Working With Couples In Crisis

Presented by Robert Taibbi, LCSW

About the Workshop

Of all the challenges of doing therapy, one of the most difficult is working with couples, especially those in crisis. Not only is there the ever-present triangle in the room and the struggle to maintain balance, but the pressure created by the couple’s “last chance-last hope” attitude. There is no time for slow, several-session assessments; you need to hit the ground running.

In this workshop, we’ll look at ways of doing precisely that. We’ll discuss the common presentations, the 3 ways couples get stuck, walk through the goals and tasks of the opening sessions, explore the traps to avoid, and conclude with treatment maps for affairs, addictions, parenting, and sexual issues. You’ll leave with not only hands-on skills but a roadmap for success.

Workshop Objectives

At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Identify the common presentations of couples in crisis.
2. Describe the 3 common obstacles that couples face.
3. Define the use of treatment maps for specific problems.
4. Discuss how to manage time in the opening session.

Recommended Reading

• Taibbi, R. (2018). Doing Couple Therapy: Craft & Creativity with Intimate Partners (2nd ed.). Guilford.
• Taibbi, R. (2016). Brief Therapy with Couples & Families in Crisis. Routledge.
• Taibbi, R. Fixing Families blog at Psychology Today.

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About the Presenter

Robert Taibbi, LCSW is the author of 13 books and over 300 articles in the areas of clinical supervision, brief therapy, couple and family therapy, and an online columnist for Psychology Today entitled Fixing Families that has received over 20 million views. He has provided trainings nationally and internationally and is currently in private practice in Charlottesville, Virginia.