This is a model for any relationship and for marriage counseling in particular. The premise is that a well-developed agreement between the two partners is necessary for marital success, and that disharmony in marriage is a sign of an unclear or unworkable contract. (Author)

The technique called "two-marriage therapy" (conjoint cotherapy by married cotherapy teams) has been developed to help couples in marital crises to confront the elusive nature of marriage. This paper attempts to show how the presence of a married cotherapy team adds a significant salutary perspective on the marriage in conflict. (Author)

Attempted to identify predictors of positive treatment outcome following behavioral marital therapy. The only variable that significantly predicted outcome at both posttest and follow-up was a measure reflecting traditional affiliation/independence patterns: couples with a highly affiliative wife and a highly independent husband were less likely…

Describes common characteristics of 13 cases in which one marital partner initiated therapy because the other partner was undecided about continuing their marriage. Initiating clients wanted their marriages to continue even if they were unrewarding and saw themselves as helpless victims. Clients who could turn their attention from the ambivalent…

Suggests an integrated systemic-psychodynamic approach to the treatment of characterological disorders within conjoint marital therapy. Draws from object relations and systemic therapies in developing a treatment approach to marriages which include at least one borderline personality disorder spouse. A case example illustrates the…

The case study illustrates the ways in which consultation with specialists can add strain to marriages involving disabled children. (CL)

Describes the history and development of the residential marriage and family therapy training program at the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas. Discusses the initial approval and focus, financial support, staff, students, and the conflict between counseling and traditional psychiatric therapy. (JAC)

Data and information gathered regarding marriage and family therapy graduate programs and training centers are synthesized and interpreted. Highlights of the data and implications for educational programs in family therapy are presented including increasing number of institutions offering family therapy training and a large number of students in…

Derives an empirically based classification system of marital relationships, employing a multidimensional self-report measure of marital interaction. Spouses' profiles on the Marital Satisfaction Inventory for samples of clinic and nonclinic couples were subjected to cluster analysis, resulting in separate five-group typologies for husbands and…

Defines inhibited sexual desire (ISD) as a relational phenomenon best treated in the marital context. Discusses ISD as it relates to the central marital issues of power, intimacy, and boundaries. (JAC)

Helping a group close on a productive note is very important. Each client must understand precisely what he or she can expect of the group. Most groups develop agreements on starting times, closing times, approximate number of sessions, and ways homework assignments are developed. (Author)

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…