Conflict is one of the areas therapists most often feel unsure about in couples therapy. Whether you are newer to couples work, already established in the field, or considering whether this is an area you want to move into, the question often remains the same:

“How do I work with conflict when it becomes activated in the room?”

In this recorded webinar, Karen Murphy explores conflict not simply as disagreement, but as a relational process. She looks at what happens when partners become dysregulated and defended, and how they can become caught in survival strategies that were once protective, but now create more distance, hurt, and disconnection.

The webinar offers a grounded way of understanding what sits underneath conflict: vulnerability, fear, protection, longing, and the cycles that develop between partners. Karen explores how one partner’s protection can activate the other partner’s vulnerability, and how couples can become trapped in repetitive patterns they cannot easily move out of on their own.

A key focus of this training is the therapist’s role in the room. How do we stay steady when the couple is activated? How do we hold neutrality without becoming passive? How do we lead with clarity while still staying relational, curious, and attuned?

• How to understand conflict in couples therapy through a relational lens
• Why couples become caught in repetitive patterns they cannot easily move out of
• The role of vulnerability and self-protective survival strategies in conflict
• How one partner’s protection can activate the other partner’s vulnerability
• Why neutrality is active, grounded, and essential in conflict work
• Why safety must always come before neutrality
• How strong therapeutic leadership supports high-conflict couples
• Why therapist attunement is one of the most powerful tools for regulation
• How to stay curious about protection, even when behaviour appears confronting or harmful
• How to support couples without rushing too quickly into techniques or solutions