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Listening When You'd Rather Not: Bridging Divides

10:00 AM - 4:45 PM EST

6 CE Credits

As mental health professionals we have skills and experience in helping clients understand and tolerate difference in their intimate and extended relationships. Remembering to use those skills when one is experiencing moral outrage is not easy. How do we help our clients deal with their "inner polarizer?"  How can we as clinicians deal with our own inner polarizer so that we can remain non-judgemental in session?

In this age of extreme polarization, one of the hardest things for us and most people is to listen to people whose core beliefs we do not share. What happens when someone loves or cares about others, yet does not like or respect parts of them? What if one finds the core belief systems of others in our countries to be abhorrent? 

This webinar is participatory. All people can all use the support of community.  There will be  mini-lectures, break-out rooms, video clips of interviews with top therapists who are experts in dealing with warring couples. We will watch master therapist, Bill Doherty, coach couples who are troubled by political differences.

 https://nefesh.org/workshops/ListeningS24223/view

Listening When You'd Rather Not: Bridging Divides


Tuesday, June 17th, 2025   10:00 AM EDT -4:45 PM EDT
$99.99 Cheryl Dolinger Brown, LCSW

10:00 AM - 4:45 PM EST

6 CE Credits

As mental health professionals we have skills and experience in helping clients understand and tolerate difference in their intimate and extended relationships. Remembering to use those skills when one is experiencing moral outrage is not easy. How do we help our clients deal with their "inner polarizer?"  How can we as clinicians deal with our own inner polarizer so that we can remain non-judgemental in session?

In this age of extreme polarization, one of the hardest things for us and most people is to listen to people whose core beliefs we do not share. What happens when someone loves or cares about others, yet does not like or respect parts of them? What if one finds the core belief systems of others in our countries to be abhorrent? 

This webinar is participatory. All people can all use the support of community.  There will be  mini-lectures, break-out rooms, video clips of interviews with top therapists who are experts in dealing with warring couples. We will watch master therapist, Bill Doherty, coach couples who are troubled by political differences.

About the Presenter

Cheryl Dolinger Brown, LCSW, has been practicing as a psychotherapist in New York City for forty years with individuals, couples and groups in addition to presenting workshops/webinars and supervising therapists. She has trained in Imago Relationship Therapy, Somatic Experiencing, PACT, Doherty Approach including Discernment Counseling and The Tapping Method.

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

Learning Objectives:

  1. Outline the six roles family members play in political conversations and strategies to use to increase communication with each type.
  2. Employ strategies to develop curiosity in clients and the role it plays in decreasing polarization.
  3. Apply tools and techniques to encourage deep listening when there are flammable issues
  4. Practice and refine techniques aimed at assisting couples and families navigate through political disagreements.
  5. Gain confidence in extending therapeutic skills to address polarization within the wider community.

Agenda:

Part One: Fear of and difficulty in listening to the “other” (2 hours)
Introduction (5)
1. Tolerating being wrong- video (10)
2. Seeing the other as dangerous and managing the stress response (15)
3. Finding your inner polarizer- quiz (10)
4. Dyads (what did you learn about yourself?) (10)
5. Group discussion of our own polarizing issues. (10)
6. Video of Bill Doherty and Tori Olds- difficulty in using our skills (15)
7. Dyads and group discussion (15)
8. Roles families play in political conversations (10)
9. Symbiosis, childhood wounds, differentiation (5)
10. Strategies to help families with political differences (10)
11. Natural vs. Ethical Caring- video of Bill Doherty (10)
12. Strategies to depolarizing (15)

Part Two: Transferring therapy skills to the clients (2.75 hours)
1. Family conflicts - video of Monica Guzman (10)
2. Techniques to deal with flammable issues (15)
3. Video of two red/blue couples I interviewed (20)
4. Break out rooms to discuss what felt and thought about videos (10)
5. Group as expert: fishbowl- skills to bring to couples in videos (30)
6. Three videos of couples with political differences being coached (45)
7. Group discussion of what learned and what can use in sessions (30)

Part Three: Using skills in the community (1 hour)
1. Work with Israeli/Palestinian- video of Orli Wahrman (10)
2. Use in anti-racist, anti-poverty non-profit organization- video of All Stars Project
 (10)
3. Use in divided communities- Interview with cofounder of Braver Angels(10)
4. The dream that we can know each other’s human essence- Hedy Schleiffer video
 (10)
5 Group conclusion- what is a takeaway (15)

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: introductory
Level of Clinician: beginner
  • 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.
  • NEFESH International, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0116.
  • NEFESH International 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-0046
  • NEFESH International is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Mental Health Counselor #MHC-0082
  • NEFESH International 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-0048.
  • The School of Sex Therapy is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The School of Sex Therapy maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
  • 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.
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.