About this course

Learning Objectives

• Guide clients through the structured process of writing an Impact Letter, with an emphasis on emotional expression and clarity.
• Support clients in writing an Amends Letter that addresses specific harms, reflects personal accountability, and outlines meaningful repair.
• Identify and implement steps that help clients maintain and deepen emotional safety in the aftermath of a completed Therapeutic Disclosure.
• Identify how features of personality disorders may influence relational dysfunction, disclosure dynamics, and recovery processes, and apply clinically appropriate strategies to maintain safety, boundaries, and therapeutic progress.

Learning Levels

• Guide clients through the structured process of writing an Impact Letter, with an emphasis on emotional expression and clarity.
• Support clients in writing an Amends Letter that addresses specific harms, reflects personal accountability, and outlines meaningful repair.
• Identify and implement steps that help clients maintain and deepen emotional safety in the aftermath of a completed Therapeutic Disclosure.

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.
• Johnson, S. M. (2004). The practice of emotionally focused couple therapy: Creating connection (2nd ed.). Brunner-Routledge.
• 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).
• Levine, D. S. (2022). Neuroscience of emotion, cognition, and decision making: A review. Medical Research Archives, 10(7).
• Rokach, A., & Chan, S. (2023). Love and Infidelity: Causes and Consequences. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(5)
• Karatzias, T., Bohus, M., Shevlin, M., Hyland, P., Bisson, J. I., Roberts, N., & Cloitre, M. (2023). Distinguishing between ICD-11 complex post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder: Clinical guide and recommendations for future research. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 223(3), 403–406. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.2023.80