
The Couples Therapist Couch
This podcast is about the practice of Couples Therapy. Many of the episodes are interviews with leaders in the field of Relationships. The show is meant to help Therapists and Coaches learn how to help people to deepen their connection, but in the process it explores what is most needed for each of us to love, heal, and grow. Each week Shane Birkel interviews an expert in the field of Couples Therapy to explore all about the world of relationships and how to be an amazing therapist.
Latest episodes

Feb 11, 2022 • 53min
166: Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt In The Space-Between
Harville Hendrix, Ph.D., and Helen LaKelly Hunt, Ph.D., are partners in life and work. They are authors of the classic, Getting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples, and ten other books including their newly published: Doing Imago Relationship Therapy: In the Space Between. Find out more about them at harvilleandhelen.com and about Imago Relationship Therapy at imagorelationships.org 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. Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes. Find out more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle This episode is sponsored by Clearly Clinical Continuing Ed. Clearly Clinical is the nation's premier podcast Continuing Ed provider, and features industry experts from across the world. Clearly Clinical is an approved CE provider with the APA, ASWB, NBCC, NAADAC, CCAPP, and CAMFT, and is women-owned, founded by Elizabeth Irias, LMFT. Clearly Clinical supports minority and women presenters, and donates to Feeding America. And the best part? Clearly Clinical is literally the most affordable continuing ed provider in the country, bringing you unlimited CE courses for just $60 a year. As a promo for my listeners, you can use the code COUCH to get an additional 10% off. They have a number of free podcast CE courses, too, including a CE interview with Dr. Julie Gottman. Check those out at their website, ClearlyClinical.com.

Feb 2, 2022 • 57min
165: Facing Adversity as a Therapist with Wesley Little
This is a very vulnerable episode with Wesley Anne Little where she talks about her experiences as a therapist going through cancer, chemo treatments, and a lot of unpredictability in her life. It is so important for us as therapists to practice what we preach when it comes to self-compassion, setting boundaries, and self-care. Wesley is a great example for us and very generously opens up about her personal experiences. Wesley Anne Little is an LCMHC, NCC, certified emotionally focused therapist and supervisor, and certified deliberate practice therapist. Find out more about her at wesleyannelittle.com and becomingatherapist.org 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. Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes. Find out more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle This episode is sponsored by Clearly Clinical Continuing Ed. Clearly Clinical is the nation's premier podcast Continuing Ed provider, and features industry experts from across the world. Clearly Clinical is an approved CE provider with the APA, ASWB, NBCC, NAADAC, CCAPP, and CAMFT, and is women-owned, founded by Elizabeth Irias, LMFT. Clearly Clinical supports minority and women presenters, and donates to Feeding America. And the best part? Clearly Clinical is literally the most affordable continuing ed provider in the country, bringing you unlimited CE courses for just $60 a year. As a promo for my listeners, you can use the code COUCH to get an additional 10% off. They have a number of free podcast CE courses, too, including a CE interview with Dr. Julie Gottman. Check those out at their website, ClearlyClinical.com.

Nov 19, 2021 • 53min
164: Healing the Trauma from Supremacy Culture with Shirani Pathak
The reality of supremacy culture and generational trauma continue to show up in our lives in a big way. People often struggle with perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and issues in their relationships and they don't understand why. Shirani Pathak talks about these topics in the episode today. She has a podcast called Fierce Authenticity and a book of the same name. You can find out more about her and explore her podcast and her blog at shiranipathak.com. 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. Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes. This episode is sponsored by Clearly Clinical Continuing Ed. Clearly Clinical is the nation's premier podcast Continuing Ed provider, and features industry experts from across the world. Clearly Clinical is an approved CE provider with the APA, ASWB, NBCC, NAADAC, CCAPP, and CAMFT, and is women-owned, founded by Elizabeth Irias, LMFT. Clearly Clinical supports minority and women presenters, and donates to Feeding America. And the best part? Clearly Clinical is literally the most affordable continuing ed provider in the country, bringing you unlimited CE courses for just $60 a year. As a promo for my listeners, you can use the code COUCH to get an additional 10% off. They have a number of free podcast CE courses, too, including a CE interview with Dr. Julie Gottman. Check those out at their website, ClearlyClinical.com. Find out more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle

Oct 24, 2021 • 1h 2min
163: Self-Esteem and Boundaries part 2 with Shane Birkel
This episode is a recording of one of the live Inner Circle webinars which are part of the experience of being a member of the Couples Therapist Inner Circle. This is a continuation of last week on the topic of self-esteem and boundaries. The Inner Circle is open right now if you are looking to take your practice with couples to the next level. Click on the link for more information. Self-esteem and Boundaries are an essential part of our experience as humans in relationships. It is also important to understand these concepts in order to understand how to work with shame in the couples we work with. My understanding of this is very much influenced by Terry Real and Pia Melody. 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. Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes. This episode is sponsored by Clearly Clinical Continuing Ed. Clearly Clinical is the nation's premier podcast Continuing Ed provider, and features industry experts from across the world. Clearly Clinical is an approved CE provider with the APA, ASWB, NBCC, NAADAC, CCAPP, and CAMFT, and is women-owned, founded by Elizabeth Irias, LMFT. Clearly Clinical supports minority and women presenters, and donates to Feeding America. And the best part? Clearly Clinical is literally the most affordable continuing ed provider in the country, bringing you unlimited CE courses for just $60 a year. As a promo for my listeners, you can use the code COUCH to get an additional 10% off. They have a number of free podcast CE courses, too, including a CE interview with Dr. Julie Gottman. Check those out at their website, ClearlyClinical.com. Find out more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle

Oct 16, 2021 • 1h 1min
162: Self-Esteem and Boundaries part 1 with Shane Birkel
This episode is a recording of one of the live Inner Circle webinars which are part of the experience of being a member of the Couples Therapist Inner Circle. The Inner Circle is open right now if you are looking to take your practice with couples to the next level. Click on the link for more information. Self-esteem and Boundaries are an essential part of our experience as humans in relationships. It is also important to understand these concepts in order to understand how to work with shame in the couples we work with. My understanding of this is very much influenced by Terry Real and Pia Melody. 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. Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes. This episode is sponsored by Clearly Clinical Continuing Ed. Clearly Clinical is the nation's premier podcast Continuing Ed provider, and features industry experts from across the world. Clearly Clinical is an approved CE provider with the APA, ASWB, NBCC, NAADAC, CCAPP, and CAMFT, and is women-owned, founded by Elizabeth Irias, LMFT. Clearly Clinical supports minority and women presenters, and donates to Feeding America. And the best part? Clearly Clinical is literally the most affordable continuing ed provider in the country, bringing you unlimited CE courses for just $60 a year. As a promo for my listeners, you can use the code COUCH to get an additional 10% off. They have a number of free podcast CE courses, too, including a CE interview with Dr. Julie Gottman. Check those out at their website, ClearlyClinical.com. Find out more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle

Sep 17, 2021 • 47min
161: Healing After Divorce with Kristy Gaisford and Jerry Sander
Divorce is almost considered to be a bad word in Couples Therapy, but the reality is that there are still a lot of situations where this is the appropriate choice or where it happens to people whether they want it to or not. It is very important for us as therapists to be able to help people through this very difficult time. Kristy Gaisford and Jerry Sander focus specifically on helping people who are going through a divorce and have both been through a divorce themselves. For more information on Kristy and Jerry visit loveworkrelationships.com. 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. Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes. Find out more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle

Aug 25, 2021 • 45min
160: Feedback Informed Treatment and Couples with Beth Irias
Find out more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle In the episode this week, Beth Irias from Clearly Clinical talks about feedback informed treatment with couples. She does an amazing job of explaining the importance of documentation and tracking outcomes. One of the things that resonated for me is how it all comes back to being able to serve our clients as effectively as possible by determining what is actually working in therapy. Find out more about Beth at clearlyclinical.com 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. Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes. This episode is sponsored by Clearly Clinical Continuing Ed. Clearly Clinical is the nation's premier podcast Continuing Ed provider, and features industry experts from across the world. Clearly Clinical is an approved CE provider with the APA, ASWB, NBCC, NAADAC, CCAPP, and CAMFT, and is women-owned, founded by Elizabeth Irias, LMFT. Clearly Clinical supports minority and women presenters, and donates to Feeding America. And the best part? Clearly Clinical is literally the most affordable continuing ed provider in the country, bringing you unlimited CE courses for just $60 a year. As a promo for my listeners, you can use the code COUCH to get an additional 10% off. They have a number of free podcast CE courses, too, including a CE interview with Dr. Julie Gottman. Check those out at their website, ClearlyClinical.com. Find out more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle

Aug 13, 2021 • 50min
159: Infidelity Recovery with Talal Alsaleem
Find out more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle If you work with couples you know that a large percentage of the people seeking help have experienced some sort of infidelity in their relationship. As Couples Therapists, it is important that we know how to work with these couples and help them recover from the infidelity in a meaningful way. Dr. Talal Alsaleem is an expert at helping couples to do this. He also does training and supervision for other therapists to learn how to more effectively help couples who have been affected by infidelity. Learn more about Dr. Talal Alsaleem here. 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. Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes. This episode is sponsored by Clearly Clinical Continuing Ed. Clearly Clinical is the nation's premier podcast Continuing Ed provider, and features industry experts from across the world. Clearly Clinical is an approved CE provider with the APA, ASWB, NBCC, NAADAC, CCAPP, and CAMFT, and is women-owned, founded by Elizabeth Irias, LMFT. Clearly Clinical supports minority and women presenters, and donates to Feeding America. And the best part? Clearly Clinical is literally the most affordable continuing ed provider in the country, bringing you unlimited CE courses for just $60 a year. As a promo for my listeners, you can use the code COUCH to get an additional 10% off. They have a number of free podcast CE courses, too, including a CE interview with Dr. Julie Gottman. Check those out at their website, ClearlyClinical.com.

Jul 20, 2021 • 44min
158: Being Bold in Couples Therapy with Pam Staples
Find out more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle A lot of times, when couples work with therapists who don't have good couples therapy training, they feel like it is hard to make any progress. In this episode, Shane talks with certified Relational Life Therapist, Dr. Pam Staples about the importance of being direct and speaking the truth to couples with love and respect. Find out more about Dr. Pam Staples at myrelationallife.com 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. Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes. This episode is sponsored by Clearly Clinical Continuing Ed. Clearly Clinical is the nation's premier podcast Continuing Ed provider, and features industry experts from across the world. Clearly Clinical is an approved CE provider with the APA, ASWB, NBCC, NAADAC, CCAPP, and CAMFT, and is women-owned, founded by Elizabeth Irias, LMFT. Clearly Clinical supports minority and women presenters, and donates to Feeding America. And the best part? Clearly Clinical is literally the most affordable continuing ed provider in the country, bringing you unlimited CE courses for just $60 a year. As a promo for my listeners, you can use the code COUCH to get an additional 10% off. They have a number of free podcast CE courses, too, including a CE interview with Dr. Julie Gottman. Check those out at their website, ClearlyClinical.com.

Jun 22, 2021 • 52min
157: Internal Family Systems and Couples with Liz Phillips
The episode this week is being sponsored by the Couples Therapist Inner Circle. In this episode, Liz Phillips gives an overview of Internal Family Systems (IFS), a therapy model that was developed by Dick Schwartz. She also talks about Intimacy From the Inside Out (IFIO) which is a model of couples therapy that comes from IFS. In IFIO therapy, each member of the couple is invited into a process, which leads to a self compassionate, and secure relationship with him or herself. Find out more about liz at lizphillipstherapy.ca 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. Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes. The episode this week is being sponsored by the Couples Therapist Inner Circle. Click here for more information on the Couples Therapist Inner Circle. Get your free course called Working with Couples 101 Click here to join the Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group