Crossing the Bridge - Helping Partners Visit Each Other's World

Like walking a tightrope, working with troubled couples requires focus, balance, and inner stability. Both partners want you to take their side, and it's easy to be pulled in one direction or the other sometimes, or to be swallowed up by the intense emotionality of sessions. In this workshop, you'll learn how to use Imago Relationship Therapy principles to connect with both partners, grasp their issues, and transform the emotional temperature of the session from one of antagonism to one of openness and empathy. We'll explore mirroring and validation techniques. We'll discuss how couples can use voice tone to produce nonverbal shifts in mood and emotional response and learn to validate each other even when they disagree. We'll also touch on insights from attachment theory, interpersonal neurobiology, and mindfulness practice related to couples therapy.