TRANSFORM YOUR PRACTICE BY BUILDING COUPLES SKILLS AND CONFIDENCE

Learn how to work effectively with couples, gain new tools, and earn 6.5 CE credits — all in one day.

Learn how to work effectively with couples, gain new tools, and earn 6.5 CE credits — all in one day.

Live In-Person Workshop:

Getting Started in Couples Therapy: A Practical Introduction: Training for Clinicians New to Couples Work

Getting Started in Couples Therapy: A Practical Introduction: Training for Clinicians New to Couples Work

Join the Workshop Now $195 (6.5 CE Credits $25)

Workshop Date

  • May 15, 2026

Workshop Location

2324 West Joppa Road, STE 200 Lutherville, MD 21093.

Level Up Your Couples Therapy Skills

A live, hands-on workshop for licensed therapists

Earn CE credits. Gain confidence. Leave with tools you can use tomorrow.
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Why Take This Workshop?

This full-day, experiential workshop is designed for social workers and other licensed mental health professionals who are new to couples therapy or looking to level up their existing skills — and seeking a practical, inclusive foundation to do this work with confidence.

Couples therapy is not individual therapy with two people present. It requires a shift in mindset — from an individual lens to a two-person relational system. This training facilitates that transition by offering a structured, accessible approach grounded in the Developmental Model. It draws on Gottman, PACT, Discernment Counseling, and AANE-informed work with neurodivergent couples — but the Developmental Model gives the framework that makes sense of when and how to use these tools.

What You’ll Learn

Participants will learn to:
  • Structure and lead early sessions with confidence and clarity
  • Ask effective, culturally attuned questions to uncover attachment patterns and conflict dynamics
  • Integrate differentiation, attachment theory, and neuroscience into a socially informed clinical lens
  • Recognize and address individual issues (e.g., anxiety, trauma, addiction) as they affect the relational system
  • Step into the leadership role that couples therapy demands
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Inclusive & Grounded in Real-World Work

The workshop blends didactic learning with experiential practice — brief lectures, role plays, case discussions, and video examples. We emphasize inclusiveness, cultural humility, and social context throughout. Participants leave with tools they can apply immediately and a roadmap for building confidence as relational therapists.

Who This Workshop Is For

  • Early-career therapists ready to explore couples work
  • Individual therapists wanting a relational lens for clients navigating relationship issues
  • Clinicians looking to level up and sharpen their existing couples skills
  • Any clinician ready to grow in a new area of practice with guidance grounded in both theory and real-world application
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Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop, participants will:

Identify key stages of relational development as outlined in the Developmental Model and recognize common developmental challenges couples encounter.

Demonstrate how to structure an initial couples therapy session, including setting the frame, gathering key relational history, and managing dual perspectives.
Formulate effective initial assessment questions that uncover attachment dynamics, communication patterns, and individual contributions to the couple system.
Describe the role of differentiation in long-term relational growth and how it can be introduced in early sessions.
Apply a two-person systems lens to conceptualize cases, distinguishing couples therapy from individual work and increasing therapist confidence in leading sessions.
Identify and articulate at least three clinical indicators that couples therapy may be contraindicated, and explain the rationale for alternative treatment approaches.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop, participants will:

Identify key stages of relational development as outlined in the Developmental Model and recognize common developmental challenges couples encounter.

Demonstrate how to structure an initial couples therapy session, including setting the frame, gathering key relational history, and managing dual perspectives.
Formulate effective initial assessment questions that uncover attachment dynamics, communication patterns, and individual contributions to the couple system.
Describe the role of differentiation in long-term relational growth and how it can be introduced in early sessions.
Apply a two-person systems lens to conceptualize cases, distinguishing couples therapy from individual work and increasing therapist confidence in leading sessions.

Identify and articulate at least three clinical indicators that couples therapy may be contraindicated, and explain the rationale for alternative treatment approaches.

Meet Your Guide

Timothy C. Donovan, LCSW-C

Couples Therapist | Trainer | Founder, Bmore Couples Center

My work is grounded in the Developmental Model of Couples Therapy, which integrates differentiation, attachment theory, and neuroscience. The Developmental Model sees couples not as broken relationships to fix, but as stuck — with the capacity to grow both individually and together. It recognizes that conflict isn’t just about communication skills; it’s about each partner’s internal world and how vulnerabilities rise up under stress. When handled well, conflict becomes the greatest source of connection and being known.

I also draw on Gottman, PACT, Discernment Counseling, and AANE work with neurodivergent couples — but the Developmental Model gives me the framework that makes sense of when and how to use these tools.contact information

  • LCSW-C
  • CERTIFIED GOTTMAN THERAPIST
  • GOTTMAN TRAINER L1 & L2
  • PACT TRAINED
  • DISCERNMENT COUNSELING
  • AANE CERTIFIED
  • DEVELOPMENTAL MODEL MENTOR GROUP

Workshop Agenda

9:00 – 9:15 AM: Welcome & Orientation
  • Overview of the day
  • Learning objectives
  • Establishing a safe and supportive learning environment
  • Why couples therapy is fundamentally different
  • The therapist as leader in the room
  • Common fears and early pitfalls
  • Introduction to the Gottman and Developmental Models
  • Brief pair sharing or reflection: First encounters with couples work
  • What to ask and why: Intake structure and key interview questions
  • Identifying developmental stuck points and attachment issues
  • Introduction to the Stages of Intimacy
  • Why differentiation is foundational to long-term connection
  • The “reactive loop”: how to interpret, explain, and begin interrupting it
  • Working with anxiety and emotional reactivity
  • Live practice in pairs
  • Mental health issues in relational context: depression, anxiety, addiction
  • When and how to “take a side” to clarify or intervene
  • Therapist emotional regulation and countertransference
  • Structuring early sessions with clarity and containment
  • Setting agreements and establishing boundaries
  • Early interventions that build safety and trust
  • Role-play demonstration: observing the presenter
  • Practice leading a first-session moment
  • Review of key takeaways
  • Q&A and participant discussion
  • Next steps: how to grow as a couples therapist
Continuing Education Credits 6.5

How to Register

Step 1:

Click the ” RegisterNow” button below.
Join the Workshop Now Limited Spots Available!

Step 2:

Fill out your registration details and confirm your spot.

Step 3:

Submit payment to complete your registration. Once confirmed, you’ll receive your workshop materials and a personalized workshop agenda.

Bonus: Special Cheat Sheet for First Couples Sessions

Register now and receive instant access to the “Core Areas to Explore in a First Couples Session” cheat sheet. This practical guide will give you a clear roadmap for what to ask, what to look for, and how to guide the room with confidence in your very first couples session.

Ready to take your couples therapy skills to the next level?

Spaces are limited – don’t miss out! Click below to reserve your spot today and earn 6.5 CE credits while mastering the art of couples therapy.
Join the Workshop Now Limited Spots Available!

CE & Accreditation Information

View CE Approval Details

ACE Approval Statement

This course has been approved by CAMFT for 6.5 CE credits for licensed therapists toward license renewal.

Getting Started in Couples Therapy: A Practical Introduction is also approved by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program to be offered by Credits Education as an individual course (ASWB #6403). ACE approval ensures this workshop meets high standards for continuing education.

Additional Approvals:

  • Jurisdictional Approvals: CE credits approved in California (CAMFT) and many other states. Please consult your local licensing board to confirm approval.
  • ADA Accommodations: Contact us at least 30 days prior to the event for accessibility requests. We cannot guarantee accommodations without prior notice.
  • Licensing Disclaimer: Regulations change frequently. Please confirm with your board if you're unsure whether this course meets your continuing education requirements.
🔗 Refund and Grievance Policy
🔗 Attendance Policy & Certificate Info
🔗 Contact the CE Director

FAQS

Who is this for?
This workshop is designed for licensed therapists — including LCSWs, LPCs, LMFTs, Psychologists, and related clinicians — who want to expand and strengthen their skills in couples therapy. It’s especially helpful for those just starting out or looking to refine their approach and build greater confidence in their work with couples.
This workshop is only $195. It includes: the full-day live workshop, hands-on practice, printed scripts and handouts, personal feedback and coaching, 6.5 CE’s from CAMFT, professional development certificate of completion, live support from a seasoned couples therapist, and special downloadable bonuses. A value worth over $1,000.

Yes. You will receive a certificate of completion, and CE credits have been approved for eligible professionals.

This workshop is approved by CAMFT (California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists) for license renewal. You will get 6.5 hours of continuing education for licensed therapists that you can use to renew your license with.

The course is approved for 6.5 Continuing Education (CE) credits.

Yes. Getting Started in Couples Therapy: A Practical Introduction: Training for Clinicians New to Couples Work is approved by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program to be offered by Credits Education as an individual course ASWB #6403. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social Workers completing this course can receive 6.5 clinical Continuing Education (CE) Credits.

Please note: Individual regulatory boards are the final authority on accepted CE courses.

Yes. CA: Credits Education, # 103282, is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and LEPs. Credits Education maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content. Course meets the qualifications for 6.5 hours of Continuing Education (CE) credits for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.

To qualify for CE credit, you must:

  • Pay the course tuition
  • Sign in and out
  • Attend the entire workshop
  • Complete the course evaluation


Please note: Partial credit is not available, and failure to sign in/out will result in forfeiture of credit—no exceptions. Certificates will be available after satisfactory course completion at Credits Education.

This course is approved for 6.5 Continuing Education (CE) Credits via Credits Education. Participants must have paid tuition fee, signed in and out, attended the entire workshop, and completed an evaluation to receive a certificate. Failure to sign in or out will result in forfeiture of credit for the entire course. No exceptions will be made. Partial credit is not available. Certificates will be available after satisfactory course completion at Credits Education. The cost for 6.5 Continuing Education (CE) credits will be $25. An email will be sent to all participants who complete the course from Credits Education.

Yes. The registration deadlines are as follows:
  • September 15, 2025 for the September Workshop
  • October 10, 2025 for the October Workshop
Each group is limited to 12 participants to ensure personalized attention and support throughout the workshop.
Yes! You’ll engage in hands-on practice by leading mini therapy sessions with your peers in real-time.
Absolutely. You’ll receive exclusive printed scripts and handouts to use with real couples in your own practice.
Yes, personalized feedback and coaching are included to help you sharpen your skills and grow your confidence.
You’ll leave with practical, concrete tools and techniques you can start using immediately in your work with couples.
A full refund is available up to 7 days before the workshop start date.
In case of instructor cancellation, participants will be fully refunded or given the option to attend a future workshop.
Please contact me at least 14 days prior to the workshop start date to request any accessibility accommodations.

Contact

If you have any questions or concerns about the workshop, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at: