Couples therapy is one of the most interesting fields of work in which a psychologist can specialise.

Not only does it enable intervention in a field of life that is extremely important to many people, but it also helps to adopt a view of the therapeutic process that goes beyond the individual. In other words, it starts from a conception of psychological well-being in which each person is cognitively and emotionally linked to their context, and above all to their loved ones.

How do you train to be a couples’ therapist?

When you specialise to work professionally (mainly, or in combination with other forms of psychological intervention) in couples’ therapy, take into account these criteria that must be met by the Masters and postgraduate courses that you are going to choose from. They will give you an idea of the quality of these training programmes.

1. It offers the possibility of doing practice

Couples therapy is an activity clearly applied: the theory is useless if we do not know how to apply it and contrast it with reality . Besides, love relationships are fundamentally changing and dynamic phenomena, so we cannot pretend to approach them in a linear way, first checking what the books say and then executing the instructions described. It is necessary to gain fluency in real time learning contexts, in a therapeutic context with patients.

Therefore, to be a couples’ therapist it is essential to go through training programs that give the option to practice with real couples, not only through imagination and hypothetical situations.

2. It is taught by professionals in this discipline

In part because of what we have seen before, the possibility of receiving the supervision and knowledge of psychologists with extensive experience in couples therapy is very beneficial for those who want to learn. In this way, even the theoretical component of this training will have a practice-oriented element.

Couples therapy professionals go beyond the manuals, and offer advice about the small details of everyday life, both what happens in the psychological assistance sessions and what happens between them: planning, bureaucracy, managing schedules, etc.

3. Goes beyond the pathological

Although the concept of therapy is often used in the clinical context, it should not be lost sight of the fact that, in practice, the problems addressed in couples’ therapy are not caused by disorders.

For this reason, a postgraduate degree or Master’s degree in couples therapy should be based on social psychology, and not so much on clinical and health psychology , unless it is designed to be extremely specialised in a specific area of love relationships (or in a part of the population already diagnosed with mental disorders).

4. Takes into account sexuality

Human sexuality is deeply involved in the vast majority of relationships , either as a source of emotional problems or as a factor in maintaining these problems, if they have originated outside the bedroom. That is why becoming a couples’ therapist involves broadening your knowledge and experience in this aspect of intimate life.

5. Provides training in the therapeutic relationship

The ability to conduct a good therapeutic relationship is crucial. That is why these courses and Masters must include practical advice of this type, which allows the therapeutic process to flow and the couples who come to us for professional help to commit to the evolution of these sessions.

Where to specialize?

If you are interested in training to become a couple’s therapist in the Murcia area, a very good option is the Master in Sexology and Couple’s Therapy carried out by Instituto de la Pareja , available in the semi-presential, presential and online formats.

This option to become a professional, designed and promoted by the reference entity in Murcia regarding couple’s therapy, allows to learn during a course of 10 months about everything related to love relationships, sexuality and sexual therapy, cases of dependency, situations of gender violence, paraphilias, and much more.

  • To see their contact details, click here.

Bibliographic references:

  • Biscotti, O. (2006). Couple’s therapy: a systemic view. Buenos Aires: Lumen.
  • Christensen A., Atkins D.C., Baucom B., Yi J. (2010). “Marital status and satisfaction five years following a randomized clinical trial comparing traditional versus integrative behavioral couple therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 78 (2): pp. 225 – 235.