The Couples Therapist Couch

This is the seventh 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. In this episode, Elisha and James Travis talk about their experience of getting married during a pand...

This is the sixth 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. In this episode I talked with Breta Collins about creating rituals of connection. She had some wonderfu...

This is the fifth 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. Thank you to Jerry Sander for joining us today and sharing his experience. Find out more about him at h...

This is the fourth 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. Thank you to Janeen Herskovitz for joining us today and sharing her experience. Find out more about he...

This is the third 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 early April. Thank you to Jeanne Farnsworth from North Dakota for joining us today and sharing her experience. Find out more about...

This is the second of 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 early April. Thank you to Selma Selma Bacevac in Jacksonville Florida for taking the time to do the interview. The Couples Therapi...

This is the first of 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 early April. Quentin Hafner is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Orange County, California, who works with men and couple...

If you've tried doing therapy with two therapists in the room, you know it can be extremely beneficial. You have the insight, knowledge and experience of two people and if you're working with a couple, there are ways to play off that dynamic in a really positive way.  Rick and Monique Elgersma are not only co-therapists in their practice, but they are also a couple. In this episode, they talk all...

The episode this week is with Jourdan Virginia Blue. She talks all about the innovative approach to working with couples that she has created. Secret Love Hacks is a 12 week couples therapy approach that any therapist can use with their couples. All the sessions are direct, fast paced, easy to teach and easy to apply. Find out more at https://moderncouplestherapist.com/ Jourdan Virginia Blue is a...

Dr. Peggy Kleinplatz is a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Director of Sex and Couples Therapy at the University of Ottawa, Canada. She was awarded the Prix d'Excellence in 2000 for her teaching of Human Sexuality. She is a Certified Sex Therapist and Educator. She is Director of the Optimal Sexual Experiences Research Team of the University of Ottawa and has a particular interest in sexua...

This is a very important conversation with Dr. James Hawkins about Racialized Trauma, Racial Injustice, Privilege, Institutional Racism, and Black Lives Matter. James approaches this topic from his experience in EFT and attachment. Dr. James Hawkins is an Emotionally Focused Therapist and trainer. You can find out more about him at dochawklpc.com and @dochawklpc on social media. He has recently st...

In the episode today, Dr. Marni Feuerman talks about why couples therapists make the best individual therapists. We discuss how important relationships are in everyone's lives even those who are single. We also talk about using dating apps, being a respectful dater, and what the dating scene looks like these days. Dr. Marni Feuerman is a licensed psychotherapist in private practice in South Florid...

In this episode, Dr. Joe Kort talks about when a straight spouse finds out that her husband has been with other men. He talks about the problems with defining acting out sexual behaviors as sex addiction as well as how to work with people in a sex positive way. Joe is an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist & Supervisor of Sex Therapy. He is the author of several books, lecturer, and facilitator of work...

This episode is a brief summary of some of how Relational Life Therapy is different from other models of couples therapy. I am a certified RLT therapist and have been mentored by Terry Real. I talk all about shame, grandiosity, patriarchy, self-esteem, boundaries, and leverage. Terry Real is the creator of Relational Life Therapy. You can find out more about him at terryreal.com . The Couples Ther...

The episode this week was with two guests, Dr. Corey Yeager and Dr. Kirsten Lind Seal. They discuss the reality of race and privilege in therapy. At one point Corey said, there is no such thing as cultural competence. That implies arrival. What is more appropriate is the idea of cultural understanding and responsiveness. As human beings we will always be struggling with this and part of the work i...

In this episode, Dr. James Hawkins and I explore therapist's process of growing their ability to implement the EFT model specifically. We also talked a lot about self of therapist in the room and how we have the ability to have a big impact on society. Dr. James Hawkins is an Emotionally Focused Therapist and trainer. You can find out more about him at dochawklpc.com and @dochawklpc on social medi...

When it comes to sex in our society there is actually very little that has been written on it historically, particularly about female sexuality. At the same time it is one of the topics that people have the most interest in and influences so many of the decisions in our lives.  In this episode, Dr. Emily Nagoski talks about desire, context, dual control model, responsive desire, and so much more....

The quarantine continues for much of the world and we are all doing what we can to cope. As therapists, we have scrambled to transition to online therapy, experienced huge changes in our caseloads and are dealing with the unpredictability of what's next. In this episode Jen Silacci talks about how we can cope with these difficult times. She describes many different strategies we can use to make su...

These times during the Coronavirus Pandemic have been extremely stressful on many different levels. As we all switch over to online therapy, it is important to be mindful of the emotional this is taking on us and think about how we can be making sure to take good care of ourselves. Dr. Amber Lyda has been doing online therapy for awhile now and has a facebook group called the Online Therapists Gro...

Because of the history of power and influence in our world, we are socialized in ways that impact our relationships in a huge way. If we aren't aware of these realities, we might behave in inappropriate or boundary violating ways that are offensive to the people we care about the most. Dr. David Wexler talks about this topic and what we can do to live in a way that is more relational for everyone....

In this episode with Kimberly Gist Miller we talk about using the Developmental Model in working with Affairs. Many of the clients we work with have a lot of trauma and it is so important to know that history and to know how to work with it. Kimberly Gist Miller is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Frisco, Texas, outside of Dallas. She specializes in working with couples, relationships,...

This episode is a recording of a webinar I did recently with the Couples Therapist Couch Facebook group. We talk about the implications of this time during the coronavirus pandemic.  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...

In the last few days we are seeing changes in our whole society that are bigger and happening more quickly than anything else in decades. At some point in the coming weeks, most of us will have to consider seeing clients online as restrictions continue because of the Coronavirus.  This is a special episode with Clay Cockrell which specifically addresses the issue of moving your Couples Therapy pra...

Most Couples Therapists understand the importance of bringing sex into the conversation in couples therapy. Unfortunately, most feel unprepared to know what questions to ask, how to make clients feel comfortable, and what to do with the information once it is part of the conversation. In this episode, Sex Therapist, Martha Kauppi and I talk all about how to do that. Martha Kauppi has a lifelong ca...

We often see clients in our offices who are struggling with things like a lack of fulfillment, a deep sense that something isn't right with me, a feeling of disconnection, and a lack of emotional intelligence. It can be hard to know how to work with these clients and help them make connections about why they might be feeling these things. In this episode, Dr. Jonice Webb sheds light on this issue...