Affairs That Never Fully End: Clinical Management (3 CEU's)

COUPLES, FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS
Affairs That Never Fully End: Clinical Management – 3 CEUs

Overview:
Affair recovery becomes significantly more complicated when the extradyadic relationship has not fully ended or remains emotionally active despite attempts at reconciliation. Therapists may encounter couples in which contact with a third party continues intermittently, emotional attachment remains unresolved, communication persists through social media or co-parenting obligations, or one partner remains psychologically invested despite expressing a desire to repair the primary relationship. These situations often create cycles of distrust, repeated betrayal injuries, emotional volatility, hypervigilance, and profound uncertainty within treatment. Clinicians may feel pulled into roles of investigator, mediator, referee, or truth-seeker while attempting to preserve therapeutic neutrality and facilitate meaningful clinical work.

In this presentation, Dr. Zairys Feliz, Ph.D., LCSW, participants will examine practical and relational approaches for working with couples navigating ongoing or incompletely resolved affair dynamics. Attendees will explore common reasons affairs remain psychologically or behaviorally active, including unresolved attachment needs, ambivalence, trauma histories, emotional dependency, grief processes, avoidance of loss, and relational dissatisfaction. The course will address common clinical challenges including disclosure questions, repeated trust ruptures, transparency expectations, treatment pacing, emotional reactivity, and differing goals between partners. Participants will learn practical strategies for assessing relationship readiness, navigating ambivalence without coercion, establishing treatment boundaries, supporting accountability, and managing therapist neutrality within emotionally charged circumstances. Through case examples and applied discussion, attendees will gain tools for effectively treating one of couples therapy’s most complex and difficult presentations.

Objectives:

1. Identify factors that contribute to ongoing emotional or behavioral involvement in incompletely resolved affair dynamics.

2. Recognize clinical challenges including trust disruption, ambivalence, competing goals, and therapist role confusion.

3. Apply practical intervention strategies that support assessment, accountability, and informed treatment planning.

Scope and Limitations Disclosure
This course provides licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals with an overview of clinical approaches for treating couples affected by unresolved or ongoing affair dynamics. Participants will learn practical assessment and intervention strategies relevant to couples treatment settings. This training does not provide certification in couples therapy models or specialized instruction in infidelity recovery programs. Participants are expected to apply course material within their professional scope of practice, ethical standards, and ongoing consultation when appropriate.

Financial and Commercial Disclosure
The presenter has no relevant financial relationships or conflicts of interest to disclose. Any references to therapeutic frameworks, attachment concepts, interventions, or resources are included solely for educational purposes. Participants are not required to purchase any additional materials to complete this course.

Refund Policy – Live CE Trainings (Virtual & In-Person)
All registrations for live CE trainings are subject to this refund policy. By enrolling, participants agree to these terms. Cancellations made 7 days or more prior to the scheduled training date are eligible for a full refund minus a $25 administrative fee, or participants may elect to receive a full credit toward a future training. Cancellations made less than 7 days before the scheduled training are non-refundable; however, registrations may be transferred to another eligible training or another attendee with prior written approval. Participants who fail to attend a scheduled live training, do not complete attendance requirements, or fail to satisfy course participation requirements are not eligible for refunds or CEUs. If a training is canceled or rescheduled by the provider, registrants will be offered either a full refund or the opportunity to transfer to another training. Refunds will not be issued if participants are unable to earn CEUs due to incomplete attendance, failure to complete required evaluations, or licensing board eligibility restrictions.