The workshop is about healing the fragmented self in couples treatment.

This is a description.

Couples enter relationships with unconscious hopes that they will be reparative, that their wounded child selves will finally experience the cherishing for which they have been longing. The protectors rise to the defense with anger, withdrawal, threats, or shame when the other hurts their child. The model helps couples identify hurt, angry, fearful feelings as communications from young parts and their vigorous defensive responses as protectors. By having a way to ‘hover above’ their conflicts, ‘own’ hurt and disappointment as the feelings of a young child, and take responsibility for their fight/flight behavior, couples develop a new language that promotes safety and closeness.

The educational objectives are listed.

1. Identify actions and reactions triggered in the relationship as communications from child parts.
2. Describe the contributions of protector parts to the conflicts in the relationship.
3. Demonstrate new relational patterns in which the soothing of one’s young parts becomes the focus of attention, rather than assumed to be the responsibility of the partner.

Session may be edited to preserve confidentiality.