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Travis Atkinson, L.C.S.W., heads Gay Couples Therapy, is the Director and Founder of the Loving at Your Best Plan, and the Founder and Director of the Schema Therapy Training Institute of New York (STTC). In 2020, Travis was awarded as a distinguished Honorary Member of the International Society of Schema Therapy (ISST). He is passionate about helping couples navigate what may sometimes feel like the treacherous waters of intimacy and love. He has extensive experience working with the unique needs of LGBTQ couples, practicing since 1995.
Travis has been trained by some of the leading figures in the world of psychotherapy, including:
After many years of training in each model, he earned the distinguished certifications as a:
Additionally, Travis has been supervising and training other couples therapists throughout the world for more than 20 years. From 2014 to 2020, he served on the Executive Board of the International Society of Schema Therapy (ISST) as Media Coordinator. He was a Founding Member and served on the Executive Board of the New York Center of Emotionally Focused Therapy (NYCEFT). Travis is also the Founder and Director of the Schema Therapy Training Center of New York (STTC), an ISST-approved certification training program for individual and couples therapy in Manhattan.
Publications: Travis is a co-author of one of the most widely used inventories in schema therapy, the Schema Mode Inventory (SMI-1). He is an author, publishing, “Schema Therapy for Couples: Healing Partners in a Relationship” in The Handbook of Schema Therapy (Wiley, 2012), and a co-author of the “Introduction” and the “Schema Couples Therapy: Interventions to Promote Secure Connections” chapters in Creative Methods in Schema Therapy: Advances and Innovation in Clinical Practice (Routledge: 2020).
Trainings: Travis co-presented at the Cape Cod Institute with Jeffrey Young for three years. He has provided trainings to other couples therapists at eight annual conferences for the International Society of Schema Therapy, most recently at the 2021 ISST Virtual Summit. He was also a featured keynote speaker at the Dutch Society’s International Conference in Amsterdam.
Media: Travis is proud to be featured with Sue Johnson, the founder of Emotionally Focused Therapy, in one of the only professional training videos for couples therapists working specifically with the LGBTQ community, “Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy for Same Sex Couples.”
Education: Travis earned his Masters in Clinical Social Work and Masters of Science in Management degrees from New York University in 1995, and is a New York State Licensed Clinical Social Worker. He has earned advanced certificates with extensive training in: Emotionally Focused Therapy, Schema Therapy, Gottman Method Couples Therapy, EMDR, and Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Travis was recently interviewed by Rachel Miller, Deputy Editor of VICE Life and author of The Art of Showing Up: How to Be There for Yourself and Your People. Rachel’s article explores “How to Deal with a Friend Who Constantly Puts Their Partner Down ‘as a Joke.'” How do you feel when a friend’s partner starts dunking on your friend in front of you?
