In an increasingly polarized world, it’s no surprise that more couples are finding themselves in opposite and conflicting sides of socio-politics, culture, and ideological spectrums, which can threaten to dismantle otherwise loving relationships, friendships, and even families. Fortunately, new thinking in psychoanalysis provides a unique and practical window into the common threads that underlie these often seemingly insurmountable divisions. Through an exploration of real clinical vignettes and film footage from the hit TV series Couples Therapy, you’ll discover:

• The common relational dynamics around ideology and culture that clients bring to therapy
• The core therapeutic actions that can address ideological, cultural, and political stalemates in relationships
• How to target crucial factors, often beneath conscious awareness, that underlie couples’ most challenging ideological differences
• Real life clinical demonstrations that incorporate psychoanalytic systemic interventions

Orna Guralnik, PhD, stars In Showtime’s docu-series Couples Therapy, which she’s filmed for three seasons. She’s a psychoanalyst, clinical psychologist, and writer, who serves on the faculty of NYU PostDoc’s psychoanalytic institute, and the National Institute for the Psychotherapies. Her writing centers on the intersection of psychoanalysis and cultural studies.