THE FUNDAMENTALS OF WORKING WITH COUPLES
For couple therapists and for
therapists who usually work one to one and
want to explore more about working with couples
ONLINE WORKSHOP OVER 3 DAYS
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Date: Wednesday 14th-Friday 16th May 2025
Times: 3.00pm(BST) start until 8.00pm(BST)
N.B. Please log onto zoom at 2.45am(BST) so you are ready to start at 3.00pm(BST). Allow an extra 30 minutes at the end of each day.
Alternative Dates and Timings: Please click links as timings may vary Sunday 22nd & Monday 23rd June 2025 (IN PERSON – EALING ABBEY, LONDON) or Friday 5th – Sunday 7th September 2025 or Monday 19th – Wednesday 21st January 2026
Trainer: Bernd Leygraf Scroll down to see more about the trainer
Location: Online
Cost: £209 if booked by 14th March 2025,
£229 if booked by 14th April 2025,
£249 Full Price
CLICK HERE TO BOOK
If your booking is accepted that means there was space for you. If it is full, email sambaker.pa@gmail.com to join the ‘reserve list’. Then, if anyone drops out we will notify you, if there is a ‘last minute’ place for you. We will also let you know when we plan a new date.
Content of the course:
- What to expect when working with couples
- The first session
- Decentring: a method for working with couples
- How to start the couple communicating
- How to help the couple negotiate
- Framework for understanding relationship dynamics
- Patterns of intimacy
- Life stages
- Dealing with sexual issues such as:
- Erectile dysfunction
Breaks: Generally, each day will include two breaks of about fifteen minutes each, and a five minute break.
Pre course questionnaire: There is a questionnaire that we ask all participants to fill in before the course. This will take 10-15 minutes. There is no other homework for this course.
About the trainer: Bernd Leygraf
Consultant Psychotherapist co-founded a number of organisations (London Men’s Forum, UK Standing Conference on Sexual Abuse of Men, the Centre for Personal and Professional Development, the Whittington Hospital Psychotherapy Clinic, the Hungarian Gestalt Association, NAOS Institute). He co-authored with Judi Keshet-Orr the first MSc in Humanistic Psychotherapy and the first Masters programme in Psychosexual & Relationship Therapy in the UK. He also authored or co-authored, as well as led, several masters programmes in the UK, primarily at South Bank University, Middlesex University, Westminster and the University of Surrey. He was external examiner to various universities in the UK.
A former Chair of the Professional Standards and Accreditation Board at the European Association for Counselling, and Ethics Committee of COSRT, Bernd works currently with trainees, from over 40 countries. He is familiar with and interested in working with issues of cultural difference. His principal influences in sexological and couples work are David Schnarch, Joseph Zinker, Ellen Bader, Judith Hemming, Joan Lachkar, Judi Keshet-Orr and, as ever, his clients.
In 2023 Bernd was given the Liz McElligot Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Profession of Psychosexual and Relationship Therapy and for the support and guidance he has provided to the field.
Bernd is proud to have supported – alongside Judi – a significant number of sex and couples therapists in shaping their own professional identities and careers – both in the UK and further afield; some even have moved into offering specialist sex addiction clinics; others are now trainers in this field in their own right.
Bernd is delighted to be (founder and) Honorary Member of the Hungarian Gestalt Association. Clinically speaking Bernd focuses on working with celebrity clients, and on men in leadership, both nationally and globally.
Maximum numbers: This workshop will have a maximum of 30 participants
Approved for CPD : This course has been approved by NCIP- National Council Of Integrative Psychotherapists. This course will give you 14 hours CPD
Our expectation: IS THAT YOU WILL ATTEND THIS WORKSHOP FOR THE FULL LENGTH OF THE COURSE, HAVE YOUR VIDEO ON, YOUR MOBILE OFF, AND FULLY PARTICIPATE.
- There are some online talks on zoom that allow you to come and go, or to choose not to participate in the exercise and breakout rooms. This culture has started to creep into our workshops. We have even had people say they want to leave to go and pick up children from school or walk their dog! People dropping in and out is very disruptive – especially when there may be group exercises that are planned for the same group to participate in a number of times.
- Because of this, we want to be clear about our expectations. This workshop has been planned with the assumption that you, and everyone else, will attend for the full time.
- SO PLEASE BE CLEAR, THAT IF YOU BOOK ON THIS WORKSHOP, WE EXPECT YOU TO ATTEND FOR THE WHOLE TIME, TO PARTICIPATE IN THE BREAKOUT ROOMS AND EXERCISES AND HAVE YOUR VIDEO SWITCHED ON.
- Please also put your mobile to one side and on silent – checking your phone or texting will mean that you miss material. So we request that you only check your phone during breaks.
Slides and exercises: The handouts and exercises will be sent to you by email, one week before the workshop. We will ask you to PRINT THESE OUT before the workshop. If you have a problem printing them, we can print them and post them to you. There will be a charge for this service of £12 in the UK, £15 in Europe. Please give us at least 2 weeks notice if you need this, as we may not be able to do this at short notice. Please don’t read the handouts and exercises in advance. We ask this because there may be things that, as a ‘therapist’ you won’t know about your ‘client’, and knowing this will lessen the impact of the exercise.
Second set of handouts: After the workshop you will be asked to fill in a feedback form. Completing this feedback form will give you a link to further handouts. Please write this link and password down, as you will need these to access the webpage where this comprehensive set of handouts are stored. These handouts are available for you to download a copy onto your own desktop. You must complete the download within two weeks of the end of the workshop. We ask you not to share any of the slides, exercises or handouts with other professionals who have not attended the workshop. But you are welcome to share the occasional handout or page with clients.
Practice at being a therapist: One feature of our Working With Couples workshops is that there is an opportunity for everyone to practice being a therapist once during the training. We will continue this in the online world using Zoom Breakout rooms.
Equipment you will need: We will use Zoom, so you would need a computer that has good enough internet access to be able to be online, and in a quiet spot where you won’t be disturbed. It would be preferable if there are no people walking around in the background. An Iphone can be used in an emergency, but we recommend planning on using a laptop or computer. Tablets also work, though please be aware that they have less functionality in Zoom. You will need access to a printer to print the handouts (Please see Slides and Exercises above).
This course and working online: This course is not intended to be a comprehensive workshop about how to work couples online. Our focus in these workshops is working with couples, and up until now this has always been face to face. Having said that, implicitly you will experience handling online technology, and will be doing ‘couples therapy’ roleplay in 3’s – where one is the therapist and two role play a couple – in breakout rooms. This mirrors doing couples therapy online, and will give you some skills practice at doing that.
Six modules on how to work with couples: This course is part of the six module workshop organised by Juliet Grayson, for people who want to learn about working with couples or enhance their current skills. For more info about the other modules go to https://therapyandcounselling.co.uk/certificate-in-working-with-couples/
Therapists Insurance: By booking on this workshop you confirm that you have sufficient insurance to offer therapy to the public. (We are required by the NCIP, who accredit this workshop, to ask you to confirm this). If there is any discrepancy please let us know by contacting jonstow.cyh@gmail.com
Cancellations: Any request to change (eg defer to alternative dates) or cancel your place at a workshop, that is made at less than 21 days before the course start date will be charged in full. Any cancellation / amendments / requests to defer before 21 days, will be subject to a 12.5% handling charge.
For more information: Look at https://therapyandcounselling.co.uk/certificate-in-working-with-couples/ or email: sambaker.pa@gmail.com or call Juliet Grayson on 01291 638805
CPD form: A Certificate of Attendance form for Continuous Professional Development will be sent by email once you have filled in the feedback form. Please let us know when you book your 6th workshop in the Working With Couples series. We will ask you to return the 5 certificates from the other workshops, and we will prepare a smart Certificate in Couples Therapy that you can hang on your wall.
Final certificate: When you have completed all 6 workshops you can apply to have a smart Certificate in Couples Therapy to hang on your wall. To claim this: please let us know when you book your 6th workshop in the Working With Couples series. We will ask you to return the 5 certificates from the other workshops. For more info see here: https://therapyandcounselling.co.uk/final-certificate
Organised by Inter-Action Training Ltd