Team Meetings

04/29/2026 Didactic

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Time: 11:00 am-1:00 pm CT
Outside Study: 2 hours
Didactic Presentation: 1 hour 45 mins
Educator: Melissa Abello

Description: This didactic will address different needs for each group of therapists.

Resident therapists – it will help them to use the experiential didactic time towards embodied Spirituality

Certified Therapists — will focus on learning how to engage and build alliance in step 2 of EFT

AP therapists — will focus their energy on learning the overall frame work of a leader

Pre-Didactic Materials:

Resident Therapists:

PLEASE READ + WATCH:

Please read through these to prepare for the experential role plays:

  • First Role play:
    • Role of the Therapist:
      • Perform a first third session using following markers (30 Minutes)
        • 15.4 -Getting Started
        • 15.5 – Task #2 Established Safety + Brain Sync
        • 2.1 –Leadership + Structure
        • 3.1 – 3.5 Markers (Embodied Spirituality)
  • Individual Client Presentation 1#: 35 year old female or male who came in for anxiety. The client has an avoidant attachment style.

Second Role Play:

  • Role of the Therapist:
    • Same as a listed about
  • Individual Client Presentation #2: 45 year old male, who came in because he is feeling really depressed. The client has an anxious attachment style

Certified Therapists:

Please read and watch:

  • EFT – STEP 3

First Role Play:

Role Play #1:

  • Therapist Task: Session 5 (30 Minutes)
    • Step 1: Build Alliance
    • Step 2: Identify with the client their negative interaction cycle
      • Using TANGO + MEANING + PROTECTION
    • Step 3: Dive more deeply into and feel and share the emotions underlying and fueling each partners position in the cycle.
      • Attempt 2-3 rounds of the tango in this step
  • Client Presentation:
    • Cannot seem to get things resolved between them ever. Never talk through anything.
      • Husband complains wife never wants to have sex
      • Wife: complains she feels constantly attacked by husband
    • Husband: Pursuer + Anxiously attached
    • Wife: Withdrawer + Avoidant attachement

Role play #2:

  • Therapist Task: Session 5 (30 Minutes)
    • Step 1: Build Alliance
    • Step 2: Identify with the client their negative interaction cycle
      • Using TANGO + MEANING + PROTECTION
    • Step 3: Dive more deeply into and feel and share the emotions underlying and fueling each partners position in the cycle.
      • Attempt 2-3 rounds of the tango in this step
  • Client Presentation:
    • Wife feels like husband picks work over her all the time and husband feels like wife is ungrateful for him
  • Husband: Withdrawer + Disorganized attachment
  • Wife: Pursuer: + Anxiously attached

Advanced Practice Therapists:

Pre-didactic Material:

Role Play #1:

  • Therapist Task: Session 10 (30 Minutes)
  • Step 5: Delve into and identify disowned needs and aspects of self that have been hidden for each partner.
    • Enact disowned parts
  • Client Presentation:
    • Cannot seem to get things resolved between them ever. Never talk through anything.
      • Husband complains wife never wants to have sex
      • Wife: complains she feels constantly attacked by husband
    • Husband: Pursuer + Anxiously attached
    • Wife: Withdrawer + Avoidant attachement

Role play #2:

  • Therapist Task: Session 10 (30 Minutes)
  • Step 5: Delve into and identify disowned needs and aspects of self that have been hidden for each partner.
  • Enact disowned need
  • Client Presentation:
    • Wife feels like husband picks work over her all the time and husband feels like wife is ungrateful for him
  • Husband: Withdrawer + Disorganized attachment
  • Wife: Pursuer: + Anxiously attached

4/22/2026 Didactic

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Time: 11:00 am-1:00 pm CT
Outside Study: 2 hours
Didactic Presentation: 1 hour 45 mins
Educator: Melissa Abello

Description: This didactic will address different needs for each group of therapists.

Resident therapists – it will help them to use the experential didactic time towards embodied Spirituality

Certified Therapists — will focus on learning how to engage and build alliance in step 2 of EFT

AP therapists — will focus their energy on learning the overall frame work of a leader

Pre-Didactic Materials:

Resident Therapists:

PLEASE READ + WATCH:

Please read through these to prepare for the experential role plays:

  • First Role play:
    • Role of the Therapist:
      • Perform a first session using following markers (30 Minutes)
        • 14.2 — Informed Consent
        • 15.4 -— Task #1 Getting Started
        • 2.1 –Leadership + Structure
        • 1.1 – 1.7 markers — use as many of the following markers possible
  • Individual Client Presentation 1#: 35 year old female or male who came in for anxiety. The client has an avoidant attachment style.

Second Role Play:

  • Role of the Therapist:
    • Same as a listed about
  • Individual Client Presentation #2: 45 year old male, who came in because he is feeling really depressed. The client has an anxious attachment style

Certified Therapists:

Please read and watch:

First Role Play:

Role Play #1:

  • Therapist Task: Session 4 after attachment: (30 Minutes)
    • Step 1: Build Alliance
    • Step 2: Identify with the client their negative interaction cycle
      • Using TANGO + MEANING + PROTECTION
      • Attempt to do 2-3 rounds of tango within the
  • Client Presentation:
    • Cannot seem to get things resolved between them ever. Never talk through anything.
      • Husband complains wife never wants to have sex
      • Wife: complains she feels constantly attacked by husband
    • Husband: Pursuer + Anxiously attached
    • Wife: Withdrawer + Avoidant attachement

Role play #2:

  • Therapist Task: Session 4 after attachment: (30 Minutes)
    • Step 1: Build Alliance
    • Step 2: Identify with the client their negative interaction cycle
      • Using TANGO + MEANING + PROTECTION
      • Attempt to do 2-3 rounds of tango within the session
  • Client Presentation:
    • Wife feels like husband picks work over her all the time and husband feels like wife is ungrateful for him
  • Husband: Withdrawer + Disorganized attachment
  • Wife: Pursuer: + Anxiously attached

4/15/2026 Didactic

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Time: 11:00 am-1:00 pm CT
Outside Study: 2 hours
Didactic Presentation: 1 hour 45 mins
Educator: Danielle Schaefer

Description: This didactic will address how to conduct teen and family counseling at MCO. We will review Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) and how it compares to Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT). We will focus on how to conceptualize family work. Hoping you walk away from this didactic feeling more clear on what to do when a teen/family pop onto your caseload.

Pre-Didactic Materials:

Watch this 12 minute video that provides a very high level overview of EFFT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2gOBOp1-pU

Now choose ONE of these videos – they are both right around 47 minutes long, and both are interviews with Gail Palmer:

1) We Heart Therapy interview with Gail Palmer

OR

2) Con Sheehan interview with Gail Palmer

In both, watch/listen for how the tango is used in family therapy, and also for the overarching goals we are pursuing in family counseling.

3/25/2026 Didactic

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Belief Barriers

Time: 11:00 am-1:00 pm CT
Outside Study: 2 hours
Didactic Presentation: 1 hour 45 mins
Educator: Melissa Abello

Description: This didactic will address assessment and treatment of Sexual trauma in the context of sex therapy

Pre-Didactic Materials:
Read: Chapter 3 + Chapter 10 of the Sexual Healing Journey By Wendy Maltz

3/18/2026 Didactic

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Erectile Dysfunction and Premature Ejaculation

Time: 11:00 am-1:00 pm CT
Outside Study: 1 hours
Didactic Presentation: 1 hr 45 mins
Educator: Peter Muhwati

Description:

The aim of this training is to address Erectile dysfunction (ED) and Premature Ejaculation (PE) in sex therapy. We will focus on:

  1. How to identify both ED and PE.
  2. How you assess for both ED and PE
  3. How to treat both ED and PE using Penner Protocol

Pre-Didactic Material:

Erectile Dysfunction:
Penner Chapter 16 pg232-240|
Coping with erectile dysfunction Chapter 5 pg63-77
Coping with erectile dysfunction Chapter 8 pg114-138

Premature Ejaculation:
Penner Chapter 17 pg252-265
Coping with Premature ejaculation Chapter 4 pg47-58
Coping with Premature ejaculation Chapter 8 pg105-133

2/18/2026 Didactic

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Belief Barriers

Time: 11:00 am-1:00 pm CT
Outside Study: 2 hours
Didactic Presentation: 1 hour 45 mins
Educator: Danielle Schaefer

Description: This didactic will address faith-based belief barriers in sex therapy with couples, focusing on how to identify when a belief barrier is present, how to assess its impact on intimacy, and how to treat it.

Pre-Didactic Materials:

– Read Song of Solomon
– Read Ezekiel 16
– Read Chapters 5 and 14 from Restoring the Pleasure

Read This:

The “What’s Allowed” List from Dr. Jennifer Konzen:

  1. Is it prohibited by Scripture (i.e. lust, sexual immorality, Matt 5:28, Gal 5)?
  2. Is it beneficial and constructive (1 Cor 10:23-24)? Does it build up? Does it benefit your relationship and are you seeking your spouse’s good?
  3. Does it involve anyone else (even fantasizing – Heb 13:4, Matt 5:28)?
  4. What is the fruit (Matt 7:16-20); when you put it into practice, does it create intimate connection between you? Does it lead to anything detrimental?
  5. Is it contaminated by pollution of the world (James 1:27) or has Satan contaminated it but it now needs to be reclaimed (2 Pet1:3-4)?
  6. Is it pleasing to your spouse (1 Cor 7:33-34)?
  7. Does it violate your or your spouse’s conscience (Rom 14:5, 1 Cor 8:7-13)?
  8. If you choose not to engage in this, is it truly about restraining or controlling sensual/sexual corruption, in a God given manner, or is it based on human teachings and self-imposed, false restrictions of the body (Col 2:21-23)?

1/28/2026 Didactic

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EFT Stage 3 + Penner (Assignments 27-31)

Time: 11:00 am-1:00 pm CT
Outside Study: 2 hours
Didactic Presentation: 1 hr 45 mins
Educator: Peter Muhwati

Description:

The aim of this training is to integrate Phase 3 of the Penner protocol with EFT Stage 3 work.

Consolidating secure bonds in Stage 3 of EFT:

Stage 3: Step 8: Solutions to pragmatic problems

Stage 3: Step 9: Consolidating new responsive positions and cycles.

We will get practice at using the exercises as handles to do EFT experiential couples work.

Pre-Didactic Material:

  1. Re-read Assignments 27-31 of Penner Protocol.
  2. Refresh our knowledge of Steps 8 and 9 in EFT.
  3. Stage 3 sex therapy session.

https://mycounselor.app.box.com/file/2109731865379?s=tmxdjry9z0as7uw4hs197g0rp83tgk21