Ongoing Consultation Groups
One-Day Workshops
What Colleagues are Saying
Our Couples Therapy Consultation Group meets Friday mornings, 9:30 to 11:30, every other week. The group is limited to eight therapists who want to improve their skills in couples therapy. We focus on working with difficult couples, and the challenges that therapists face. The Spring/Summer session is from May, June and July. The Fall session is September, October and November. The Winter session is January, February and March.
Dates for the Fall 2011 session are September 9 & 23, October 7 & 21, and November 4 & 18.
To register, call us at 404-325-3401
This consultation group is for:
- Psychologists
- Social workers
- Marriage and family therapists
- Counselors
- Pastoral counselors
This training will help you:
- Assess a couple's chances of staying together, and of being happy together.
- Use the Relationship Grid to assess each partner's role in the relationship difficulties.
- Diagram a couple's core conflict in a way that guides your interventions.
- Draw a couple's genogram to portray their significant family patterns and dynamics.
- List the kinds of couples you should refer, rather than treat yourself.
- State with clarity, "Who is the patient?" in the couples you treat.
- Choose assessment instruments for your work with couples.
- List the important steps in couples therapy with affairs.
- Formulate your own policy about confidentiality and secrets between couples.
- Teach a time-out agreement to stop escalation between couples.
- Discuss verbal and/or emotional abuse with couples, so as to end abuse.
We use a case presentation format. You will have the opportunity to discuss some of your challenging couple cases and get feedback about them. Usually, each case has lessons we all can learn from. I imagine we will discuss separation, divorce, affairs, anger, verbal abuse, violence, power struggles, withdrawal, betrayal, therapist loyalty, confidentiality, ethical issues, narcissism, control, grandiosity, etc. We may cover other topics as well, because our discussion will be guided by the cases you present.
There is no required style of case presentation. Some people just talk about a couple they’re having trouble with. Others bring in genograms and core conflict charts and testing data. People have brought in videotapes and audiotapes. You are welcome to present your cases in any way that you would like.
The cost is $75 per two-hour meeting. You are entitled to one free miss per session. If you're interested in this Couples Therapy Consultation Group, please call 404-325-3401.