The author contends that marriage counselors must be aware of the changing roles for women and the implications those changes have for contemporary marriage counselors. He presents an historical overview of the American woman's place in society, followed by a review of her status today. He also examines women's place in the social and helping…

An edited case presentation of marital therapy of a couple whose child was the original problem. The first theme is that therapy consists of stages involving critical transitional points that need to be appropriately timed. The second is the use of tasks to bring about structural realignment within the family. (Author)

This paper presents a brief description of the development of education and training in marriage and family therapy, with special attention, historically, to the marriage counseling/marital therapy branch of the field. The outcome of decades of experience is reflected in a core curriculum. (Author)

Marriage contracts are being increasingly accepted by courts, and an informal process of contracting as a mode of clarifying expectations of marriage and partners is advocated by lawyers and marital therapists. Premarital consultation regarding legal and emotional issues could be an area of constructive collaboration for mental health and legal…

In part one of this two-part paper, skills which distress couples need in order to more effectively solve their marital problems were enumerated. In this section, the technology for helping couples to learn to solve problems more effectively is discussed. (Author)

The purpose of the paper is to: identify the major types of cohabiting relationships; specify the personal characteristics and relationship characteristics of each cohabiting relationship type; and outline potential benefits and costs to the individual in each type of cohabiting relationship. Guidelines for counseling potentially cohabiting…

The values clarification process is a potentially useful means of helping couples improve their relationships and constructively manage their conflicts. In this paper practical values clarification strategies are presented for use within a positively-oriented couples' enrichment program. These approaches may also be incorporated into traditional…

Low-libido disorders are highly prevalent, may be extremely distressful to patients and their partners, and influence the course and prognosis of therapy. This paper focuses on this important aspect of human sexuality. Some clinical features of hypoactive sexual desire are described, and some hypotheses about etiology and prognosis are presented.…

A pre-marital assessment method is described which utilizes interviews with the young couple, with both sets of parents and group interviewing with all six key persons involved in the plans for marriage. The use of selected tests and particular methods of examining the couple's relationship are discussed. (Author)

With the increasing divorce rate, new, alternative therapeutic approaches to marital therapy are necessary. Instead of looking at the marital relationship as a closed system, it should be treated from an intergenerational point of view. This involves working on the interlocking between horizontal and linear relationships in the nuclear family.…

This article describes the use of a pre-marriage contract in working with teenage couples and their parents. The contract is an aid in focusing on the practical aspects of marriage preparation, allowing a more direct subsequent focus on the feelings of family members. (Author)

Data are presented concerning the experience of 429 men and women with a court-related marriage and divorce counseling service. Descriptions of how this agency is perceived by the clients as helpful or not helpful are examined as are the sociodemographic characteristics associated with client satisfaction. (Author)

"Fascinating womanhood" ("total woman") is explored as a response to anxiety generated by awareness of the potential for experiencing the self as a separate, responsible person. A therapeutic approach that can be utilized in encouraging optimal individuation is discussed, with group, marital, and individual therapy examples. Precautions are also…

A heuristic model is presented for the diagnosis and treatment of families in stress. A systems approach and psychoanalytic concepts are integrated to understand and modify dysfunctional behavior transmitted across generations. (Author)

The growth and self understanding of the therapist as a person are considered by most training centers to be a significant part of the training process. This article reports on a pilot project which provided contractual marital and family therapy for trainees in a two-year program. (Author)