Description
Couples Therapy: A Hybrid Approach
This two-day workshop is designed for therapists, counsellors and allied health professionals who want to build genuine confidence and competence in couples work — whether you are just beginning to see couples or are already working with them and want more tools.
Led by Ari Badaines PhD, Clinical Psychologist, the workshop takes a ‘hybrid’ approach: rather than training in one model, you will be introduced to and practise techniques from three highly regarded frameworks. You will see each approach demonstrated live, then practise with simulated couples, building your skills across the two days.
What you will learn
- Gestalt Couple Therapy – using awareness and contact to understand and shift relationship patterns
- Systemic Couple Therapy using Circular Questioning – a powerful approach that uses the therapist’s questions as a therapeutic tool
- Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT) – one of the most extensively researched and effective approaches to couple distress, developed by Sue Johnson
What to expect across the two days
Ari will introduce the theory behind each approach, demonstrate techniques in action, and guide participants through structured practice with simulated couples. The format is active and experiential rather than lecture-based. There will be time after each session for questions, reflection, and discussion of stuck points – so you leave with more than just notes.
What you will take away
- A working range of techniques from three major couple therapy frameworks
- Greater confidence in your capacity to work effectively with couples
- Strategies for getting unstuck – when you or the couple feel at an impasse
Familiarity with current theory and evidence in the couple therapy field
Presenter
Dr Ari Badaines
Dr. Ari Badaines is a Clinical Psychologist with over 50 years of experience in individual, couples, family, and group therapy. Since 1985, he has been a faculty member at various psychodrama and gestalt therapy institutes and conducts training workshops across the USA, UK, Europe, and Sydney.
He earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology in the U.S. and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health, becoming a certified psychodramatist and later achieving the highest level of certification as a Trainer-Practitioner-Educator in psychodrama and group work.
Dr. Badaines has supervised and consulted for organizations such as the Richmond Fellowship, Marriage Guidance, and the Benevolent Society. He has also presented workshops on sexual health and continues to run a private practice in Balmain, Sydney.
