The Couples Therapist Couch

Click here to learn more about The Couples Therapist Inner Circle In this episode Shane interviews Vienna Pharaon. She is an LMFT who has a huge following on instagram where she posts helpful advice for people. She is also the author of the book, The Origins of You. She has a new podcast called This Keeps Happening. Find out more about her at viennapharaon.com The Couples Therapist Couch is the po...

Click here to learn more about The Couples Therapist Inner Circle This episode is a recording from an Inner Circle Webinar with Shane.  The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapists about the practice of couples therapy. I'm Shane Birkel and my goal is to bring you interviews with experts in the field of couples therapy each week. Please subscribe to the podcast for more great...

Click here to learn more about The Couples Therapist Inner Circle In this episode Shane talks to renowned emotionally focused therapy trainer, Jim Thomas. They discuss doing intensive work with couples, particularly using EFT.  Jim Thomas is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist & Certified EFT Therapist while being an internationally known therapist, trainer, and speaker. Find out more about h...

Click here to learn more about The Couples Therapist Inner Circle In this episode, Dr. Jessica Higgins talks about dealing with criticism, how to resolve conflict, and healthy communication for couples.  Dr. Jessica Higgins hosts the Empowered Relationship Podcast and you can find out more about her at drjessicahiggins.com The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapists about the...

Click here to learn more about The Couples Therapist Inner Circle Polyvagal Theory is a concept that is gaining a lot of momentum in the therapy world and has been written about a lot by Stephen Porges and Deb Dana. In this episode Dr. Rebecca Jorgensen talks all about Polyvagal Theory and Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy. Becca is a university professor and EFT trainer.  Find out more about he...

Click here to learn more about The Couples Therapist Inner Circle In this episode I spoke with Rachel Dorneanu about doing Premarital Counseling. In my mind this doesn't have to mean people are intending to get married, but has become more of a term to describe people in the beginning phases of their relationship.  Sometimes the issues people are facing in the beginning phases are similar to anyon...

Click here to learn more about The Couples Therapist Inner Circle In this episode Dr. Stan Tatkin talks about the importance of having a "we" or "us" mindset in our relationships. He also talks about some common relationship conflicts people face in their relationships and how to work through them. This is exactly what his new book is about, In Each Other's Care . Find out more about Dr. Stan Tatk...

Want to join a small group of Couples Therapists who want to take their business to the next level? See if this 5 month mastermind experience might be a good fit for you. In today's episode, Dr. Karen Gail Lewis talks about the impact of siblings on our lives and relationships. She recently wrote a book called Sibling Therapy: The Ghosts from Childhood that Haunt Your Client's Love and Work . Dr....

Click here to learn more about The Couples Therapist Inner Circle Sometimes as Couples Therapists we forget that our job is not to "save" relationships. Sometimes that is just not possible. Our job is to help people grow, challenge their limiting beliefs, and live happily ever after whether they stay in their relationship or not. Katherine Woodward Thomas has been a guide for helping people uncoup...

Click here to learn more about The Couples Therapist Inner Circle Akilah Riley-Richardson is a published researcher, couples therapist, educator and presenter. I would highly recommend attending her training. I have copied and pasted part of the information page below which is also what we talked about in the podcast. Find out more about the training here: Systemic Trauma in Couples Therapy You ha...

Click here to learn more about The Couples Therapist Inner Circle There is an emerging trend in our society right now of adults in their 20s and 30s continuing to live at home with their parents. There are a lot of reasons for this reality that I talk about on this episode with Dr. Lawrence Steinberg.  Dr. Larry is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Temple University and author of sever...

Click here to learn more about The Couples Therapist Inner Circle If you work with couples you know that a large percentage of the people seeking help have experienced some sort of infidelity in their relationship. Sometimes, people wonder if it's even worth trying to repair the relationship.  Even if you use the best possible interventions in therapy, some cases seem to not get any better. Dr. Ta...

Click here to learn more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle Back in episode number 176, Lousia Krause talked about using the Enneagram in Couples Therapy. In this episode, Kristy Gaisford and I continue that conversation and talk about what different personality types look like in a relationship. The enneagram is a system of personality types that helps people understand themselves and other...

Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes. Find out more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle If you've been working with couples for long, you know that betrayal is a theme that comes up a lot. Whether it is a full on sexual affair or just the small betrayals of everyday life. Many couples are going to need help healing in their relationships or possibly even grieving in a divor...

Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes. Find out more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle More than ever it is clear from the research that trauma has a huge impact on all of our relationships. It is important for therapists to have some background knowledge or training to help them maintain a sense of safety when people get triggered. Irina Wen, PhD talks about how the attac...

In this episode, Natalie Lue talks about her new book called, The Joy of Saying No: How to Stop People Pleasing, Reclaiming Boundaries, and Saying Yes to the Life You Want. We talked about how in order to say no to your partner it requires authenticity and vulnerability which are going to be helpful to the relationship overall. Find out more about Natalie Lue at https://www.baggagereclaim.co.uk/ T...

In this episode, Louisa Krause talks about using the Enneagram in Couples Therapy. The Enneagram is a system of personality types that helps people understand themselves and others. It is principally understood and taught as a typology of nine interconnected personality types. Find out more about Louisa Krause at relationalsolutions.net Find more enneagram stuff for therapists through The Narrativ...

Find out more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle This episode is a miniworkshop on how to work with people who are emotionally avoidant. There are two primary ways that emotional avoidance gets formed based on the environment in which the person grew up.  The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapists about the practice of couples therapy. The host, Shane Birkel, interview...

Find out more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle In this episode, Cyndi Darnell talks about how we need to change the way we talk about sex, gender, pleasure, and power. We also discuss some of the mistakes that therapists make when talking about sex with their clients.  To find out more about Cyndi Darnell visit cyndidarnell.com The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapi...

Find out more about the free virtual event: State of Mental Health in America When there is betrayal in a relationship, everything about the person's identity has been chipped away. People in this situation are left to figure out who they are and what they stand for. In this episode, Lora Cheadle and I discuss the challenge of recovering from a betrayal. She describes her 5 step process called FLA...

Find out more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle In this episode, Dr. Sabrina N'Diaye, talks about the idea of misunderstandings about the meaning and experience of love. All human beings experience injuries to the heart at times in their life. As therapists, we must deepen our work both with our clients, but also ourselves in order to move back into the reality of love.  Dr. Sabrina N'Diaye...

When Terry Real started working with couples in the 90s he found that the conventional wisdom just did not work. Eventually he created his own model for working with couples called Relational Life Terapy.  He has also published several books including his most recent called US: Getting Past You and Me to Build a More Loving Relationship.  Find out more at terryreal.com If you want to buy the book...

In today's episode I spoke with Dr. William Doherty about the role of a therapist when clients bring us difficult situations, decisions, and ethical dilemmas they are facing in their lives. As therapists we are in a unique position to help people these very personal issues, but we have to be skilled at how we do that. Dr. William Doherty has been a leader in pushing the field of couples therapy to...

Find out more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle In our society, it is modeled from a very young age to suppress our emotional experience. This is traumatic for children in particular and for humans in general.  Somatic experiencing is a type of therapy which helps people to become more embodied and move into acceptance of the emotions they are experiencing.  Dr. Abi Blakeslee, SEP, CMT, MFT...

In this episode, my friend and fellow Relational Life Therapist, Juliane Taylor Shore, talks about Neurobiology and Relationships.  If you are a couples therapist, you probably know a lot about things that work to make couples feel more connected and healthy in their lives and relationships. Jules sheds light on the science of "why" therapy works.  Find out more at cleariskind.com The Couples Ther...