In celebration of the 20th anniversary of our Couple Therapy Training Program, the Psychodynamic Couple and Family Institute of New England (PCFINE) will present a conference, chaired by Joe Shay, PhD, focusing on infidelity, one of the most common challenges faced by the couple therapist.

Many couples arrive on the therapy doorstep announcing an affair has occurred and the couple has no model for dealing with it. They ask: Is the relationship over? Can we repair this? Whose fault is it? Why did it happen? Can I ever trust my partner again?

Do psychodynamic models provide frameworks for addressing these questions? Have the models with their emphasis on individual, intrapsychic, or even relational factors, kept up with the moment? Freud was writing in an era of sexual repression, so affairs could be framed as rebellion against that repression. Subsequent eras followed with

modifications of that frame that fit the zeitgeist of their time. What about today? A major task of dynamic models is to offer explanatory narratives about what happened and why. Have current psychodynamic narratives evolved to integrate LGBTQ+ relationships, polyamorous bonds, and the sociocultural complexity of our current lives? Add to this, not a small number of therapists have had an affair themselves. What place do the subjective feelings of the therapist hold, and how does the therapist manage this additional intricacy?

To address this complex topic, we will show video clips from movies and TV shows that will serve as a springboard for discussion by several PCFINE faculty members striving to explore the general questions above. These will include clips, among others, from Fences, Brokeback Mountain, Succession, and Sex, Lies, and Videotape.

Hosted by Psychodynamic Couple and Family Institute of New England, live in person at Regis College for 3 CEs. For more info, visit the event website.