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Digital Seminar

Couples Therapy as a Treatment for Trauma


Speaker:
Ellyn Bader, PhD
Duration:
2 Hours
Language:
Presented in EN, subtitles in EN and FR, handouts in EN and FR
Copyright:
Oct 09, 2025
Product Code:
POS150444
Media Type:
Digital Seminar

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Description

Historically, couples therapy hasn’t been considered a treatment for trauma. Yet it can be a powerful modality for spurring growth, resolving painful patterns, and helping clients build a strong sense of self. If early developmental trauma occurred for one or both partners, the client may struggle with impulse control, vulnerability, and trust while also feeling like a victim within their relationship. And if trauma has occurred between the partners, it may be causing disillusionment that’s stalling relationship development. For this reason, it’s important to be able to recognize trauma in the context of couples therapy. In this workshop, you’ll learn to: 

  • Analyze the 5 different types of trauma 
  • Appraise the role of early developmental trauma in couples development 
  • Differentiate between when it’s best to treat trauma individually or as a couple 
  • Leverage couples therapy to help trauma survivors strengthen their sense of self 
  • Determine the role of shame in stalling couples development in therapy  

Credit

Program Information

Planning Committee Disclosure - No relevant relationships

All members of the PESI, Inc. planning committee have provided disclosures of financial relationships with ineligible organizations and any relevant non-financial relationships prior to planning content for this activity. None of the committee members had relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies or other potentially biasing relationships to disclose to learners.  For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.



Canada Credit - *

NOTE: Tuition includes one free CE Certificate (participant will be able to print the certificate of completion after passing the online post-test (80% passing score) and completing the evaluation). Instructional methods will include PowerPoint, didactic lecture, and others.

Continuing Education Information:  Listed below are the continuing education credit(s) currently available for this non-interactive self-study package. Program content is reviewed periodically per accrediting board rules for currency and appropriateness for credit. Credit approvals are subject to change. Please note, your licensing board dictates whether self-study is an acceptable form of continuing education, as well as which credit types are acceptable for continuing education hours. Please refer to your licensing board's rules and regulations. If your profession is not listed, please contact your licensing board to determine your continuing education requirements and check for reciprocal approval. 
For other credit inquiries not specified below, please contact info@pesi.com or 800-844-8260 before purchase.

Materials that are included in this course may include interventions and modalities that are beyond the authorized practice of your profession.  As a licensed professional, you are responsible for reviewing the scope of practice, including activities that are defined in law as beyond the boundaries of practice in accordance with and in compliance with your profession's standards.  

For Planning Committee disclosures, please see the statement above.  For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.

 


Canada Credit - ---

Earn up to 2.0 CE hours. Please see below, for more details, as credit amounts vary by jurisdiction and profession. 


Canada Credit - Canadian Counsellors and Psychotherapists

PESI, Inc. is approved by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association to offer continuing education for counsellors and psychotherapists. PESI, Inc. maintains responsibility for the program. This self-study activity is approved for 2.0 credit hours.


Canada Credit - Social Workers - National ASWB ACE

PESI, Inc., #1062, 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: January 27, 2026 - January 27, 2029. Social workers completing this course receive 2.0 Clinical continuing education credits.

Course Level: Intermediate Format: Recorded asynchronous distance. Full attendance is required; no partial credits will be offered for partial attendance.

 

Canadian Social Workers: Canadian provinces may accept activities offered by providers approved by the ASWB ACE program for ongoing professional development.


Canada Credit - Other Professions

This self-study activity qualifies for 2.0 continuing education clock hours as required by many national and local licensing boards and professional organizations. Save your activity advertisement and certificate of completion, and contact your own board or organization for specific requirements.


US National Boards - Addiction Counselors - NAADAC

This self-study course has been approved by PESI, Inc., as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #77553. PESI, Inc. is responsible for all aspects of their programming.

This self-study course offers 2.0 continuing education contact hours in the Counseling Services skill group. Full attendance is required; no partial credit will be awarded for partial attendance.



Handouts

Speaker

Ellyn Bader, PhD's Profile

Ellyn Bader, PhD Related seminars and products

The Couples Institute


Ellyn Bader, PhD, is in private practice and is co-director of The Couples Institute in Menlo Park, California. Over the past 25 years she has conducted professional training programs in couples therapy and has trained therapists throughout the United States as well as Europe, Asia, South America, and Australia. She is a past president of the International Transactional Analysis Association and a recipient of the Clark Vincent Award for an outstanding literary contribution to the field of marital therapy from the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. Dr. Bader is frequently invited to speak at national and international conferences. She and her husband, Peter Pearson, PhD, coauthored the books, In Quest of the Mythical Mate: A Developmental Approach to Diagnosis and Treatment in Couples Therapy (Brunner/Mazel) and Tell Me No Lies: How to Face the Truth and Build an Honest Marriage (St. Martin’s Press).

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Ellyn Bader is the director of The Couples Institute and receives compensation as a consultant. She receives royalties as a published author. Ellyn Bader receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Ellyn Bader is a member of the American Psychological Association, the International Transactional Analysis Association, and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.


Additional Info

Program Information

Access for Self-Study (Non-Interactive)

Access never expires for this product.


Questions?

Visit our FAQ page at https://www.pesicanada.ca/faq or contact us at https://www.pesicanada.ca/contact-us.


Objectives

  1. Analyze the 5 different types of trauma
  2. Appraise the role of early developmental trauma in couples development
  3. Utilize couples therapy to help trauma survivors develop a strong sense of self 
  4. Determine the role of shame in stalling couples development in therapy

Outline

Reframing Couples Therapy as Trauma Treatment 

  • Introduction to the Developmental Model of Couples Therapy 
  • Why couples therapy has been underutilized for trauma 
  • The opportunity for healing within relational dynamics 

Identifying Types of Trauma in Couples Work 

  • Overview of five types of trauma: 
    • Developmental trauma 
    • Interpersonal traumatic disillusionment 
    • Intergenerational 
    • Betrayal trauma 
    • Cultural/systemic trauma 
  • How each type presents in couple dynamics 

Developmental Trauma and the Adult Couple Relationship 

  • Impacts on trust, emotional regulation, and vulnerability 
  • How early trauma shapes present-day patterns 
  • Recognizing victim stances and coping defenses in each partner 

Trauma Between Partners 

  • Understanding betrayal, infidelity, and chronic relational injuries 
  • The role of disillusionment in stalled development 
  • Techniques for re-engagement and relational rebuilding 

Individual vs. Couple-Based Trauma Treatment 

  • Criteria for determining the appropriate setting for trauma work 
  • Coordinating parallel individual and couples treatment 

The Role of Shame in Stalled Development 

  • How shame operates beneath the surface of trauma responses 
  • Identifying shame-based coping in partners 

Restoring Connection Through Developmental Growth 

  • Strengthening the sense of self in the context of relationship 
  • Facilitating empathy and differentiation 
  • Using emotionally focused questions to deepen connection and growth 

Risks and Limitations 

  • Discussion of the accuracy and utility of the materials presented, research limitations, and the severe and common risks associated with the content of the program 

Target Audience

  • Counsellors
  • Marriage and Family Therapists
  • Social Workers
  • Physicians 
  • Psychologists
  • Addiction Counsellors

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