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The Aperture Effect: The Central Importance of Awareness of Openness

When
Thursday, October 23, 2025
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Location
Online WEBINAR

Registration

Member
Non-member (Attendance and CEUs) – $65.00
Student

Presenter: Kathryn Ford, MD. Presenter

ONLINE ZOOM WEBINAR

Costs: CSCSW Member: FREE | Students: FREE
Nonmember: $65

CEUs: 1.5

Description:

The most important thing I've learned in over 20 years of working with couples is this: all of our attempts to listen, talk, understand and care need openness to succeed. Everything we want, and try to do, with each other depends on our openness in each moment and our ability to sense that openness–something I call the "aperture effect."

I have developed a mindfulness-based approach that is a synthesis of my training as a psychiatrist, the neuroscience of relationships and my experiences with meditation. I teach couples to develop in-the-moment awareness of their openness as they interact.

At some point in teaching colleagues about aperture, I realized that our own aperture awareness is the foundation for all our work. Underneath all our models, techniques, procedures, and words—when we are most effective—we are being guided by our awareness of openness, our own and our clients’. This aspect of our work is often in the background, largely unconscious. By giving it a name, aperture awareness, and putting it in the foreground, we may be able to use this power even more effectively. This is not a model to replace others but a way enhance our current models and skills. This approach can add simplicity and clarity to make your work more effective and more fun.

- Kathryn Ford, MD. Presenter

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

Learn the meaning and importance of aperture awareness as a special application of mindfulness.
Learn the basic neuroscience related to openness.
Learn the relationship of openness and aperture awareness to dialogue.
Learn how to use aperture awareness to increase your effectiveness as a therapist.
Learn exercises to cultivate: mindfulness, aperture awareness, dialogue.

Workshop Logistics: After registering you will receive a link to the ZOOM WEBINAR.

Closed Captioning available

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Kathryn Ford, M.D. is a psychiatrist, couples therapist and author. Her transformative method integrates mindfulness, psychology and neuroscience to help couples quickly shift their dynamics when in distress, and turn their difficulties into stronger, lasting connection. After more than 20 years of helping couples, she has written The Aperture Effect. With this book she teaches couples to use Aperture Awareness to create lasting love.

After receiving her M.D. degree from Brown Medical School, Dr. Ford completed a residency in psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine. Her meditation practice and training at centers like Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in Massachusetts and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California developed her understanding of the power of mindfulness for building deeper, more resilient, relationships.

This is a District Meeting coordinated by the Mid-Peninsula District

This DISTRICT MEETING meets the qualifications for 1.5 hours of continuing education credit for MFTs, LPCCs, LEPs and/or LCSWs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.

Note: With supervisor approval, registered ASWs may use CEs toward LCSW hours.

Cancellation Policy

14 days or more before event date: Full refund
13-7 days before event date: 75% refund
6 days or less before event date: No refund

Note: Registration will be canceled if payment is not made at least 7 days prior to the event.