Supervision for Couples Therapists: Schema Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy

If you're a psychotherapist and would like to improve your skills in individual or couples therapy, join an opportunity to work with the Director and Creator of The Loving at Your Best Plan, Travis W. Atkinson, L.C.S.W. You may schedule a session for one-on-one supervision, based on availability, or join a group session at the office in Midtown, or from around the world via WebEx. Supervision with Travis meets criteria for certification in schema therapy or emotionally-focused therapy. 

Jeffrey Young and Schema Therapy

Travis presenting with Dr. Jeffrey Young at the New England Educational Institute in Cape Cod, MA. Travis has worked with Dr. Young since 1994 in the schema therapy model, and is a certified schema therapist, supervisor, and trainer.

Sue Johnson and Emotionally-Focused Therapy

Travis with Sue Johnson & Marlene Best during the production of a new DVD for therapists working with LGBT couples, soon to be released. Travis was supervised personally by Sue for many years in teleconferences and advanced externships in the Emotionally-Focused Therapy model. Travis is a certified emotionally-focused therapist and supervisor.

Alison Lee, PhD, co-creator of Emotionally-Focused Therapy

Travis with Alison Lee, PhD. Travis was supervised for many years by thebrilliant skills of Dr. Lee, focusing specifically on her vast ability to expand therapeutic empathy to its highest degree.

Travis started his work as a psychotherapist after attending Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA, graduating from Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, and earning graduate degrees from New York University with a Masters of Social Work and a Masters of Science in Management. While attending BYU, Travis discovered the recently published Reinventing Your Life, by Jeffrey Young, and found the book was based on a model, schema therapy, that resonated strongly with him. Schema therapy, integrating several models of therapy, differentiates themes and patterns based on maladaptive beliefs, and outlines specific strategies to help overcome and heal even chronic issues that diminish self-esteem and negatively impact relationships.

As a graduate student at NYU, Travis attended a schema therapy course taught by William Sanderson and Jeffrey Young. From that point on, he knew he wanted to master the practice of schema therapy, and began his work with clients using schema therapy for individuals, couples, and in group therapy. Travis was supervised for more than 14 years by Dr. Will Swift, and joined the staff of Jeffrey Young's Cognitive Therapy Center in 1996. He continued training provided by Dr. Young, and a number of trainings in cognitive behavioral therapy for the treatment of specific anxiety and depression issues. 

With continued experience, Travis sought new ways to integrate more models to expand the schema therapy model. He became certified as an EMDR therapist to use as an experiential technique in schema therapy, training with Dr. William Zangwill. 

With extensive group therapy training and practice, Travis graduated with certificates from the Center for Group Studies, incorporating the late Dr. Louis Ormont's modern psychoanalytic model in the group setting. Travis also became certified in the Northeastern Society for Group Therapy's program using a broad range of therapeutic models in group therapy. Travis was supervised by Ronnie Levine, Ph.D. for many years in group therapy, as well as Dr. Ormont and the former director of the Center for Group Studies, Gail Brown.

Travis became interested in couples therapy, and started his work with John Gottman, Ph.D. in Seattle that lead to 8 years of training, supervised by William Bumberry, PhD. Travis became a certified Gottman Method Couples Therapist. He was attracted to the Gottman approach for its accuracy in identifying threats to relationships, and its use of a broad basis of approaches in couples therapy.

As his work concluded with the Gottman Institute, Travis met Sue Johnson, PhD, at her training in Ottawa in 2006, and immediately was drawn to a model that expanded experiential work of the schema therapy model like no other. After the initial externship training, Travis began individual supervision with Dr. Alison Lee, a co-creator of Emotionally-Focused therapy, and was supervised by Sue Johnson over four teleconferences (40 sessions), and two Advanced Externships. 

Travis actively helped established the New York Center for Emotionally Focused therapy, is a Founder, and serves on the board as membership director.

At the same time, Travis helped Jeffrey Young establish the Schema Therapy Training Institute in New York, and has continued to supervise trainees and assisted with trainings for applicants to become certified in schema therapy.

Concurrently, Travis continues training with Dr. Daniel Siegel using Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) and Mindsight skills to integrate into individual, couples, and group therapy. Travis is entering the third year of training in Dr. Siegel's Mindsight Institute, and practices IPNB skills within the Loving at Your Best Plan.

Travis has shared his acquired knowledge, skills and experience at many conferences for therapists worldwide, include presenting at the Cape Cod Institute for three years with Jeffrey Young. Travis also presented the keynote for the Dutch Society of Schema Therapy in Amsterdam, and conducted two trainings for Dutch schema therapists. Travis also trained couples therapists in Seoul, South Korea, organized by Dr. Young Hee Choi at the Metta Cognitive Therapy Institute in 2009. Travis taught the Loving at Your Best Plan in a training for couples therapists in Milan, Italy in 2011 organized by Dr. Alessandro Carmelita of the Schema Therapy Institute of Italy. Travis presented a half-day workshop in schema therapy for couples at the 5th Annual International Society for Schema Therapy conference in New York City in May 2012.