Episode 26 | Hold Me Tight Anonymous Online Group

The Group Work Podcast. Find out what happens in the space where group therapy takes place.

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Summary 

Patrick Monette, who runs a couple’s therapy group, joins Katie to discuss how he makes couple’s therapy as versatile as possible in his group - even though it is fully remote! They talk about how he manages group communication on zoom, what most relationships suffer from, and what every therapist needs to learn about themselves before running a couple’s therapy group. 

Patrick Monette is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor specializing in individual, group, and couple’s therapy. 

Timestamps

[00:00] Who is Patrick Monette (Hold Me Tight Group)? 

[05:12] Why Patrick runs his couple’s retreat on zoom with the microphones OFF!

[09:38] How you can run a group therapy retreat on zoom. 

[13:11] Has there been a rise in the number of couples who need support since the pandemic?

[15:24] Is there a criteria couples have to meet to be accepted to the course?

[17:33] What is a negative cycle in a relationship? 

[18:48] The moment Patrick knows that a couple is going to be okay. 

[19:48] Is it worth winning an argument with your spouse if THIS is the trade-off?

[20:35] How to set up a healthy romantic relationship (and keep nourishing it). 

[22:50] The main challenge with running a couple’s therapy group. 

[26:23] How therapists can start a couple’s therapy group.

[27:25] What every therapist has to learn about themselves. 

4 Key Takeaways 

1. Try to create great experiences where your clients feel that they are gaining time rather than losing time by engaging with you.
2. When working with couples, remind them that it is not a you vs. you situation. Instead, it is both members of the relationship against a demon dialogue that is getting in the way of love. Identifying the negative cycle in a relationship can get the couple back on track.
3. In a relationship, winning an argument can sometimes mean losing connection with your partner. 
4. Lots of people did not have good role models to show them what a healthy romantic relationship can look like. Very rarely do parents model such behavior. This is why lots of people don’t know how to have healthy romantic relationships of their own. 

Links

Connect with Patrick Monette: Website 

Hold Me Tight Education Program