Working with high-conflict in couples therapy: A principles-based approach

Online Workshop
Friday, January 12, 2024
9:30am - 12:30pm ET

NYSED and ASWB/ACE approved for 3 CE contact hours

Persistent high-level conflict in a primary relationship is a significant source of emotional stress that negatively effects the overall well-being of partners as well as their children and other family members. Social workers need to have the ability to assess the nature of conflict and the safety of individuals within a relationship, and to have skills to intervene effectively.

This workshop will utilize a non-pathologizing framework for understanding conflict in couples relationships, one that foregrounds contextual factors (an eco-systemic view) as much as psychiatric/psychological factors. Many couples who struggle with high-levels of conflict are simultaneously dealing with external stressors such as poverty, racism, and sexism that impinge on a couple’s ability to have a sustainable relationship. Additionally, this workshop will recognize and address the diversity of forms of relationship as well as the multiplicity of ideas and understandings as to what constitutes a viable relationship.

As a result of attending this workshop, participants will:

1. Participants will learn to recognize key ingredients of a high-conflict interactional cycle in a couple presenting for couples therapy
2. Participants will learn to assess safety and to determine whether couples therapy is the right modality before engaging in treatment.
3. Participants will learn to provide psychoeducation regarding the physiological aspects of high-conflict interactions, particularly the role of sympathetic nervous system arousal; and how these affect emotional and cognitive functioning in the context of conflict-interaction.
4. Participants will learn ways of assisting clients to ‘down-regulate’ their emotional states to be able to more effectively manage conflict-interactions.
5. Participants will be able to determine the difference between constructive and destructive forms of conflict-interaction.
6. Participants will learn how to frame the three generic goals of couples therapy in the context of high-conflict, and to present these to a couple in framing the therapy.
7. Participants will learn key methods of defusing conflict escalation in session and of shifting clients towards constructive interaction.
8. Participant will learn to recognize the difference between primary and secondary emotions, and will learn strategies for increasing clients’ sense of safety in experiencing and expressing primary, vulnerable emotions in therapy.
9. Participants will learn to structure sessions so that clients learn how to engage in constructive repair dialogues through engaging in them in-vivo.

Andrew E. Roffman, LCSW

Andrew Roffman, LCSW, is a clinical social worker who has worked in the field of mental health since receiving his degree in 1988. For the last 24 years, he has been at NYU Langone Health’s Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s Child Study Center. There he serves as both the Clinical Director of the Family Studies Program and Director of the newly formed Social Work Post-Masters Fellowship Program. Andrew previously worked in community mental health settings as a social worker and did his post-graduate training in family therapy at The Ackerman Institute for the Family. In addition to his teaching and administrative roles, Andrew maintains a busy clinical practice of individual, couples, and family therapy in the Faculty Group Practice of the NYU Child Study Center.

General Admission: $60.00

Available Discounts: 

• NYU Alumni (10% off): $54
• Current Practicum Instructors/Educational Coordinators (10% off): $54

If after registering, you determine that you can no longer attend this event, The Office of Global and Lifelong Learning will issue refunds on the following basis:

• Refund requests made on or before January 5, 2024 (by midnight): full refund
• Refund requests made on or before January 9, 2024 (by midnight): 50% refund
• Refund requests made on or after January 10, 2024: no refund

If this event is cancelled, all registrants will be fully reimbursed. To withdraw from and be reimbursed for this event, please complete the event withdrawal form.

NYSED and ASWB/ACE approved for 3 Continuing Education Contact Hours.

55 jurisdictions accept ACE-approved provider CE contact hours. ACE is not an approved Continuing Education provider in the states of New York (though NYU Silver is NYSED CE approved in NYS) and West Virginia, unless the event is outside of West VA. ACE only approves individual courses in New Jersey, though NYU Silver is CSWE-accredited and therefore accepted for licensed NJ professionals. Here is a full list of statutes related to social work CE.

Special Accommodations:
Students requiring accommodations have the opportunity to make these known upon registering or by writing to silver.continuingeducation@nyu.edu.

Addressing Grievances:
For information on our grievance and complaint procedures, contact 212.998.9099 or silver.continuingeducation@nyu.edu.

Note on Accessibility:
It is a priority to make our events inclusive and accessible. For any questions or to notify us of a request, please email silver.continuingeducation@nyu.edu at least 72 hours before the event.

NYU Silver School of Social Work
Office of Global and Lifelong Learning
285 Mercer Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10003

Email: silver.continuingeducation@nyu.edu
Phone: 212.998.5973
Fax: 212.995.4497