overview

This evidence-based method of couples developed by Leslie Greenberg and Susan Johnson consists of methods for enhancing the emotional bond between partners. The training will include recent advances to theory and practice made by Leslie Greenberg and Rhonda Goldman, including how to work with issues of power and dominance.

This program will focus on in-depth skills training through a combination of brief lectures, video demonstrations, role-playing practice and supervision. Intimate relationships are understood on the dimension of attachment/ security, involving closeness and distance, as well as on the dimension of identity/autonomy, involving dominance and submission.

This workshop will present ways of dealing with affect regulation in relation to both attachment and dominance issues in relationships. We will discuss and view tapes of working with the emotions related to, power and identity as well as intimacy and attachment, to transform vicious cycles into virtuous ones.

The emotions of anxiety and sadness, related to threats to attachment security have to be addressed in addition to the emotions of fear, shame and anger related to threats to identity, status or power. In addition the role of a third set of pleasant emotions related to intimacy such as warmth, love and caring as well as joy and excitement also are addressed.

We will focus on promoting both other soothing and self soothing by helping partners regulate each other’s and their own affects and where applicable by promoting forgiveness in resolving emotional injuries.