Therapists working with intimate relationships are frequently confronted with issues regarding the loss of erotic intimacy, differences in levels of sexual desire, and the existence of intimate relationships outside the primary. Proposes that an approach derived from an integration of narrative therapy and relationship enhancement therapy can be…

Presents an interview with Peggy Papp, a faculty member at the Ackerman Institute for the Family, where she is director of the Depression in Context Project. The Interview focuses on Papp's journey to becoming a marriage and family therapist and her role as a leader in field of feminist therapy. (GCP)

The Couple Rating Scale assesses eight common areas of couple interaction. Ratings are made for both the self and other in the couple dyad. Benefits of completing this assessment are (a) an increased personal responsibility for the problems and (b) a new awareness of issues that deserve attention. (GCP)

This article provides an overview of two crisis intervention techniques used by a marriage and family counselor who served as a crisis counselor in New York City after the September 11th terrorist attack. The intervention techniques described are Critical Incident Stress Debriefing and one-on-one crisis counseling. An overview of both techniques…

Proposes Family Goal Recording as a systemic approach for measuring change in the presenting concerns of couples and families. Describes the procedures for using Family Goal Recording as an outcome measure for family therapy and a device to enhance goal attainment. In addition, the results of an initial study on the reliability and validity of…

Reexamines the Mental Research Institute associates' intervention of reframing in marital therapy. Describes use of Ericksonian strategies of ratification and utilization, with emphasis on nonverbal language, conjoint reframing, unconscious wisdom, and recursive therapy. Presents ratification and utilization interventions. (Author/ABL)

Explored use of therapeutic metaphor among marriage and family therapists (N=102) belonging to the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy. Three major themes emerged, including metaphors pertaining to the process of change, those relevant to stages in family life cycle, and methods by which therapeutic metaphors can be constructed and…

Addresses lack of attention in marriage therapy literature to romantic love and sexual attraction. Notes that few guidelines are available to therapists concerning how to deal with love as an issue in therapy. Presents model based on assumption that marriage problems are emotional in nature and that success of marital therapists depends upon skill…

Presents letter writing intervention that attempts to reestablish priority of digital language. Contends that, by having couples in therapy write letters to each others, much analogic communication is removed. Notes that letter writing allows couples to exchange new information and slow down speed with which they respond to each other, giving them…

Presents atheoretical short-term marital therapy model in which treatment is limited to six to eight sessions and focuses on special problems raised by couple and on couple's capacity to react positively to clinical suggestions. Describes highlights of therapy model: homework assignments, negotiation of conflict issues, communication training, and…

Describes ways of operationalizing clinically significant change, defined as extent to which therapy moves someone outside range of dysfunctional population or within range of functional population. Uses examples to show how clients can be categorized on basis of this definition. Proposes reliable change index (RC) to determine whether magnitude…

Notes that, in last decade, theorists and practitioners have become increasingly optimistic about integrating various components of divergent schools of thought in the area of couples and family therapy. Familiarizes readers with cognitive therapy and proposes it as integrable component with other modalities of treatment when working with couples…

Reviews literature on health and illness in families, addressing ramifications for counselors and therapists. Notes that several recent contributions to family counseling literature highlight family health in effort to begin to balance the scales of literature in this area. (Author/NB)

Examines how much attention males and females pay to positive and negative information about their marriages as a function of their belief that the marriage is either in trouble or basically satisfactory. Participants (N=121) viewed and responded to videotapes of couples discussing their problems. Female participants attended more than male…

The couples forgiveness exercise provides a tool for therapists when a breach of trustworthiness has occurred between mates. The procedure is outlined and applied to a case study. (Author)