Psychodynamic Couple & Family Institute of New England

Key Concepts in Working with Couples

David Goldfinger, Ph.D.

To be able to identify two ways in which the psychodynamic couple therapist must shift from their way of working with individuals in each of the following processes: (1) evaluation, (2) formulation, and (3) intervention
To be able to identify at least three concepts from attachment theory that help in formulating a couple's dynamic and effectively intervening
To be able to identify at least three concepts from family systems theory that help in formulating a couple's dynamic and effectively intervening
To be able to define normative unconscious processes and to use this concept to recognize the workings of racial, gender, and class dynamics in couple interactions

Transference and Countertransference in Couple Therapy

Jennifer Stone, Ph.D.

To be able to understand and describe the differences between individual and couple therapy in the typical transferences that clients experience.
To be able to recognize and address the partner-to-partner transferences that lie at the center of many couples' difficulties
To be able to recognize and describe the countertransference reactions that couple therapy can evoke in therapists, and to broaden options for deal with these reactions

Evaluation and Formulation

Tamara Feldman Ph.D.

The Formation of the Therapeutic Alliance in Couple Therapy

Brent Reynolds, LMHC

To be able to describe some of the challenges of developing and maintaining multiple alliances in couple therapy
To be able to identify and apply effective treatment strategies to nurture the therapeutic alliance in couple therapy
To be able to better tolerate and articulate the tension inherent in the dialectic of ritual and spontaneity in couple therapy, to know while learning and to learn while knowing
To be able to describe how the therapist's facilitation of the process of pay, in relation to and between the couple, undergirds the therapeutic alliance in couple therapy

Therapeutic Action in Couple Therapy

David Goldfinger, Ph.D.

To be able to define therapeutic action and to recognize how our understanding of the change process has evolved with two important historical shifts in psychoanalytic theory
To be able to sensitive partners in a couple to their developmental history of thwarted longings, and to understand how these are playing out in their dynamic
To be able to define Ezriel's terms required relationship and avoided relationship and to understand how these lead to mutual defensive systems in couples

Addressing "isms" and Microaggressions with Interracial Couples

Sejal Patel, Psy.D.

To be able to understand and describe common and unique themes in working with interracial couples
To be able to understand and list five manifestations of "modern isms" and categories of microaggressions
To be able to consider and explain the various historically included and excluded identities of various members of the couple and oneself
To be able to learn and apply skills and language for addressing possible "modern isms" and microaggressions in sessions while reducing defensiveness, shame, and preserving the therapeutic alliance between the couple and therapist

Behind Closed Doors: Sex in Couple Therapy

Magdalena Fosse, Psy.D.

To be able to explain the importance of sexual history assessment in evaluating partners' sexual narratives
To be able to describe couples' distress and disappointment with their sex life and assess its implications on couples' overall functioning
To be able to recognize and assess the impact of race, gender, and culture on couples' psychosexual dynamics

Working with Affect

Marina Kovarsky, LICSW

- To be able to trace the evolution of how awareness of the centrality of affect emerged in psychodynamic thought
- To be able to describe ways in which disruptive affects in the treatment and in the couple's relationship serve as important markers of early developmental relational ruptures and adaptations by each member of the couple
- To be able to identify ways in which the therapist can use a dynamic formulation to promote empathy and offer containment and co-regulation

Relationship as a Developmental Process/Opportunity

Mary Kiely, Ph.D.

To be able to describe the therapeutic usefulness of a developmental perspective in couple therapy
To be able to describe how developmental growth in relationships can stall as a result of normative transitions, cultural beliefs, individuals' developmental histories, and the psychodynamics of relationship
To be able to identify ways to intervene with couples using a developmental perspective

From the Intrapsychic to the Interpersonal: Defensive Processes in Couples Therapy

Joe Shay, Ph.D.

To be able to describe the manifestations of the defensive projective identification in couples therapy
To be able to identify ways to intervene more effectively in the presence of defensive processes
To be able to identify common countertransference reactions in the presence of defensive processes