Asserts that marital assessment instruments can be used to enhance effects of marital counseling. Examines some of more popular marital instruments available, including Stuart's Couples Precounseling Inventory, Russell and Madsen's Marriage Counseling Report, Taylor-Johnson Temperament Analysis, Snyder's Marital Satisfaction Inventory, and…

Compared couples receiving 2 marital therapy approaches and control group over 10-week treatment period. Integrated systemic therapy (IST) and emotionally focused approach (EFT) both were found to be superior to control and to be equally effective in alleviating marital distress, facilitating conflict resolution and goal attainment, and reducing…

Describes therapy process in which couples are "separated" from reciprocal patterns which have become restraining and are currently affecting the relationship. Discusses role of therapist in helping couples break these patterns and separate from influence of discourse which they determine to be not suitable to their own preferred descriptions.…

Examined effectiveness of Relationship Enhancement program in increasing functional and basic levels of differentiation of self among 20 married couple participants. Data from pretest, posttest, and follow-up measures revealed significant increases in functional and basic levels of differentiation of self and in relationship quality and…

Addresses advantages of, and potential pitfalls in, integrated approaches to marital counseling. Presents a sequential approach in which various approaches to marital counseling are integrated without jeopardizing internal consistency and uniformity in treatment. Offers precounseling considerations and procedures for a five-session series.…

Identifies nine dimensions of intimacy, each having four interrelated components. Clinical assessments of these dimensions and components can be accomplished by use of the Marital Intimacy Needs Questionnaire. Offers an introduction to the instrument. (Author/MKA)

In response to repeated calls for process research on couple and family therapy, three different process research methodologies, grounded therapy, change events analysis, and experimental manipulation - are presented and evaluated. The strengths and weaknesses of each methodology are discussed, along with their role in generating and testing…

The goal of this study was to use task analysis to verify that the attachment injury resolution model described in this article discriminates resolved from nonresolved couples. Twenty-four couples with an attachment injury received, on average, 13 sessions of emotionally focused therapy (EFT). At the end of treatment, 15 of the 24 couples were…

Marital satisfaction is the strongest predictor for happiness in many areas of life (Russel & Wells, 1994). A satisfying marriage is associated with better general adjustment and fewer health problems (Bray & Jouriles, 1995). Factors that contribute to marital satisfaction reported by researchers include religion and spirituality (Anthony,…

To understand which factors students consider most important in choosing a marriage and family therapy (MFT) graduate program and how programs met or did not meet these expectations of students over the course of graduate study, we conducted an online mixed-method investigation. One hundred twelve graduate students in Commission on Accreditation…

Couples expecting their first child were randomly assigned to intervention (n = 28) and comparison groups (n = 38) to assess the efficacy of a couples intervention and examine marital satisfaction trajectories across the transition to parenthood. The primarily European American sample (M age = 30 years) completed assessments of marital…

Boolean analysis makes the Interpersonal Perception Method (IPM) readily adaptable to a wide variety of investigations. A general technique for the derivation of terms is demonstrated and a sample set of determinations for evaluation of marital therapy is derived. (Author)

Proposes use of dreamwork to evoke historical patterns or transgenerational themes. Describes new variant of dreamwork which combines aspects of both gestalt and family systems therapies. Implications of therapeutic dramatization for couple therapy are suggested. Examples are included. (Author/NB)

Discusses the role of the therapist in co-mediation of a divorce with a lawyer. Includes lawyer's expectations, differences from couple therapy, couples' expectations, kinds of appropriate and effective interventions, and creative mediation techniques. Demonstrates how two professionals can build a satisfying professional relationship. (Author/ABL)

Discusses issues related to transference and resistance in counselor-client relationships as well as in family relationships. Strategies for coping with these reactions are presented. Suggests that therapists can change the impact of past experiences by changing present behavior and ways of construing one's experience. (JAC)