Why Today’s Couples Therapists Need Trauma-Informed Training

Couples therapist Trauma infomred training with Maureen McEvoy, Sydney November 8/9 Imago workshop presenter from Canada Healing Trauma Restoring Connection sponsored by the Australia Resource Therapy Institute.

Every couple’s therapist knows the moment.

The couple across from you begins to spiral. One partner escalates, the other shuts down. The session feels stuck. You reach for your skills, but nothing seems to land.

If you’ve ever left the room doubting yourself – “Did I miss something? Why couldn’t I shift them?” You’re not alone. Therapists across Australia and beyond are encountering the same challenges.

And it isn’t because you’re not skilled. It’s because couples today are bringing something bigger into therapy: trauma histories, attachment injuries, ADHD and nervous system dysregulation.

Why talk therapy isn’t always enough

Traditional approaches to couples work focus on communication skills, conflict resolution, and attachment repair. These are valuable, but they can stall when trauma is active in the room.

Sessions loop in circles without resolution.
Partners escalate beyond the therapist’s containment.
Shutdowns leave the couple, and therapist in silence.
Therapists burn out, carrying their clients’ trauma home.

Without trauma-informed tools, even experienced clinicians feel under-resourced.

The answer: trauma-informed couples therapy

That’s why we are hosting:

Healing Trauma, Restoring Connection – Trauma-Informed Couples Therapy Training

📍 8–9 November 2025 | Crows Nest Community Centre, Sydney

🎓 12 CPD Hours elegible (PACFA, ACA, APS, AASW, ACA AAPI)

🟡 Sponsored by Australian Resource Therapy Institute (ARTI)

This two-day intensive brings Maureen McEvoy, MA, RCC (Canada), International Imago Faculty to Australia for her only 2025 training. Maureen is an internationally respected therapist and trainer known for integrating trauma work with relational models in ways that are practical, safe, and deeply human.

What you’ll gain

Across two days, you’ll learn to:

✅ Integrate Imago, EFT, Gottman, and PACT approaches with Bruce Perry’s neurodevelopmental insights.

✅ Apply somatic and creative arts methods for in-session regulation and repair.

✅ Recognise when trauma is disrupting couples dynamics — and how to respond effectively.

✅ Strengthen your therapist presence so you leave sessions grounded, not depleted. ✅ Connect with a professional community who share your challenges.

You will walk away with practical interventions you can use immediately in your practice.

🏆 Scholarship Competition – #WhichCrewRU

To celebrate this rare event, we’re offering:

Five full-fee scholarships (value $1,250 AUD each)
Five half-fee scholarships

How to enter:

Pick the therapist “crew member” you most identify with (Foggy Fran, Not-Enough Nellie, Burnout Baxter, etc).
Write up to 100 words on why and how you’ll apply this training in your practice.
Email your entry to philipa@resourcetherapy.com.au by 15 October 2025.

Then share your reflection on social media using #WhichCrewRU to join the conversation.

ARTi Scholarship 10 therapist Crew #whichCrewRU for the two day couples therapist trauma informed training with Imago faculty member Maureen McEvoy MA RCC of Canada — ARTi Scholarship 10 therapist Crew #whichCrewRU for the two-day couples therapist trauma-informed training with Imago program presenter Maureen McEvoy, MA, RCC of Canada

Who this training is for

Q: Who should attend?

A: Couples therapists, psychologists, counsellors, and mental-health professionals seeking to expand their trauma-informed skill set.

Q: I’m early in my career — is it still for me?

A: Yes. Newer therapists will gain foundational trauma-informed skills. Experienced therapists will discover fresh tools and integration strategies.

Q: What if I mainly practise one model (Imago, EFT, Gottman, Art Therapy, Somatic Therapy)?

A: This training shows you how to integrate modalities through a trauma-informed lens. It doesn’t replace your current approach — it strengthens it.

Why is this training different?

Rare: The only trauma-informed couples therapy training of its kind in Australia, in 2025.
International expertise: Learn directly from Maureen McEvoy, MA, RCC (Canada), International Imago Workshop presenter
Recognised: Eligible for 12 CPD hours across major professional bodies.
Practical: Tools and interventions you can take into sessions straight away.
Community: Step out of isolation and into a supportive network of colleagues.

Event details at a glance

Detail Information

Who Couples therapists, counsellors, psychologists, and mental-health professionals

What Two-day trauma-informed professional training workshop

Trainer Maureen McEvoy, MA, RCC (Canada), International Imago Faculty

When 8–9 November 2025

Where Crows Nest Community Centre, Sydney

Fees September Saver: $995 until 30 Sept · Standard: $1,100 from 1 Oct

CPD 12 hours recognised by APS, PACFA, AASW, AAPI ACASecure your place

⚡ September Saver: $995 until 30 Sept

👉 Register now: resourcetherapy.com.au/professional -training/master-classes/

Seats are capped to ensure an interactive learning environment. Don’t miss your chance to be in the room.

Key take-home

Couples therapy is changing. Clients are bringing deeper trauma, faster escalation, and greater disconnection into our rooms. Without trauma-informed frameworks, therapists risk feeling stuck, isolated, or burnt out.

This special workshop program equips you with the tools, presence, and community you need to guide couples from reactivity to reconnection.

September 6, 2025

Lonely Leo: When Private Practice Feels Like an Island

Our ship of therapist parts for healing trauma restoring connection

💭 “Private practice feels like an island — no co-pilot, no crew.”

Many therapists resonate with Lonely Leo. The freedom of private practice can be a gift, but it can also feel like isolation. You sit with couples carrying the weight of trauma, attachment wounds, and relational ruptures — and while you hold their storm, you sometimes realise you’re holding it alone.

It’s a silent struggle. Therapists don’t often talk about the loneliness of the work. We champion connection for our clients, yet behind the closed door of the consulting room, many of us feel cut off from our peers, uncertain whether we’re “doing it right,” and longing for community.

The hidden cost of private practice

Private practice offers independence, flexibility, and the ability to work in alignment with your values. But it also removes the natural scaffolding of team life — those corridor conversations, the quick peer debriefs, the reassurance that you’re not the only one struggling with a tough couple.

Over time, isolation can grow heavy. You may notice:

The self-doubt that creeps in after a difficult session.
The fatigue of carrying complex trauma stories without support.
The paralysis when couples spiral and you feel unsure which model to use.
The ache for professional community — colleagues who understand the unique challenges of this work.

This is where Leo comes in. His story reminds us that no therapist was meant to work alone on an island.

Why trauma complicates couples’ work

When trauma walks into the couples therapy room, everything becomes more complex. Sessions may feel turbulent — sudden escalations, frozen silences, or spirals that don’t respond to ordinary dialogue techniques.

Without a trauma-informed framework, therapists can feel adrift. Do I use Imago here? Is this an EFT moment? Should I try Gottman structure, or is PACT more suitable? That scatter — the uncertainty of “which map do I use?” — is where isolation cuts deepest.

What we need is not only clarity and confidence but also connection — a professional crew that reminds us we’re not alone in navigating these storms.

Why this workshop is different

That’s why the Healing Trauma, Restoring Connection workshop exists. It’s not just about skills; it’s about anchoring therapists back into community.

🎙️ Maureen McEvoy, MA, RCC (Canada) is a trauma therapist with over 30 years’ experience — and an International Faculty Member of Imago Relationship Therapy. She has trained thousands of therapists internationally and brings a rare gift: the ability to weave multiple modalities into one coherent, trauma-informed framework.

In this workshop, Maureen integrates:

✨ Parts therapy approaches

✨ Imago Relationship Therapy

✨ EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy)

✨ Gottman Method

✨ PACT

✨ Somatic therapy practices

✨ Art therapy interventions

This is the only Australian workshop in 2025 where you can learn directly from Maureen.

What you’ll gain

Over two days in Sydney, you will:

Learn parts-based tools to understand what happens when trauma hijacks a couple’s dynamic.
Discover how to integrate different modalities without getting stuck in “which model do I use?” paralysis.
Add somatic and creative interventions to help couples regulate in the moment.
Build the confidence to step into turbulent sessions with clarity.
Most importantly, reconnect with a community of peers who share your challenges, your questions, and your passion for couples therapy.

A personal reflection

Think of the last time you left a session feeling uncertain — wondering whether you had missed something, doubting whether you had helped enough.

Now imagine stepping out of that same session knowing:

You have a framework to hold the trauma safely.
You can name and work with the parts of each partner that are triggered.
You have colleagues to debrief with, to normalise the struggle, and to celebrate the breakthroughs.

That shift — from isolation to connection — is the difference this training can make.

Event details – Healing Trauma Restoring Connection

📅 8–9 Nov 2025 | Sydney

🎙️ Maureen McEvoy, MA, RCC (Canada) — International Imago Faculty

🟡 Sponsored by ARTI | 🎓 12 CPD Hours

⚡ September Saver: $995 until 30 Sept – save $105

Final thought

If you’ve ever felt like Lonely Leo — flying solo without a co-pilot or crew — this workshop was designed for you.

We can’t always eliminate the turbulence, but we can learn how to navigate it together.

Hurry spaces are filling fast – join us today !

September 3, 2025September 2, 2025

Trauma-Informed Couples Therapy: Essential Skills for Therapists

3 needs every relationship therapist needs for trauma informed training workshop in Sydney with international presenter rare appearance

Concrete tools and community for the moments when dialogue is not enough

The couple sits across from you. Her eyes fall to the floor, as do her tears. His arms fold tight across his chest, his face grim – frozen. The Imago dialogue tool you had planned now feels impossible.

This is the moment when trauma has entered the room.

Most relationship therapists know this dynamic well. You have the skills, the training, the frameworks. But sometimes the silence, the shutdown, or the sudden outburst is not about the argument at hand. They are trauma speaking.

What Therapists Really Want from Training

Relational therapists across modalities like Imago, EFT, PACT, Gottman Relationship therapy share a similar vision for trauma-informed training. Three needs appear again and again.

1. Confidence in the Therapy Room

Therapists want to know exactly what to do when trauma shows up between partners. They want more than theory. They want clear steps that integrate with their existing models.

At the workshop: You will explore what we call the 3 R’s of Trauma Informed Couples Work™ – Recognise trauma’s presence, support partners to Regulate, and Restore connection. These principles are woven through Maureen McEvoy’s integrative approach, and you will leave with practical scripts, somatic practices, and concrete interventions you can use immediately.

2. Connection with Peers

Couples’ work can feel lonely. Therapists long for a community that “gets it.” Shared wisdom. Validation that their struggles are not unique.

At the workshop, You will join colleagues from Imago, EFT, Gottman, PACT, creative arts and other modalities. It is more than a training. It is a gathering of therapists who share your vision. You will come as colleagues and leave as friends.

3. Skills that Align with Values

Therapists want approaches that honour their clients’ humanity. They want non-pathologising, strengths-based methods that are deeply respectful of client experience.

It is in the doing. You will experience these innovations by applying what you are learning as we go through the program. No long lectures, Maureen’s practical exercises will land as you embody them ready for your next couples session.

At the workshop: With more than 30 years of trauma and couples therapy experience, Maureen shows and teaches how to weave somatic, arts-based, and polyvagal methods into existing frameworks in ways that fit your values and deepen your practice.

Why this Matters Now

Trauma is not a side issue. It is often the reason couples disconnect. Dialogue tools alone are not enough. To stay at the forefront of the field, trauma-informed training is essential. Clients are already asking for it. Tomorrow’s therapists will be defined by it.

About Your Presenter

Maureen McEvoy, MA, RCC (Canada) has worked in the field of trauma for over 30 years. She is a long-standing instructor with the Justice Institute of British Columbia and provides clinical consultation to therapists and agencies. Maureen is a senior Imago Therapy faculty member. She draws from her learnings in hypnosis, Parts work, Ego State Therapy, Gottman, somatic therapy, Pat Ogden’s sensorimotor therapy, arts therapy, Stan Tatkins’ PACT, EFT, and Polyvagal theory. Colleagues say: “Maureen has a gift for making the complex feel simple and the difficult feel possible.”

The Workshop

Healing Trauma, Restoring Connection
📅 8–9 November 2025, Sydney
👩‍🏫 Presenter: Maureen McEvoy, MSW, RSW (Canada)
🟡 Sponsored by Australian Resource Therapy Institute (ARTI)
🔗 Secure your place

💡 Eligible for 12 CPD Hours PACFA, ACA, ASCH, AASW, AAPI, AIRTA, APS Members

We Can’t Wait to Meet You!

Do not wait until you are back in the therapy room wishing you had more trauma tools. Places are limited, and the Early Bird rate ends soon. Join us in Sydney for a community of peers, the confidence to meet trauma in the room, and the skills to restore connection.

👉 Secure your place today, tickets selling fast