Navigating Addiction in Couples Therapy

Credit

Faculty

Sue Diamond, MA Related seminars and products

The Good Life Therapy Centre

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Sue Diamond, MA, is the founder & clinical director of the Good Life Therapy Centre located in Vancouver, BC. As a psychotherapist she has been helping individuals and couples overcome their addictions and relationship trauma for over thirty years. She has been in recovery herself from alcohol and drug abuse of over 3 decades.

She has been a training assistant at the Couples Institute for over 20 years and offers training and consultation to therapists in the Developmental Model of Couples therapy. She spends part of each year in India practicing advanced meditation techniques and studying eastern philosophy at the Kriyayoga Ashram & Research Institute. She integrates Eastern spiritual practices with Western science to create a holistic approach for change.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Sue Diamond is the founder of Good Life Recovery and The Good Life Therapy Centre, Inc. She has an employment relationship with the Couples Institute. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Sue Diamond is an author with Psychotherapy Networker.

 

Additional Info

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Objectives

1. Identify behavioral, relational, and high functioning indicators of addiction within couples therapy.
2. Apply clinically grounded strategies for integrating addiction related concerns into ongoing couples work, including psychoeducation, boundary setting, and compassionate confrontation.
3. Use the Developmental Model of Couples Therapy to promote recovery oriented change, enhance differentiation, and support trust building within the relationship.  

Outline

Welcome & Overview 

Introductions and workshop goals.

• Risks and Limitations
• Why addiction is frequently missed in couples therapy
• Brief framing: addiction as a relational disruptor

Identifying Addiction in Couples Therapy 

Key Points

• Prevalence of hidden or minimized addiction
• High functioning presentations and common blind spots
• Behavioral and relational red flags
• Quick screening approaches (formal & informal)

Brief Example

Integrating Addiction Into Ongoing Couples Therapy Core Interventions

• Psychoeducation: helping partners understand addiction’s relational impact
• Confrontation with compassion
• Negotiation and boundary-setting
• Supporting the partner without enabling
• Sample questions to fold addiction assessment into a session

Using the Developmental Model to Support Recovery 

Model Overview (brief)

• Stages: Symbiosis → Differentiation → Practicing → Rapprochement → Mutual Interdependence
• Where addicted partners often get stuck

Application to Addiction

• How developmental progress parallels recovery steps
• Differentiation as a tool to break addictive relational patterns
• Increasing emotional regulation and accountability
• Rebuilding trust through stage appropriate interventions

Integration, Q&A, and Key Takeaways 

• How to weave assessment, addiction treatment, and developmental work into a unified plan
• Summary of critical therapist skills
• Questions and resource recommendations

Target Audience

• Psychologists
• Physicians
• Addiction Counselors
• Counselors
• Social Workers
• Marriage & Family Therapists
• Psychotherapists
• Other Behavioral Health Professionals

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