The Couples Therapist Couch

When we think about relationships, we often minimize how much work it takes to maintain the happy, healthy connection with our partner. We often feel like love should just come naturally or that if we are with the “right” person everything will just fall into place. What good couples therapists know is that being in a satisfying relationship absolutely does take a lot of effort. In this interview, Dr. Brent Atkinson talks about how there is often too much insight and understanding as the focus in couples therapy and too little focus on repetitive practice. He proposes that we are all programmed in a way that makes it very difficult to get unstuck when unhealthy patterns play out with our partner. We need to learn to recalibrate the way that we interact with our lover in order to be capable of communicating in a different way. Dr. Brent Atkinson is the principle architect of Pragmatic/Experiential Therapy. This approach translates new knowledge about how the brain processes emotion into practical methods for improving relationships and increasing personal success. He is Professor Emeritus of Marriage and Family Therapy at Northern Illinois University and his ideas have been published in several journals and magazines. He continues to facilitate trainings and has been the keynote speaker at many professional conferences. The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapists about the practice of couples therapy. The host, Shane Birkel, interviews an expert in the field of couples therapy each week. There is an episode released every Tuesday about the practice of couples therapy and a bonus episode the first Thursday of each month about the business of private practice. Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes! Resources Visit Dr. Brent Atkinson's website at The Couples Clinic Check out several articles by Brent in The Psychotherapy Networker magazine Train with Brent in Houston this February in this 5 day intensive training for mental health professionals Click here to join the Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group

One of the main issues that couples bring up in therapy is disagreements about parenting. The way people parent is often related to the way they were brought up by their own parents. That makes these ideals deeply ingrained and particularly triggering for people. Adding to that is the reality that we are impacting our children in a way that will affect them for the rest of their life. The amazing teen therapist, Mallory Grimste joins The Couples Therapist Couch today to talk about the children’s experience during these parenting struggles. Mallory has a passion for helping teen girls feel more emotionally confident. Her clients often come to her complaining of anxiety and loneliness. They leave therapy feeling better about their relationship with themselves and others. They are no longer afraid of the uncomfortable and have the skills to create a life they love living. The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapists about the practice of couples therapy. The host, Shane Birkel, interviews an expert in the field of couples therapy each week. If you enjoyed the podcast please take a moment to leave a review on iTunes. Thank you! Resources Visit Mallory's website at mallorygrimste.com Get your FREE downloadable meditation at mallorygrimste.com/couplestherapistcouch Book Recommendation: Untangled by Lisa Damour about guiding teenage girls into adulthood. Click here to join the Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group

When it comes to doing online counseling a lot of therapists feel overwhelmed by everything there is to consider. On this episode, Clay Cockrell does an amazing job talking about all of the ins and outs when it comes to working with couples online. Clay Cockrell is a therapist in New York City. He gained a lot of publicity for starting to do walk and talk therapy in central park. His latest project is building an online counseling directory where therapists can sign up to have a profile searchable by potential clients. The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapists about the practice of couples therapy. The host, Shane Birkel, interviews an expert in the field of couples therapy each week. Resources Visit Clay's online counseling site at onlinecounselling.com Visit Clay's walk and talk therapy site at www.walkandtalk.com Check out Clay's podcast called The Online Counselling podcast. Click here to join the Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group

Sex is such an important part of couple relationships and comes up all the time in our work. Dr. Nazanin Moali gives couples therapists tons of insight into how to work with the sex issues that couples bring up during sessions. She is a Psychologist in California and works with couples and people struggling with addiction.  In her podcast called Sexology, Nazanin untangles the science of sex and pleasure. She helps individuals and couples improve their sex lives and achieve deep and passionate connections with their partners. She is dedicated to educating people around the world to embrace sexuality as an essential aspect of life and eliminate the stigma associated with it.  The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapists about the practice of couples therapy. The host, Shane Birkel, interviews an expert in the field of couples therapy each week. Resources Visit Nazanin’s website for her podcast, Sexology Email Nazanin at drmoali@sexologypodcast.com Click here to join the Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group

When it comes to making money in private practice, Joe Sanok is on the forefront of leading therapists to reach their potential. In this episode he talks about the risk involved in having a safe, secure 9-5 job, focusing on a niche, and making more money in your private practice. Joe is the host of The Practice of the Practice podcast and has a website that offers therapists tons of great resources for starting, growing and leveling up their practices. Joe is also a consultant who works with therapists to help them be successful in business and make more money. The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapists about the practice of couples therapy. The host, Shane Birkel, interviews an expert in the field of couples therapy each week. Resources Visit Joe Sanok's website for therapists at practiceofthepractice.com Check out Joe's own group practice site at mentalwellnesscounseling.com Sign up for the 28 step checklist practiceofthepractice/start Sign up for the World Changers Challenge at practiceofthepractice/challenge Listen to Joe's podcast called the Practice of the Practice. You can find on iTunes, Stitcher, or Googleplay. Books mentioned The Scream Free Marriage by Hal Edward Runkel and Jenny Runkel Subscribe for more great episodes to come. Click here to join the Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group

Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy is the model that Andrew Christensen developed for working with couples along with Neil Jacobson. In his extensive work and research with couples he found that most couples therapy was focused around change. A primary difference in his approach is that it is focused on acceptance first.  Andrew Christensen has been researching couples for 35 years. He is a distinguished professor at The University of California Las Angeles. He is the author of a multitude of articles and co-author of the book Acceptance and Change in Couples Therapy and Reconcilable Differences.  The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapists about the practice of couples therapy. The host, Shane Birkel, interviews an expert in the field of couples therapy each week. Resources Visit Andrew Christensen's website at drandrewchristensen.com Visit his site for free, online, relationship help at ourrelationship.com Learn more about Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy at ibct.psych.ucla.edu Books mentioned Reconcilable Differences by Andrew Christensen, PhD, Brian D. Doss, PhD, and Neil S. Jacobson, PhD Acceptance and Change in Couples Therapy by Neil S. Jacobson and Andrew Christensen Clinical Handbook of Couples Therapy edited by Alan S. Gurman, Jay L. Lebow, and Douglas K. Snyder Subscribe for more great episodes to come. Click here to join the Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group

In this episode of The Couples Therapist Couch, Shane interviews Mercedes Samudio about race and privilege both in society as a whole as well as how it impacts our work in therapy. Mercedes emphasizes how important it is to come from a place of wanting to understand, respect, and support. Often, people end up changing the subject and don’t want to talk about the fact that power and privilege have a huge impact on each of us in our society in different ways. Mercedes is the author of the book Shame-Proof Parenting. She is a therapist and coach who helps parents and children communicate with each other, manage emotional trauma, navigate social media and technology together, and develop healthy parent-child relationships.

Sometimes couples aren't sure whether they are ready to work on their relationship or not. When this happens it isn't appropriate to do traditional couples therapy until both partners buy in to the process of therapy. Rachel Zamore gives us a closer look at how to work with these mixed agenda couples using Discernment Counseling. This is the podcast for couples therapists that explores the practice of couples therapy. Shane Birkel, LMFT interviews an expert in the field of couples therapy each week. Come join the conversation in the Facebook group, The Couples Therapist Couch. Please subscribe!

Welcome to the third episode of The Couples Therapist Couch, a podcast by couples therapist, Shane Birkel. This is the podcast for Couples Therapists, Marriage Counselors, and Relationship Coaches to explored the practice of couples therapy. In this episode Shane interviews expert, Kerry Lusignan. Subscribe for more great content!

Welcome to the second episode of The Couples Therapist Couch, a podcast by couples therapist, Shane Birkel. This is the podcast for Couples Therapists, Marriage Counselors, and Relationship Coaches to explore the practice of couples therapy. In this episode Shane interviews couples expert, Mark Moses. Subscribe for more episodes to come.