Learning Objectives

• Discuss childhood stages of development and wounding as well as resulting characterological adaptations in primary relationships.
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• Discuss the concept of the imago and the role it plays in partner selectionand subsequent stages of adult relationships.
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• Work with a couple’s resistance, flow with it, and keep volatile couples indialogue.
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• Demonstrate dialogical skills to assist couples in restructuring conflict andfrustration, resolving adult and childhood rage, bringing them into ahealing relationship, and guiding them from unconscious to consciousrelating (from reactivity to intentionality).
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• Demonstrate skills to assist couples in increasing validation and empathyand achieve a deeper level of commitment and intimacy.
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• Focus on their own personal characterological growth and thus be morecapable of helping clients get in touch with childhood pain and findhealing in their present intimate relationships.
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• Empower couples to continue the work of healing after therapy is terminated.

Course Structure

Level I is a 96-hour (12-day) training program which is usually completed in three sessions of four days each, or sometimes as six sessions of two days each. The sessions are scheduled over a six- to nine- month period to enable trainees to practice with clients and prepare tape

Level II consists of a six-month program of supervision, which prepares trainees to submit a final clinical tape for evaluation, as well as written self-evaluation reports.