When One Partner Isn't Sure: Assessing and Navigating Mixed-Agenda Couples
Course #9689L -
- Participation Instructions
- Review the course material online or in print.
- Complete the course evaluation.
- Review your Transcript to view and print your Certificate of Completion. Your date of completion will be the date (Pacific Time) the course was electronically submitted for credit, with no exceptions. Partial credit is not available.
This live event takes place Tuesday, November 18, 6 pm-7 pm EST (3 pm-4 pm PST).
This course introduces therapists to the clinical, ethical, and emotional complexities of working with mixed-agenda couples—where one partner is leaning out of the relationship and the other wants to preserve it. These couples often present for therapy without shared goals, making traditional couples work potentially ineffective or even harmful. The course explores strategies for early assessment, introduces a structured approach to support decision-making, and highlights how to avoid common pitfalls. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how to ethically and effectively guide couples in the early stages of treatment.
This live webinar is intended for counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychologists, social workers, and other behavioral health professionals engaged in relational or couples therapy.
The purpose of this course is to provide behavioral health professionals with the knowledge and practical tools to recognize mixed-agenda dynamics early, assess for ethical and clinical fit, and make informed decisions about next steps.
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Identify clinical signs that a couple may be experiencing mixed-agenda dynamics.
- Describe at least three ethical concerns related to beginning therapy with unclear relational commitment.
- Outline steps for assessing each partner's level of motivation and engagement.
- Compare potential pathways forward, including individual work, couples therapy, and decision-making interventions.
Michal Goldman, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker specializing in relational therapy and therapist development. She is passionate about helping clinicians cultivate secure, ethical boundaries and deepen their self-of-therapist awareness to enhance their work with couples. Michal holds extensive training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and discernment counseling, with a focus on supporting couples through relational challenges. In addition to her clinical work, she writes a biweekly mental health column for a local newspaper, where she shares insights on relational health and ethical practice. Her teaching emphasizes compassionate care, cultural humility, and clinically sound decision-making in complex therapeutic settings.
Contributing faculty, Michal Goldman, LCSW, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Kimberly Byrd, EdD, PMSW
Scott Deatherage, PhD
The division planners have disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Sarah Campbell
The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.
Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.
It is the policy of NetCE not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.
Supported browsers for Windows include Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.0 and up, Mozilla Firefox 3.0 and up, Opera 9.0 and up, and Google Chrome. Supported browsers for Macintosh include Safari, Mozilla Firefox 3.0 and up, Opera 9.0 and up, and Google Chrome. Other operating systems and browsers that include complete implementations of ECMAScript edition 3 and CSS 2.0 may work, but are not supported. Supported browsers must utilize the TLS encryption protocol v1.1 or v1.2 in order to connect to pages that require a secured HTTPS connection. TLS v1.0 is not supported.
The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.
Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.