A practical one-day introduction to couples therapy, exploring assessment, conflict, relational patterns, sex, intimacy and more.

Curious about working with couples, but not quite sure where to begin?

Join Lottie Passell-Syms, Psychosexual and Relationship Specialist, Clinical Supervisor and Trainer, for a practical one-day introduction to working therapeutically with couples.

Couples work can be incredibly rewarding, but having two people in the therapy room brings a very different dynamic from individual work. Suddenly you are not only listening to two individual stories, but noticing what happens between them: the patterns they fall into, the ways they communicate, how conflict develops, what gets left unsaid and how you hold the relationship itself alongside the needs of each person.

This workshop is designed for therapists and counsellors who are curious about couples work, considering adding it to their practice, or simply want a better understanding of what working relationally with two people actually involves.

Throughout the day, Lottie will introduce you to some of the core foundations of couples work, drawing on more than two decades of clinical experience.

You’ll explore areas including:

why couples come to therapy and what they may be asking you to help them with

how working with a couple differs from working with two individual clients

the importance of assessment, contracting, safeguarding and risk

understanding relational patterns and the dynamics happening between two people

communication and conflict, including some of the patterns identified by John Gottman

what happens when conflict is directed towards you as the therapist

the importance of boundaries and your role in leading the therapeutic process

an introduction to working with affairs, rupture, trust and repair

how sex and intimacy can enter the therapy room, and your own confidence in talking about them

The current workshop material also places a strong emphasis on assessment and therapist leadership, including Lottie’s Five Pillars of Assessment, alongside relational patterns, conflict styles, affairs, repair, sex and intimacy.

This won’t be a day of sitting through theory alone. Expect discussion, reflection, practical examples and plenty of opportunity to ask questions about the realities of couples work.

You do not need to already work with couples to attend.

The aim is not for you to leave believing you can become a couples therapist in one day. It is to give you a grounded introduction to the work, help you understand what additional skills and considerations are involved, and allow you to make a more informed decision about whether working with couples is something you would like to explore further.

If you’ve ever thought, “I’d love to work with couples, but I’m not sure I’d know what to do with two people in the room,” this day is designed to give you somewhere to start.

Description supplied by the event organiser.