274: 7 Steps to Move Beyond Your Painful Past with Katherine Woodward Thomas

This episode is brought to you by Alma. Visit https://helloalma.com/dg/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=privatepractice to learn more Sign up for Shane's 6-week live training program, Couples Therapy Intensives: The Blueprint, before it starts on October 27, 2026 here: https://cit.shanebirkel.com/blueprint Get the Couples Therapy 101 course: https://www.couplestherapistcouch.com/ Join the Couples Therapist Inner Circle: https://www.couplestherapistcouch.com/inner-circle-new Join The Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/295562197518469/ In this episode, Shane talks with Wendy Behary about working with narcissism in couples therapy. Wendy is the Bestselling Author of Disarming the Narcissist and the Founder and Director of The Cognitive Therapy Center of New Jersey and The Schema Therapy Institutes of NJ-NYC and DC. Hear how the perception of narcissism has changed over the past 30 years, what narcissism looks like in a relationship, how to think about leverage when it comes to couples therapy, how to empower the partner of a narcissist, and why schema therapy is a good fit for these types of relationships.

This episode is brought to you by Alma. Visit https://helloalma.com/dg/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=privatepractice to learn more Sign up for Shane's free live training "What Do You Actually Do in a Couples Intensive? The 4 Cs in Action" on October 16, 2026 at Noon ET here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_lCoPXtPfTxaP_s2ATDr98Q Sign up for Shane's 6-week live training program, Couples Therapy Intensives: The Blueprint, before it starts on October 27, 2026 here: https://cit.shanebirkel.com/blueprint Get the Couples Therapy 101 course: https://www.couplestherapistcouch.com/ Join the Couples Therapist Inner Circle: https://www.couplestherapistcouch.com/inner-circle-new Join The Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/295562197518469/ In this episode, Shane talks with Dr. Thais Gibson about attachment theory & relationships. Thais is a Relationship Expert, Co-Founder of The Personal Development School, and Author of 3 books on attachment theory. Hear why it helps to understand why we feel stuck, how influential attachment theory is on our lives, how to explore core wounds with your clients, how to set up goals with your clients, and how to help your clients find their truth.

This episode is brought to you by Alma. Visit https://helloalma.com/dg/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=privatepractice to learn more Sign up for Shane's 6-week live training program, Couples Therapy Intensives: The Blueprint, before it starts on October 27, 2026 here: https://cit.shanebirkel.com/blueprint Get the Couples Therapy 101 course: https://www.couplestherapistcouch.com/ Join the Couples Therapist Inner Circle: https://www.couplestherapistcouch.com/inner-circle-new Join The Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/295562197518469/ In this solo episode, Shane poses the question: Are you practicing the way you actually want to practice? Hear how to think outside the box when it comes to your couples therapy practice, why we should question the traditional couples therapy model, what your clients will think if you start offering intensives, the difference between competency & certainty when it comes to couples therapy, and how to get over what's holding you back as a couples therapist.

This episode is brought to you by Alma. Visit https://helloalma.com/dg/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=privatepractice to learn more Sign up for Shane's free live training "Beyond the 50-Minute Session: How to Start Offering Couples Therapy Intensives" on October 2, 2026 at Noon ET here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WPzz0aBYTlObz31MdlDpKg Get the Couples Therapy 101 course: https://www.couplestherapistcouch.com/ Join the Couples Therapist Inner Circle: https://www.couplestherapistcouch.com/inner-circle-new Join The Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/295562197518469/ In this episode, Shane talks with Dr. Jennifer Reid about guilt & relationships. Jennifer is a board-certified psychiatrist, award-winning educator, creator and host of A Mind of Her Own podcast and Substack, and the author of Guilt Free: Reclaiming Your Life from Unreasonable Expectations. Hear how women & men tend to experience guilt differently, what to do when there's seemingly no way to satisfy your guilt, how guilt often shows up in relationships, how to avoid losing your voice in your relationship, and how boundaries relate to guilt.

This episode is brought to you by Alma. Visit https://helloalma.com/dg/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=privatepractice to learn more Sign up for Shane's free live training "Beyond the 50-Minute Session: How to Start Offering Couples Therapy Intensives" on October 2, 2026 at Noon ET here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WPzz0aBYTlObz31MdlDpKg Get the Couples Therapy 101 course: https://www.couplestherapistcouch.com/ Join the Couples Therapist Inner Circle: https://www.couplestherapistcouch.com/inner-circle-new Join The Couples Therapist Couch Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/295562197518469/ In this solo episode, Shane talks longer therapy sessions. Hear why couples therapists need to be working in longer sessions when meeting with couples, what to do if you run out of time in a couples therapy session, why you should focus on the betrayer first in an affair, why couples therapy is a very difficult art form, and how long couples therapy intensives should be.