Old habits die hard, especially in intimate relationships. Under stress or conflict, couples often slip back into automatic reactions that can undo therapeutic progress in seconds. While insight is important, lasting change requires more—practicing of skills that rewire the brain to support self-regulation, self-soothing, and flexible, constructive responses in moments of tension.

By popular demand, master therapist Dr. Brent Atkinson returns to UCI to share the next phase of his innovative approach to couples therapy. In his last visit, he demonstrated how to free partners from being cast as “the villain.” This time, he will present advanced strategies for rewiring reactivity and fostering better responsiveness between partners.

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Designed to be highly practical, this workshop features clear demonstrations, practice protocols and tools you can use immediately in your work with couples. No prior training with Dr. Atkinson is required! Through compelling new video  examples, you’ll see how he integrates session breaks, individual consultations, and guided dialogues to help partners set personalized self-change goals and design daily practices that retrain the nervous system for connection and resilience.

With his unique clarity and persuasive skill, Dr. Atkinson shows how therapists can shift entrenched dynamics, reduce defensiveness, and inspire genuine responsiveness.

Join us for a stimulating, hands-on training that will deepen your clinical effectiveness and expand your repertoire of interventions—no matter your theoretical orientation.

 

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Learning Objectives
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Effectively use session breaks to meet individually with each partner, challenge self-defeating patterns, and facilitate more constructive dialogue as a couple

• Deliver critical feedback in ways that reduce defensiveness and avoid clients’ feeling judged or shamed
• Guide partners through structured protocols that interrupt old patterns and recalibrate their interactions
• Develop personalized exercises—incorporating digital tools—that help couples recondition automatic reactive responses and strengthen constructive habits between sessions
• Design strategies to elicit genuine responsiveness from each partner in three key areas:
  a. Engaging in healing conversations about past hurts
  b. Negotiating chronic disagreements more productively
  c. Balancing needs for separateness and togetherness

 

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​Brent J. Atkinson, Ph.D., is the principal architect of Pragmatic/Experiential Therapy for Couples, and is the author of Developing Habits for Relationship Success and Emotional Intelligence in Couples Therapy: Advances from Neurobiology and the Science of Intimate Relationships.

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Dr. Atkinson’s pioneering work has been the subject of dozens of professional journal articles and has been featured in magazines and newspapers such as the Oprah Magazine, the Washington Post, and the Psychotherapy Networker, among others. A personable and engaging speaker, Dr. Atkinson is known for his ability to present complex scientific ideas in compelling and easy-to-understand ways. His seminars are packed with cutting-edge information, practical interventions, and handouts that can be given to clients.

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