Healing from Extramarital Affairs: Insights from a Psychoanalyst Couple Therapist


Presenter: Arthur C. Nielsen, MD

Discussant: Carla Leone, PhD

When: Tuesday, October 5th - 7:00-9:00 PM CST

Where: Zoom - https://icsw.zoom.us/j/6410482572
Passcode: 98463

After the presentation, we will have time for a discussion, during which you can send in questions or comments for the speakers to answer.

Affairs are common and generally shake the foundations of a marriage (or other relationship). This talk will discuss the psychology of the offended and offending partners and make concrete suggestions about paths to recovery. The talk is based in large part on the author’s extensive experience with couples reeling in the wake of affairs and is the subject of a chapter in Dr. Nielsen’s upcoming book on common problems in relationships.

Arthur C. Nielsen, MD, is viewed by many as the foremost psychoanalyst who has explained the workings of couple therapy.  He has written an acclaimed book: A Roadmap for Couple Therapy: Integrating Systemic, Psychodynamic, and Behavioral Approaches.  A sequel is now in press: Integrative Couple Therapy in Action: A Practical Guide for Handling Common Relationship Problems. The publisher for both is Routledge. Dr. Nielsen is Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine and a member of the Chicago Psychoanalytic Society. He serves on the faculties of the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis and The Family Institute of Northwestern University.  He is Associate Director of the Integrative Psychoanalytic Couple Therapy Program, which is cosponsored by the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute and the Institute for Clinical Social Work.

Carla Leone, PhD, is the Director of the afore-mentioned Integrative Psychoanalytic Couple Therapy Program and a faculty member at the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute and the Institute for Clinical Social Work.  She cofounded the Couples Therapy Interest Group of the International Association of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology. She is Director of North Suburban Family Psychologists, a group private practice in Lincolnwood.  She has published papers on couple therapy in peer-reviewed journals.

Educational Objectives:

After attending this session, participants should be able to:

1. Describe the ways that extramarital affairs disrupt relationships
2. Apply strategies for helping patients in individual or couple therapy to find healing after an extramarital affair (or the equivalent in a non-marital relationship)