Treating Couples

  • Continuing Education
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Registration Deadline: April 2, 2026

Expand your therapeutic expertise with this advanced course designed to help clinicians navigate the unique complexities of couples therapy.

  • Live Online

This course is taught online in real time.

This is the standard price, for a full list of profession pricing see below.
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Continuing Education Credits

Earn up to:
7.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s) ™
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Four Weeks

Please view the Schedule for a full description of the program.

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Overview

Couples therapy presents complexity unlike other forms of therapy, requiring clinicians to continuously expand their foundation to do the work well. The intimate context of couples therapy requires therapists to understand and address many relational difficulties, including high emotional reactivity, blame, defensiveness, and stuck repetition of problematic patterns. In addition, the persistent stress of our socio-political-cultural context continues to be a strain on couples and therapists alike. 

This course will focus on doing effective relational work in the midst of specific challenges, including polarization, working with relationships with one person as the client, and the nuances of lesbian relationships. We will also discuss integrating ketamine into couples therapy and how to effectively address the unique needs of Black couples. Each week delves deep into the topic and offers ample time for audience questions. Clinicians will gain key strategies to help advance their treatment skills and improve their effectiveness with couples. Join us! 

Learning Objectives

  • Discuss the effectiveness of ketamine-assisted psychotherapy with couples.
  • Implement techniques to reduce conflict and create greater mutual understanding between partners in couple therapy.
  • Examine factors that impact the Black coupling process.
  • Develop systemic interventions that lower the risk of inadvertently harming individual clients’ relationships.
  • Explore various types of lesbian couple relationships and utilize effective techniques to resolve conflicts.

Developed and Offered By:

  • Cambridge Health Alliance Logo

Continuing Education courses are developed by faculty from Harvard Medical School's teaching hospitals and accredited by Harvard Medical School. This course is offered by Cambridge Health Alliance.

Participant Types

Specialty Physicians, Primary Care Physicians, Social Workers, Counselors, Family Therapists, Psychologists, Other, and Nurses

Faculty

Harvard Medical School Continuing Education attracts the best and brightest faculty from all around the world. As a student in this course, you’ll have access to outstanding course directors and faculty.

 

Course Directors

Corky Becker, PhD
PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Family and Couple Therapist and Founding Associate, Essential Partners

Yamonte Cooper, LPCC, NCC, CST-S
Clinical Director, West Coast Sex Therapy Center
Professor of Counseling and Adjunct Professor of Clinical Psychology
Author 

Arlene Lev, LCSW-R, CASAC II, CSTS
Founder and Clinical Director, Choices Counseling and Consulting and The Training Institute for Gender, Relationships, Identity, and Sexuality (TIGRIS)
Lecturer (part-time), School of Social Welfare, University at Albany
Project Director, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Project (SOGI)
Clinical Supervisor, Center Support Counseling Services, Pride Center of the Capital Region 

Tammy Nelson, PhD
Board Certified Sexologist
AASECT Certified Sex Therapist
Licensed Professional Counselor; Certified Imago Relationship Therapist
Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor
Author

Maru Torres-Gregory, JD, PhD, LMFT
Clinical Affiliate
Teaching & Supervising Faculty, Marriage & Family Therapy Program, The Family Institute, Northwestern University 
 

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Course Fees

Fee Disclaimer

You may register through our secure online environment and will receive an email confirmation upon receipt of your payment. Prices include CME credit, electronic syllabus. At the end of the registration process, a $10 non-refundable processing fee will be added to your registration. 

Review the cancellation policy.

Accreditation

In support of improving patient care, Harvard Medical School is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

The Harvard Medical School designates this for a maximum of 7.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

For the purpose of recertification, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board and American Nurses Credentialing Center accept  7.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ issued by organizations accredited by the ACCME (Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education). We would also suggest that learners check with their state licensing board to ensure they accept reciprocity with AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for re-licensure. 

The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) states that  7.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are acceptable for continuing medical education requirements for recertification. We would also suggest that learners check with their state licensing board to ensure they accept reciprocity with AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for re-licensure. 

Cambridge Health Alliance, Division of Continuing Education in Psychiatry is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Cambridge Health Alliance, Division of Continuing Education in Psychiatry maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This course offers 7.50 continuing education credits.

Please note: For psychologists, social workers, marriage/family therapists and counselors, this course has been approved for a set amount of credits and CHA is not able to issue CE certificates for partial credit. Participants must be present and sign in on both days to claim a certificate. For any questions regarding CE credit, please email cme@challiance.org

Cambridge Health Alliance, Division of Continuing Education in Psychiatry is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Cambridge Health Alliance, Division of Continuing Education in Psychiatry maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This course offers 7.50 continuing education credits.

Please note: For psychologists, social workers, marriage/family therapists and counselors, this course has been approved for a set amount of credits and CHA is not able to issue CE certificates for partial credit. Participants must be present and sign in on both days to claim a certificate. For any questions regarding CE credit, please email cme@challiance.org

Application for social work continuing education credits has been submitted to NASW-MA. Please contact us at cme@challiance.org for the status of social work CE accreditation. NY Social Workers: Cambridge Health Alliance, Division of Continuing Education in Psychiatry is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an Approved Provider #0038 of continuing education for licensed social workers. This course offers 7.50 contact hours. 

Cambridge Health Alliance is an Affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Cambridge Health Alliance, Division of Continuing Education in Psychiatry has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5444.  Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Cambridge Health Alliance, Division of Continuing Education in Psychiatry is solely responsible for all aspects of the program. This course meets the requirements for 7.50 continuing education hours, and is also applicable for Commonwealth of Massachusetts Counseling/Allied Mental Health accreditation for 7.50 credits.

Please note: For psychologists, social workers, marriage/family therapists and counselors, this course has been approved for a set amount of credits and CHA is not able to issue CE certificates for partial credit. Participants must be present and sign in on both days to claim a certificate. For any questions regarding CE credit, please email cme@challiance.org

This activity has been certified by NEAFAST on behalf of the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Allied Mental Health & Human Services Professions for LMFT Professional Continuing Education. Certification #213984814, for 7.50 contact hours. The States of CT and RI accept NBCC and NASW approval for marriage and family therapy. The States of CT and RI accept NBCC and NASW approval for marriage and family therapy.

Please note: For psychologists, social workers, marriage/family therapists and counselors, this course has been approved for a set amount of credits and CHA is not able to issue CE certificates for partial credit. Participants must be present and sign in on both days to claim a certificate. For any questions regarding CE credit, please email cme@challiance.org. 

The American Medical Association (AMA) has an agreement of mutual recognition of continuing medical education (CME) credit with the European Union of Medical Specialties (UEMS). Additional information regarding this agreement may be found on the European Union of Medical Specialties website.

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada recognizes conferences and workshops held outside of Canada that are developed by a university, academy, hospital, specialty society or college as accredited group learning activities.

Competencies

This course is designed to meet the following Institute of Medicine Core Competencies:

  • Provide Patient-Centered Care
  • Employ Evidence-Based Practice

This course is designed to meet the following American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) / Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Educational (ACGME) competencies:

  • Patient Care and Procedural Skills
  • Medical Knowledge
  • Interpersonal and Communication Skills

Disclaimer & Disclosure

CME activities accredited by Harvard Medical School are offered solely for educational purposes and do not constitute any form of certification of competency. Practitioners should always consult additional sources of information and exercise their best professional judgment before making clinical decisions of any kind.

Note: AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ is calculated based on submission of a preliminary agenda and may be subject to change.

In accord with the disclosure policy of the Medical School as well as standards set forth by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), course planners, speakers, and content reviewers have been asked to disclose any relationships they have to companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. In addition, faculty have been asked to list any off-label uses of pharmaceuticals and/or devices for investigational or non-FDA approved purposes that they plan to discuss.

Registration for courses managed by Harvard Medical School can only be completed through Harvard Medical School’s official registration portal: cmeregistration.hms.harvard.edu. Attendee registrations made through any other sites cannot be honored and will not be refunded. Please report any unauthorized websites or solicitations for registrations.

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