A205 The Heart of Loving: Sexuality and Intimacy in Couples Therapy

It's often difficult to judge when and how to focus on issues of sexuality in our work with couples. This course offers practical techniques for helping couples talk about sex, increase the intimacy of their sexual relationship, and learn to design their own solutions to sexual impasses. You'll learn how to help couples be more playful, romantic, spiritual, and tolerant of differences in their erotic life together.

Meet the Instructor

David Treadway, Ph.D., is director of the Treadway Training Institute in Weston, Massachusetts. He's the author of Intimacy, Change and Other Therapeutic Mysteries: Stories of Clinicians and Clients and Dead Reckoning: A Therapist Confronts His Own Grief.

Course Contents

Session 1: Problems and Possibilities in Couples Therapy • Systemic overview • Relationship assessment protocol • Presenting the menu of possibilities • Contracting for change • Creative use of time and scheduling

Session 2: The "Here and Now" Issues, Part 1 • Techniques for working on communication, conflict resolution, and intimate connection • Negotiation, problem solving and decision-making skills • Developing homework assignments

Session 3: The "Here and Now" Issues, Part 2 • Strategies for issues of nurture, sexuality, gender and romance • Overcoming resistance • Helping couples learn how to take risks

Session 4: Making Peace with the Past • Deconstructing the painful relationship history without blame • Protocols for amends and forgiveness • Rituals for letting go

Session 5: Family of Origin Work • Childhood trauma and its impact on couples • Conjoint individual work • Family of origin grief and healing exercises

Session 6: The Person of the Therapist • Impact of therapist's gender, age, and relationship history on couples treatment • Counter-transference • Creative us of self in couples therapy

Learning Objectives

1. Design a customized treatment plan with couples' participation
2. Lead couples in a non-blaming assessment of their treatment priorities
3. Create appropriate homework assignments
4. Demonstrate how to address and resolve resistance
5. Describe 3 treatment protocols for specific couples' issues