The Couples Therapist Couch

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
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 LaDonna Carey about Surviving Betrayal. LaDonna is a Betrayal Recovery Specialist, Therapist, Trainer, and the Author of Surviving Betrayal: A Path to Healing from Betrayal and Abandonment. Hear why betrayal is so hard to navigate, how to help your clients have these conversations even with anger coming through, how to work with both the betrayer and the betrayed, why intensive sessions are more effective in cases of betrayal, and how to be conscious of your own biases as a couples therapist.
 
To learn more about LaDonna Carey & Surviving Betrayal, visit:
Surviving Betrayal Book
Smoky Mountains Symposium on Relational Trauma
LaDonnaCarey.com
LaDonnaCarey.Substack.com
 
You can also listen to LaDonna Carey on Episode 179 & Episode 143 of The Couples Therapist Couch

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 the June 2026 Cohort of Shane's Certified Couples Intensive Training (CIT): https://cit.shanebirkel.com/
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 why it's not about the dishes. Hear why most of our emotional reactions aren't about what's happening right now, how to recognize carried emotions vs. present emotions, a modern look at our survival strategies, whether to do family of origin work with your clients, and why emotions often come up in financial conversations.

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 the June 2026 Cohort of Shane's Certified Couples Intensive Training (CIT): https://cit.shanebirkel.com/
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 truth & love. Hear why relationships are so hard, why we present the edited version of ourselves to our partner at first, how to help your clients show their true selves, how truth & love tie into The 4 Cs of Relationships, and how deep to go into family history with your clients.

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 the June 2026 Cohort of Shane's Certified Couples Intensive Training (CIT): https://cit.shanebirkel.com/
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 Susan Saint-Rossy about embracing your couples therapist identity. Susan is a Couples Therapist and the Owner of Couples Therapist Studio, where she's a Business and Marketing Consultant for couples therapists. Hear how to run your business as a couples therapist, what clients look for when considering a couples therapist, how to create the signal that makes your practice pop, how to advertise as a couples therapist, and why you should be charging more.
To learn more about Susan Saint-Rossy, visit:
CouplesTherapistStudio.com
Relationship-Therapist.com

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 the June 2026 Cohort of Shane's Certified Couples Intensive Training (CIT): https://cit.shanebirkel.com/
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 working with couples who get escalated. Hear some common questions people are wondering about in couples therapy today, how to work with a partner who doesn't want to be in couples therapy, what to do if one partner is more invested than the other, what to do if things get escalated during an intensive or any type of couples therapy session, and how to market intensives to both your existing & new clients.