WI-AMFT: Religious Trauma in Couples: Clinical Considerations for Systemic Practice

When:  Fri, Oct 9, 2026 from 12:00 PM to 01:30 PM (ET)

Religious trauma, often overlooked, shapes couple dynamics through conflict, disconnection, and value incongruence. This session offers a systemic framework for assessing how internalized beliefs influence intimacy, power, and roles. Emphasis is placed on belief divergence, pursue-withdraw patterns, and emotional regulation, while distinguishing trauma from normative spiritual struggle and maintaining cultural humility in clinical practice.

This 90-minute session begins with a 10-minute introduction using brief slides to establish religious trauma as an often-overlooked influence on couple dynamics and to orient participants to a systemic lens.

The next 20 minutes present a structured framework, supported by a handout to guide assessment and case conceptualization.

A 25-minute case example follows, integrating brief reflective prompts to support application. The next 20 minutes focus on practical interventions, with a second handout offering clinical prompts and language.

The final 15 minutes are reserved for participant questions, discussion, and integration across clinical contexts.