Certificate
in Couple Counseling
(Course
Outline)
(Using the Satir Model)
The Satir Model
1. Satir’s
Therapeutic Beliefs
a. Impact of belief in assessment
b. Impact of beliefs in intervention
2. Iceberg
Metaphor
a. Assessment: Process vs Content
b. Intervention: Impact vs Event
c. Iceberg as Assessment & Intervention
tool
Understanding Couple relationships
1. Use of Satir Model in couple counseling:
Concepts & application
a. Intra-psychic process – Assessment &
Intervention
b. Interactive process – Assessment &
Intervention
2. Stages
in couple relationship
a.
Courting or dating stage: 1-3 years.
b.
Wedding & honeymoon stage: 1-2 years
c.
Marital adjustment Part 1: 1-5 years
d.
Marital adjustment Part 2: 5-8 years
2. Appreciating the counselor’s own couple
relationship experience
a.
Impact of parental model on counselor beliefs & values in couple
relationship
b.
Counselor’s couple relationship experience: difficulties & learning
c. Counselor’s
coping pattern in relationships difficulties
d.
Identifying personal roadblocks in helping other couples
e.
Resolving roadblocks
3.
Examining the stages of a couple’s relationship using the Iceberg.
a.
Conceptual understanding
b.
Application
c.
Practice
Intervention skills in couple counseling
1. Basic Couple Counseling Skills
Rapport
Building:
a. Building trust & safety during the
initial session
b. Connecting with couples in conflictual
relationship
Assessment:
a. Seeing the big picture: Hearing beyond blame
& labeling
b. Seeing the missing pieces: Seeing beyond the
dark tunnel to the distant light
c. Skills practice on above (a & b)
assessment skills
Intervention
skills & techniques
a. Starting with one spouse: how to get the
absent partner to join?
b. Hearing both sides without taking sides
c. Reframing problems into relational issues
d. Lending hope in a “hopeless” situation: how
to be hopeful without giving false hope
e. Goal setting – working towards change
f. Learning to do sequencing – building blocks
towards change.
g. Dealing with strong negative emotions during
the session
h. Twin pillars of change: learning to support
& challenge at the same time
i. Empowering couples to be better choice
makers
j. The congruent counselor: nurturing peace
within; working towards peace between
k. Skills practice & demo on above
intervention skills
Issues in Couple Counseling
a. Myth
of value-free couple counseling
b.
Personal agendas, beliefs & values
a.
Confidentiality Issues
b.
Dealing with secrets
c.
Transference
d.
Others
Three types of major presenting problem:
1. Extra-Marital Affairs (EMA)
Understanding
EMA
a. Counselor’s beliefs & feelings about EMA
b. Conceptual understanding of EMA (using the
Satir Model)
c. Causes of EMA
Assessment
a. 5 basic EMA assessment questions & their
implications for change
b. Assessing what’s missing in the marital
relationship
c. Assessing what needs are met through EMA
Intervention
a. Attending to victim of EMA
* attending to negative feelings towards self
& spouse
* helping clients to let go of negative
feelings towards self & spouse
b. Attending to perpetrator of EMA
* attending to negative feelings towards self
& spouse
* letting go of guilt & attachment towards
3rd party
c. Setting goals for couple – generating hope
d. Rebuilding the couple relationship:
* Resolving negative emotions; learning to
forgive, rebuilding trust
2. Spousal Violence
Assessment
a.
Safety & protection for victim of violence
b.
Impact of violence on spouse & children
c. How
to use crisis to bring positive change in the marital & family
system
Intervention
a.
Working with other agencies/professionals involved (eg. Family Court, lawyers,
police etc)
b.
Attend to emotional impact of violence on spouse & children
c. Engage
perpetrator of violence to change his/her way of coping with differences &
unmet expectations in the marital relationship.
d.
Works towards reconciliation between perpetrator of violence & victims of
violence.
3. Divorcing Couples
a.
Surfacing counselor’s personal beliefs & feelings about divorce
b.
Keeping counselor’s personal beliefs & feelings at bay in helping process
c.
Helping couples work through their decision to divorce
Assessment
a.
Assessing impact of divorce on each spouse
b.
Assessing impact of divorce on children
c.
Some common difficulties facing divorcing couples:
*
letting go of anger, guilt, blame & shame
*
co-operating in parenting task & responsibilities
Intervention
(pre & post-divorce)
a.
Helping couples resolve identified areas of difficulty during the divorce
process
b.
Helping couple anticipate future difficulties in parenting tasks &
responsibilities.
c.
Helping couples learn to resolve differences & co-operate on parenting role
responsibilities.
d.
Attending to children of divorcing parents
The
legal process
a.
Understanding the psychological impact of legal process on divorcing couples
b.
Helping to reduce the negative emotional impact of the legal process on
divorcing
couples
c.
Working with lawyers
4. Helping divorcing couples cope with depression &
suicidal ideation or threats
Understanding
depression & suicide
a.
Conceptual understanding
b.
Explore participant’s current experience & difficulties working with such
clients & area of learning needed.
Assessment
a. Determine client’s current level of
emotional state, coping, safety & risk factors
c. Determine possible approaches & goals to
help client
d. Determine necessity of involving others
(family members/ other helping
professionals/ getting supervision etc.) in helping client.
Intervention
a. Building safety, trust & therapeutic
relationship with client
b. Validating client’s current coping &
generating hope
c. Where appropriate, refer client to other
resources, helping professionals (eg. doctor,
psychiatrist,
legal/financial aid).
Other major issues
a. In-law problem
b. Sexual Issues
c. Parenting Issues
d. Others
Course requirement: Case presentation & write-up
a. Each participant is required to see 3 couples and
present the 3 couples they are seeing (verbally, audio or video presentation)
for supervision.
b. Each participant is required to do a write-up of one of
the three couples to show their conceptual understanding & application of
what they have learnt. (The write-up
will be graded).
Sculpting Marital Conflict @ Going Beyond Problem
Participant attending workshop with inseparable
T-JTA Training & Certification - Glad Tidings 
Participant receiving T-JTA Certification (S'pore)
Participants @ T-JTA Training & Certification
