Going to the heart of the matter: EFT and infidelity
Tracks
Track 5
| Friday, May 15, 2020 |
| 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM |
Presenter(s)
A/Prof Jennifer Fitzgerald
BA (Hons) PhD (Clin)
Australian Centre For Eft And University Of Queensland
Going to the heart of the matter: EFT and infidelity
10:30 AM - 5:00 PMAssumed knowledge of attendee
Beginner (casual familiarity with topic area e.g., treated one case)
Level of learning
Intermediate
Outline
This five- hour workshop focuses on the therapeutic repair of infidelity events in couple relationships. Emotionally focused couples’ therapy (EFCT; Johnson 2019; Greenberg & Johnson (1988) is grounded in attachment theory (Bowlby, 1988) and provides an empirically validated model for intervening with relationship distress and attachment injuries. Negative relationship events such as infidelity typically elicit intense and painful emotions in both partners, such as hurt, anger, fear, sadness and shame. The EFCT model provides the therapist with a map for therapy, and focuses on both intrapsychic and interpersonal processes in the relationship. This workshop will provide an overview of working with couples with infidelity, including the Attachment Injury Resolution Model (Makinen & Johnson, 2006), and will focus in particular on therapeutic opportunities when working with remorse and forgiveness. The workshop will integrate theory and clinical skills, and show segments of consultations with three couples in the aftermath of infidelity. A brief summary of the empirical validation for this approach to relationship repair will be provided. Audience participation and questions will be encouraged.
Learning outcomes
At the conclusion of this workshop, participants should be able to:
• Understand the EFT for couples’ model of therapy, and the complexity of attachment injury
• Understand the role of remorse and forgiveness in relationship injury repair
• Understand the role of the therapist as a temporary attachment figure for the distressed couple
• Conceptualise a case through an through an EFT lens and undertake basic EFT interventions
• Understand the EFT for couples’ model of therapy, and the complexity of attachment injury
• Understand the role of remorse and forgiveness in relationship injury repair
• Understand the role of the therapist as a temporary attachment figure for the distressed couple
• Conceptualise a case through an through an EFT lens and undertake basic EFT interventions
Biography
Jennifer Fitzgerald, PhD (Clin), is a Clinical Psychologist in Brisbane, Co-Director of the Australian Centre for EFT (www.aceft.com.au) and certified EFT international trainer. She is also an Associate Professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Queensland, coordinating courses in communication skills for medical students and sex and couples’ therapy for post grad psychology and counselling students. She teaches EFT workshops in many states of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and has presented at conferences in Australia, New York (2015), Rome (2017) and Athens (2018). Jenny and co-author Dr Veronica Kallos-Lilly published An emotionally focused workbook for couples: The two of us in 2015, which is now translated into six languages. Routledge also published Jenny’s edited text, Foundations for couples’ therapy: Research for the real world (2017). She has co-edited two text books for medical students (Communication skills for Medicine and Psychosocial dimensions in Medicine).
