Widely varying reports on the effects of divorce on children have created considerable confusion among therapists. Most traditionally trained secular marriage therapists view their position as that of an impartial mediator with emphasis on the well being of the individual. It has been generally accepted that the religious marital therapists are…

A defining feature of behavior therapy is its application of general psychological principles and its consequent responsiveness to developments in general psychology. However, there are indications that a new movement already labeled in behavioral circles as "affect in the eighties" may be influencing the cognitive behavior therapy of…

Compared relative effectiveness of two interventions in treatment of marital discord: a cognitive-behavioral intervention (teaching problem-solving skills) and an experiential intervention (focusing on emotional experiences). The effects of emotionally focused treatment were found to be superior to problem-solving treatment on marital adjustment,…

Couples counseling is about both saving and optimally ending relationships. Some of the factors affecting the counselor's role in couples therapy are addressed in this paper. It opens with a listing of the objectives of counseling, such as the need to remain neutral. Some of the societal influences on divorce rate are discussed, along with…

Addresses clinical and methodological issues in conducting the Marital Systems Study, a research project evaluating the efficacy of systems-oriented conjoint treatment with couples in which one spouse is abusing alcohol. These include standardizing and monitoring the intervention and developing an interactional perspective on the alcohol-related…

Uses clinical data and research findings to consider the clinical understanding and therapeutic interventions most appropriate for dual career couples' marital and individual difficulties. Briefly describes characteristics of the dual-career lifestyle and personalities, and provides case examples illustrating external and internal sources of…

Examined the extent and dimensions of the process of segmentation within the family therapy movement by comparing the belief and action systems of 1000 family therapists oriented to one of three major models of family therapy. Findings depicted a unique patterning of similarities and differences among the three models. (Author)

Describes a behavioral problem-solving package designed to train negotiation and emotional expression skills. Training consisted of modeling, behavioral rehearsal, and feedback regarding the rehearsal. Training was associated with increases in target, nontarget, and subjective behaviors, thereby demonstrating generalized treatment effects. (Author)

Describes how imagery can lead couples to more constructive perspectives on their Interactions, e.g., when progress in therapy sessions focused on a couple's (family's) communication slows down, therapists can encourage couples to try imagery to understand interactional patterns within their own developmental periods. Provides examples of…

Investigated relationship between locus of control and marital stability of young men. Factors derived from locus of control measures included leadership, personal, and fate scales. Results indicated the only significant difference was on the leadership scale between men remaining married and those who did not. (RC)

Rapprochement among competing methods and views of marital and family therapy constitutes a major creative challenge for the field in the 1980s. Although integrative efforts have begun, psychodynamic understanding of intimate relationships is necessary for continuation of integrative process growth. (Author/NRB)

Research indicating that couples' social support skills predict marital outcomes two years later, above and beyond conflict-management skills, is reported. Successful prevention and treatment programs may need to incorporate support-skills training as well as conflict-management training. Specific techniques are recommended for teaching…

For religious couples, Deity's influence in their marriage is often experienced through prayer, and Deity may more significantly influence religious couples' interaction than anyone else. As a preliminary test of this hypothesis, spouses completed a Likert-scaled questionnaire pertaining to prayer and marital conflict. Issues surrounding clinical…

Religion and spirituality are important aspects of multicultural competency for therapists to consider given the religious culture in America. Researchers have found that more than 90% of Americans claim either a Protestant or Catholic religious affiliation (Keller, 2000), 40% of Americans attend religious services on a weekly basis, and more than…

The social learning approach to marital and family therapy emphasizes the importance of clients' compliance with homework assignments to treatment progress. To investigate the relationship between clients' homework compliance and therapists' and clients' behaviors during therapy sessions and clients' intrasession tension and satisfaction, the…