Overview

Part 1 of this workshop explores discernment counseling, a systemic approach to working with couples where one partner is leaning toward divorce and the other wants to preserve the relationship and work on it in couples therapy. These “mixed‐agenda” couples are common in clinical systemic practice but have been neglected in the literature. Although most couples therapy models assume that both partners present for treatment with at least a basic motivation to preserve and improve the relationship, the goal of discernment counseling is clarity and confidence regarding the next steps for the relationship, based on a deeper understanding of each partner's contributions. It offers partners in marriage crisis short-term counseling – 5 meetings or less – for the sole purpose of helping them weigh options and create well-thought-out decisions regarding the future of their marriage. Divorce is also a substantial challenge for mental health professionals, as standard psychotherapeutic approaches can prove insufficient for the complexities of couples in crisis. 

Part 2 of this workshop focuses on best systemic practices working with individuals and couple involved in the divorce process. This asynchronous workshop offers strategies for intervention that show therapists how to calm individuals, couples, and families in acute distress, and help ease the transition to a new family structure. We highlight the research on divorce and mental health; describe concrete interventions that achieve realistic treatment goals; explain how therapists interact with the legal system in divorce cases; and offer adaptations for different types of divorce, including high-conflict and more normative divorces.

Participants who complete this workshop will be able to:

  • Identify the goals and three potential outcomes of successful discernment counseling.
  • Utilize practical techniques to work with “leaning-in” & “leaning out” partners.
  • Understand the different players & components of the legal system involved in the divorce process. 
  • Integrate systemic strategies into MFT practice to more competently treat difficult clients going through the divorce process.

Course Content

    1. Welcome

    1. Slides

    2. Video Lecture

    3. Discernment Counseling Article

    4. Bill Doherty explains "Couples on the Brink Project"

    5. Dr. Eli interviews Discernment Counseling model developer Bill Doherty

    1. Slides

    2. Video Lecture

    3. Integrative Divorce Therapy Article

    4. Dr. Eli interviews divorce therapy expert Jay Lebow

    5. Therapy with Divorcing Family Video Excerpt

    1. Evaluation for Special Topics in Couple Therapy: Couples on the Brink

About this course

  • $65.00
  • 12 lessons
  • 1.5 hours of video content

Meet the Presenter

Eli Karam, Ph.D, LMFT

Eli Karam, Ph.D., LMFT is a clinician specializing in couple and family therapy and maintains a private practice in Louisville, KY. With over 19 years experience as a mental health professional, and a graduate of both The Family Institute at Northwestern University and Purdue University's Department of Child Development and Family Studies, Eli is the Past President for the Kentucky Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (KAMFT) and was voted in a national election to serve on the Board of Directors for the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). He is also a tenured Professor in the Couple & Family Therapy Program in the Kent School of Social Work at the University of Louisville. There he conducts research on couple and family relationships, teaches and supervises therapists-in-training.
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