Special Topics In the Theory, Technique, and Practice of Couple Therapy
This course can be done entirely distance learning through Zoom Videoconference
Wednesdays from 9:45am to 11:45am Eastern Time.
Foundations of Psychoanalytic Couple Therapy distance learning course will focus on special topics and challenges in the practice of psychoanalytic couple therapy, using didactic lectures, case presentations, discussion, and advance readings. The course will feature presenters from the International Psychotherapy Institute and colleagues from Argentina, Austria, England, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Scotland, and the USA. Register by semester or individual class with special discounted price for semester enrollment, including free subscription to the Couple and Family Psychoanalysis Journal for a full-year enrollment.
This course is one component of the Psychoanalytic Couple Therapy Certificate Program. Click for More Information about the full Certificate Program.
***Registrants in this course are encouraged to also attend the one-day online course Fundamentals of Psychoanalytic Couple Therapy on September 11, 2021. Click for more information on and registration for the one-day course.
Program Chair
David Scharff, M.D. and Carla Trusty-Smith, Ph.D., LMHC
Program Date(s):
September 29, 2021 - May 11, 2022Fall Semester 2021
Spring Semester 2022
Educational Objectives
Overall Course Objective
Participants in this course will enhance their repertoire of psychoanalytic couple therapy and technique regarding how to discriminate specific couple syndromes from individual partner difficulties.
FALL SEMESTER
Sept 29 – A couples group preventive intervention for parents
- Participants will be able to list five domains in a model of risk and protective factors for developing effective family relationships.
- Participants will be able to to describe three elements of how working with couples functions as a preventive intervention that fosters parents’ and children’s development.
Oct 13 – Talking about Sex with your patients
- Participants will have the opportunity to reduce their own anxiety about talking about sex with clients while learning about the integration of psychodynamic concept in the sex therapy field; list two reasons why talking with clients about sex is important.
- Participants will list at least three essential elements of how to take a sexual history.
Oct 27 – Legitimacy and value in psychoanalytic psychotherapy research
- Participants will be able to list three ways research legitimizes psychoanalytic psychotherapy and extrapolate two ways these results apply to psychanalytic couple therapy.
- Participants will sight two reasons for the need to continue to pursue research on the value of in psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
Nov 3 – Case Presentation & Discussion
- Participants will be able to name two examples of couple transference to the therapist in a case presentation.
- Participants will be able to describe the process of projective identification using one example in the presented couple case.
Nov 17 – Case Presentation & Discussion
- Participants will be able to name two examples of couple transference to the therapist in a case presentation.
- Participants will be able to describe the process of projective identification using one example in the presented couple case.
Dec 8 – Attachment and interpreting couple relationships
- Participants will be able to describe two ways attachment theory informs the dynamics in couple relationships, and consider three ways in which safety and the capacity for exploring can be developed through interpretation.
- Participants will be able to describe the meaning of interpretation in couple psychotherapy from an attachment perspective and identify two examples of effective interpretations with attachment dynamics in mind.
Dec 15 – An Exploration of Countertransference as a Compass in High Conflict Custody and Access Cases
- The participants will be able to identify mental states necessary to Custody and Access evaluators in high conflict cases, and describe two examples of the use of such states.
- Participants will be able to give one example each of in the challenge of discerning the contribution of
- (i) a child’s own separation anxiety,
- (ii) estrangement from a parent due to abuse or neglect and
- (iii) parental alienation dynamics using a psychodynamic lens.
SPRING SEMESTER
Jan 12 – How does couple psychotherapy allow for and respond to the individual?
- Participants will be able to describe three complex issues involved in undertaking couple therapy with only one of the partners present and provide two examples.
- Participants will be able to identify under what circumstances, if any, it is appropriate to see and work with one of the partners in couple therapy, and give two examples of potential positive and negative outcomes.
Jan 26 – What is Queer About Sex for Heterosexual & LGBTQ Patients
- Participants will be able to describe three elements of successful work with the fluidity of sex and gender in psychodynamic couple sex therapy.
- Participants will be able to list three ways a relational sexual history identifies narratives specific to LGBTQ patients.
Feb 16 – When Couple Dysfunction Defends Against Anxiety
- Participants will give two examples of the role couple dysfunction can play in defending against anxiety.
- Participants will give 3 examples of anxieties often shared by partners in a defensive collusion.
Feb 23 – How to Drive Your Spouse Insane: The toxic effect of micro-separations
- By examining the contributions of Sigmund Freud, René Spitz, John Bowlby, Margaret Mahler, and other practitioners, participants will be able to name three psychopathological effects of long-term separations.
- Participants will identify three ways brief separations and micro-separations impact the state of mind of couples in distress.
March 9 – Narcissistic Relating and Sharing Psychic Space
- Participants will be able to describe two ways in which sharing psychic space can be difficult in relationships.
- Participants will be able to explain the difference between ’narcissistic adherence’ and ‘narcissistic detachment’ (Britton, 2003)
April 13 – Case Presentation & Discussion
- Participants will be able to name two examples of couple transference to the therapist in a case presentation.
- Participants will be able to describe the process of projective identification using one example in the presented couple case.
April 27 – The threatening third: working with betrayal in couples
- Participants will identify two elements of psychoanalytic understanding of how introducing a third into a couple’s relationship can dismantle the structure of their relationship and present a challenge to both partners as they re-align and find a new balance within it.
- Participants will be able to list three elements necessary to working psychoanalytically with the aggression generated between partners when a third disrupts their relational equilibrium; and be able to name two observable psychodynamic interventions in such a couple case.
May 11 – Case Presentation & Discussion
- Participants will be able to name two examples of couple transference to the therapist in a case presentation.
- Participants will be able to describe the process of projective identification using one example in the presented couple case.
Continuing Education Credit Hours
Single Session: 2 hours CE credit
Fall Semester: 14 hours CE credit
Spring Semester: 16 hours CE credit
Registration
Register for both Fall and Spring (and get a free subscription to Couple and Family Psychoanalysis)
The individual sessions each have their own register link in the schedule above
Tuition and Fees
$55 per session (IPI Members $45)
$360 per semester (IPI Members $315)
Benefit for registering for the full Academic Year
Registrants who sign up for both the Fall and Spring semesters of the Foundations of Psychoanalytic Couple Therapy (i.e. the full academic year), will receive a FREE subscription to Couple and Family Psychoanalysis Journal from the IPI.
REGISTER for the Full Academic Year (both Fall and Spring semesters)
Learn more about the purpose and background of the journal from our director, Caroline Sehon, and the journal’s editor, Christopher Clulow.
Membership Benefits
Become a member of IPI at the “Associate Member PLUS”, or “Full Member PLUS” level and you will receive an IPI Zoom Pro account as one of your member benefits. Associate and Full Members also receive discounted registration fees for most of IPI’s events, a subscription to PEP Web, the online psychoanalytic library, and other benefits depending on membership level.
HIPAA compliant Zoom video accounts are provided for all IPI Associate Member Plus and Full Member Plus memberships. IPI has a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement with Zoom, which provides a HIPAA compliant platform for our accounts. HIPPA compliance is strongly recommended for all internet-mediated clinical work and clinical teaching. The “PLUS” add-on to the IPI membership gives the user the ability to host online meetings with multiple people at the same time. [Current members can upgrade to the “Plus” account and only pay the difference in price from your current membership level.]
Click for IPI Membership and Zoom Account information
Should you have any questions about the program or the application process, please feel free to contact:
Carla Trusty-Smith - ccf@theipi.org
Continuing Education Information
The International Psychotherapy Institute, IPI, is approved by The American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. IPI maintains responsibility for the program and its content. The International Psychotherapy Institute has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6017. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. The International Psychotherapy Institute is responsible for all aspects of the programs. The International Psychotherapy Institute is an approved sponsor of the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners for continuing education credits for licensed social workers in Maryland. The International Psychotherapy Institute 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.
Participants are responsible for verifying that IPI CE credit is accepted by the licensing boards in their own states. Please note: At this time we are aware that CE credit for IPI events will not be accepted by the New Jersey Board of Social Work.
