Beyond the Compulsion: Integrating EFT to Enhance Relational Healing in OCD

BEYOND THE COMPULSION: INTEGRATING EFT TO ENHANCE RELATIONAL HEALING IN OCD

Date: Friday, February 7, 2025

Time: 12 PM - 3 PM

Location: In-Person, Scottsdale Public Library—Mustang Library

(SPACE IS LIMITED TO 25 PEOPLE)

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP

This workshop is designed to help clinicians break down the barriers that often hinder healing in couples where one or both members have OCD. By focusing on repairing attachment wounds and injuries, therapists will learn to reduce the shame surrounding OCD cycles and patterns, allowing clients to move beyond the rigid structures that keep them stuck. Participants will gain tools to foster deeper emotional connections and create a more supportive, healing environment for clients with OCD.

CEUs
Certificate of Attendance: 3 hours
**Counts towards CEUs for AzBBHE.**

KEY LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Recognizing and Addressing OCD Patterns in Couples Therapy
   Participants will learn to identify the disorienting and invalidating nature of OCD, particularly in the context of couples. Therapists will gain skills to help clients move beyond OCD triggers and cycles, fostering the sharing of vulnerable emotions to reduce conflict and enhance connection.
2. OCD and Neurodivergence: Enhancing Empathy and Process Tracking
   This objective focuses on improving clinicians' ability to track the relationship between OCD tendencies and neurodivergent processing. Therapists will parallel the client’s experience, deepening their empathy by understanding the confusion both the client and therapist may feel during treatment, ultimately enhancing the therapeutic connection.
3. Integrating OCD Awareness into Couples Therapy
   Whether utilizing EFT or other modalities, participants will learn to integrate their understanding of the fluid, shape-shifting nature of OCD into couples work. The focus will be on tracking OCD cycles without reinforcing shame, helping clients build the confidence to communicate openly with their partners and creating a more secure attachment in relationships.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Elizabeth Kresojevich, a licensed Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapist since 2018, is passionate about creating a safe space for individuals, couples, and families to explore their innermost thoughts, build deeper connections, and process life’s vulnerable moments. With a lifelong interest in relationships, human resilience, and personal growth, she brings both professional expertise and personal insight to her work. Specializing in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Attachment-Based Therapy, EMDR, and the unique experiences of those from Balkan/Eastern European backgrounds, she believes that the relationships we have with ourselves and others deserve to be nurtured with care and grace. Elizabeth specializes in supporting couples, families, and individuals experiencing trauma, family system concerns, socio-cultural implications, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in adults and children, Anxiety, and relationships.

Elizabeth is certified in EMDR, and advanced trained in EFT. She is also involved in various therapy communities as the current ICEEFT Chair on AzEFT Board, and a member of AFTA, AAMFT, EMDRIA, AzEFT, and ICEEFT.

Samantha Kingma is a licensed marriage and family therapist in the states of Arizona, Michigan, and Washington. She earned her MSMSFT from Fuller Theological Seminary in 2014, and currently owns Rest + Renew Therapy, a private practice offering treatment for adult individuals and couples. Samantha specializes in treating OCD, anxiety, and relationship issues, with an emphasis on work with clients experiencing perfectionism and relationship OCD. Samantha has extensive experience working in trauma focused treatment settings, as well as working in emergency crisis management. She is trained in Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), EMDR, ERP, and ACT, and is an AZBBHE board approved supervisor. Samantha is passionate about advocating for clients and clinicians to better understand the symptoms of OCD and the various ways that OCD can impact relationships.

DISCOUNTS

** 20% discount offered to group practices of 5 or more who each register for the event; for the discount code

CANCELLATION/REFUND POLICY

In the event that you have paid for an upcoming event but are not able to attend, you may request a refund up to 30 days prior to the event.

Refund requests must be received in writing via email to: [email protected]. Requests received at least 60 days prior to the start of the event will receive a full refund of the registration minus the Eventbrite refund fee. Requests received between 30-59 days prior to the start of the event will receive a 50% refund of the registration minus the Eventbrite refund fee. No refunds will be issued for cancellations received less than 30 days prior to the start of the event.

Host or Publisher Emotionally Focused Therapy for Arizona