COUPLE THERAPY

DEFINITION OF A COUPLE

Couple means two of the same sort considered

together. We are more concerned with the

definition that two people who are married or

have a romantic or sexual relationship

CHARACTERISTICS OF HAPPY

COUPLES

• Foundation of affection and friendship

• "Validation sequences“

• Ability to resolve disagreements

• “Positive sentiment override

• A 5 to 1(or better) compliment-criticism ratio is

optimal

• As the ratio decreases, marriage satisfaction decreases

• Amount of conflict relatively unimportant

COUPLE THERAPY

• It is a related and different process.

• It may differ from relationship counseling in duration.

• Short term counseling may be between 1 to 3 sessions whereas long term couples therapy may be between 12 and 24 sessions.

HISTORY

The evolving patterns in theory and practice are reviewed as having progressed through four distinctive phases:

• Phase I--A theoretical Marriage Counseling Formation (1930-1963);

• Phase II--Psychoanalytic Experimentation (1931-1966);

• Phase III--Family Therapy Incorporation (1963-1985);

• Phase IV--Refinement, Extension, Diversification, and Integration (1986-present).

CONT….

The history of research in the field is described

as having passed through three phases:

• Phase I--A Technique in Search of Some Data

(1930-1974)

• Phase II--Irrational(?) Exuberance (1975-

1992)

• Phase III--Caution and Extension (1993-

present).

GOALS OF THERAPY

• Help partners negotiate behavior change

• Teach more effective communication skills

(e.g., active listening, how to argue)

• Avoid the 4 horsemen and other forms of

destructive fighting

• Focus on and encourage “positive sentiment

override”

• Improving "communication skills"

ASSESSMENT OF MARITAL

DISTRESS

• Couples can be assessed along behavior,

cognition, affect, and internal dynamics.

• First understand the characteristics of

unsatisfied couples, then prevent and treat

dissatisfaction.

• Distressed couples show high rates of “The

Four Horsemen”: defensiveness, criticism,

contempt, stonewalling.

TREATMENT APPROACHES

BEHAVIORAL MARITAL/COUPLE THERAPY

• Origins in behaviorism and is a form of behavior therapy. The theory is rooted in social learning theory and behavior analysis

• The purpose of Behavioral Couples Therapy (BCT) is to build support for abstinence and to improve relationship functioning among married or cohabiting individuals seeking help for alcoholism or drug abuse.

INTEGRATIVE BEHAVIORAL COUPLE

THERAPY

• Consists of two major phases, an

evaluation/feedback phase and an active

treatment phase.

• The typical course of therapy lasts between 6

and 12 months.

EMOTION-FOCUSED THERAPY (EFT)

• It is a unique empirically-based approach, based on methods designed to help people accept, express, regulate, make sense of and transform emotion.

• Learning about emotions is not enough; instead, what is needed is for clients to experience those emotions as they arise in the safety of the therapy session.

COUPLES AND

MARRIAGE

COUNSELING

• Couples or marriage counseling is offered to

support people in relationship who may be

considering separation or seeking

improved intimacy and understanding.

• People in relationship seek counseling for any

number of reasons, from power struggles

and communication problems, to sexual

dissatisfaction and infidelity.

• Though counseling is recommended as soon as

discontent arises in a relationship, studies show that

on average, partners will not seek therapy until they

have been unhappy for six years.

5 Principles of Effective Couples

Therapy

PRINCIPLES

1. Changes the views of the relationship

2. Modifies dysfunctional behavior

3. Decreases emotional avoidance

4. Improves communication

5. Promotes strengths

COUPLES COUNSELING

TECHNIQUES

1) GOTTMAN METHOD

• Uses couples counseling techniques to increase

affection, closeness, and respect.

• These techniques help you resolve conflict when

you feel like you’re at an impasse.

• Shows you how to build love maps, which help you

learn about your partner’s psychological world by

mapping your partner’s worries, stresses, joys,

hopes, and history.

• It stresses conflict management rather than conflict

resolution.

2) NARRATIVE THERAPY

• Narrative therapy seeks to separate the problem

from the person by externalizing issues of

concern.

• It allows you to gain new perspective on the

situation.

• Narrative therapy allows you to explore the past

to bring to light negativities that otherwise

remain hidden.

3) EMOTIONALLY FOCUSED COUPLES

THERAPY

• was first developed for couples, but it has proven

useful for family counseling as well.

• emotionally focused therapy has three main goals:

encourages the expansion and reorganization of

key emotional responses

seeks to secure a tight bond between you and your

partner

Distance during interactions and creates new,

beneficial interactions in your partnership.

4) POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

Positive psychology emphasizes positive emotions,

character strengths, and constructive institutions to

promote the notion that happiness is derived from

various mental and emotional factors.

Specialists believe perception dictates happiness

from one event to another

5) IMAGO RELATIONSHIP THERAPY

• Imago Relationship Therapy combines

spiritual and behavioral techniques with

western psychological techniques of therapy to

expose unconscious components.

• The therapist views the couple’s conflict as a

solution to the situation rather than the

problem. Examination of the conflict is the key

to finding a solution to disharmony.

• Acknowledgment that each partner is

communicating differently helps resolves

problems.

• Partners learn that disagreements aren’t signs

of love loss but are normal occurrences in

relationships that can be resolved through

communication.

6) ANALYZING THE WAYS YOU COMMUNICATE

• The inability to communicate in healthy ways is the basis for the majority of problems in a relationship.

• Its important for you to speak your mind rather than to expect one another to read moods and body language, which are open to misinterpretation.

• A therapist can guide you toward functional forms of communication that alleviate misunderstandings.

7) EXPLORING UNCONSCIOUS ROOTS OF PROBLEMS

• The purpose is to bring the unconscious roots of a problem to the surface, whether the problem belongs to one or both partners.

• The belief of a psychodynamic counselor is that significant life events and childhood experiences shape peoples’ behavioral tendencies.

• During couples counseling, the therapist explores major past experiences in order to change distorted perceptions and eliminate irrational reactions to current events.

8) ENHANCING INTIMACY TO PROMOTE CLOSENESS

• Couples therapy isn’t just limited to deflecting or solving problems; it also promotes closeness and intimacy in a partnership.

• Counselors help couples enrich their lives by aiding the development of friendship and ways to show affection.

• By providing exercises to increase mutual support, therapists teach couples how to overcome existing issues and how to make relationships resilient.

9) INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING

• Individual counseling is recommended

when one partner is unwilling to undergo

therapy or as a precursor to couples therapy.

• A common issue with individual therapy

arises with the client’s right to privacy.

• The best outcome can be expected when

both partners are committed to counseling.

CONCLUSION

• Couple therapy helps in understanding of

different marital demands and requisites and

tries to solve our problems through different

techniques.

• It also allows in establishing intimacy and care

among partners.