From Passion to Purpose
March 3rd, 2027
Step Into Confident Leadership With Your Couples
Whether you have been working with couples for 3 years or for 30 years, this training program can help strengthen your couples therapy skills so that you can confidently take powerful leadership in your sessions.
This unique training program offers a variety of powerful teachings to help shift your toughest couples. Using video demonstrations, role plays and experiential exercises, and handouts, you can begin to feel like a confident, powerful leader in your sessions.
What You’ll Learn
By the end of this nine-week training, participants will be able to:
- Identify the five stages of development in the Developmental Model of Couples Therapy.
- Describe two interventions for interrupting blame and conflict-avoidant patterns.
- Differentiate between differentiation and individuation in couples therapy.
- Apply the Initiator–Inquirer Process to improve communication and emotional regulation.
- Identify clinical strategies for supporting couples experiencing infidelity and rebuilding trust.
Graduate school did not prepare us to help couples. When I first started seeing couples 20+ years ago, I wasn’t equipped. The couples’ “fight of the week” was driving our sessions, rather than my own clear blueprint as to what help that particular couple really needs. To say I felt inadequate was an understatement. But the more couples therapy training I received (The Developmental Model), the more couples I met with, the more confident I became, the more I took charge of my sessions, the more couples started saying to me, “you are our 3rd couples therapist, and you are the only one who is helping us.”
I have now been training couples’ therapists locally and nationally, as well as teaching workshops to couples, for over a decade; a testament to the power of learning how to navigate the world of couples – a demographic that stands apart from any other.
“I highly recommend Michelle’s Training Group! I learned so much and it continues to influence the way I work. I liked the lecture followed by case study videos — it made everything easy to understand and take back to the office. I recommend this class for anyone who works with couples or thinking about it. It’s well worth the investment!” – Kent Campbell, MFT
Benefits of joining the Couples Therapy Training Group:
- This will be a rich opportunity see your couples through the lens of the Developmental Model of Couples Therapy (Bader/Pearson of The Couples Institute)– a model designed to get the root, facilitating the satisfying, lasting growth that couples are truly seeking.
- It doesn’t matter whether you have been in practice for 3 or 30 years – this 9-Week Couples Therapy Training Program teaches you key concepts, tools and clinical interventions that create effective and real change. Imagine feeling more confident as an effective leader in the room, knowing exactly how to structure your sessions for optimum success, and moving your couples forward with incisive assistance!
- Each week offers a powerful lesson designed to get to the root of couples’ struggles. And because we meet weekly, you will receive tools quickly. In addition, you will have first-dibs in my ongoing couples consultation group after this training ends, to continue getting support with applying these tools and more in your sessions. Say goodbye to not knowing what to do in your sessions!
- Attending the weekly sessions live is ideal so you can actively participate, ask questions, and receive guidance. If you miss a session, you’ll receive the recording. To receive CE credit for a recorded session, you must watch the recording and complete a brief post-test demonstrating your understanding of the material, with a passing score of at least 70%.
- 13.5 CE available to LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs and LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, CAMFT CE Provider Approval #65866. These 13.5 CEs are available for an additional $10.
“I am a much better and more capable couples therapist as a result of Michelle’s great teaching. I had a good overview when I started, but not a sense of exactly how to put it all into practice. Michelle was great at giving all of us the deeper level knowledge and skill development to practice the model well.” – Richard Litvak, Santa Cruz, CA
Through teaching, group discussion, demonstrated techniques, case studies, small group experiential exercises, role plays / transcripts and video demonstrations, we will explore the following:
Week 1: The Developmental Model of Couples Therapy
Do you ever wonder why some couples remain stuck in the same painful patterns despite your best efforts? Discover how the Developmental Model of Couples Therapy provides a powerful roadmap for understanding where couples are developmentally and what they need to move forward. Learn how differentiation plays a central role in helping partners break free from unhealthy dynamics and create more satisfying, connected relationships.
Week 2: Getting Off to a Powerful Start
Do you sometimes feel that your couples are running the session instead of you? Learn how to take confident leadership from the beginning, identify each partner’s core struggles, recognize problematic interaction patterns, and establish meaningful treatment goals. You’ll develop a clearer roadmap for helping couples make progress rather than repeatedly getting caught in their latest argument.
Week 3: Managing Blaming Couples
Do you feel ineffective when couples continually blame, criticize, or expect you to fix their partner? Learn practical interventions that shift the focus away from finger-pointing and toward personal accountability. Discover how to interrupt entrenched blaming patterns, reduce defensiveness, and help partners begin working together rather than against each other.
Week 4: Managing Passive and Conflict-Avoidant Couples
What do you do when couples appear agreeable in sessions but make little progress between meetings? Learn how to recognize avoidance, passivity, and patterns of fusion that keep relationships stuck. Discover how to use effective confrontation, strengthen individual accountability, and help partners take greater responsibility for meaningful change.
Week 5: The Enneagram in Couples Therapy
Have you worked with clients who avoid vulnerability, become reactive under stress, withdraw emotionally, or strive to keep the peace at the expense of authenticity? The Enneagram offers a valuable lens for understanding the underlying motivations and protective patterns that influence relationships. Learn how the nine personality types can illuminate relational struggles and help you identify opportunities for greater self-awareness, differentiation, and growth.
Week 6: Effective Communication — The Initiator–Inquirer Process
Do your couples repeatedly interrupt, defend, withdraw, or become reactive when attempting to communicate? Traditional communication techniques alone may not address the deeper dynamics keeping them stuck. Learn the Initiator–Inquirer Process, a structured intervention that helps partners express themselves more clearly, develop curiosity, and engage in conversations that promote understanding and emotional growth.
Week 7: Using the Initiator–Inquirer Process to Structure Treatment
What happens when one partner struggles to express themselves while the other becomes defensive, reactive, or disengaged? Building on the previous week’s training, you’ll learn how to identify and intervene when either partner struggles with their role in the Initiator–Inquirer Process. Explore how to use these moments to strengthen differentiation, build empathy, and guide couples toward more productive communication and meaningful therapeutic change.
Week 8: Navigating Affairs and Rebuilding Trust
Do you feel intimidated by the complexity and emotional intensity of working with couples following infidelity? Learn how to support both partners through the crisis of an affair while maintaining effective therapeutic leadership. Explore important assessment considerations, ways to address the needs of both individuals, and interventions that help couples begin rebuilding trust and emotional safety.
Week 9: Gestalt Two-Chair Work — Breaking Through Entrenched Patterns
Do you have couples who repeatedly fail to follow through on goals or homework, despite expressing a genuine desire for change? Partners may experience an internal struggle between wanting growth and remaining attached to familiar, regressive behaviors. Learn how to use Gestalt two-chair techniques to bring these conflicting parts into awareness, challenge entrenched patterns, and help individuals establish powerful personal goals that support their relationship’s development.
…And much more!
“I highly recommend this course with Michelle, who is experienced and knowledgeable.Though I am not generally a fan of online trainings, the course offered the right balance of education, Q&A, practice, and applicable tools to maintain interest. I also valued the consistency of meetings over a course of weeks, which allowed re-review of material and ability to practice what was learned between training sessions. Whether working with couples, individuals in a relationship, or family members, this course can be beneficial and applicable.” – Kira Olson, LMFT, LPCC
It’s convenient
Learn in a small group with therapists dedicated to quality care, integrating developmental, differentiation, and neuroscientific approaches to help your toughest couples—all online. This cost-effective training takes little time yet can transform your work with couples. The training provides:
- Handouts and questionnaires for your practice
- Powerful assessments and interventions that you can use immediately with your couples
I look forward to supporting your effectiveness as a couples therapist!
What past attendees are saying
“I wanted to thank you Michelle for helping me to feel calm and confident in supporting both members of the couple, and just overall feeling like I can handle what is thrown my way. I really appreciate it!” – Laura
“This course is great! Michelle knows how to work with couples and shows her experience through her teaching. You will feel supported and have plenty of opportunity to ask questions. The education, plus demonstrations and connecting with peers, are amazing and supportive pieces to this training.” – Jaquline A.
“If you are interested in an excellent overview working with couples, consider taking Michelle’s training. She provides a good balance of theoretical material with lots of practical handouts to use in your own sessions with clients. The course includes break-out opportunities as well as valuable video clips of couples to demonstrate important principles.” – E. Kutik, MFT
“Michelle is a highly skilled teacher. Her style is clear, informative and well paced. I particularly like the way she models excellent communication skills by encouraging audience participation. On many occasions I have heard other couples therapists attribute their confidence in teaching this process to the clarity and detail of Michelle’s trainings.” – Nancy St. John, Marriage & Relationship Counselor, Ireland
“Michelle is a vibrant, compassionate and very knowledgeable therapist. In addition to her many years of experience, she offers couples and individuals so many opportunities to grow stronger, happier, and more authentically themselves.” – Gail Gabriel, MFT, Walnut Creek, CA
“I appreciated Michelle’s presentation, style, engagement, material, blend of theoretical concepts and concrete skills taught during the course. I really enjoyed the course and found it truly valuable.” – Jacob Donnelly, LCSW (https://jacoblcsw.com/)
Meet Your Instructor
Michelle Joy, M.A., LMFT has been affiliated with The Couples Institute in Menlo Park, CA since 2002. A graduate of the Developmental Model of Couples Therapy – Advanced Level, she teaches advanced classes, provides consultations, and offers communication workshops for partners. She has presented nationally for PESI.com and CAMFT, and also teaches in Dr. Ellyn Bader’s online course, reaching therapists worldwide.
Important Details
💳 Registration Fee
The registration fee is non-refundable. However, you may apply your payment toward a future training by Michelle.
Training & Workshops
Infidelity Training for Therapists
March 5th, 2027
Therapist Weekend Retreat 2027 – 10 CE
March 20th, 2027
9-Week Couples Therapy Training Group
April 7th, 2027
1-Day Couples Communication Workshop
April 23rd, 2027
Book Your Consultation
More Resources
Registration
Licensed mental health professionals and other relationship clinicians seeking to strengthen their clinical skills in couples therapy, including assessment, differentiation, communication, conflict resolution, and interventions informed by the Developmental Model of Couples Therapy.
CE Information
This course meets the qualifications for 13.5 hours of continuing education credit for LMFT’s, LCSW’s, LPCC’s and LEP’s as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.
The training consists of nine 90-minute instructional sessions, totaling 13.5 CE hours. CE credit is awarded for instructional time only; breaks and non-instructional activities are excluded.
CE Provider Information: Michelle Joy, M.A., LMFT (Provider #65866) is approved by the California association of marriage and family therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFT’s, LCSW’s, LPCC’s and LEP’s. Michelle Joy, M.A., LMFT maintains responsibility for the program and all its content.
Accommodations: To request accommodations for special needs, please email the Program Administrator at [email protected].
Grievances: To obtain the grievance policy or to report a grievance, please email [email protected] or call 650-485-1504.
Certificates: Certificates of completion will be issued to participants who fulfill course attendance requirements and submit the required course evaluation. CE credit is awarded for instructional time attended, in accordance with CAMFT requirements.
