The Couples Therapist Couch

Richard Hill and Matthew Dahlitz recently wrote a book called The Practitioner's Guide to the Science of Psychotherapy.  They discuss the importance for therapists to have some background in the science of psychotherapy in order to best serve their clients. This information is very lacking so far in the world of therapy. They also have a magazine and podcast called the Science of Psychotherapy. Fi...

Harville Hendrix, Ph. D., and Helen LaKelly Hunt, Ph. D., are partners in life and work.  They are authors of the classic, Getting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples, and ten other books including their newly published: Doing Imago Relationship Therapy: In the Space Between. Find out more about them at harvilleandhelen.com and about Imago Relationship Therapy at imagorelationships.org The Coup...

This is a very vulnerable episode with Wesley Anne Little where she talks about her experiences as a therapist going through cancer, chemo treatments, and a lot of unpredictability in her life.  It is so important for us as therapists to practice what we preach when it comes to self-compassion, setting boundaries, and self-care. Wesley is a great example for us and very generously opens up about h...

The reality of supremacy culture and generational trauma continue to show up in our lives in a big way. People often struggle with perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and issues in their relationships and they don't understand why. Shirani Pathak talks about these topics in the episode today. She has a podcast called Fierce Authenticity and a book of the same name.  You can find out more about her a...

This episode is a recording of one of the live Inner Circle webinars which are part of the experience of being a member of the Couples Therapist Inner Circle . This is a continuation of last week on the topic of self-esteem and boundaries. The Inner Circle is open right now if you are looking to take your practice with couples to the next level. Click on the link for more information . Self-esteem...

This episode is a recording of one of the live Inner Circle webinars which are part of the experience of being a member of the Couples Therapist Inner Circle . The Inner Circle is open right now if you are looking to take your practice with couples to the next level. Click on the link for more information . Self-esteem and Boundaries are an essential part of our experience as humans in relationshi...

Divorce is almost considered to be a bad word in Couples Therapy, but the reality is that there are still a lot of situations where this is the appropriate choice or where it happens to people whether they want it to or not.  It is very important for us as therapists to be able to help people through this very difficult time. Kristy Gaisford and Jerry Sander focus specifically on helping people wh...

Find out more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle In the episode this week, Beth Irias from Clearly Clinical talks about feedback informed treatment with couples. She does an amazing job of explaining the importance of documentation and tracking outcomes. One of the things that resonated for me is how it all comes back to being able to serve our clients as effectively as possible by determini...

Find out 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. As Couples Therapists, it is important that we know how to work with these couples and help them recover from the infidelity in a meaningful way. Dr. Talal Alsaleem is an expert at helping couples...

Find out more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle A lot of times, when couples work with therapists who don't have good couples therapy training, they feel like it is hard to make any progress.  In this episode, Shane talks with certified Relational Life Therapist, Dr. Pam Staples about the importance of being direct and speaking the truth to couples with love and respect. Find out more about...

The episode this week is being sponsored by the Couples Therapist Inner Circle . In this episode, Liz Phillips gives an overview of Internal Family Systems (IFS), a therapy model that was developed by Dick Schwartz.  She also talks about Intimacy From the Inside Out (IFIO) which is a model of couples therapy that comes from IFS. In IFIO therapy, each member of the couple is invited into a process,...

Click here to learn more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle In this episode, Shane talks about what makes Relational Life Therapy different from many other models of Couples Therapy. One of the ways we create change in RLT is by joining through the truth.  In order to understand this in more depth, we have to understand the importance of acceptance of emotions and treating people with love,...

Get your 3 free videos on Relational Life Therapy with Terry Real In this episode, Shane is joined by Dr. Rick Butts who is one of the founders of the Healing Our Core Issues Institute. This is based on the work of Pia Mellody and teaches therapists how to do Inner Child Work.  He goes into detail about the 4 pillars of Healing Our Core Issues as well as discussing the 6 aspects of the nature of a...

In this episode of the Couples Therapist Couch, Elliott Connie talks about using Solution Focused Brief Therapy when working with couples. He is an educator and author in the model of SFBT. Find out more about Elliott and Solution Focused Brief Therapy at elliottconnie.com . The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapists about the practice of couples therapy. The host, Shane Bir...

This episode is with Dr. Ellyn Bader, the founder of the Developmental Model of Couples Therapy. She has been teaching Couples Therapy since the 80s when everyone told her that no one would want that type of therapy. We talk all about Differentiation in this conversation which is about each partner expressing their own needs and wants and being able to listen to the other without judgement or defe...

Find out more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle In this episode, Shane talks with Francesca Maxime' about the reality that no matter how well a therapist knows a model, doing their own person work is essential to improving as a therapist. Find out more about Francesca at: Course on Anti-racism at therapywisdom.com maximeclarity.com ReRooted Podcast on the Be Here Now Network The Couples The...

Kim Ploussard is a Certified Relational Life Therapist and one of the Coaches for the model. Back in episode #62 she talked about the 5 Core Issues and how they impact relationships. In this episode she goes deeper into the understanding of the 5 Core Issues with regard to children and parenting. Find out more about Kim at albanymarriagecounseling.com The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for...

Find out more about Jennifer Lehr at jenniferlehrmft.com and weconcile.com The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapists about the practice of couples therapy. The host, Shane Birkel, interviews an expert in the field of couples therapy each week. Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes. The episode this week is being sponsored by the Couples Therapist Inner Cir...

One of the main preconditions that is often listed for doing couples therapy is an active addiction. It is hard for couples to get closer in there relationship when problematic drug or alcohol use is present.  In this episode Dr. Robert Navarra discusses the difference between addiction and problematic drug use and how to guide couples to make a plan when they are living with the impact of this. ...

I recently attended the Emotionally Focused Therapy Externship which was taught by Debi Scimeca-Diaz. She was an amazing trainer and I learned a ton about the model. In this episode, she comes on the podcast and talks about how to use EFT in your practice and why EFT is such a great way of working with couples. Debi Scimeca-Diaz, LMFT is one of a small group of trainers in the world for Emotionall...

When we are feeling stress with our partner, in our relationships, it is often due to the fact that we are not able to stay present in the moment. In this episode, Melissa Sutor, MS, MS, talks all about the benefits of mindfulness for relationships and for a healthy life. Melissa Sutor is a mindfulness teacher and coach, mental health counselor, and founder of Dragonfly Healing Center nonprofit or...

This episode is with Dr. Dan Siegel. He is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and the founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center  at UCLA. An award-winning educator, he is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and recipient of several honorary fellowships.  Dr. Siegel is also the Executive Director of the  Mindsight Institu...

This is the tenth in a series of ten episodes that are about inspiration and hope during this time of Covid-19. Most of the interviewees are therapists and offer support and perspective for getting through stressful situations. The episodes were mostly recorded around late March and early April. TJ Walsh is a therapist, father, and someone who is very involved in the arts. Physical distancing does...

This is the ninth in a series of ten episodes that are about inspiration and hope during this time of Covid-19. Most of the interviewees are therapists and offer support and perspective for getting through stressful situations. The episodes were mostly recorded around late March and early April. This episode is with Dr. James Hawkins. Dr. James Hawkins is an Emotionally Focused Therapist and train...

This is the eighth in a series of ten episodes that are about inspiration and hope during this time of Covid-19. Most of the interviewees are therapists and offer support and perspective for getting through stressful situations. The episodes were mostly recorded around late March and early April. This episode is with LaDonna Carey. You can find out more about her at https://www.ladonnacarey.com/in...