PCFINE Year I Educational Objectives
Key Concepts in Working with Couples
David Goldfinger, Ph.D.
- For each of the following components of psychodynamic treatment, to be able to identify two ways in which the couple's therapist must make a shift from their work with individuals: (1) evaluation, (2) formulation, and (3) intervention
- To be able to identify three concepts from attachment theory that help in recognizing dysfunctional patterns and offer possible choice points for intervention
- To be able to identify three concepts from family systems theory that help in recognizing dysfunctional patterns and possible choice points for intervention
The Formation of the Therapeutic Alliance in Couple Therapy
Brent Reynolds, LMHC
- To be able to trace the history and evolution of the concept of the therapeutic alliance from psychoanalysis to couple and family therapy
- 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 describe how the therapist's facilitation of the process of play, in relation to and between the couple, undergirds the therapeutic alliance in couple therapy
Evaluation and Formulation
Tamara Feldman Ph.D.
- To be able to define key areas to assess in couple treatment
- To be able to identify ways the therapist can assess these areas
- To be able to develop a formulation of the couple's difficulties
- To be able to implement this case formulation
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 dealing with these reactions
Therapeutic Action in Couple Therapy
David Goldfinger, Ph.D.
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To be able to identify two important historical shifts in the psychoanalytic theory of therapeutic action
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To be able to help partners in a couple understand the other's dynamic history of thwarted longings, and recognize how these are playing out in their dynamic
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To be able to define Ezriel's terms "required relationship" and "avoided relationship" and recognize how these lead to mutual defensive systems in couples
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, individuals' developmental histories, and cultural myths about relationship
- To be able to identify ways to intervene with couples using a developmental perspective
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' relational narratives
- To be able to describe couples' distress 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
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- 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
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
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