Two of Them, One of Me: The Art of Holding Two Perspectives in Couples Therapy

Recorded Webinar
Instructor: Nancy Knudsen, LMFT
CEs: 1.5 
Level: Intermediate
Target Audience: Social workers and other social service providers.
Course Delivery Method and Format: Recorded webinar, self study. All courses are hosted on SmithOnline. Login information will be emailed immediately after registration to the email address entered during registration.
System Requirements: Attendees will need access to a computer with internet and the capability to play recorded videos.

Date of original webinar: July 17, 2019

This course explains how doing effective therapy with more than one person in the room is a whole different endeavor from working with an individual. Couple therapists often find that people come in not to make changes in themselves but to get the therapist’s help in changing the other. Shifting the frame from the problem lying inside one person to one that stems from an interactive pattern between two people can be a major undertaking. How to accomplish this task while offering deep empathy and validation for each member of the couple involves skillfully shifting back and forth from the systemic view of the couple to the careful exploration of the inner worlds of each individual.

This webinar is based on the basic concepts of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), an evidence-based approach that has been shown to be highly effective in helping distressed couples repair and create a secure bond. Based on an integration of structural systems theory, the theory of attachment and emotional bonding, and an experiential humanistic approach to exploring emotions, EFT offers a roadmap to help couples stuck in a perpetual cycle of conflict to find their way back to loving connection.

If you are considering offering couples therapy or have already started seeing couples without a clear road map, this webinar can begin to orient you to the particular challenges of this important specialty.

Registration Fee and Deadlines:

$35 (one time registration fee of $5) | Ongoing 

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the fundamental differences between individual and couple therapy.
2. Explain the challenges of holding two competing perspectives simultaneously.
3. List three contra-indicators for couples therapy.
4. Define the role of the therapist as the safe attachment figure.

Instructor Biography: 

Nancy Knudsen, LMFT, is a Marriage and Family Therapist in Northampton, MA with over 30 years experience. Over the past 10 years, Nancy’s primary clinical modality has been Emotionally Focused Therapy. She is a certified EFT therapist and supervisor and has taught a number of workshops on EFT. Additionally, she is a Past President of the Massachusetts Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and is currently the director of the Couple and Family Institute of New England.