

The Couples Therapist Couch
Shane Birkel
This podcast is about the practice of Couples Therapy. Many of the episodes are interviews with leaders in the field of Relationships. The show is meant to help Therapists and Coaches learn how to help people to deepen their connection, but in the process it explores what is most needed for each of us to love, heal, and grow. Each week Shane Birkel interviews an expert in the field of Couples Therapy to explore all about the world of relationships and how to be an amazing therapist.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 18, 2021 • 26min
156: Joining Through the Truth in RLT with Shane Birkel
Click here to learn more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle In this episode, Shane talks about what makes Relational Life Therapy different from many other models of Couples Therapy. One of the ways we create change in RLT is by joining through the truth. In order to understand this in more depth, we have to understand the importance of acceptance of emotions and treating people with love, respect and warm regard, while at the same time taking on the bad behaviors that are ruining their relationships. The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapists about the practice of couples therapy. The host, Shane Birkel, interviews an expert in the field of couples therapy each week. Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes.

May 7, 2021 • 56min
155: Developmental and Relational Trauma with Rick Butts
Get your 3 free videos on Relational Life Therapy with Terry Real In this episode, Shane is joined by Dr. Rick Butts who is one of the founders of the Healing Our Core Issues Institute. This is based on the work of Pia Mellody and teaches therapists how to do Inner Child Work. He goes into detail about the 4 pillars of Healing Our Core Issues as well as discussing the 6 aspects of the nature of a child. Find out more about Dr. Rick Butts at drrickbutts.com Find out more about the Healing Our Core Issues Institute Click here if you are interested in doing the Relational Life Therapy Level One Training The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapists about the practice of couples therapy. The host, Shane Birkel, interviews an expert in the field of couples therapy each week. Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes.

Mar 30, 2021 • 50min
154: Elliott Connie on Solution Focused Brief Therapy and Couples
In this episode of the Couples Therapist Couch, Elliott Connie talks about using Solution Focused Brief Therapy when working with couples. He is an educator and author in the model of SFBT. Find out more about Elliott and Solution Focused Brief Therapy at elliottconnie.com. The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapists about the practice of couples therapy. The host, Shane Birkel, interviews an expert in the field of couples therapy each week. Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes. This episode is sponsored by Clearly Clinical Continuing Ed. Clearly Clinical is the nation's premier podcast Continuing Ed provider, and features industry experts from across the world. Clearly Clinical is an approved CE provider with the APA, ASWB, NBCC, NAADAC, CCAPP, and CAMFT, and is women-owned, founded by Elizabeth Irias, LMFT. Clearly Clinical supports minority and women presenters, and donates to Feeding America. And the best part? Clearly Clinical is literally the most affordable continuing ed provider in the country, bringing you unlimited CE courses for just $60 a year. As a promo for my listeners, you can use the code COUCH to get an additional 10% off. They have a number of free podcast CE courses, too, including a CE interview with Dr. Julie Gottman. Check those out at their website, ClearlyClinical.com. Find out more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle

Mar 18, 2021 • 50min
153: Understanding Differentiation with Ellyn Bader
This episode is with Dr. Ellyn Bader, the founder of the Developmental Model of Couples Therapy. She has been teaching Couples Therapy since the 80s when everyone told her that no one would want that type of therapy. We talk all about Differentiation in this conversation which is about each partner expressing their own needs and wants and being able to listen to the other without judgement or defensiveness. Find out more about Ellyn at couplesinstitute.com Find out more about the Developmental Model at couplesinstitute.com/developmentalmodel The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapists about the practice of couples therapy. The host, Shane Birkel, interviews an expert in the field of couples therapy each week. Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes. This episode is sponsored by Clearly Clinical Continuing Ed. Clearly Clinical is the nation's premier podcast Continuing Ed provider, and features industry experts from across the world. Clearly Clinical is an approved CE provider with the APA, ASWB, NBCC, NAADAC, CCAPP, and CAMFT, and is women-owned, founded by Elizabeth Irias, LMFT. Clearly Clinical supports minority and women presenters, and donates to Feeding America. And the best part? Clearly Clinical is literally the most affordable continuing ed provider in the country, bringing you unlimited CE courses for just $60 a year. As a promo for my listeners, you can use the code COUCH to get an additional 10% off. They have a number of free podcast CE courses, too, including a CE interview with Dr. Julie Gottman. Check those out at their website, ClearlyClinical.com. Find out more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle

Mar 2, 2021 • 49min
152: A Model is Only as Good as Its Applicability with Francesca Maxime'
Find out more about the Couples Therapist Inner Circle In this episode, Shane talks with Francesca Maxime' about the reality that no matter how well a therapist knows a model, doing their own person work is essential to improving as a therapist. Find out more about Francesca at: Course on Anti-racism at therapywisdom.com maximeclarity.com ReRooted Podcast on the Be Here Now Network The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapists about the practice of couples therapy. The host, Shane Birkel, interviews an expert in the field of couples therapy each week. Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes. This episode is sponsored by Clearly Clinical Continuing Ed. Clearly Clinical is the nation's premier podcast Continuing Ed provider, and features industry experts from across the world. Clearly Clinical is an approved CE provider with the APA, ASWB, NBCC, NAADAC, CCAPP, and CAMFT, and is women-owned, founded by Elizabeth Irias, LMFT. Clearly Clinical supports minority and women presenters, and donates to Feeding America. And the best part? Clearly Clinical is literally the most affordable continuing ed provider in the country, bringing you unlimited CE courses for just $60 a year. As a promo for my listeners, you can use the code COUCH to get an additional 10% off. They have a number of free podcast CE courses, too, including a CE interview with Dr. Julie Gottman. Check those out at their website, ClearlyClinical.com.

Feb 23, 2021 • 47min
151: Childhood Experience and The 5 Core Issues with Kim Ploussard
Kim Ploussard is a Certified Relational Life Therapist and one of the Coaches for the model. Back in episode #62 she talked about the 5 Core Issues and how they impact relationships. In this episode she goes deeper into the understanding of the 5 Core Issues with regard to children and parenting. Find out more about Kim at albanymarriagecounseling.com The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapists about the practice of couples therapy. The host, Shane Birkel, interviews an expert in the field of couples therapy each week. Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes. The episode this week is being sponsored by the Couples Therapist Inner Circle. Click here for more information on the Couples Therapist Inner Circle. Get your free course called Working with Couples 101 Click here to join the Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group

Feb 19, 2021 • 54min
150: What Makes Relationships Work with Jennifer Lehr
Find out more about Jennifer Lehr at jenniferlehrmft.com and weconcile.com The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapists about the practice of couples therapy. The host, Shane Birkel, interviews an expert in the field of couples therapy each week. Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes. The episode this week is being sponsored by the Couples Therapist Inner Circle. Click here for more information on the Couples Therapist Inner Circle. Get your free course called Working with Couples 101 Click here to join the Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group

Feb 9, 2021 • 46min
149: Couples in Recovery with Dr. Robert Navarra
One of the main preconditions that is often listed for doing couples therapy is an active addiction. It is hard for couples to get closer in there relationship when problematic drug or alcohol use is present. In this episode Dr. Robert Navarra discusses the difference between addiction and problematic drug use and how to guide couples to make a plan when they are living with the impact of this. Dr. Robert Navarra is a clinician, researcher, and author specializing in couple recovery. He has created "Roadmap for the Journey: A Path for Couples in Addiction Recovery", and "Couples and Addiction Recovery: A Gottman Approach for Therapists, Counselors, and Addiction Professionals". Find out more about him at https://drrobertnavarra.com/ The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapists about the practice of couples therapy. The host, Shane Birkel, interviews an expert in the field of couples therapy each week. Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes. The episode this week is being sponsored by the Couples Therapist Inner Circle. Click here for more information on the Couples Therapist Inner Circle. Get your free course called Working with Couples 101 Click here to join the Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group

Dec 3, 2020 • 43min
148: Start Using EFT in Your Practice with Debi Scimeca-Diaz
I recently attended the Emotionally Focused Therapy Externship which was taught by Debi Scimeca-Diaz. She was an amazing trainer and I learned a ton about the model. In this episode, she comes on the podcast and talks about how to use EFT in your practice and why EFT is such a great way of working with couples. Debi Scimeca-Diaz, LMFT is one of a small group of trainers in the world for Emotionally Focused Therapy. Dr. Sue Johnson, director and founder of International Center for Excellence in EFT (www.iceeft.com), has put her heart and soul into creating, researching and spreading EFT worldwide. Find more about Debi at couplestherapynj.com The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapists about the practice of couples therapy. The host, Shane Birkel, interviews an expert in the field of couples therapy each week. Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes. This episode is sponsored by Clearly Clinical Continuing Ed. Clearly Clinical is the nation's premier podcast Continuing Ed provider, and features industry experts from across the world. Clearly Clinical is an approved CE provider with the APA, ASWB, NBCC, NAADAC, CCAPP, and CAMFT, and is women-owned, founded by Elizabeth Irias, LMFT. Clearly Clinical supports minority and women presenters, and donates to Feeding America. And the best part? Clearly Clinical is literally the most affordable continuing ed provider in the country, bringing you unlimited CE courses for just $60 a year. As a promo for my listeners, you can use the code COUCH to get an additional 10% off. They have a number of free podcast CE courses, too, including a CE interview with Dr. Julie Gottman. Check those out at their website, ClearlyClinical.com. Click here for more information on the Couples Therapist Inner Circle. Get your free course called Working with Couples 101 Click here to join the Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group

Nov 18, 2020 • 46min
147: Mindfulness and Relationships with Melissa Sutor
When we are feeling stress with our partner, in our relationships, it is often due to the fact that we are not able to stay present in the moment. In this episode, Melissa Sutor, MS, MS, talks all about the benefits of mindfulness for relationships and for a healthy life. Melissa Sutor is a mindfulness teacher and coach, mental health counselor, and founder of Dragonfly Healing Center nonprofit organization. She leads wellness retreats to help clients reduce stress and prevent burnout. Find out more about her at melissasutor.com. The Couples Therapist Couch is the podcast for Couples Therapists about the practice of couples therapy. The host, Shane Birkel, interviews an expert in the field of couples therapy each week. Please subscribe to the podcast for more great episodes. The episode this week is being sponsored by the Couples Therapist Inner Circle. Click here for more information on the Couples Therapist Inner Circle. Get your free course called Working with Couples 101 Click here to join the Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group


