Responding to Anger, Hopelessness and Joy
5-hour Training WITH DR. ADELE LAFRANCE:
Responding to Anger, Hopelessness, and Joy: Essential Emotion-Focused Communication Skills (aka Emotion Coaching)
December 4th 2025: 9:30 - 2:30 Mountain (11:30 - 4:30 Eastern)
Online via Zoom, CE credits / certificate of completion provided
This dynamic, evidence-based workshop delves into one of Emotion-Focused Family Therapy’s (EFFT) most transformative tools: emotion-focused communication and support, often referred to as emotion coaching. Designed for a wide audience, this workshop will guide attendees through the theoretical frameworks essential for understanding these emotional states. Supported by scaffolded practice (optional), practical scripts will also be provided to enhance participants’ fluency and confidence in responding to anger, hopelessness and joy.
Why a focus on these emotional states?
So many people struggle to respond to these states in a way that fosters connection and health. For example, we have been conditioned to attempt to silence or diminish another person's anger, hoping to restore calm or avoid discomfort. Similarly, hopelessness often triggers anxiety, prompting attempts to minimize or quickly replace it with forced optimism. Even joy, while universally desired, can be stifled by learned “joy-blocks”- internalized beliefs or social cues that discourage its full expression – and often fueled by fear, shame/embarrassment or the anticipation of loss.
Practical Applications
The skills and tools taught in this workshop can be readily integrated into individual therapy settings, as well as adapted for use with couples and parents/caregivers, empowering them to foster deeper, more trusting relationships with their loved ones.
This training is geared towards counsellors, psychotherapists, psychologists, and other mental health and helping professionals, though others are welcome to attend. Participation can be active or passive, in line with participant comfort.
Prior exposure to the 2-step model of Validation and Support (aka emotion coaching / emotion-focused communication and support) is recommended via reviewing the following:
1) This caregiver webinar with a review of emotion coaching (from time stamp 55:15 to the end - or the whole thing)
2) The handout uploaded below.
Given the interactive nature of the content, the workshop will not be recorded.
$160 USD
(discount rates available for those with financial insecurity using code: DISCOUNT10 or DISCOUNT15; discounts also available for groups of 4 or more)