Beyond Communication: Helping Couples Explore and Deepen Their Intimate Bonds
Date and Time:
Friday, November 14th, 2025: 9:00 AM-3:30 PM
LOCATION:
The Chicago School
325 N Wells Street Chicago, IL 60654
Room 407/412
This event is presented in hybrid format. Participants have the option of attending in-person or participating via Zoom. Zoom link will be emailed to online participants the day before and the morning of the program.
Workshop Description:
While traditional couples therapy models such as Gottman and EFT offer essential tools for improving communication, many couples still struggle to feel truly seen, known, and connected. Communication alone is rarely enough. Beneath arguments over dishes or schedules often lies a more tender ache — the need for emotional closeness, physical intimacy, and a shared sense of erotic and relational vitality. This training invites therapists to move beyond communication as the sole focus of intervention and explore the deeper architecture of intimacy.
By combining foundational, evidence-based interventions with intimacy-centered approaches, participants will examine how emotional presence, embodied attunement, and relational safety allow for deeper repair and growth. Grounded in contemporary research and enriched with experiential tools, this course offers a clinical framework to help couples not only speak more clearly — but love more fully.
Training will include a variety of Gottman and EFT concepts/theories/assessments/interventions as well as information from Esther Perel and Emily Nagoski.
Course Objectives:
Use Communication models to support couples dynamics.
Explain why intimacy and connection matter in couple’s therapy.
Discuss imitations of common interpretations of traditional models like Gottman, EFT, etc.
Discuss new perspectives on intimacy-based models.
Apply a systems-oriented mindset to differentiate couples work from individual work.
Audience:
Professional Counselors
Social Workers
Marriage and Family Therapists
Psychologists
Presenters:
Ewelina Beardmore LCPC, CST, SEP
Ewelina Beardmore is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC), Certified Sex Therapist (CST) and Somatic Experiencing Professional (SEP) who uses a relational, somatic and strength-based model to help individuals and couples gain awareness of the roles and the dynamics present in their relationships. She has expertise in helping individuals heal from traumas such as sexual assault, childhood abuse as well as physical and emotional abuse, and is passionate about helping individuals overcome the challenges of significant life transitions such as infertility, postpartum struggles and parenthood.
Ewelina values the role and importance of sexuality in clients' overall health, and helps clients overcome challenges such as lack of intimacy, sexual and gender identity, desire discrepancy, postpartum recovery impacting sexual health, difficulties with orgasm, compulsive sexual behaviors, erectile dysfunctions and painful intercourse. She is sex-positive, kink-friendly and affirming of polyamorous relationships. Ewelina is a Certified Sex Therapist through the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapist (AASECT).
In addition, Ewelina has completed Level 1 Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy, and is trained in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), which allows her to assist couples improve their communication styles and explore goals throughout each stage of their relationship. She is also trained in a variety of treatment modalities including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Somatic Experiencing (SE), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help clients manage anxiety and depression.
Ewelina's international background allows her to connect with individuals struggling with cross-cultural issues and assist in developing coping skills to manage life's obstacles. Additionally, she has offered guidance to clients on issues involving work-life balance and behavioral and emotional health in an employee assistance setting. Ewelina earned a Master’s in Clinical Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, graduating with honors. She is fluent in French and offers services in this language.
Stephen Heintz MA, LCPC
Stephen’s clinical emphasis is in working with relationships and couples, as well as individuals. He has worked with clients experiencing challenges related to depression, anxiety, anger, trauma, self-esteem, grief and loss, life transitions, communication, and much more. Having graduated from the training program at Center on Halsted, Stephen has experience and specialized training in working with the LGBTQIA+ community. He is also sex-positive, kink-friendly, and affirming of polyamorous relationships. He has training in multiple therapeutic modalities, including client-centered therapy, Gottman, EFT and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
Stephen Heintz earned a Master’s in Counseling Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology with a concentration in marriage and family therapy. He was the recipient of a Distinguished Graduate Award that served to acknowledge his excellence in leadership; commitment to diversity, multicultural competence, social advocacy; and service and community engagement.
Continuing Education Hours:
This program, when attended in its entirety, offers 6.0 CEs for Psychologists, 6.0 IL CEUS for Counselors and Social Workers, 6.0 BBS California CEUs for LPCCs, LPSWs, and LMFTs, or 6.0 AASECT CEs for Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists.
*Participants must attend 100% of the program in order to obtain a Certificate of Attendance.
If participants have special needs, we will attempt to accommodate them. Please address questions, concerns and any complaints to OfficeofCE@thechicagoschool.edu.
Registration:
• General Admission: $55.00
• Student Admission: $35.00*
• The Chicago School Faculty and Staff: $40.00*
(*Please email officeofce@thechicagoschool.edu for coupon code)
Please Note: This program is limited to 40 participants for each modality. Once attendance maximum is met, we will begin a waiting list.
Refund Policy: 100% of tuition is refundable up to 48 hours before the program. Within 48 hours of the program, and at any point in Homestudy format, tuition is nonrefundable.
For more information contact: officeofce@thechicagoschool.edu