Presents an integrative definition of the therapeutic alliance that conceptualizes individual, couple and family therapy as occurring within the same systemic framework. The implications of this concept for therapy reserach are examined. Three new systematically oriented scales to measure the alliance are presented along with some preliminary data…

Describes the purpose, procedures, resources, guidelines, content, and normative data of the North Carolina Marital and Family Therapy Certification Examination as a frame of reference for the development of other licensing and certification instruments. Presents guidelines toward the development of a national marital and family therapy…

Examines the Marriage Contract Game which can improve the skills of distressed couples and refocus their attention away from their children and toward their own marriages. Subjects were four distressed couples. Results showed that game play improved couple's problem-solving and positive feeling statements in home discussions of problems. (BH)

Addresses ethical issues in the engagement and termination phases of marital and family therapy. Engagement phase must examine commitment to systemic intervention versus serving motivated clients. Termination phase must examine client's and therapist's ways of managing readiness, prematurity, and follow-up. Proposed solutions are suggested. (ABL)

Features an examination of the ethical issues affecting decisions for serving clients when systemic intervention is indicated but critical family members resist engagement. Discussion focuses on conceptual and empirical information concerning engagement for systemic intervention as well as possible solutions to ethical dilemmas that affect…

Marriage and family therapy training clinic clients rated their therapist's skill level on several therapist variables including "experience,""confidence,""concern," and how well the treatment seemed to fit their view of the problem. Suggestions for using these results in supervision of beginning therapists are given.…

Presents two articles which examine the relationship between intimacy and self-disclosure in 10 clinical and 10 nonclinical couples using the Self-Disclosure Coding System (SDCS). Results suggested positive self-statements, time spent talking, and affective manner discriminated between the two groups and were related to intimacy. (JAC)

Presents revisions and item analyses of the Positive Feelings Questionnaire (PFQ) from a contrasted group of l04 clinic and community couples. Results found the PFQ to be internally consistent, relatively stable over time, correlated with measures of marital interaction, and sensitive to changes during marital therapy. (LLL)

Describes the use of a penny game as a counseling technique to interrupt an unwanted cycle of behavior between spouses. The game can be explained in terms of both paradox and power and is useful with several marriage counseling techniques which teach more appropriate verbal behavior. (JAC)

Examined changes in response control patterns exhibited by five married couples who participated in two brief psychotherapy groups. Used the Ericson-Rogers Relational Coding System to score the control direction of interactions between group members. Found individual flexibility increased for each of these relationships over the course of group…

Presents research findings that marriage enrichment participants are neither as satisfied with their marriages as nonparticipants nor as dissatisified as those couples who request marriage counseling. Compared pretreatment levels of marital satisfaction of enrichment participants with published norms and the scores of control couples. (Author/RC)

Tested the hypothesis that low consensus of volunteer couples completing the Spouse Observation Checklist underestimates that achieved by clinic couples. That hypothesis was not supported. Couples (N=10) beginning marital therapy achieved agreement rates on joint SOC behaviors of 38.6 percent. Findings confirm the low reliability of spouse…

Provides a model for categorizing marital and family skill training programs according to their theoretical orientation. Describes emotional, reasoning, and action approaches to intervention which allow counselors to examine the relationship between client characteristics and intervention approaches. (JAC)

Presents a five-year follow-up investigation of former marital therapy clients. Conjoint and non-conjoint forms of marital therapy are compared to divorce rates and outcome. Findings indicate conjoint forms of marital therapy are superior to non-conjoint forms. (Author)

Through the use of several case studies explores the concepts of amicable divorce and unhappy marriage. Effective marital strategies are delineated, and the rationale and implementation of creative divorce counseling is described. (Author/RC)