Advanced Training in Couple Therapy

The Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT) Residency at the PSM Center for Relationships is designed to offer immersive training in EFCT over the course of a year. Residents will see 8-12 couples and receive comprehensive didactic training, group supervision with a cohort of other residents, and weekly individual supervision with a certified EFCT supervisor. The focus of our program is to provide residents with a deep, rich training experience in couple therapy with extensive support along the way, in the form of formal supervision as well as collaboration with other residents that are learning alongside them.

Residents are encouraged to attend ICEEFT-sponsored externship and Core Skills training throughout the year, so that at the end of the training year they are fully qualified for certification as an EFCT therapist.

About PSM

Psychology Specialists of Maine (PSM) is a private outpatient group practice providing behavioral healthcare for adults. Our team of psychologists provides postdoctoral clinical supervision and therapy for adult individuals, couples, and groups. Our psychologists are skilled scientist-practitioners with experience as clinicians, supervisors, and scholars in broad areas of specialization. Our offices are located in Brunswick, Portland, and Bangor.

Mission

Our mission is to learn, grow, and inspire others to believe in themselves and to live to their fullest potential.

Vision

We serve to foster the infinite potential and greatness in each and every team member, trainee, and client. We aim to promote mental health and well-being by emphasizing individual strengths, empowerment, and the centrality of relationships.

Values

Everyone has strengths of great value. We do hard things because challenges lead to growth and change. We all need to be seen, valued, and experience belonging in order to thrive. Connected, secure relationships are central to our well-being.

EFCT Residency Training Program

The EFCT Residency Training Program at the PSM Center for Relationships is designed for candidates who are fully or conditionally licensed to provide therapy as a marriage and family therapist, social worker, psychologist, or professional counselor. The ideal candidate will have experience in individual, family, or couple therapy, and a strong desire to focus their training experience on working with relationships using Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT).

The clinical caseload will be 8-12 couple therapy hours and therapy may be provided in one of our offices or via telehealth. The resident will participate in one hour of weekly individual supervision, biweekly 2-hour group supervisions, as well as monthly didactic trainings. They will commit to 3-5 hours per week of individual self-study in the form of assigned reading, case videos, and reflecting on their own clinical work.

Residents will have the opportunity to attend other trainings offered by PSM as well as EFT Maine, and are encouraged to attend ICEEFT-sponsored externship and core skills trainings alongside their learning at PSM. Supervision and clinical experience provided by the residency fulfills the remainder of the requirements for EFCT certification at the end of the training year.

Residents will participate as facilitators of bi-annual Hold Me Tight workshops, as well as other workshops and groups, to gain expertise in psychoeducation and dissemination of information to the public.

Goals and Objectives of the Residency Program

  1. Train competent couple therapists who are skilled in providing EFCT while adapting the model to the individual needs and presentations of their clients.

  2. Provide excellent supervision using evidence-based techniques that support professional growth and identity development.

  3. Offer a range of clinical and didactic training experiences that encourage depth of knowledge of clinical populations and EFCT theory and interventions.

  4. Encourage awareness of self as a therapist and member of various social groups and build skill in relating to clients from diverse backgrounds, especially underrepresented populations and those with barriers to obtaining mental health services.

  5. Develop fluency in ethical and legal guidelines relevant to the field of therapy including competence in seeking consultation with written sources, colleagues, or legal specialists when needed.

  6. Build skill in written and verbal communication and consultation with other healthcare professionals.

  7. Prepare residents for certification in and independent practice of EFCT.

  8. Promote scholarship and dissemination of expertise through presentations and workshops to professionals and community members.

Evaluations

Residents are evaluated using a written assessment of these competencies on a quarterly basis and constructive, supportive feedback is provided regularly in supervision. Residents are evaluated on their competency across the following domains:

  1. EFCT Assessment: Effectively evaluate and conceptualize relational conflict cycle, gather and integrate information about attachment history, emotion regulation, and relational approaches.

  2. Intervention: Design and implement treatment plans to de-escalate and reduce conflict, strengthen intimate bonds, and improve relational health.

  3. Ethics and Legal Standards: Application of ethical concepts appropriate to resident’s relevant code of ethics (ACA, APA, AAMFT) as well as awareness of legal issues regarding professional activities, including when to seek consultation.

  4. Individual and Cultural Diversity: Awareness, sensitivity, and skills in clinical work with diverse individuals and communities.

  5. Professional and Communication Skills: Comportment that reflects the values of integrity and responsibility. Development of personal and professional reflection and self-awareness.

Position Details

Our 12-month EFCT Residency position begins the Tuesday after Labor Day. Residents are contractors with PSM, paid $100 per intake session and $80 per regular clinical hour. All supervision and didactic sessions are provided free of charge to the resident. All clinical services will be provided via telehealth from the resident’s remote office location. Office space in a PSM location may be made available upon request one day per week.

PSM is a paperless office and we provide our residents with account access to our electronic health record (EHR), HIPAA-compliant GSuite email and document storage and encryption, online HIPAA-compliant document management for clients, and HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform. Residents receive extensive administrative support including scheduling of new clients and management of all billing and insurance-related concerns. Residents also have access to the resident resources website that offers a self-help library, professional development resources, training documents, and psychoeducational and clinical handouts.

Applicant Qualifications

Applications must be recent graduates of a counseling, social work, marriage and family therapy, or counseling/clinical psychology program and conditionally or fully licensed to practice therapy. Applications must complete all masters or doctoral level program requirements prior to starting the residency program. Successful candidates will demonstrate basic competency working with couple clients and a desire to further develop skill in EFCT. Additional desirable characteristics include a strong capacity for self-reflection and personal development as well as clear clinical boundaries.