Daniel B. Wile, Ph.D.
Our presenter is a clinical psychologist with thirty years experience as a couple therapist. Dr. Wile is internationally recognized for his innovative work with couples and his expertise in transforming conflict into intimacy. He is known for his clarity of thought and engaging personal style. His presentations are praised for their blend of theoretical sophistication and clinical utility.

Dr. Wile received his B.A. from University of Chicago and his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkley, where he is an Assistant Clinical Professor. He is a Diplomate in Clinical Psychology of the American Board of Professional Psychology. He has published on psychotherapeutic theory as well as couples therapy, teaches in several graduate programs in the San Francisco Bay Area, gives professional workshops on couples therapy throughout the United States, and is author of Couples Therapy:  A Nontraditional Approach; After the Honeymoon:  How Conflict Can Improve Your Relationships; and After the Fight:  Using Your Disagreements to Build a Stronger Relationship.

In his book, The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, John Gottman, Ph.D., a leading researcher in marital therapy, writes about Daniel Wile: "I love Wile's writing and thinking. They are entirely consistent with many of my research findings."

Workshop Description
In what could be called the tragedy of everyday life, needs are stated as demands, and power struggles take the place of open communication. Therapists typically treat these seemingly irresolvable relationship problems as expressions of character pathology, ghosts of the past, personality clashes, or long-nursed grudges. In collaborative couple therapy, we see the heart of the problem as loss of voice. Clients feel alone in their experience. They are unable to express their inner longings and fears. Hopelessness sets in. This is "loss of voice," whether it takes the form of kicking and screaming or quiet withdrawn desperation.

In collaborative couple therapy, we take the fight that is occurring at the moment and, by giving voice to each partner's experience, transform it into a moment of intimacy. This turns the relationship into a curative force for solving the couple's current impasse as well as their family-of-origin problems. The central therapeutic task is to move couples out of their spiral of alienation - their adversarial or withdrawn state - and into a cycle of connection. The therapist creates intimate conversations by bringing out the haunting feelings that each partner struggles with alone.

A defining feature of this approach is the recognition that in our sessions with couples, we grapple with the same problems they do. We get pulled into withdrawn states, where we become disengaged, and into adversarial states, were we become disapproving. Our task is to recognize our disengagement and disapproval as clues to the relationship problem of the moment, which is the partners' inability to express the feelings that are haunting them. If they could express their feelings, their partners would immediately empathize with them - and so would we. The teaching modalities include didactic presentations, role-play demonstration, analysis of couple interactions, and experiential exercises.

Educational Objectives
At the completion of this workshop, the participant should be able to:

In Recognition of Assistance
Psychologists of Northwest Arkansas is thankful for the support of Fayetteville Town Center for hosting this event. In addition, we appreciate the Arkansas Psychological Association (ArPA) for co-sponsoring this continuing education program.

Program Schedule
8:30  Registration & Check-In

8:45 a.m. Welcome & Introductions

9:00

• Alternative Stances that a Couple Therapist Can Take
• The Theory of Relationships that Leads to Collaborative Couple Therapy
• Role-Play Demonstration
• The Hidden Tempestuous Life of the Therapist
• The Source of the Couple's Problem: Loss of voice
• Family of Origin Issues: Resolving the Past by Addressing the Present
• Looking at Character Pathology from a Collaborative Couple Therapy Perspective

12:00 p.m. Lunch  (On your own)

1:30

• The Therapist's Inner Discipline: Understanding Yourself as a Tool
• Videotape of a Couple Therapy Session
• The Process of Therapy: Solving the Moment Rather than Solving the Problem
• The Partners' Inner Dialogues: Digging Out the Unspoken Thoughts

4:15 Summary and Question and Answer Period

4:30 Adjourn

Course Registration
Early Registration                          $130.00
(Postmarked by 04/30/2010)

Regular Registration                      $160.00
(Postmarked after 04/30/2010)

Students                                          $65.00
(Postmarked by 04/30/2010. Must show Student ID at Check-in)

Students                                          $80.00
(Postmarked after 04/30/2010. Must show Student ID at Check-in)

Check or money order must accompany registration form. There is no provision for credit card payment. Cancellations received prior to May 6 are refundable less a $20 administration fee. There is no refund to registrants who cancel after May 6 or do not attend.

Complete and mail this downloadable form and your check to:

Scott McCarty, Ph.D.
1687 E. Amber Drive
Fayetteville, AR 72703

Click here to download the workshop brochure and the registration form (278K) in PDF format.
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