Interpersonal acceptance and commitment therapy for work with intimate partners
6 weekly sessions starting September 11 | 12 CE hours
Acceptance and commitment therapy has been extensively studied and utilized as an individual form of therapy, but its application to couples therapy has been rather limited so far.
However, a small but growing body of research (Ahmadzadeh, et al. 2019; Veshki, et al. 2017) suggests ACT can be just as effective in this context as cognitive behavioral couple therapy and integrative couples therapy.
Extended interpersonally, the psychological flexibility model offers a unique lens for case conceptualization and functional analysis when examining patterns of interaction between intimate partners.
What’s more, yearnings — the deep, enduring psychological needs that make up part of ACT’s theoretical base — are often primary motivators for one or both partners seeking therapy.
In this 12-hour live online course taught by Lou Lasprugato, MFT, you’ll learn the groundbreaking InterACT model — a reimagining of the ACT hexaflex that extends psychological flexibility processes interpersonally for work with couples.
This extended model will help you to perform a comprehensive, multi-level functional assessment that incorporates psychological flexibility and yearnings, attachment-based relating, and sociocultural factors into your case conceptualization.
This will allow you to:
- Get at the root cause of conflict cycles for couples so you can break through unhelpful patterns
- Address psychological yearnings and attachment-based yearnings in your conceptualizations and interventions
- Structure intake sessions with the ACT matrix so you can start identifying unworkable behaviors from the start
- Create a safe space for emotional openness where clients can validate one another’s hurt without jumping into judgments and criticisms
- Help clients gain a better understanding of their own behaviors and the deep needs that underlie them