Workshop Series: An Introduction to Developmental Couple Therapy for Complex Trauma for Therapists

Survivors of trauma face unique challenges in their romantic relationships – difficulties with emotion regulation, mentalization, challenges with sex and sexuality, and shame – all of which get in the way of connecting with loved ones. In this eight-part series, you will learn about the Developmental Couple Therapy for Complex Trauma (DCTCT) model of couple therapy and begin to integrate it in your practice to help couples understand and navigate these challenges.

Each three-hour seminar will be divided into two parts: a lecture about key concepts and interventions, followed by watching and discussing recorded couple therapy sessions of the model in action. My lecture style is semi-formal, and participants will be encouraged to ask questions throughout each seminar. There will be opportunities for anonymized case consultation.

This workshop series will be accessible through Zoom and will not be recorded, to ensure the confidentiality of the couples and to allow for a vibrant, live, learning experience.

Seminars occur on the last Friday of the month from 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM, with the first occurring on September 26, 2025 and the last occurring on April 24, 2026.

You are welcome to sign up for all 8 workshops for a reduced fee or to sign up for individual workshops of particular interest. A certificate of completion will be provided for each workshop, or for the series. If you require any additional support for having any of the workshops acknowledged by your regulatory college for Continuing Education credits, please let me know.

Introduction to Developmental Couple Therapy for Complex Trauma (September 26, 2025 from 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM Eastern Time)

In this introductory session the background research, rationale, and process of developing the DCTCT model will be reviewed. Participants will be provided with an overview of DCTCT, the stages and steps of the model as well as the key interventions focused on the development of vital self-capacities necessary for navigating couple relationships and the couple therapy process.

We will explore Stage One of the model, including the psychoeducation necessary for helping couples understand the impact of trauma on themselves, their partner, and on their couple relationships.

Videos of DCTCT sessions from this stage of treatment will be reviewed and discussed.

Helping Clients Regulate their Emotions in DCTCT (October 24, 2025 from 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM Eastern Time)

In this session we will explore the Stage One psychoeducational materials integrated into DCTCT as we help couples come to understand more about the impact of trauma on emotion regulation. Research on trauma and emotion regulation will be reviewed and therapist participants will be introduced to the Stage Two Skills Building interventions, exercises, and journal reflections that help couples build these essential capacities in self and co-regulation.

Video of DCTCT sessions from Stage One about Emotion Regulation and Stage Two Skills Building will be reviewed and discussed.

Working with Dissociation in DCTCT (November 28, 2025, from 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM Eastern Time)

While dissociation is a form of emotion regulation, it also warrants its own workshop as dissociation is a phenomenon that many couple therapists struggle to address in sessions. We will discuss dissociation as a process—i.e. how a person feels, doesn’t feel, and makes efforts to regulate through disconnection from self, and dissociation as a structure—i.e. how a person might become internally disconnected, experiencing discrete self-states with or without amnesia and co-consciousness. We will discuss how to work with dissociation in sessions of couple therapy.

Video of DCTCT sessions of working with dissociation in treatment will be reviewed and discussed.

The Role of Mentalization in DCTCT (December 19, 2025, from 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM Eastern Time)

In this session we will introduce the concept of mentalizing—what is it? how does trauma impact it? and why is it such a vital self-capacity for therapy and couple relationships?

We will explore the Stage One psychoeducational materials integrated into DCTCT as we help couples come to understand more about the impact of trauma on mentalizing. Research on trauma and mentalizing will be reviewed and therapist participants will be introduced to the Stage Two Skills Building interventions, exercises, and journal reflections that help couples build these essential capacities in self and other mentalizing.

Video of DCTCT sessions from Stage One Psychoeducation about Mentalizing and Stage Two Skills Building will be reviewed and discussed.

The Role of Trauma on Attachment in DCTCT (January 30, 2026, from 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM Eastern Time)

In this session we will review Attachment Theory as it relates to couple relationships. We will explore ways of assessing and self-assessing attachment styles and the implication of these on couple experiences. We will explore the Stage One psychoeducational materials integrated into DCTCT as we help couples come to understand more about the impact of trauma on attachment. Research on trauma and attachment will be reviewed, and therapist participants will be introduced to the Stage Three interventions, exercises, and journal reflections that help couples learn to reflect on how attachment expectations and ways of attending to our partners effect our relationships. We will also focus on  how to begin shifting attachment orientations towards more earned and secure ways of relating.

Video of DCTCT sessions from Stage One Psychoeducation about Attachment and Stage Three interventions focused on shifting attachment will be reviewed and discussed.

Working with High Conflict Couples in DCTCT (February 27, 2026, from 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM Eastern Time)

Until very recently, working with trauma impacted couples was contraindicated due to the potential for high levels of distress and the impact of high conflict on the couple, family, and therapeutic system. This has created a conundrum for those of us who work with trauma impacted persons—do we “play it safe” to ensure that couple therapy sessions are calm and collected or do we “dive in” with the conflict and emotion dysregulation to lend a hand to trauma impacted couples? These couples are living in distress and are living couple life, whether we are prepared to help, or not.

The presence of a history of trauma in a parent and high conflict in a co-parenting couple are two of the most significant risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) and child maltreatment (CM). For these reasons, among others, DCTCT does not shy away from working with high conflict couples. This session will focus purely on session management, in session emotion regulation with high conflict couples, and helping couples with between session difficulties while engaging in DCTCT.

We will review the risk factors of IPV and CM and the factors that we consider when engaged in assessment with a couple that appears to be at risk of high conflict—especially if that conflict may be activated by the therapeutic process itself.

Video of DCTCT sessions with high conflict couples will be reviewed and discussed.

Working with Queer and Trans Couples in DCTCT (March 27, 2026, from 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM Eastern Time)

Or, as I like to call it, couple therapy. Working with queer and trans couples is, for the most part, no different than working with any heterosexual, cisgender couple but…there are some themes that may arise and areas of focus that might differ from work with straight cisgender couples.

When working in DCTCT with a focus on trauma, the role of homophobia, transphobia, and current oppression is an important element in this work. We can’t talk about trauma as a historical “event” if, for a couple, they are living current oppression from a transphobic workplace or a homophobic landlord, for instance. Our discussion of trauma must encompass the broader sphere of oppression that continues to traumatize queer, trans, and QTBIPOC folks.

In this session we will explore how to address current oppression—transphobia, homophobia, and racism—in DCTCT from our own positions. As a queer therapist I have a unique position as an “OG lesbian”, that will differ from a younger trans therapist and, from a cisgender straight therapist. These positions will be explored.

Another important theme to discuss is couples in transition. How can we help couples where one or both partners are transitioning—whatever that will mean to them—as they adjust to new experiences socially, emotionally, somatically, and sexually. Helping couples make these transitions with compassion and empathic engagement while also acknowledging that not all transitioning couples will decide to stay together and—also the dishes still need to be done and the bills paid so, how do we help a transitioning couple with all of the things that all trauma impacted couples are navigating with the added experience of transitioning.

Working with Sex and Trauma in DCTCT (April 24, 2026, from 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM Eastern Time)

All forms of trauma can have significant impacts on sexuality, sexual wellbeing, and sex itself. While we used to believe that the most significant impacts of trauma on one’s sexual self was caused by sexual abuse, we have learned that all forms of trauma and child maltreatment can have significant impacts—physical abuse leading to body shame, injuries, and challenges with trust and tolerating vulnerability is just one example of this.

In this workshop we will explore the research on the impacts of trauma on sexuality and sexual wellbeing. We will introduce the Stage One Psychoeducation module on sex and sexuality after trauma and then explore the Stage Three interventions, exercises, and journal reflections that help couples navigate healing their sexual selves and relationships.

Video of DCTCT sessions from Stage One Psychoeducation about Sex and Trauma and Stage Three interventions focused on sexuality and sexual healing will be reviewed and discussed.