About this course

Learning Objectives

• Compare and contrast the escape cycle and trauma cycle using clear, client-centered language that promotes emotional safety and supports connection between the betrayer and the betrayed.
• Describe how and when to integrate traditional couples therapy approaches into recovery work for clients impacted by Problematic Sexual Behavior (PSB) and Betrayal Trauma (BT).
• Demonstrate the ability to guide clients through a phased healing process for sexual trauma using interventions and language that are sensitive to the dynamics of betrayal.

Course Instructor(s)

• 

  Laney Knowlton, PhD, LMFT-S, CST, CSAT-S, CCPS, CPTT-S, CCRDS-S, CCBRT, RAE)

  creator of the Connected Recovery™ model

  Laney Knowlton, PhD, LMFT-S, CST, CSAT-S, CCPS, CPTT-S, CCRDS-S, CCBRT, RAE, has worked in the mental health field since 2009, specializing in PSB and Betrayal Trauma. She has a Ph.D. in Clinical Sexology. Her therapeutic work includes individual, couple, and group counseling, along with intensive work and therapeutic workshops, with individuals and couples struggling with PSB and/or betrayal trauma. She has presented at multiple professional conferences ranging from local to international levels, including ACA, AAMFT, SASH, IITAP, and TAMFT, and regularly guest lectures at various universities.

  She created the Connected Recovery™ model of therapy, which walks individuals and relationships through recovering from betrayal trauma, connecting the fields of Problematic Sexual Behaviors (PSB) up to and including Sex/Love Addiction, Betrayal Trauma, relational counseling through an Emotionally-Focused Therapy lens, and Sex Therapy. She has published four books on her model, including a full-length book that walks through discovering truth and creating emotional safety for yourself and within your relationships, and three books centered on disclosing PSB within relationships. She volunteered with law enforcement for six years, initially with the Dallas Prostitute Diversion Initiative, then as a presenter at the Dallas John School. She currently owns and runs the Connected Recovery™ certification program, co-owns NorthStar Relational Consulting, and owns a private practice (Knowlton Counseling) in Highland Village, TX.

References

• Caudill, J., & Drake, D. (2020). Full disclosure: Seeking truth after sexual betrayal. Volume 1: How disclosure can help you heal. Kintsugi Recovery Partners.
• GlittersaurusRex, T. (2021). Featured in Johnson, J., & Noire, K. (2021). Trauma, drama, and kink [Live Workshop]. Modern Sex Therapy Institutes.
• Goerlich, S. (2023). With sprinkles on top: Everything vanilla people and their kinky partners need to know to communicate, explore, and connect. Sounds True.
• Johnson, S. M. (2009). Attachment theory and emotionally focused therapy for individuals and couples: Bridging science and practice. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 13(2), 146–150. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868309346953
• Levine, D. (2022). Neuroscience of emotion, cognition, and decision making: A review. ESMED Medical Review Archives, 10(3), 125–134. https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/download/2869/193546185
• Fox, J. G. (2020). Recovery, Interrupted: The Zeigarnik Effect in EMDR Therapy and the Adaptive Information Processing Model. Journal of EMDR Practice & Research, 14(3), 175–185.
• Barraca, J., & Polanski, T. X. (2021). Infidelity treatment from an integrative behavioral couple therapy perspective: Explanatory model and intervention strategies. Journal of marital and family therapy, 47(4), 909-924.
• Hollenbeck, C., & Steffens, B. (2024). Betrayal trauma anger: Clinical implications for therapeutic treatment based on the sexually betrayed partner’s experience related to anger after intimate betrayal. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 50(4), 456-467. https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2024.2306940
• Allan, R., Edwards, C., & Lee, N. (2022). Cultural adaptations of Emotionally Focused Therapy. Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy, 22(1).