2026 NEFESH Summer Online Conference
July 14-15, 2026 · Online Event
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Is It Loyalty, Love, or Codependence: Couples and Family Work with Addicts

Previously Recorded
Simcha Feuerman, LCSW-R
$29.99 USD

This one-hour recorded course examines the impact of addiction on couples and family relationships. Participants will explore relational risk factors, codependence, enabling, betrayal, and changes that may occur during recovery. The course also reviews treatment considerations, clinician countertransference, and strategies for supporting healthier boundaries, communication, and relationship functioning when one or both partners have been affected by addiction.

 
 
 

Learning Objectives:

  1. Identify at least three relational risk factors that may affect couples when one or both partners have been impacted by addiction.
  2. Differentiate codependent, enabling, and recovery-supportive behaviors in a couples or family case example.
  3. Identify at least two clinician countertransference reactions that may arise when treating couples affected by addiction and describe strategies for maintaining therapeutic neutrality.

Agenda:

Introduction and Course Overview — 5 minutes

  • Overview of addiction’s impact on couples and family relationships
  • Review of the course objectives and clinical relevance

Relationship Effects of Addiction and Recovery — 12 minutes

  • Feelings of betrayal, mistrust, resentment, and instability
  • How addiction may affect communication, emotional intimacy, and family roles
  • Relationship changes that may occur when a partner enters recovery or develops a newly sober identity

Codependence and Enabling — 12 minutes

  • Defining codependence within couples and family relationships
  • Distinguishing genuine support from misplaced compassion or enabling
  • How well-intended assistance may reinforce unhealthy expectations and behaviors
  • Recognizing patterns that maintain relational dysfunction

Twelve-Step Principles and Relationship Repair — 8 minutes

  • Relevant Twelve-Step concepts that may support accountability and relational healing
  • The role of spirituality, surrender, amends, and personal responsibility
  • Applying recovery principles without requiring the non-addicted partner to assume responsibility for the addicted partner’s recovery

Clinical Assessment and Treatment Strategies — 13 minutes

  • Assessing addiction-related conflict, codependence, enabling, and emotional safety
  • Addressing substance use, affect regulation, anger, hostility, and relationship distress
  • Determining when individual therapy, couples therapy, addiction treatment, or sex-therapy referral may be appropriate
  • Supporting constructive communication, boundaries, and recovery-oriented relationship changes

Clinician Countertransference and Boundaries — 5 minutes

  • Recognizing tendencies to rescue, blame, overidentify, or take sides
  • Maintaining balanced clinical boundaries with both partners
  • Monitoring personal beliefs about addiction, responsibility, and recovery

Clinical Integration and Key Takeaways — 5 minutes

  • Application of course concepts to couples and family treatment
  • Review of codependence, enabling, recovery-related changes, and treatment priorities
  • Summary of key clinical considerations

This previously recorded self-study course offers 1.0 continuing education contact hour and does not qualify for live or live-interactive credit

This workshop offers 1 Continuing Education Credits
This webinar is recorded and will not grant live credits.

This presentation is open to:
  • Social Workers
  • Professional Counselors
  • Therapists
  • Psychologists
  • Licensed Mental Health Practitioners
  • Medical Doctors and Other Health Professionals
  • Other professionals interacting with populations engaged in mental health based services
Course Level: intermediate
Level of Clinician: intermediate
  • New practitioners who wish to gain enhanced insight surrounding the topic
  • Experienced practitioners who seek to increase and expand fundamental knowledge surrounding the subject matter
  • Advanced practitioners seeking to review concepts and reinforce practice skills and/or access additional consultation
  • Managers seeking to broaden micro and/or macro perspectives

Participants will receive their certificate electronically upon completion of the webinar and course evaluation form.

Disability Access - If you require ADA accommodations, please contact our office 30 days or more before the event. We cannot ensure accommodations without adequate prior notification. Please Note: Licensing Boards change regulations often, and while we attempt to stay abreast of their most recent changes, if you have questions or concerns about this course meeting your specific board’s approval, we recommend you contact your board directly to obtain a ruling. The grievance policy for trainings provided by NEFESH INTERNATIONAL is available here Satisfactory Completion Participants must have paid the tuition fee, logged in and out each day, attended the entire workshop, and completed an evaluation to receive a certificate (If this is a pre-recorded program, a post-test with a passing grade of 80% to receive a certificate.) Failure to log in or out will result in forfeiture of credit for the entire course. No exceptions will be made. Partial credit is not available. Certificates are available after satisfactory course completion by clicking here.
There is no conflict of interest or commercial support for this program.
  • NEFESH International, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0116.
  • NEFESH International is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0046
  • NEFESH International is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Mental Health Counselor #MHC-0082
  • NEFESH International is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0048.
  • Therapist Express is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed creative arts therapists. #CAT-0122.
Refund Policy:
Full Refund until 48 hours before scheduled date.
48 hours before: full refund less $5.00 processing fee. After event no refund will be given.
*exclusions apply for reasonable need and cause.