Introduction to Couples Counselling

What is this webinar about?

The joy, support, excitement and sense of validation and growth afforded by relationships sits alongside the potential pain, hurt, disappointments and even abuse that adult romantic attachments can bring. But what help can therapists offer when a couple come to counselling? What are the key techniques and practical skills that be brought to bear to help clients find their best way forward? This webinar will offer an introduction to the key approaches, principles and techniques in contemporary practice and the latest findings from relevant research.

Key Topics (indicative)

1. The Scale and Scope of Relationship difficulties and Couples Counselling
2. Similarities and Differences with individual therapy
3. Assessment, Treatment Planning, and Therapeutic Goals
4. Types of Challenges and associated therapeutic interventions
5. 'Mixed' agenda couples (Doherty)
6. Communication & Conflict Issues
7. Intimacy & Trust Issues
8. Treatment approaches and techniques
9. Shared Responsibility
10. Relationship activities
11. Appreciative Inquiry & Naikan Reflection
12. Compassion in Relationships
13. Summary

What have previous delegates said about similar webinars?

Great workshop and lots of practical techniques to help my clients.

Spot on - relevant to current (and future) client work. Recognised self and past clients in the material. Better understanding of rules v assumptions. Use of positives interesting.

Great practical tools and techniques discussed, a lot of variation in presentation making it enjoyable and engaging.

The dynamic model of low self esteem was particularly helpful for understanding LSE and how it can be treated.

"It was fun. a very entertaining trainer. Good use of humour." "Loved the multimedia presentation". "Useful professionally and personally. Very enjoyable - lots of takeaway resources" "Fun, lively presentation . Two-way experience between the facilitator and the group. Very informative and enjoyable." "Excellent workshop. Informative, interesting, well presented. It was excellent." "Excellent course; excellent presentation; easy to understand". "Good balance of information and lots of useful practical ideas to use. Thank you!" "I enjoyed this training and the facilitator was very attentive and engaging with the training". "Clearly a knowledgeable and experienced facilitator. Helpful to be signposted to resources". "Good mix of presentation, discussion and exercises" "An engaging workshop with clear practical applications." "Excellent delivery and well explained. Articulate explanations of concepts. Great. Thanks!"

Who is leading this webinar?

Professor Patrick McGhee is a CBT therapist, psychologist and UK National Teaching Fellow. Educated at the universities of Glasgow and Oxford, he has completed CPD programmes at Harvard Business School and Ashridge. In 2017 he was a Visiting Fellow/Scholar at the universities of Cornell, Yale and MIT in the USA. He has taught, researched or practised in psychology and therapy for 30 years. His first post was a Research Fellow in Psychiatry and Psychology at St George's Hospital Medical School, University of London. He is the author of Thinking Psychologically (Palgrave) and co-editor of Accounting for Relationships (Methuen). He is an occasional columnist for the Guardian, the BBC and the Times Higher. He currently works in private practice in Greater Manchester. He has full accreditation from the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapists.

Who should attend?

This workshop is aimed at therapists, counsellors, advisers, educationalists, health care workers, social workers and students in these areas. It is particularly useful for counsellors who do not normally work within a cognitive or behavioural model but want to explore tried and tested techniques. Similarly, counsellors and therapists working within this tradition are likely to find this workshop a useful refresher in the latest approaches. It is also suitable for anyone with an interest in contemporary practice in this area.

Resources

A full set of slides, with extensive clickable links to free online resources, is sent free to all delegates after the event. This also includes references to key sources and further reading. Additionally, an anonymous summary of participant contributions is provided free of charge.

CPD

A CPD Certificate of Attendance confirming 2 hours skills CPD is available free to all delegates who attend.

Joining instructions

Joining instructions for the webinar will be sent to participants approximately 48 hours, 2 hours and 10 minutes before the start of the event. Please aim to join about 5-10 minutes before the start of the event to check connections.

Please note

The workshop does not itself offer therapy. See NHS website for guidance https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/mental-health-services/how-to-access-mental-health-services/

Photo by Jasmine Carter