Marriage & Divorce

Janis Abrahms Spring, PhD, ABPP

This Marriage & Divorce Course gives a language to the avalanche of emotion couples experience with infidelity. You’ll learn concrete, practical strategies for helping them absorb this trauma and think thoughtfully about whether and how to stay together. This is an intermediate course intended for practicing clinicians.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe three psychological losses experienced by the hurt party when an affair is discovered.
2. Describe strategies to facilitate a hurt party's decision whether to reconcile with a spouse after an affair.
3. Describe common challenges faced by couples who decide to recommit after an affair.

Janis Abrahms Spring, PhD, ABPP

This Marriage & Divorce Course reframes forgiveness as an intimate dance between the two people held together by an interpersonal violation. In this workshop, Dr. Spring will spell out exactly what offenders must do to earn forgiveness, and what hurt parties must do to foster forgiveness. This is an intermediate course intended for practicing clinicians.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe techniques that can be used by therapists to help offenders earn forgiveness.
2. Describe techniques that can be used by therapists to help hurt parties grant forgiveness.
3. Describe the process of forgiveness from an interpersonal, not intrapersonal, framework.

Robert Weiss LCSW, CSAT-S

Working with angry, hurt and emotionally-violated spouses offers unique clinical challenges that are often more comfortably avoided than taken on directly. In this Marriage & Divorce Course, Rob will discuss ways in which therapists often mishandle the issue of profound relationship betrayal. He will offer an approach that more fully meets the needs of spouses, including providing direction, education, validation, emotional support, and a willingness to hear the voice of an angry heart. He will also present a thorough discussion about the process of Disclosure, which is a difficult, but necessary step in moving a couple damaged by infidelity toward healing. This is an intermediate course intended for practicing clinicians.

Learning Objectives

1. List 3 ways that clinicians most commonly misdiagnose those suffering from relationship betrayal.
2. Describe guidelines for working with couples experiencing profound relationship betrayal.
3. Compare long-term symptoms of a personality disorder and shorter-term reactivity related to adult trauma.

Pat Love, EdD

It’s not your imagination. Twenty-first century love relationships are more difficult to maintain—mainly due to proximity, i.e. ease of access to an unlimited number of partners made possible by the social media. Never before in our history have we been able to meet and greet others with such privacy and privilege. This presents challenge as well as opportunity. Without a working knowledge of the role of neurotransmitters in general and dopamine in specific, perfectly good relationships can be subject to risk and ruin. Lecture, video and written assessments will be used in this vital and timely Marriage & Divorce Course. This is an intermediate course intended for practicing clinicians.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe the role of dopamine in the experience of infatuation.
2. List three side effects of oxytocin.
3. List three reasons why mechanically enhanced sexual stimulation is subject to abuse.

Dennis Ortman, PhD

Do you have clients and patients that are PISD? Otherwise known as Trauma caused from Infidelity. In this groundbreaking training, learn the symptoms of Post Infidelity Stress Disorder (how one partner’s discovery of the other’s affair has a traumatic impact on the betrayed partner and children with symptoms akin to PTSD.) In this Trauma Course Dr. Ortman details how to apply steps to healing from the trauma of infidelity leading to an authentic forgiveness of oneself and one's partner. This is an intermediate course intended for practicing clinicians.

Learning Objectives

1. Summarize the traumatizing effects that infidelity can have on the family.
2. List the different types of affairs.
3. Apply a treatment approach that will lead to authentic forgiveness.

Dennis Ortman, PhD

Do you have clients and patients that are PISD? Otherwise known as Trauma caused from Infidelity. In this groundbreaking training, learn the symptoms of Post Infidelity Stress Disorder and how to help your client. In this Trauma Course Dr Ortman examines how one partner’s discovery of the other’s affair has a traumatic impact on the betrayed partner and children with symptoms akin to PTSD. This is an intermediate course intended for practicing clinicians.

Learning Objectives

1. Summarize the traumatizing effects that infidelity can have on the family.
2. Compare symptoms of PTSD to the post-infidelity experience.
3. Apply a treatment approach that will lead to inner healing of the betrayed partner.

Pat Love, EdD

At birth, each individual is given a sexual setpoint which influences sexual arousal and desire patterns. A person with the 'sexy brain' style experiences arousal and desire in a manner which differs significantly from the individual with the 'sexy body' style. Therefore it is vital that expectations as well as sexual techniques honor these differences. Understanding biological differences between and among men and women will improve relationships as well as personal happiness. In this Relationship Course enjoy acquiring personal and professional insight through research, brain science, humor and real life examples. This is an intermediate course intended for practicing clinicians.

Learning Objectives

1. List the hormone driving the sexy body style of sexual arousal and desire.
2. List the hormone driving the sexy brain style of sexual arousal and desire.
3. Describe two common characteristics associated with the sexy body style of sexual arousal and desire.

Brene Brown, PhD

Way too many families today are experiencing tremendous anxiety. In this Relationship Course Dr. Brown explains that It’s a result of having to face increasing volatile shifts in our social world. As a result of the anxiety, we now are seeing children and parents struggling with many of the same issues: addiction, depression, violence, bullying, behavioral health crises, and increases in pervasive feelings of disconnection. This enlightening course offers solutions as Dr. Brown explains the impact of focusing our family systems intervention around the concepts of connection, love and belonging. She is strong in her message of how authenticity and resilience are vital components of connection and belonging. This is an intermediate course intended for practicing clinicians.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe the central role that love and belonging, authenticity, and resilience play in family systems.
2. Explain the relationship between authenticity, resilience, and anxiety.
3. Explain why shame is a critical barrier to authenticity and resilience.