We explore the importance and benefits of judgment-free couples therapy as it effects the wellbeing of our clients and we discuss ways to identify our own biases impeding our work with couples. As professionals it is our responsibility to assist our clients in the exploration of their beliefs about intimacy, sexuality, and power dynamics. We will discuss how to perform couples therapy that most effectively supports the individuals in the couple and helps resolve issues beyond the presenting problem. We can learn to view the cognitive dissonance our clients experience following their individual moral compass and belief systems as a way to promote their personal healing while reconciling the conflicts this creates in a couple.
After hearing these two experts, participants will be able to:
1) Explore the benefit of ethical couples therapy as it effects the wellbeing of clients and learn to identify their own biases and values getting in the way of efficient/ productive couples therapy and discuss the most difficult topics showing up; and
2) Participants will challenge their perspectives, paradigms, and lenses in order to aid in the creation of partner therapy that is inclusive, science-friendly, diverse, and just, while learning to avoid causing them.
