10 clinical CEs
$99.99
Register NowCourse Overview
The Special Topics in Couples Therapy is a 6-part series that offers clinicians in-depth training on complex and often under-addressed relational issues that arise in practice. This series covers a range of clinical themes—including rebuilding trust after betrayal, navigating the transition to parenthood, enhancing emotional validation, integrating effective homework, and supporting couples impacted by substance use. Each topic is grounded in current research and best practices to support relational resilience across the lifespan. For example, emotional validation has been shown to promote secure attachment and greater intimacy (Dalgleish et al., 2015; Cutrona & Russell, 2017), and rituals of connection can serve as powerful tools to maintain closeness through developmental transitions (Gottman & Gottman, 2018). These trainings offer therapists a robust toolkit for strengthening emotional attunement and deepening the therapeutic alliance with both partners.
Sessions also explore how to apply established frameworks—such as the Gottman Method and Emotionally Focused Therapy—in nuanced ways, tailored to couples facing specific challenges. For example, when working with couples in early recovery from addiction, clinicians are often unsure whether to prioritize individual sobriety or relational repair. However, research suggests that relationship satisfaction is a key protective factor in long-term recovery (Humphreys et al., 1997), and that couple-based interventions can be both appropriate and effective in early stages (Gottman & Gottman, 2015; Navarra, 2019). Across all topics, the series emphasizes evidence-based assessment, meaningful intervention, and practical tools to help couples restore trust, deepen intimacy, and co-create lasting change. Designed for intermediate and advanced clinicians, this series bridges clinical theory with the real-world demands of couples work.
Learning Objectives
- Participants will be able to apply therapeutic interventions for validation.
- Participants will be able to identify relational blocks to validation.
- Participants will apply therapy interventions to couples who are new parents.
- Participants will analyze both marital problems and substance use disorders for effective clinical intervention for couples and addiction recovery.
- Participants will apply multiple counseling techniques for effective clinical intervention for couples and addiction recovery.
- Participants will identify effective interventions to help couples create individualized relationship rituals.
- Participants will be able to choose effective homework related to clients’ therapy goals.
- Participants will be able to apply homework assignments from therapy session topics.
- Participants will be able to identify trust issues within the couple relationship.
- Participants will determine interventions to rebuild trust.
Course Outline
| Module | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 Hour | Rituals of Connection |
| 1 Hour | How to Handle Homework |
| 1 Hour | Balancing Coupledom and Parenthood |
| 2 Hour | Integrating Couple Therapy and Addiction Recovery |
| 2 Hour | Helping Couples Validate One Another |
| 3 Hour | Rebuilding Trust from Betrayal |
Instructor Bio
Anthony is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Pennsylvania. He is a Certified Gottman Therapist and is the co-lead for the Center for Marriage and Family at Cognitive Behavior Institute. Anthony also has extensive experience working with individuals with substance use disorders in a variety of clinical settings. He previously was an instructor at The University of Pittsburgh’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program teaching clinical skills in substance use disorder and crisis management.
Course Bibliography
*See course registration page.
Approvals
Cognitive Behavior Institute, #1771, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 06/30/2025-06/30/2028. Social workers completing this course receive 10 clinical continuing education credits.
Cognitive Behavior Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0098 and the State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0646 and the State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors #MHC-0216.
Cognitive Behavior Institute has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7117. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Cognitive Behavior Institute is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
Cognitive Behavior Institute is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Cognitive Behavior Institute maintains responsibility for content of this program.
Social workers, marriage and family therapists, and professional counselors in Pennsylvania can receive continuing education from providers approved by the American Psychological Association. Since CBI is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education, licensed social workers, licensed marriage and family therapists, and licensed professional counselors in Pennsylvania will be able to fulfill their continuing education requirements by attending CBI continuing education programs. For professionals outside the state of Pennsylvania, you must confirm with your specific State Board that APA approved CE's are accepted towards your licensure requirements. The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) has a process for approving individual programs or providers for continuing education through their Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. ACE approved providers and individual courses approved by ASWB are not accepted by every state and regulatory board for continuing education credits for social workers. Every US state other than New York accepts ACE approval for social workers in some capacity: New Jersey only accepts individually approved courses for social workers, rather than courses from approved providers. The West Virginia board requires board approval for live courses, but accepts ASWB ACE approval for other courses for social workers. For more information, please see https://www.aswb.org/ace/ace-jurisdiction-map/. Whether or not boards accept ASWB ACE approved continuing education for other professionals such as licensed professional counselors or licensed marriage and family therapists varies by jurisdiction. To determine if a course can be accepted by your licensing board, please review your board’s regulations or contact them. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit.