CCC - Course Outline

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 3^rd 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).