212: Implicit Psychotherapy and Couples with Dr. Abi Blakeslee
Release Date: 05/28/2024
239: Neurodiversity & Relationships with Dr. Matt Zakreski
The Couples Therapist Couch
This episode is brought to you by Alma. Visit to learn more Get the Couples Therapy 101 course: Join the Couples Therapist Inner Circle: Join The Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group: In this episode, Shane talks with Dr. Matt Zakreski about neurodiversity & relationships. Dr. Matt is a seasoned clinical psychologist and professional speaker renowned for his expertise in serving neurodivergent individuals (people with different brains such as gifted, ADHD, Autism, and dyslexia), and is the author of Neurodiversity Playbook. Hear how to navigate neurodiversity with your clients, how...
info_outline
238: The 3 Situations When Couples Therapy Won’t Work with Shane Birkel
The Couples Therapist Couch
This episode is brought to you by Alma. Visit to learn more Get the Couples Therapy 101 course: Join the Couples Therapist Inner Circle: Join The Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group: In this solo episode, Shane explores the 3 situations when couples therapy won’t work: addiction, serious mental health issues, and acting-out behaviors. Hear why couples therapy is not always helpful, the different types of addiction, why you might be a client’s last chance, the one case where you truly can’t do couples therapy, and the difference in abuse in adults and children.
info_outline
237: Transformative Couples Therapy (TCT) with Dr. David Mars
The Couples Therapist Couch
This episode is brought to you by Alma. Visit to learn more Get the Couples Therapy 101 course: Join the Couples Therapist Inner Circle: Join The Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group: In this episode, Shane talks with Dr. David Mars about Transformative Couples Therapy (TCT). David is the Director of the Transformative Couples Therapy Institute and has presented workshops, courses, webinars, and online supervision worldwide for over 30 years. Hear how he created Transformative Couples Therapy, the issues he saw with traditional couples therapy, how we can improve couples therapy by...
info_outline
236: Trauma Bonds with Dr. Laura Copley
The Couples Therapist Couch
This episode is brought to you by Alma. Visit to learn more Get the Couples Therapy 101 course: Join the Couples Therapist Inner Circle: Join The Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group: In this episode, Shane talks with Dr. Laura Copley about trauma bonds. Laura is a trauma therapist, international speaker, and author of the relationship self-help book, Loving You Is Hurting Me. Hear the stigma around trauma bonds & toxic relationships, how trauma bonds work, how to help your clients face their fears, the similarities between trauma bonds & addiction, and how to give hope to your...
info_outline
235: The 5 Forces Destroying Your Relationship with Dr. Pat Love
The Couples Therapist Couch
Get the Couples Therapy 101 course: Join the Couples Therapist Inner Circle: Join The Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group: In this episode, Shane talks with Dr. Pat Love about The 5 Forces Destroying Your Relationship. Pat is an acclaimed therapist, speaker, and author of several books who has been a clinical practitioner of marriage and family therapy for over 40 years. Hear what’s important when selecting a mate, why true love takes time, how to help your clients when their emotions get flooded, how to navigate financial stress, and why fairness is so crucial to the success of a...
info_outline
234: Sex & Science with Emily Nagoski, PhD
The Couples Therapist Couch
Get the Couples Therapy 101 course: Join the Couples Therapist Inner Circle: Join The Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group: In this episode, Shane talks with Emily Nagoski, PhD about sex & science. Emily is a Sex Educator & Researcher and New York Times Bestselling Author of Come As You Are and other books on sex. Hear why there needs to be more sexuality education out there, the different forms of desire, how the sexual accelerator & brake work, how to bring up sex with your clients, and the most surprising findings from Emily’s research. To learn more about Emily Nagoski,...
info_outline
233: Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) with Ryan Rana
The Couples Therapist Couch
Get the Couples Therapy 101 course: Join the Couples Therapist Inner Circle: Join The Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group: In this episode, Shane talks with about emotional avoidance & Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT). Ryan is an certified EFT Trainer, Supervisor, and Therapist and has 25 years of experience in the therapeutic field in many different capacities. Hear how to start off assessing your clients, why EFT is all about risk, why blame is a survival strategy, how to avoid misdiagnosing clients, and why validation is so key. To learn more about Ryan Rana, visit: Use...
info_outline
232: Understanding Leverage in Couples Therapy with Shane Birkel
The Couples Therapist Couch
Get the Couples Therapy 101 course: Join the Couples Therapist Inner Circle: Join The Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group: In this solo episode, Shane discusses how leverage works in couples therapy. Hear the different forms of leverage, examples of leverage involving couples, how leverage can help you tackle tricky topics with clients, whether it’s right to stay together for the kids, and the most important questions to ask in a couples therapy session
info_outline
231: Empowerment from Trauma with La Shanda Sugg
The Couples Therapist Couch
Get the Couples Therapy 101 course: Join the Couples Therapist Inner Circle: Join The Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group: In this episode, Shane talks with about empowerment from trauma. La Shanda is the Founder & Chief Love Officer of . As a therapist, trainer, and coach, she is gifted with the art of translating complex concepts and making them relatable and easy to understand. Hear her formula for working with couples, how to move your clients into compassion for themselves & others, how to renarrate their story, what we can learn from our inner child aka little, and how to...
info_outline
230: Understanding Shame with Shane Birkel
The Couples Therapist Couch
Get the Couples Therapy 101 course: Join the Couples Therapist Inner Circle: Join The Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group: In this solo episode, Shane discusses how shame works and how to talk through shame with your clients. Hear the definition of shame, toxic shame vs. healthy shame, examples of shame between partners and children, how shame relates to compassion, and how to help your clients slow down and process the shame they’re feeling
info_outlineGet the Couples Therapy 101 course: https://www.couplestherapistcouch.com/
Join the Couples Therapist Inner Circle: https://www.couplestherapistcouch.com/inner-circle-new
In this episode, Shane talks with Dr. Abi Blakeslee about implicit psychotherapy and couples. Abi is the founder of Implicit Psychotherapy and senior faculty at Somatic Experiencing International. Hear how to help people find deeper healing, how implicit memory works, how somatic experiencing fits with implicit memories, how childhood trauma impacts relationships years later, and how small changes can make a big impact over time.
To learn more about Abi, visit:
You can also listen to Abi on Episode 169 of The Couples Therapist Couch