NEFESH: The International Network of Orthodox Mental Health Professionals
< Back to workshops
Share this:
Your Name: Your Email: Recipient's Email:
Add this Workshop to Your Calendar!
Adult Siblings: A Hidden Resource in Individual and Couples' Therapy

The relationship between brothers and sisters, who are about four years of age, has been called a “first marriage,” since they are each other’s first peer relationship.  During this time, they learn (or don’t learn) to start, resolve, and avoid fights; to compete, save face, negotiate, cooperate; to go back and forth between loving and fighting; to know when to exert power and when to withdraw or rely on other skills such as humor, manipulation, blackmail, tattling, bartering, silence. 

Our clients bring these learned (or not learned) skills from childhood to their adult lives, transferring them onto their love and work relationships.   Three core issues explain this: frozen images, crystallized roles, and unhealthy loyalty.  Further, old unresolved childhood issues sometimes lead to behavioral problems that have an unconscious “message” to siblings.  This workshop will professionals recognize and determine ideas for how to incorporate these hidden resources in their treatment of individuals and couples.

 https://nefesh.org/workshops/AdultSibli222/view

Adult Siblings: A Hidden Resource in Individual and Couples' Therapy


Thursday, February 6th, 2025   10:00 AM EST -1:00 PM EST
$59.99 Dr. Karen Gail Lewis

The relationship between brothers and sisters, who are about four years of age, has been called a “first marriage,” since they are each other’s first peer relationship.  During this time, they learn (or don’t learn) to start, resolve, and avoid fights; to compete, save face, negotiate, cooperate; to go back and forth between loving and fighting; to know when to exert power and when to withdraw or rely on other skills such as humor, manipulation, blackmail, tattling, bartering, silence. 

Our clients bring these learned (or not learned) skills from childhood to their adult lives, transferring them onto their love and work relationships.   Three core issues explain this: frozen images, crystallized roles, and unhealthy loyalty.  Further, old unresolved childhood issues sometimes lead to behavioral problems that have an unconscious “message” to siblings.  This workshop will professionals recognize and determine ideas for how to incorporate these hidden resources in their treatment of individuals and couples.

About the Presenter

Dr Karen Gail Lewis, EdD, MSW, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over 40 years, in both Washington, DC and in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is the author of several books including Siblings: The Ghost of Childhood that Haunt Your Love and Work and Why Don’t You Understand? A Gender Relationship Dictionary. Dr. Lewis lectures both nationally and internationally on a wide range of topics, focusing on family and couples’ relationships, women’s friendships, and adult siblings. She has been interviewed by dozens of newspapers and magazines including, the New York Times, Woman’s World, Cincinnati Enquirer, Cosmopolitan, the Boston Globe, Psychology today, and the Washington Post. Dr. Lewis has taught at Johns Hopkins Medical School, Catholic University in Washington DC, and other Universities and has been on the editorial boards of four professional journals.

This workshop Offers 3 Continuing Education Credits
This webinar is recorded and will not grant live credits.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Recognize frozen images, crystallized roles, and unhealthy loyalty (the Ghosts).
  2. Recognize sibling transferences in their clients
  3. Identify clients symptoms that may be subtly or unconsciously related to a sibling.
  4. Recognize if siblings are a part of a client’s problem or if they can be part of the solution
  5. Recognize client’s sibling transferences in love and at work
  6. Prepare clients’ for involving siblings

Agenda:

                                                             

Introducing concept of “siblings as first marriage”               10 minutes

Introducing “Ghost” concepts of frozen images,                   60 minutes

      crystallized roles, unhealthy loyalty, and

      sibling transference 

Sibling Connection to Clients’ Problems:                              60 minutes

      Recognizing the purpose of symptoms related to

      Siblings.

15 minute break                                                               

Recognizing sibling transference in clients’                          45 minutes

     love and work problems

How to present the idea of involving siblings in your             30 minutes

     Clients’ treatment and prepare them for talking

      With their siblings

How to help siblings without their siblings’ involvement         15 minutes

Wrap up and summary                                                         5 minutes

This presentation is open to:
  • Social Workers
  • Professional Counselors
  • Therapists
  • Psychologists
  • Licensed Mental Health Practitioners
  • Medical Doctors and Other Health Professionals
  • Other professionals interacting with populations engaged in mental health based services
Course Level: intermediate
Level of Clinician: intermediate
  • New practitioners who wish to gain enhanced insight surrounding the topic
  • Experienced practitioners who seek to increase and expand fundamental knowledge surrounding the subject matter
  • Advanced practitioners seeking to review concepts and reinforce practice skills and/or access additional consultation
  • Managers seeking to broaden micro and/or macro perspectives

Participants will receive their certificate electronically upon completion of the webinar and course evaluation form.

Disability Access - If you require ADA accommodations, please contact our office 30 days or more before the event. We cannot ensure accommodations without adequate prior notification. Please Note: Licensing Boards change regulations often, and while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling. The grievance policy for trainings provided by the NEFESH INTERNATIONAL is available here Satisfactory Completion Participants must have paid the tuition fee, logged in and out each day, attended the entire workshop, and completed an evaluation to receive a certificate (If this is a pre-recorded program, a post-test with a passing grade of 80% to receive a certificate.) Failure to log in or out will result in forfeiture of credit for the entire course. No exceptions will be made. Partial credit is not available. Certificates are available after satisfactory course completion by clicking here.
There is no conflict of interest or commercial support for this program.
  • CE You! is an approved sponsor of the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners for continuing education credits for licensed social workers in Maryland.
    CE You! maintains responsibility for this program.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0129.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0325.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0129.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0325.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0774.
Refund Policy: Full Refund until 48 hours before scheduled date.
48 hours before: full refund less $5.00 processing fee. After event no refund will be given.
*exclusions apply for reasonable need and cause.