- Webinar
January 15, 2027
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Introduction
Couples counselors sometimes work with couples who present in therapy with ambivalence about whether to stay together or separate. Traditional couples therapy models may be ineffective or even counterproductive when one partner is leaning out of the relationship while the other is motivated to repair it. Discernment counseling offers a structured, time-limited approach designed to help couples gain clarity and confidence in making thoughtful decisions about the future of their relationship.
This training provides clinicians with a practical framework for assessing relationship commitment levels, managing mixed-agenda couples, and facilitating intentional decision-making conversations. Participants will learn how to balance neutrality with therapeutic guidance, reduce polarization and blame, and support couples in choosing one of three paths: status quo, separation/divorce, or a dedicated course of couples therapy.
Participants will leave with clear intervention strategies, session structure models, and language to help couples navigate emotionally charged separation decisions while preserving dignity, respect, and effective co-parenting relationships when children are involved.
This is a 3-CE online seminar delivered virtually in real-time via an industry-standard webinar platform.
Attendance and Location Details
Friday, January 15, 2027
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM (CT)
10:00 AM to 1:00 PM (ET)
7:00 AM to 10:00 AM (PT)
Live Webinar Attendees: Zoom link and course materials will be made available to you 24-48 hours prior to event date.
Agenda:
Welcome, Introductions, and Overview of Discernment Counseling
- Increasing prevalence of separation ambivalence in clinical practice
- Risks of premature couples therapy engagement
- Goals and scope of discernment counseling
- Provide a statistical basis for why Discernment Counseling is important
Conceptual Foundations and Theoretical Frameworks
- Commitment continuum: leaning in vs. leaning out partners
- Family systems and attachment perspectives on separation decisions
- Emotional reactivity, pursuit-withdraw cycles, conflict escalation, and relational burnout
- Therapist stance: neutrality, containment, and clarity
- Explore reasons why couples may be considering leaving the relationship (e.g. Walkaway Wife Syndrome, etc.)
Assessment and Case Conceptualization
- Screening for safety concerns, domestic violence, coercion, or narcissistic abuse
- Evaluating relationship history, turning points, and attachment injuries
- Identifying polarization patterns and individual responsibility narratives
- Clarifying individual goals and decision-making readiness
Break
Discernment Counseling Structure and Core Interventions
- Session flow: conjoint and individual conversations (the importance of keeping clear and open communication when meeting individually)
- Helping partners articulate contributions to relational distress
- Motivational interviewing strategies for ambivalence
- Interventions to reduce blame and increase reflective functioning
- Supporting emotional regulation during decision-focused sessions
Facilitating Separation, Repair, or Therapeutic Commitment
- Guiding couples toward one of three pathways
- Planning respectful separation conversations
- Coparenting communication strategies and child-focused decision-making
- Transitioning couples into intensive repair-focused therapy
- Using a mediation framework
- Ethical considerations and therapist boundaries
Case Integration, Clinical Challenges, and Q&A
- Case vignette application
- Managing therapist countertransference
- Documentation and treatment planning considerations
- Key takeaways and clinical resources
Objectives:
This training will provide participants clinical knowledge and tools to:
After completing this training, participants will be able to differentiate discernment counseling from traditional couples therapy and identify appropriate referral and treatment contexts.
After completing this training, participants will be able to assess relationship ambivalence and partner commitment levels using structured clinical decision-making frameworks.
After completing this training, participants will be able to facilitate balanced, non-blaming conversations that reduce polarization and promote reflective decision-making.
After completing this training, participants will be able to implement core discernment counseling interventions that help couples clarify relational patterns, personal responsibility, and future intentions.
After completing this training, participants will be able to support couples in planning next steps, including separation processes, co-parenting considerations, or transition into intensive couples therapy.
Target Audience:
Mental Health Clinicians & Therapists, Social Workers, Psychologists, Marriage & Family Therapists, Counselors, School Personnel, Youth Development Workers; Healthcare Workers
Instructional Level: Intermediate
Instructor(s): Katherine Helm, PhD
Material Author(s): Katherine Helm, PhD
For additional information about this course, the instructors, or the material authors, please contact Content Assistance at content@onlinececredits.com.
Course Materials & Delivery Method:
- Course Materials – (including the link to view the scheduled live webinar) are made available to all registered attendees 24-48 hours before the event start time
- This training is interactive and provides opportunities to ask direct questions to the trainer as well as request immediate help from staff if needed. The attendee will view the presentation in real-time from their connected device via an industry-standard internet webinar platform.
CE Approvals:
National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
Online CE Credits has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6795. Programs that do not quality for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Online CE Credits is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
Mind Works Professional Education, Inc. DBA Online CE Credits, #1974, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: July 23, 2025 – July 23, 2028. Social workers completing this course receive 3 clinical continuing education credits.
Other Helpful Information:
Registration Deadline – Please register at any time prior to the advertised start time of this live webinar training.- Refund & Cancellation Policy – You may review this policy at any time by clicking here.
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- Course Completion Requirements – Complete the Code Word Attendance Quiz by 1.) selecting the correct beginning and/or ending code words, 2.) inputting actual time signed in and time signed out, and 3.) signing your name attesting to your full attendance. Then, complete the Course Evaluation.
- Posttest Requirements (not applicable for most live webinars) – You must answer 80% or more of the Quiz questions correctly to pass. If you fail to pass the first time, you may attempt the quiz again until you are able to pass with a score of 80% or better. Quizzes are graded instantly and automatically by the learning management system once your attempt is submitted.
- Certificate of Completion – Certificates of Completion are automatically generated – downloadable from your Dashboard and emailed to you – once you complete the Code Word Attendance Quiz and the Course Evaluation. Please complete these items to receive your Certificate immediately after the live webinar training is concluded.
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