Course Fee: $855 (Canadian currency)
This practical, informative and stimulating course will introduce the student to key counselling issues facing couples and families today. It will also help you better understand the counselling process, will introduce and teach essential counselling skills, and will help you to develop a relationship with clients that is helpful, supportive and leads to lasting change.
Specifically, this course will address the following: Tools, techniques and skills associated with counselling couples; an introduction to emotion-focused therapy; common relationship issues; understanding sex and intimacy; counselling couples who’ve experienced an affair, or who are considering separation and divorce; introduction to family counselling; understanding family systems; theoretical approaches to family counselling; intimacy, conflict and relationship break down; working with single parent and blended families; and issues affecting families.
SYLLABUS
Part 1
Module 1: Introduction to Couple Counselling
Topics Studied
• Understanding attachment theory
• Attachment styles in intimate relationships
• Exploring your beliefs about, and attitudes towards, attachment realtionships
• The basic need to feel loved and valued
• The five love languages
• Self-awareness questionnaire
• The therapeutic relationship
• Essential couple counselling skills
Learning Outcomes and Summary of Objectives
Upon successful completion of this learning module, the student should be able to:
• Describe the three main attachment styles.
• Apply Bowlby’s work on attachment bonds to intimate adult relationships.
• List essential couple counselling skills.
Module 2: Introducing Emotion-Focused Therapy
Topics Studied
• Why connecting with our partner matters
• Introducing the demon dialogues
• Prioritizing emotional connection, responsiveness and intimacy
• The key components of EFT: accessibility, responsiveness and engagement
• Exploring your attachment to your partner
• Abuse in relationships
• Escaping a violent relationship: Safety planning
• Focussing on sexual assault
Learning Outcomes and Summary of Objectives
Upon successful completion of this learning module, the student should be able to:
• Discuss the importance of prioritizing emotional connection, responsiveness and intimacy.
• Summarize the key components of Emotion-Focused Therapy.
• Outline the importance of safety planning when escaping from a violent relationship.
Module 3: The 7 Conversations of Emotion-Focused Therapy
Topics Studied
• Conversation 1: Recognizing the demon dialogues
• Conversation 2: Finding the raw spots
• Conversation 3: Revisiting a rocky moment
• Conversation 4: Hold me tight – Engaging and connecting
• Conversation 5: Forgiving injuries
• Conversation 6: Bonding through sex and touch
• Conversation 7: Keeping your love alive
Learning Outcomes and Summary of Objectives
Upon successful completion of this learning module, the student should be able to:
• Explain what is meant by ‘demon dialogues’ in Emotion-Focused therapy.
• Outline the steps that can lead to forgiveness of injuries in intimate relationships.
• Propose ways of keeping our love alive.
Module 4: Sex and Intimacy
Topics Studied
• The key components of fulfilling sex
• Expectations, assumptions and beliefs about sex
• How to develop a more rewarding love life
• Further insights on the role of thoughts and feelings
• What if our desires are out of synch?
Learning Outcomes and Summary of Objectives
Upon successful completion of this learning module, the student should be able to:
• Describe the key components of fulfilling sex.
• Outline the role that expectations, assumptions and beliefs play in our intimate relationships.
• Suggest how couples can develop a more rewarding sex life.
Module 5: Common Relationship Issues
Topics Studied
• The power of expectation
• Money
• Time and the work-life balance
• Relationships with the extended family
• Challenges with being in a blended family
• Gottman and problem-solving approaches in intimate relationships
• Developing conflict resolution skills
Learning Outcomes and Summary of Objectives
Upon successful completion of this learning module, the student should be able to:
• Discuss the power of expectation
• Apply Gottman’s problem-solving approaches to dealing with problems in intimate relationships.
• Predict some challenges that may confront blended families.
Module 6: Affairs, Break-Ups and Divorce
Topics Studied
• Pornography: Does it matter?
• What is cybersex
• Emotional affairs
• Affairs under the microscope
• How to recover from an affair
• A parting of the ways
• Guidelines for dealing with a major break up
Learning Outcomes and Summary of Objectives
Upon successful completion of this learning module, the student should be able to:
• Discuss issues related to pornography and cybersex.
• Explain what is meant by an emotional affair.
• Relate what’s involved in recovering from a break up.
Part 2
Module 1: Introduction to Family Counselling
Topics Studied
• Family in a Postmodern World
• Significant Changes in Society
• Exploring Family Values
• Traits of a Healthy Family
• Traits of a Dysfunctional Family
• Defining Counselling
• The Key Components in Professional Counselling
• Counselling Pitfalls
• Brushing up on Skills: Effective Listening
• Brushing up on Skills: Confronting Prejudice
• Essential Skills and Qualities Required to Work with Families
Learning Outcomes and Summary of Objectives
Upon successful completion of this learning module, the student should be able to:
• Distinguish changes in society which have shaken and impacted the family.
• List traits associated with healthy and dysfunctional families.
• Describe essential skills and qualities for working with families.
Module 2: Understanding Family Systems
Topics Studied
• Introducing a family systems approach
• The key concepts in a family systems approach
• Relationships and circular causality
• Family rules
• Satir’s four communication styles
• The goals of counselling
• Genograms
• Cultural awareness questionnaire
• Reflective skills practice
Learning Outcomes and Summary of Objectives
Upon successful completion of this learning module, the student should be able to:
• Describe two common relationship patterns in families.
• Explain what is meant by “family rules”.
• Compare Satir’s four communication styles.
Module 3: Theoretical Approaches to Family Counselling
Topics Studied
• The structural approach
• The cognitive-behavioural approach
• The strategic approach
• The solution-focused approach
• The narrative approach
• Essential counsellor skills: Developing a feelings vocabulary
Learning Outcomes and Summary of Objectives
Upon successful completion of this learning module, the student should be able to:
• List the key theoretical approaches used in couple and family counselling.
• Discuss the distinguishing features of each theoretical approach.
• Propose how to apply the different approaches with a range of clients and counselling concerns.
Module 4: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Relationships
Topics Studied
• Made for Intimacy?
• Affairs under the Microscope
• Everybody Argues!
• Healthy and Unhealthy Ways of Handling a Conflict
• Conflict Resolution Questionnaire
• Managing Conflict with the Kids
• A Parting of the Ways
• Separation Guidelines
• Kuhbler-Ross and Relationship Loss
• An Emotional Response to a Lost Relationship
• Murray-Parkes, and Relationship Loss
• Children Suffer Too
Learning Outcomes and Summary of Objectives
Upon successful completion of this learning module, the student should be able to:
• List common reasons for having an affair.
• Compile strategies for successful conflict resolution.
• Illustrate how Kübler-Ross’ stages model, and Murray-Parkes’ cyclical model can be applied to separation and divorce.
Module 5: Single Parent and Blended Families
Topics Studied
• Understanding the family life cycle
• Single parent families
• Children in single parent families
• Blended families
• Children in blended families
• The successful step parent
• Teaching children basic communication skills
• A look at adoption
Learning Outcomes and Summary of Objectives
Upon successful completion of this learning module, the student should be able to:
• Summarise the stages of the family life cycle.
• Propose some challenges faced by single parent families.
• Predict some challenges that may confront blended families.
Module 6: Issues Affecting Families
Topics Studied
• Addictions
• Child abuse
• Bullying
• Self harm
• Some final thoughts on good communication skills
Learning Outcomes and Summary of Objectives
Upon successful completion of this learning module, the student should be able to:
• Describe how addictions can affect the family.
• Summarize the different forms of child abuse.
• Suggest ways if dealing with bullying.
Suggested textbooks for the course (to be purchased by the student)
Part 1: Johnson, S.M. (2013). Love sense: The revolutionary new science of romantic relationships. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company.
Part 2: Nichols, M.P. & Schwartz, R.C. (2012). Family therapy: Concepts and methods. (10th Ed.) London: Allyn & Bacon.