Technology in Couple and Family Relationships

Register for the Online Self-Study
6 CE Credits available for behavioral health clinicians

Technology has changed the way we connect with partners and family. Couples can now communicate, build intimacy, and resolve conflicts through digital platforms, while families can stay in touch across long distances.

But when technology is misused, it can cause problems like "technoference," exposure to harmful content, cyberbullying, online infidelity, emotional abuse, and misunderstandings—all of which are becoming more common in relationships today.

This course delves into how technology can complicate relationships between couples and families while offering practical strategies to strengthen intimacy and improve overall relationship satisfaction.

You will learn how to use the Couple and Family Technology framework, a cutting-edge model designed to help couples and families understand how technology uniquely affects their relationships. You will learn to recognize the subtle yet profound ways technology changes the flow of information, shifts personal boundaries, and creates new opportunities for connection and conflict. Additionally, you will learn practical strategies to address common tech-related problems, such as setting boundaries around device use, dealing with online surveillance, and managing emotional fallout from digital interactions.

Through engaging lectures, case examples, and research-driven insights, you will also learn how to help parents monitor their children's online activities, strengthen family bonds, and guide youths toward developing autonomy in the digital world. By the end of the training, you will be equipped with the knowledge to help couples use technology to foster closeness and intimacy, allowing them to communicate more regularly and meaningfully, even when apart.

Register now to learn how to navigate the impact of technology on relationships and help your clients thrive!

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Technology has changed the way we connect with partners and family. Couples can now communicate, build intimacy, and resolve conflicts through digital platforms, while families can stay in touch across long distances.

But when technology is misused, it can cause problems like "technoference," exposure to harmful content, cyberbullying, online infidelity, emotional abuse, and misunderstandings—all of which are becoming more common in relationships today.

This course delves into how technology can complicate relationships between couples and families while offering practical strategies to strengthen intimacy and improve overall relationship satisfaction.

You will learn how to use the Couple and Family Technology framework, a cutting-edge model designed to help couples and families understand how technology uniquely affects their relationships. You will learn to recognize the subtle yet profound ways technology changes the flow of information, shifts personal boundaries, and creates new opportunities for connection and conflict. Additionally, you will learn practical strategies to address common tech-related problems, such as setting boundaries around device use, dealing with online surveillance, and managing emotional fallout from digital interactions.

Through engaging lectures, case examples, and research-driven insights, you will also learn how to help parents monitor their children's online activities, strengthen family bonds, and guide youths toward developing autonomy in the digital world. By the end of the training, you will be equipped with the knowledge to help couples use technology to foster closeness and intimacy, allowing them to communicate more regularly and meaningfully, even when apart.

Register now to learn how to navigate the impact of technology on relationships and help your clients thrive!

This course offers 6+ hours of video training, a post-test and an evaluation.

This course was recorded 5/12/2023

Upon completion of this training professionals will be able to do the following:

  • List the core elements of the couple and technology framework
  • List benefits of technology in couple relationships
  • List the benefits of technology in family relationships
  • List strategies for improving couple relationships using technology
  • List strategies for improving family relationships using technology

Dr. Katherine Hertlein, PhD

Dr. Hertlein earned her PhD at Virginia Tech and her master's degree from Purdue University Calumet. Across her academic career, she has published over 90 articles, 40 book chapters, and 12 books in the areas of couple therapy, infidelity, sex therapy, behavioral health, and the impact of technology on couple and and family relationships. Her contributions in sex therapy promote a paradigm shift in the treatment of sexual dysfunctions in couple relationships, are considered seminal texts, and used by couple and family therapy programs widely. Her contributions in the area of technology include the development of the core competencies for behavioral health which can be applied to all of the behavioral health disciplines, and the creation of the first comprehensive framework detailing the effect of technology on relationships which has been applied cross-culturally.

You can reach Dr. Hertlein here.

Credit Hours: CEs provided with this course include 6 continuing education hours 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 this course would be accepted by your licensing board.

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 6 clinical continuing education credits.

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 programing.

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 activity qualifies for 360 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.

To receive your certificate of completion you must complete the course in its entirety.

Online courses are completed by registering, logging in, navigating to your course using the menu (My Courses – the Course Title), completing all of the modules, completing and passing the post-test, and completing the course evaluation.

Live Webinar courses are completed by registering, logging in to this website, navigating to your course using the menu (My Courses – the Course Title), attending the full course via webinar, submitting your attendance, and completing the post-test and course evaluation online.

Psychologists and other professionals seeking CE credit through our approval with the American Psychological Association are asked, but not required, to complete the course evaluation before obtaining their certificate of completion, however passing a post-test for online self-study courses, and submitting one's attendance for live on-site and live webinars is required.

You can receive your certificate of completion by logging onto this website, navigating to the course using the menu (My Courses – the Course Title), scroll to the bottom of your course, and click on your certificate to either download it or print it.

Directions for completing a course can be found by clicking here.

Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities

Click here to view our Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities.

Cancellation Policy

Refunds are offered within the first 30 days for courses which have not been completed.  There is a 10% service fee for refunds.

Grievance Policy

Click here to view our Grievance Policy.

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

Teaching methods for this course include recorded lectures, videos, a post-test, and a course evaluation.

This program was recorded on May 12, 2023

You have six months to access and complete online courses from the time of purchase.

Katherine Hertlein Headshot

Katherine Hertlein
PhD

Dr. Hertlein earned her PhD at Virginia Tech and her master's degree from Purdue University Calumet. Across her academic career, she has published over 90 articles, 40 book chapters, and 12 books in the areas of couple therapy, infidelity, sex therapy, behavioral health, and the impact of technology on couple and and family relationships. Her contributions in sex therapy promote a paradigm shift in the treatment of sexual dysfunctions in couple relationships, are considered seminal texts, and used by couple and family therapy programs widely. Her contributions in the area of technology include the development of the core competencies for behavioral health which can be applied to all of the behavioral health disciplines, and the creation of the first comprehensive framework detailing the effect of technology on relationships which has been applied cross-culturally.

You can reach Dr. Hertlein here.

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