• COURSE DESCRIPTION

    In the early stage of therapy, many couples are deeply in crisis, and have reached out for therapeutic support late in the game. This interview course reviews interventions clinicians can use to better work with high-conflict couples, including tools for working with couples from the perspective of a therapist trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy and a therapist trained in Relational Life Therapy. This course discusses similarities and differences in how each of these models considers a number of factors when working with these couples at the beginning of treatment, and offers meaningful interventions geared at helping couples feel validated and calm their nervous systems to be open to deeper work in the couple therapy.

  • LEARNING OBJECTIVES

    Upon completing this course, participants will be able to: Describe Emotionally Focused Therapy and Relational Life Therapy similarities and differences with regard to early-stage couple assessment framework; List three methods a therapist can employ to create emotional safety in the context of couple therapy; Describe two or more interventions from each model aimed at increasing the compassion each member of a couple has for their partner(s)


    TARGET AUDIENCE & INSTRUCTIONAL LEVEL

    This course is intended for psychologists, therapists, social workers, clinical counselors, and addiction counselors. Instructional level: Introductory/Intermediate





  • HOW TO TAKE THIS COURSE

    In order to receive a certificate of completion reflecting the associated CE credit hour, you must:
    #1: Have an active paid Clearly Clinical membership
    #2: Listen to the corresponding course podcast
    #3: Achieve a passing grade on the post-presentation test (the test has up to ten questions and you must earn a score of at least 80%; users can re-test up to three times. After three attempts, users are advised to re-listen to the audio course in its entirety and then subsequently re-test. Psychologists who are seeking CE credit may not be awarded credit if they attempt to pass the post-test more than three times.)
    #4: Complete the requested course evaluation.

    Course elements (including the course audio, post-test, and requested course evaluation) can be completed on a computer or mobile device via your Clearly Clinical account.

  • COURSE FORMAT

    This course contains a one-hour, non-interactive audio podcast which is available for free on all major public podcast platforms, including YouTube, by searching for 'Clearly Clinical'. You can also listen to and download the audio file via our course player.

  • ACCOMMODATIONS

    If you have special needs or need an accommodation, please email us at [email protected] and we will do our best to assist you.

    If reading along while listening is helpful for you, we recommend listening to our podcast on YouTube with the closed captioning feature enabled (to do this, click the button in the YouTube video player with the 'CC' on it).

  • CERTIFICATE ACCESS DETAILS

    Once you've completed the course, your certificate will automatically populate in the 'Certificate' section of your account; it will also be emailed to you. Course certificates will be on file for ten (10) years from date of course completion regardless of a user's paid membership status.

  • COMMERCIAL SUPPORT

    There is no known commercial support or conflict of interest for this CE program, presenter, sponsor, instructor, or content. The instructor references their own resources as a potential option for further learning.

Interviewer and Interviewee

Dr. James Hawkins, LPC

Emotionally Focused Therapy Expert

James L. Hawkins II, Ph.D., LPC., joins us from Northwest Arkansas. James brings a passion for helping individuals, couples, families, and communities in relational distress. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor with 11 years of experience. Currently, he serves as a clinical coordinator at The Joshua Center. James is a certified EFT Therapist and Supervisor. James was recently designated as an EFT Trainer-in-Training by Sue Johnson and the ICEEFT Board.

James also is the Founder of Healing Conversations and co-host of three training platforms – The Leading Edge in Emotionally Focused Therapy podcast, The Leading Edge: Transforming your Leadership Through Attachment Science, and an internet-based training site for therapist called www.successinvulnerability.com.

Shane Birkel, LMFT #167

Expert Couple Therapist

Shane Birkel is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice near Boston. He works primarily with couples and is a certified Relational Life Therapist with Terry Real as his mentor. Shane hosts a weekly podcast called the Couples Therapist Couch that is all about the practice of Couples Therapy. On the podcast he talks to experts in the field relationships and therapy. Shane also provides education, training, and supervision for therapists wanting to build their confidence in working with couples.

Elizabeth 'Beth' Irias, MS, LMFT

Interviewer & Clearly Clinical Founder

Elizabeth 'Beth' Irias (she/her) is a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and the Founder and President of Clearly Clinical. She has specializations in Clinical Documentation, Feedback Informed Treatment, Best Practice, and Utilization Review, and works closely with clinical teams across the US as a trainer and national conference presenter; Beth was formerly an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University in the Graduate Psychology and Education department. Licensed in California and Oregon, she provides therapy via her private practice to young adult and adult clients, members of the LGBTQ population, and those with addictive disorders. She has two young children, a super cool spouse who helps out with Clearly Clinical's tech, and a rescue dog.

Why is Clearly Clinical the nation's premier CE provider?

  • CONVENIENT: All courses are 1-hour podcast episodes, available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, and all other free public podcast platforms

  • AFFORDABLE: We offer quality CE courses through a reasonably-priced membership

  • SOCIALLY-RESPONSIBLE: We make ongoing donations to The Trevor Project for LGBT youth suicide prevention, and have also previously donated to Black & Brown Founders, the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund, Black Women’s Blueprint, Feeding America, and The Center for Reproductive Rights.

  • WOMAN-OWNED & QUEER-OWNED: We are founded and run by Elizabeth Irias, LMFT

  • DIVERSE: We highlight expert presenters from historically-marginalized communities


Quick Note: Are you confused about the difference between a Continuing Education Unit (CEU) and a Continuing Education (CE) Credit Hour?  Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for clarification!