can facilitate brief changes when working with couples.
Longitudinal research with newlyweds shows that 67% have a drop in marital satisfaction in the first three years of their baby’s life. Hostility between the partners increases, and the baby’s emotional, cognitive, and neurological development are all adversely affected. The Bringing Baby Home program, which will be described, is effective in preventing both these negative changes and post-partum depression.
EP09 Dialogue 15 – Healthy Marriage – John Gottman, PhD, Julie Gottman, PhD and Salvador Minuchin, MD
Educational Objective: Given a topic, to describe the differing approaches to psychotherapy, and to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each approach.
EP09 Dialogue 07 – Marital Enhancement – Harville Hendrix, MD and Susan Johnson, EdD
Educational Objective: Given a topic, to describe the differing approaches to psychotherapy, and to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each approach.
Several new studies have uncovered a seismatic shift that has taken place regarding the purpose and practice of marriage. These research findings explain many of the difficulties we face behind the therapy door. Come get a research update and clinical applications for couple's therapy. Lecture, video, handouts, discussion, demonstration will be utilized.
This presentation explores the biology and developmental psychology of love, sex, sexual orientation, commitment and marriage. Focus is on research and clinical applications.
No other aspect in the lives of couples, today as well as yesterday, generates more fascination, gossip and fear as infidelity. In our society, sexual infidelity is mostly seen as a symptom of a relationship gone awry. The revelation of an affair can trigger a crisis that shakes the very foundation of trust and connection in the couple. The purpose of this workshop is to present a multi-cultural, non-judgmental perspective to probe the meanings of affairs, rethink fidelity, and address the complexities of marriage, sex, intimacy, and monogamy. We will look at the value and the price of honesty and truth telling, and explore the circuitous ways affairs aim to stabilize a marriage and prevent the dissolution of the family.