About the Course
While providing a continuum of care to families, people helpers may encounter couples who are so conflictual with each other that it hinders their families from receiving the help they need. This course aims to help participants develop the knowledge and skills to work effectively with high-conflict couples.
Drawing from theoretical foundations of attachment theory and emotionally focused therapy for couples, participants will be equipped with practical, evidence-based techniques to help couples de-escalate conflict, rebuild emotional safety, and foster secure connection.
Through group discussions, video demonstrations, and guided practice, participants will learn to navigate intense emotional dynamics while maintaining therapeutic presence. Consideration will also be placed on understanding involuntary couples with spousal violence concerns and those who may require mediation.
Course Content/Topics:
Analysis of couple interaction and their attachment behaviours
Neurobiological responses to attachment activation
The stance and tone of the therapist in creating safety for couples
Managing reactivity & de-escalation in couple session
Assessing the Commitment, Capability, Capacity (3Cs) of couples
Determining compatibility of goals and relevant of tasks
Accessing and reformulating underlying emotions
Creating new couple interaction patterns through enactments
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, learners will be able to:
Apply knowledge of neurobiological processes underlying attachment activation to guide therapeutic interventions during heightened emotional states.
Develop an effective therapeutic stance that creates safety while managing reactivity and de-escalating conflict in couple sessions.
Reformulate underlying emotions that drive destructive interaction patterns and facilitate therapeutic enactments that create new, more secure interaction patterns between couples.
Who Should Attend
Social Workers, Social Work Assistants / Associates, Case Managers, Counsellors, Psychologists, Law Enforcement Officers, mental health workers and any profession who is interested in working with couples.
This course is suitable for practitioners, professionals, board members and volunteers in the social service field, pastoral staff and para-counsellors who are working with couples and families.
Corporates like other SSAs, Family Service Centres, etc. can engage us to conduct the course for their staff who work with couples.
While there are no pre-requisites to the course, participants should already be working with marital couples or are interested to work with them in the future.
This course is not suitable for the General Public seeking to improve the conflictual marital relationships of themselves or their relatives. For couple counselling services, you may refer to https://www.arkalliedhealth.com/portfolio/counselling-services/
Award
Participants who meet 75% class attendance will be awarded a Certificate of Accomplishment by the Academy of Human Development.
Your Trainer
Mr Ho Tze Yee
Mr Ho Tze Yee joined Fei Yue Family Service Centre as a counsellor/senior social worker in 2009 after obtaining his Master of Social Science (Counselling & Psychotherapy).
Tze Yee believes that as a basic unit of society, the family should be an environment where every member can feel safe and secure to develop their potential. During his appointment as Chairman of the Jurong Family Violence Working Group, Tze Yee organized public education initiative on elderly abuse, and also facilitated the collaboration and sharing of best practices between Family Service Centres and Neighbourhood Police Centres.
As a practitioner, Tze Yee is a strong proponent of ‘talking cure’ and its potential in facilitating behaviour change. He has keen interest in working with persons who abuse, and has provided individual and group counselling to help them adopt non-violent ways of relating to their families.
Tze Yee embraces the passion for life-long learning and has attended training in family conflict management & mediation and working with sexual offenders. In 2015, he obtained his Graduate Diploma in Social Work to increase his repertoire of helping skills.
As an Adult Educator, Tze Yee is passionate about imparting and facilitating the sharing of knowledge and skills, and aspires to be an ‘oak’ to grow the ‘acorns’ of all learners.
Testimonials
Wong Ji En, Social Worker
I had enjoyed the training by Mr Ho, he was able to share his valuable experience working with marital issues and couples. Appreciate his authenticity and candidness to make the whole learning fun and enjoyable! Really like learning from his tape of his couple session as well. Thank you Mr Ho, I hope to continue to learn from you!
Siti Norlilah Saini, Senior Court Family Specialist
Very knowledgeable and engaging. Able to clarify questions from the class and elaborate with examples.
Aarathanna Maria Mohan, Social Worker
I feel the content was well delivered.
