About this course

Learning Objectives

• Clarify how therapists can know when the couple therapy treatment has been successfully and fully treated.
• Describe an animal visualization that assesses the kind of changes the couple has accomplished in their treatment.
• Talk more comfortably with couples about their sexual relationship to be able to help them resolve differences they may have in this area.
• Explain how much positivity spouses are sharing with each other and clarifying how they might add more.
• Explain how to assist couples in the recovery process for both spouses if their relationship has been injured by one partner having had an affair.
• State many of the broad range of intervention techniques that have been presented in this course.

Learning Levels

• Beginning couple therapists
• Experienced therapists who want to add couple treatment to their offerings
• Experienced couple therapists who would like to broaden their basket of intervention techniques and to clarify an integrative conceptual framework that gives more cohesion to their work.
• Beginning to advanced therapists who want to help their couple clients to enhance the amount of positivity shared in their relationship.

Target Audience

Course Instructor(s)

• 

  Susan Heitler

  Dr. Heitler

  Dr. Heitler first opened her private practice as a clinical psychologist almost 50 years ago. From her Denver office, in addition to treating both individual and couple therapy clients, Dr. Heitler has written 6 books, journal articles, plus over 300 psychologytoday.com blogposts that have garnered over 26 million reads.

  In response to her innovative perspectives, Dr. Heitler has been invited to speak on her treatment methods in most states of the US plus on almost every continent including Europe, Australia, China, India, and throughout the Middle East. In Lebanon she was chosen as the keynote speaker for the first-ever gathering of the Arab Psychological Association.

  Dr. Heitler's contributions have focused particularly on the importance of win-win conflict resolution skills for sustaining individual and also couple and family emotional health.

  Dr. Heitler's writings have earned high praise, starting with her first major book, From Conflict to Resolution, a book reviewed in the British Journal of Psychiatry as "a modern refreshing book . . . A highly commendable read for all therapists, particularly those striving to practice in what they hope is an integrative way" and by a practicing therapist in Alabama as "the best clinical psychology book I have ever read."

References

• Otero, M. C., Wells, J. L., Chen, K. H., Brown, C. L., Connelly, D. E., Levenson, R. W., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2020). Behavioral indices of positivity resonance associated with long-term marital satisfaction. Emotion, 20(7), 1225. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000634
• Wells, J. L., Haase, C. M., Rothwell, E. S., Naugle, K. G., Otero, M. C., Brown, C. L., ... & Fredrickson, B. L. (2022). Positivity resonance in long-term married couples: Multimodal characteristics and consequences for health and longevity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 123(5), 983. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000385
• Meunier, V., & Baker, W. (2011). Positive couple relationships: The evidence for long-lasting relationship satisfaction and happiness. In Positive relationships: Evidence based practice across the world (pp. 73-89). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.
• Brown, C. L., Chen, K. H., Wells, J. L., Otero, M. C., Connelly, D. E., Levenson, R. W., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2022). Shared emotions in shared lives: Moments of co-experienced affect, more than individually experienced affect, linked to relationship quality. Emotion, 22(6), 1387.
• Wachtel, E. (2017). The heart of couple therapy: Knowing what to do and how to do it. Guildford Press.
• Heitler, S. (1997). The power of two: Secrets to a strong & loving marriage. New Harbinger.
• Heitler, S. & Hirsch, A (2003). The power of two workbook: communication skills for a strong & loving marriage, New Harbinger.
• Heitler, S. (2016). Prescriptions without pills. New York: Morgan James.