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Repairing Ruptures in Couples Therapy: A Mind-body Approach

Thursday, April 24th, 2025   10:00 AM EDT -1:00 PM EDT
Deborah J Fox, MSW, LICSW
$59.99

 

This presentation will NOT be recorded for playback review.

Couples therapy is challenging because there are two people who are in distress, each wanting more from their partner and to be understood. A common denominator in treating couples is verbal communication, which relies on what is available cognitively to the couple. However, sources of tension and disconnection are often outside of their awareness, limiting the effectiveness of the treatment. When couples become emotionally charged or shut down it’s because they’re feeling threatened, by something inside of themselves or something between them and their partner.                                

This presentation focuses on how to use the natural workings of the autonomic nervous system to help couples engage more effectively with each other. Key components are the structure of a session, strategies for nervous system regulation, tracking the body for signs of nervous system activation and intervening effectively. This somatic-based approach enables couples to identify the true sources of distress, repair ruptures, communicate more effectively and solve problems, and sets the conditions for memory reconsolidation to take place.

About the Presenter

Trainer, Deborah J. Fox, LICSW, is in private practice in Washington, DC. She is an AASECT Certified Sex therapist providing individual and couples psychotherapy. She conducts seminars and consultation groups on the integration of couples and sex therapy and the treatment of sexual trauma, with an emphasis on somatic intervention strategies. She has taught the integration of somatic intervention into couples therapy through PESI and the Psychotherapy Networker. She conducts consultation groups on couples therapy, sex therapy and sexual trauma. Her most recent publication is The Integration of Somatic-based Strategies into Couples Therapy. Clinical Social Work Journal (Oct 2023).

Learning Objectives:

  1. Describe a structure of a couples therapy session that can support nervous system regulation.
  2. Explain why it is important for partners to have enough ventral vagal state of nervous system regulation present in a session.
  3. List a sequence of questions that can be used for therapeutic exploration, using the “language of the body.”

Agenda:

Didactic presentation (80 min):

The autonomic nervous system as the basis for understanding the dynamics of a couple

The biology of safety and danger: the three principles of the Polyvagal Theory of Emotion (Stephen Porges)

The structure of a session from a nervous system perspective

How to track the body for signs of nervous system activation into fight/flight or emotional shutdown

Strategies for regulating nervous system activation

Using the language of the body for therapeutic inquiry

Memory reconsolidation

Case examples

 

Experiential exercise (15 min)

 

Break (15 min)

 

Demonstration of tracking language of the body (20 min)

 

Experiential exercise - breakout rooms in dyads; debrief (35 min)

 

Q &A. (15 min)

 

This workshop offers 3 Live Interactive Continuing Education Credits

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: advanced
Level of Clinician: advanced
  • 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 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 Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0275.
  • 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.