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 PSYCHOLOGYPositive 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.

THANK YOU !!!!!