Description
WHO
Need to get 8 Category A CE hours?
Practicing as a psychologist, social worker, marriage and family therapist?
A student in graduate school?
WHY
Need to update and refresh your couple therapy skills?
Want exposure to an innovative, intuitive model for effective couple therapy?
Benefit from a tool-box for immediate use in your practice of couple therapy?
WHAT
Overview:
Marriage therapy is often considered the most difficult of psychotherapies; in fact, it has been compared to trying to “fly a helicopter into a hurricane.” Matthew Alexander, Ph.D., has created a unique approach to couple therapy which takes the guess work out of the process. It is skill-based, down to earth and impactful. He has used it successfully with hundreds of couples he currently treats in his private practice. He calls it the Couple’s Pyramid.
Most couples enter treatment not knowing how they arrived at this point in their relationship and how they will benefit from being in therapy. Dr. Alexander’s developmental model is based on the premise that couples benefit from having a road map of where they are going in couple therapy and how they are going to get there. The ultimate goal is increased connection and softened conflict. Once these goals are reached, couples have the skills to resolve their own disputes.
At the top of the pyramid is commitment. In this initial stage of treatment, the couple’s level of commitment to their marriage is assessed and exercises given to help strengthen their motivation to work on bettering their relationship.
The next stage is consciousness; this crucial stage identifies family of origin issues, personality differences, core repetitive fights and primary emotions driving the couple apart. Consciousness is key; otherwise the couple will not understand nor be able to master the real issues that are being played out in their relationship.
The third stage of the pyramid, communication, focuses on improving skills in speaking and listening.
The fourth stage, conflict resolution, teaches specific emotional regulation skills and de-escalation techniques that allow couples to engage in positive not destructive conflict.
Finally the last stage, connection, identifies ways couples can increase and maintain their closeness.
Each stage can be approached “out of turn” as necessary making the Couple’s Pyramid a flexible and dynamic approach.
Dr. Alexander’s model synthesizes the best of cutting edge, evidence based treatment models already in existence. This engaging and practical workshop is useful to both the experienced and novice couple therapist.
Participants will be given a workbook including all the tools that comprise the Couple’s Pyramid for immediate application to their own clinical practice. The workbook also contains a current bibliotherapy guide for couples, related tools and articles relevant to the practice of successful couple therapy.
Specific goals include:
Identify the ten essential traits of couple therapists
Understand five process interventions integral to couple therapy
Learn the three most important skills for couples
Apply the Couple’s Pyramid to your practice
Avoid common mistakes made by couples therapists
Increase success rates and therapist/client satisfaction
The terms marriage therapy and couple therapy are used inter-changeably and the material
presented will be applicable to all couples: straight or gay. Relevant movie clips will be used to
anchor workshop insights and trigger discussion.
8 CE hours (category A) are provided for psychologists, social workers and marriage and family
therapists.
WHEN
Spring Presentation: April 3, 2019, 8:00 to 4:00
Fall Presentation: TBD
WHERE
Cornwell Center
2001 Selwyn Avenue,
Charlotte, NC 28207
(704) 927 – 0774
COST
$239 Standard (includes workbook)
$219 Student (with proof of affiliation)
$20 (Pre-Order) Five Marital Conflicts and How to Resolve Them (Money, Parenting, Sexuality, Division of Labor, In-L