From the country’s leading couple therapist duo, a practical guide to what makes it all work. In 10 Principles for Doing Effective Couples Therapy, two of the world’s leading couple researchers and therapists give readers an inside tour of what goes on inside the consulting rooms of their practice. They have been doing couples work for decades and still find it challenging and full of learning experiences. This book distills the knowledge they've gained over their years of practice into ten principles at the core of good couples work. Each principle is illustrated with a clinically compiled case plus personal side-notes and storytelling. Topics addressed include: • You know that you need to “treat the relationship,” but how are you supposed to get at something as elusive as “a relationship”? • How do you empathize with both clients if they have opposite points of view? Later on, if they end up separating does that mean you’ve failed? Are you only successful if you keep couples together? • Compared to an individual client, a relationship is an entirely different animal. What should you do first? What should you look for? What questions should you ask? If clients give different answers, who should you believe? • What are you supposed to do with all the emotional and personal history that your clients stir up in you? • How can you make your work research-based? No one who works with couples will want to be without the insight, guidance, and strategies offered in this book.

This unique guide brings together leading practitioners to demonstrate the nuts-and-bolts of their brief work with couples. The time- and cost-effective models discussed are explicitly short-term - not long-term on fast forward - and detailed case excerpts and clinical examples highlight how each form of therapy is actually conducted. Practicing therapists and students alike will find much of value in this illuminating and practical resource.

Wise, compassionate, and highly practical, this engaging text covers the entire process of therapeutic work with couples, from opening sessions and assessment through skills building, core issues, and termination. Students and novice couple therapists learn effective strategies for intervening with couples of any age who are struggling with acute crises or longstanding conflicts and power struggles. Rich with sensitive, detailed case material, the book features numerous exercises that help readers identify and develop their own strengths as practitioners. Self-care strategies and tips for getting the most out of supervision are provided. Special topics include how to address couple issues with only one partner and couple therapy applications for chronic mental health problems.

How do couples get beyond the reactivity and blaming that destroy self-esteem and good will? How can couples sort out the multiple layers and complexities in their relationships? Is it possible to move from impasse to dialogue? Here, in one brief volume, are the answers to these questions and many others. Doing Couple Therapy will be a lifesaver for family therapy students and beginning therapists. In a straightforward manner, the authors sift through years of family therapy theory to draw out for readers a a treasury of ways to sort out the many factors, past and present, that crowd couples' relationships. These include family-of-origin issues, previous relationships, secrets, children, in-laws, unresolves lodes, job demands, financial worries—to name just a few. The authors' framework, built from the major influential theories of family and marital therapy, will enable therapists to work effectively and briefly, though not superficially, with couples. The book not only presents theory but also links theory with practice. An extraordinary contribution is the presentation of a typical case from beginning to end, through tender moments, rough spots, family-of-origin work, revelation of deeply held secrets, alcohol abuse, ultimatums, and finally, renewal of commitment to the relationship. This practical, real-life guide to couple therapy will give both students and seasoned therapists a new take on the demanding work of couple therapy.

"Subject Areas/Keywords: brief, conflicts, counseling, couple therapy, couples therapy, distress, divorce, families, family, intimate relationships, marital problems, marriage, partners, psychotherapy, systemic, techniques, therapists, treatment maps, treatments DESCRIPTION Now thoroughly revised, this practical, user-friendly guide has helped thousands of novice couple therapists and students to navigate the challenges of clinical work with couples in conflict. Robert Taibbi presents effective strategies for rapidly identifying a couple's core issues and conducting each stage of therapy, from the first sessions to termination. Rich with sensitive, detailed case material, the book features end-of-chapter exercises that help readers identify and develop their own strengths as practitioners. Appendices include reproducible client handouts that can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size"--

Wise, compassionate, and highly practical, this engaging text covers the entire process of therapeutic work with couples, from opening sessions and assessment through skills building, core issues, and termination. Students and novice couple therapists learn effective strategies for intervening with couples of any age who are struggling with acute crises or longstanding conflicts and power struggles. Rich with sensitive, detailed case material, the book features numerous exercises that help readers identify and develop their own strengths as practitioners. Self-care strategies and tips for getting the most out of supervision are provided. Special topics include how to address couple issues with only one partner and couple therapy applications for chronic mental health problems.

Grounded in a deep understanding of what makes intimate relationships succeed, this book provides concrete guidelines for addressing the complexities of real-world clinical practice with couples. Leading couple therapist Ellen Wachtel describes the principles of therapeutic interventions that motivate couples to alter entrenched patterns, build on strengths, and navigate the “legacy” issues that each person brings to the relationship. She illuminates the often unrecognized choices that therapists face throughout the session and deftly explicates their implications. The epilogue by Paul Wachtel situates the author's pragmatic approach in the broader context of contemporary psychotherapy theory and research.

Bringing contemporary couple therapy to life, this casebook candidly illustrates the "whats," "whys," and "how-tos" of leading clinical approaches. Well-known contributors provide a window into their work with couples seeking help for a variety of relationship challenges. Cases depict the moment-by-moment process of therapy, from the initial assessment and case formulation through the beginning, intermediate, and concluding phases. Themes addressed include working across cultural divides; helping couples living with psychological or medical disorders; and treating interfaith couples, military couples, and same-sex and queer couples. Enhancing the book's utility for course use, the expert editors concisely introduce each case and describe how the approach fits into the broader field. See also Lebow and Snyder's Clinical Handbook of Couple Therapy, Sixth Edition, which provides an authoritative overview of theory and practice.

A Roadmap for Couple Therapy offers a comprehensive, flexible, and user-friendly template for conducting couple therapy. Grounded in an in-depth review of the clinical and research literature, and drawing on the author’s 40-plus years of experience, it describes the three main approaches to conceptualizing couple distress and treatment—systemic, psychodynamic, and behavioral—and shows how they can be integrated into a model that draws on the best of each. Unlike multi-authored texts in which each chapter presents a distinct brand of couple therapy, this book simultaneously engages multiple viewpoints and synthesizes them into a coherent model. Covering fundamentals and advanced techniques, it speaks to both beginning therapists and experienced clinicians. Therapists will find A Roadmap for Couple Therapy an invaluable resource as they help distressed couples repair and revitalize their relationships.

This popular text helps students and clinicians build essential skills common to all family interventions. The entire process of systemic therapy is richly illustrated with chapter-length case examples. Rather than advocating one best approach, the author shows that there are multiple ways of working, and provides reflection questions and exercises that encourage readers to develop their own clinical style.