242: The Go-To Relationship Guide for Gay Men with Tom Bruett
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 Tom Bruett about The Go-To Relationship Guide for Gay Men. Tom Bruett, LMFT is a therapist, trainer, consultant, and author who works extensively with the queer community. He is the founder of the Queer Relationship Institute, which provides therapy for queer folx and training for therapists who work with queer relationships. Hear how to be more open & sensitive with...
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241: 'Til Stress Do Us Part with Elizabeth Earnshaw
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 Elizabeth Earnshaw about the themes from her new book, ‘Til Stress Do Us Part. Elizabeth is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Clinical Fellow of The American Association of Marriage & Family Therapy. She also founded A Better Life Therapy, where she sees couples in her tailored weekend intensives. Over the past 15 years, she’s become one of...
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240: Emotional Abuse 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 dives into emotional abuse. Hear why emotional abuse is so complicated, how it compares to physical abuse, how different family environments impact the potential for emotional abuse, examples of boundary violations, and how to stick to the principle of non-violence with your clients and yourself.
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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...
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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.
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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,...
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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_outlineGet the Couples Therapy 101 course: https://www.couplestherapistcouch.com/
Join the Couples Therapist Inner Circle: https://www.couplestherapistcouch.com/inner-circle-new
Join The Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/295562197518469/
In this episode, Shane talks with Karen Bonnell about co-parenting. Karen is the Author of The Co-Parenting Handbook and The Stepfamily Handbook, and has culled her knowledge and skills from 40 years as a psychotherapist & psychiatric nurse practitioner to inform her guidance for parents and families in transition. Hear how to do what’s best for the kids, how to cooperate with your co-parent, how to navigate bringing a new partner into the mix, why there’s no such thing as perfect parents, and how to focus on connection before correction.
To learn more about Karen Bonnell and check out The Co-Parenting Handbook and The Stepfamily Handbook, visit:
KarenSBonnell.com/Karens-Books
You can also listen to Karen on Episode 36 & Episode 73 of The Couples Therapist Couch