BT16 Dialogue 6 - The Experiences of Two Seasoned Therapists: Developing Your Own Stance Separate From Changing Trends, Expectations, and Diagnoses - Lynn Lyons, LICSW and Rick Miller, MSW
In the old way of thinking, couples were depicted as a communication system that could be improved with relational skills or as interacting psychopathologies needing treatment by a mental health professional. In the new way of thinking, couples are a system of mutually reinforcing interactions that create anxiety or safety, wounding or healing. They also are the source of culture and the fulcrum of social transformation. What happens in the couple happens in the culture; what happens in the culture happens in the couple.
Our natural sexual setpoint explains a lot about arousal, desire and intimate satisfaction. We will explore this issue with research, facts and humor, with the objectives of understanding the effects of estrogen on desire and the effects of testosterone on desire.
This bold take on intimacy and sex grapples with the obstacles and anxieties that arise when our need for secure love conflicts with our pursuit of passion. We will tackle eroticism as a quality of vitality in relationships extending far beyond mere sexuality and show how reconciling these two competing needs is at the heart of sustaining desire over time. We will address paradoxes of desire and how social forces inhibit erotic expression; attachment history and the erotic blueprint.
Rituals have been used for thousands of years to help people move through difficult developmental times, to move on from problems and stuck places and to grieve and leave trauma behind. In this session, you will discover the two types of rituals that can help couples resolve their issues effectively.
What do you do with couples who are split on trying to working on their relationship or calling it quits? They are often poor candidate for traditional couples therapy but they are idea candidates for "Discernment Counseling," a creative way of working with couples our therapy models are not designed for. We will discuss the difference between couples therapy and discernment counseling.
Skills and experience, research and theory ... each plays a central role in the development of effective therapy practice. And then there is something else. When we recall the work of such figures as Milton Erickson, Virginia Satir, and Carl Whitaker, we detect another layer: artistry. Surprisingly, artistry is something that can be taught, or more accurately, expanded. Everyone has the capacity. And it is artistry that brings forth all of that skill, experience, research and theory in effective and generative ways.
Learn the essential mindsets, strategies and dialogue needed to help clients become independent and happy. In this model, each and every problem is viewed as an opportunity to discover new abilities and expanded choice. In addition to solving the presenting problem, clients are empowered for a lifetime of skillful problem solving.