|
|
Essential Skills in Couple Therapy Certificate ProgramDr. Ken Kwan, Ph.D., RMFT, C.Psych.
A couple’s relationship is a union between two persons that involves passion, desires, companionship, and commitment. It is one of the primary forms of adult attachment associated with personal needs and life satisfaction. A couple’s relationship is a social institution that involves various organizational structures and roles such as dealing with day to day routines, finance, and care-giving responsibilities. The goal of couple therapy is to address the conflicts and distress that arise in the context of an intimate relationship. The focus is on addressing the ineffective recursive patterns of relating and problem solving between partners.
Course Description:
Essential Skills in Couple Therapy Certificate Program is designed for practitioners to learn the basics of couple therapy. The goal is to provide participants the essentials to facilitate their clinical work with couples.
The core components include:
- Reviewing current theories and therapeutic models in couple therapy
- Learning the essential skills in assessment and intervention
- Developing an integrative approach to work with an array of clinical issues in couple relationships
Other areas to be covered include:
- Intimacy
- Communication
- Parenting
- Extra-familial relationships
- Trauma & losses
- Mental health disorders in respect to the relational developmental stages
- Intensity of conflict
- Nature of disorders
The larger context of power, gender, culture, class, and sexual orientation will be considered.
Learning is a collaborative and participatory process. The goal of the course is to foster a safe and stimulating learning environment that welcomes multiple perspectives and experiences.
The Essential Skills in Couple Therapy Certificate Program consists of the successful completion of three of the four courses listed below for a total of 39 hours of instruction. Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 or Part 1, Part 2 and Part 4 will qualify for the Certificate Program. All courses are designed as individual workshops or as a certificate program.
Part 1: Couple Therapy: Basic Concepts and Clinical Applications The goal of couple therapy is to address the conflicts and distress that arise in this context of an intimate relationship. This 2-day course will provide an overview of couple therapy and its clinical applications using an integrative approach. Participants will learn: - Current theories and research in couple therapy
- Clinical applications of couple therapy
- Adult attachment and relationship development processes in couple relationships
- Communication process and the interaction cycle
- Common issues of distress in couple relationships
- Assessment strategies and tools in couple therapy
- Core therapeutic strategies in couple therapy
Date: October 15 & 16, 2010
Click Here to Register
[Click here] to view the course schedule
Part 2: Couple Therapy: Essential Skills (13 hours)
Prerequisites: Part 1 or equivalent
This 2-day course will present essential skills in couple therapy. Participants will learn how to implement strategies using role play and small group practice.
This course will cover the following topics:
- Working with mildly distress couples – clinical issues in assessment, case formulation, and intervention
- Working with moderately distressed couples – clinical issues in assessment, case formulation, and intervention
- Working with severely distressed couples – clinical issues in assessment, formulation and intervention
- Assessment and treatment for relational disorders and mental health issues
- Self care and being an effective couple therapist
Date: TBA
Part 3: Couple Therapy: Case Based Learning (13 hours)
Prerequisites: Part 1 or equivalent and Part 2
During this 2-day course, participants will learn to apply their core knowledge and essential skills by discussing actual case scenarios. Participants will participate in case formulation and intervention through small group discussion and role plays.
This course will cover the following topics:
- Intimacy & relationship distress
- Family transition and developmental distress
- Infidelity
- Separation & divorce
- Abuse & trauma
- Addiction
- Domestic violence
- Mood & anxiety disorders
- Personality disorders
- Multi-problems
Date: TBA
Part 4: Couple Therapy: Clinical Application in Actual Practice
Prerequisites: Part 1 or equivalent, Part 2
This longitudinal 6-week course (3-hour sessions) will be a practical, hands-on course, providing an opportunity for participants to share cases drawn from their own clinical practice. With client consent, participants will bring in actual data (e.g. audio or videotape of sessions) and use these recordings for consultation in small groups.
Date: TBA
About the Instructor:
Dr. Kenneth Kwan is the Founder and Executive Director of Oshawa Psychological & Counselling Services serving Oshawa and surrounding communities in Durham Region, and of Woodbine Psychological & Counselling Services serving Markham and surrounding communities in York Region. He recently spearheaded the successful launch of the Oshawa Psychotherapy Training Institute (OPTI), a unique training division of Oshawa Psychological & Counselling Services that focuses on providing mental health clinicians with both professional and personal quality learning as well as peer and clinical support.
Dr. Kwan is a registered psychologist in clinical and counselling psychology with children, adolescents, adults, couples and families as his primary client groups. During more than 20 years of clinical counseling experience, Dr. Kwan has held various clinical positions and leadership roles including Clinical Director of Family Services York Region. Through his private practice, Dr. Kwan provides clinical consultation to practicing mental health clinicians and psychologists. Currently, he provides clinical consultation to social workers on the community health team of Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services, Toronto.
Dr. Kwan was first registered as a chartered psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists in 1988 and with the College of Psychologists of Ontario in 2003. He is also a registered marriage and family therapist, clinical member and approved supervisor with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), and a registered sex therapist with the Board of Examiners in Sex Therapy & Counselling in Ontario (BESTCO). Dr. Kwan received his Ph.D. in Community Psychology from the University of Toronto in 2002. He also completed additional post-doctoral training for his registration in Clinical and Counseling Psychology with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. Prior to that, Dr. Kwan completed his M.Ed.in Educational Psychology in Special Education with a minor in Counselling Psychology and his M.ED. in Educational Foundations in Inter-Cultural Education, at the University of Alberta (1986 and 1981, respectively).
Dr. Kwan has worked with clients on issues that include anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD, ADHD, conduct and school problems, family relationship conflicts, couple relationship difficulties, coping with chronic illness and injuries, domestic violence and child abuse and sexual dysfunctions. He uses a variety of therapeutic modalities including emotionally-focused therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, structural family therapy and narrative therapy.
In addition, Dr. Kwan has provided extensive clinical training within the academic arena both as a lecturer and clinical supervisor. Dr. Kwan has been a sessional lecturer, an associate graduate faculty member and clinical supervisor with both the Counselling Psychology, and School and Clinical Child Psychology programs at OISE, University of Toronto, and as an adjunct professor with the Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto. Finally, for two terms he was a part-time faculty member with the School of Kinesiology & Health Science, York University.
Dr. Kwan also has been active in community service. He is the volunteer clinical consultant for the peer consultation group, Southeast York Regional Chinese Mental Health Initiative Planning Committee Dr. Kwan is fluent in English and Chinese (Cantonese), and can offer services in either language.
|
|
Download the course schedule for
Essentials of Couple Therapy Part 1
(click here) |
|
