The Art of Family (Tele)Therapy

Description

When family life becomes a storm of stress, disconnection, and unpredictability, clinicians are often left navigating chaos with outdated maps. The growing complexity of family dynamics—magnified by telehealth challenges—demands more than old tools and linear solutions.

This course invites you to explore a more adaptive, systemic, and emotionally attuned method of supporting families in distress. With practical strategies and a clear framework, you’ll leave better equipped to support the stability, cohesion, and healing of today’s families.

Dr. Vicki Loyer, PhD, LMFT, is a widely respected clinician, educator, and thought leader in family therapy. As the CEO of Blue Door Psychotherapy and a faculty member at both the University of Arizona and Grand Canyon University, she has decades of experience working with families in complex situations. Her work bridges clinical insight and real-world application, empowering therapists to lead families through crisis and transformation—especially within teletherapy contexts.

Dr. Loyer’s approach emphasizes a systemic lens, therapeutic presence, and contextual awareness. Rather than focusing on problem-solving in isolation, she guides clinicians to help families reestablish coherence, validate one another’s experiences, and adapt to a constantly evolving environment.

This course examines how teletherapy has reshaped the therapeutic encounter with families. It covers the adaptive and maladaptive patterns that emerge in response to stress, explores how to support psychological flexibility within families, and addresses common disruptions—such as grief, sleep disturbances, and digital fatigue. Learners will also examine how meaning-making and relational tone contribute to healing, especially when traditional rituals and routines are interrupted.

Key Takeaways:

• Understand family dynamics in teletherapy: Recognize how systemic functioning is affected by acute stress, disconnection, and digital communication.
  
  
• Apply adaptable strategies: Gain specific, implementable tools for improving cohesion, flexibility, and therapeutic connection within the virtual family therapy setting.
  
  
• Strengthen clinical insight: Identify the most pressing challenges in your current family therapy cases and respond with grounded, theory-based interventions.

Why this course?

• Relevance to today’s challenges: Learn how to work with families struggling with isolation, grief, and role confusion—issues amplified by post-pandemic stress and remote care.
  
  
• Expert-led content: Dr. Vicki Loyer brings a unique combination of academic knowledge, clinical expertise, and real-world insight to help you grow as a family therapist.
  
  
• Practical and impactful: This course is not just theoretical—it’s packed with strategies that can be used immediately in sessions, both in-person and online.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the family process in the context of teletherapy
  
  
• State two Family Process strategies and their implementation in teletherapy
  
  
• Identify current challenges in participants’ Family Therapy practices

In a time when families are seeking stability and therapists are searching for effective tools, The Art of Family (Tele)Therapy offers a thoughtful and empowering path forward. Join Dr. Loyer in exploring how therapists can meet families where they are—across the screen and in the heart of their struggles.

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Format and Access

This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Instruction consists of 1 hour of video instruction and a post-test.

Course Details

Availability: 

From the time of registration, you have six months to access the coursework.

Who Should Attend: 

This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.

Teaching Methods: 

This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Teaching methods for this course include recorded lectures, videos, a post-test, and a course evaluation.

How to Attend: 

Course access and completion instructions.

Instructor and Disclosures

Instructor

About Dr. Vicki Loyer, PhD

Vicki Loyer (Carlson) is the CEO/President of Blue Door Psychotherapy, a center for individual and family therapy services and a center for family therapy training. She is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Arizona Department of Psychiatry, and a Subject Matter Expert, Site Supervisor, and Instructor for Graduate Studies at Grand Canyon University. Using a competency focused family therapy approach to working with individuals and families, she provides equine assisted psychotherapy as an experiential therapy for greater depth. Most recently, as a result of Covid-19 restrictions, Dr. Loyer has expanded her practice and teaching in the area of delivering quality Telemental Health and has been a co-organizer of Webinars on Telemental health Ethics and Effective Therapy. Dr. Loyer is a regular contributing author to the House Calls section of the Tucson magazine Desert Leaf, has co-author of books on premarital relationships and youth-at-risk, and has been publishing and speaking in the areas of self-injury, mental illness, addiction, and family therapy for many years. Dr Loyer is an AAMFT Clinical Member, Approved Supervisor and a past president of the Arizona Association for Marriage & Family Therapy (AzAMFT).

Disclosure Statement: 

The instructor(s) for this course receive compensation for their services. There are no reported conflicts of interest to disclose.

CE Hours

Credit Hours:

This course consists of 1 continuing education hour of credit.

Counselors:

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No, 6693.  Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. 

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC 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 Mental Health Counselors. #MHC-0048.

Marriage and Family Therapists: 

Many MFT licensing boards accept our courses or one of the approvals which we have from professional associations.  You can check with your board to determine if your licensing board would accept this course.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC 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-0135, effective May 8, 2025.

Social Workers:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, #1609, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 05/02/2024 – 05/02/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 1 clinical continuing education credit.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC 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-0435.

Addiction Professionals:

This course has been approved by Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #193104, Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is responsible for all aspects of the programming.

Psychologists:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Telehealth Certification Institute LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC 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-0128.

Art Therapists: 

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC 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-0093.

Other Professionals:

This course qualifies for 60 minutes of instructional content as required by many national, state and local licensing boards and professional organizations.  Retain your certificate of completion and contact your board or organization for specific filing requirements.

This is a non-interactive, self-study course.

Accommodations and Policies

Close Captioning is available for live webinars and recorded video presentations.

You can click on the following links to view our policies:

• Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities.
• Cancellation Policy
• Grievance Policy
• Support Options
• Disclosure Statement