During psychotherapeutic work, couples typically present distinctly contradictory stories about their life together. This paper explores how a psychotherapist may promote mutually beneficial change for couples who contradict each other. One suggested tactic is a non-impositional approach to therapy using a narrative-oriented context. Such a tactic…

This synopsis of the outcome literature on marital and family treatment (MFT) drew three conclusions. First, intervening at the marital/family level with nonalcoholic family members can motivate an initial commitment to change in the alcoholic who is unwilling to seek help. Second, MFT alone, or with individual alcoholism treatment, produces…

This study evaluated whether alcoholics who receive relapse prevention (RP) sessions in the year after a short-term behavioral marital therapy (BMT) do better at long-term follow-up than do those not receiving the additional RP. Sixty couples with an alcoholic husband, after participating in 10 weekly BMT couples group sessions, were assigned…

Coding systems have become popular methods of cataloging the verbal and nonverbal interaction occurring during marital and family therapy. One such system, Pinsof's (1981) Family Therapist Coding System (FTCS), was the first designed explicitly to identify and differentiate specific verbal behaviors of family therapists independent of their…

This paper illustrates the construction, delivery, and processing of therapeutic stimulus metaphors in couple or family therapy. An introduction to the therapeutic metaphor discusses the uses of metaphors in therapy to denote a likeness between a client and another object or person, and to avoid client resistance. The usefulness of metaphors in…

Cognitive factors have been shown to play an important role in marital distress. To examine the importance of the self-other distinction for understanding the impact of attributions on marital satisfaction, two studies were conducted. In the first study, causal attributions for naturally occurring behavior by the self and spouse were investigated…

Couples therapy interventions can be used with alcohol abusers and alcoholics during three broadly defined states of recovery: (1) initial commitment to change; (2) change itself; and (3) long-term maintenance of change. Intervening with the alcoholic's spouse (and/or other nonalcoholic family members) can motivate and reinforce commitment to…

This presentation by a practicing marital therapist describes how exercise behavior can be used as a preventive measure against spouse abuse. This crisis intervention approach is intended to help couples develop stopgap techniques to prevent physical violence; it is one segment of a more comprehensive approach which might include contingency…

Alcohol abuse imposes financial, social, and emotional burdens on drinkers and their families. Couples suffering from alcohol-related problems who seek therapy often have expectations of retribution, restitution, and refuge. Although thoughts of retribution are difficult to elicit in therapy, non-drinking spouses often expect to inflict pain on…

Several studies have indicated that costs of alcoholism treatment are partially or completely offset by monetary benefits of reduced health and legal system costs after such treatment, although most of these studies have been conducted in the private rather than the public alcoholism treatment system. This study examined the health and legal…

The role of cognitions in marital relationships has received increasing attention. Specific beliefs about marital relationships have shown consistent correlations with overall marital satisfaction. As a measure of dysfunctional beliefs about intimate relationships, the Relationship Belief Inventory provides five dysfunctional beliefs scores. This…

The Conflict Tactics Scale questionnaire on marital violence was administered to 29 alcoholics and their wives at entry to, and 1 year after, completing a behavioral marital therapy (BMT) treatment program. In the year prior to BMT, prevalence rates of any violent act, of minor to moderate violent acts, and of severe violent acts were five to six…

The Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey (GZTS) has been described as one of the most widely used tests in marriage counseling. The GZTS was administered to 61 couples when they entered marriage counseling between 1980 and 1985. When counseling ended, couples were divided into three groups--married and together after counseling (MT); married but…

A marital intervention method similar to conjoint counseling and requiring professional involvement with only one spouse in a marital dyad was investigated. Prior to the treatment, one spouse from each of 44 couples was trained in open, genuine self-disclosure and empathic understanding skills. After this training, 19 spouses trained their…

The effects of individual values upon the development of conflicts and the resolution of marital problems through counseling are explored, using the Interpersonal Growth Scale (IGS). This instrument is described as it evaluates the processes of growing apart and growing together, and notes operating values, determining their functions and…