607-249-4585 Email
10:00 AM - 4:45 PM EST
6 CE Credits
As mental health professionals we have skills and experience in helping clients understand and tolerate difference in their intimate and extended relationships. Remembering to use those skills when one is experiencing moral outrage is not easy. How do we help our clients deal with their "inner polarizer?" How can we as clinicians deal with our own inner polarizer so that we can remain non-judgemental in session?
In this age of extreme polarization, one of the hardest things for us and most people is to listen to people whose core beliefs we do not share. What happens when someone loves or cares about others, yet does not like or respect parts of them? What if one finds the core belief systems of others in our countries to be abhorrent?
This webinar is participatory. All people can all use the support of community. There will be mini-lectures, break-out rooms, video clips of interviews with top therapists who are experts in dealing with warring couples. We will watch master therapist, Bill Doherty, coach couples who are troubled by political differences.
https://ceyouplus.org/workshops/ListeningS24223/viewListening When You'd Rather Not:
Bridging Divides
Tuesday, June 17, 2025, 10:00 AM EDT - 4:45 PM EDT
Presenter: Cheryl Dolinger Brown, LCSW
Course Length: 6 Hours
This workshop Offers 6 Live Interactive Continuing Education Credits
10:00 AM - 4:45 PM EST
6 CE Credits
As mental health professionals we have skills and experience in helping clients understand and tolerate difference in their intimate and extended relationships. Remembering to use those skills when one is experiencing moral outrage is not easy. How do we help our clients deal with their "inner polarizer?" How can we as clinicians deal with our own inner polarizer so that we can remain non-judgemental in session?
In this age of extreme polarization, one of the hardest things for us and most people is to listen to people whose core beliefs we do not share. What happens when someone loves or cares about others, yet does not like or respect parts of them? What if one finds the core belief systems of others in our countries to be abhorrent?
This webinar is participatory. All people can all use the support of community. There will be mini-lectures, break-out rooms, video clips of interviews with top therapists who are experts in dealing with warring couples. We will watch master therapist, Bill Doherty, coach couples who are troubled by political differences.
Part One: Fear of and difficulty in listening to the “other” (2 hours)
Introduction (5)
1. Tolerating being wrong- video (10)
2. Seeing the other as dangerous and managing the stress response (15)
3. Finding your inner polarizer- quiz (10)
4. Dyads (what did you learn about yourself?) (10)
5. Group discussion of our own polarizing issues. (10)
6. Video of Bill Doherty and Tori Olds- difficulty in using our skills (15)
7. Dyads and group discussion (15)
8. Roles families play in political conversations (10)
9. Symbiosis, childhood wounds, differentiation (5)
10. Strategies to help families with political differences (10)
11. Natural vs. Ethical Caring- video of Bill Doherty (10)
12. Strategies to depolarizing (15)
Part Two: Transferring therapy skills to the clients (2.75 hours)
1. Family conflicts - video of Monica Guzman (10)
2. Techniques to deal with flammable issues (15)
3. Video of two red/blue couples I interviewed (20)
4. Break out rooms to discuss what felt and thought about videos (10)
5. Group as expert: fishbowl- skills to bring to couples in videos (30)
6. Three videos of couples with political differences being coached (45)
7. Group discussion of what learned and what can use in sessions (30)
Part Three: Using skills in the community (1 hour)
1. Work with Israeli/Palestinian- video of Orli Wahrman (10)
2. Use in anti-racist, anti-poverty non-profit organization- video of All Stars Project
(10)
3. Use in divided communities- Interview with cofounder of Braver Angels(10)
4. The dream that we can know each other’s human essence- Hedy Schleiffer video
(10)
5 Group conclusion- what is a takeaway (15)