This qualitative study examines how art interventions are aligned and integrated with emotionally focused therapy (EFT; Johnson, 2020) in the treatment of relational distress with couples. EFT is a brief humanistic evidence-based treatment, grounded in attachment theory, with experiential and systemic approaches to intervention that engage underlying emotion to create more secure bonds. Notably scant literature exists blending art-based and verbal approaches in EFT, despite the importance of verbal imagery in EFT intervention and the experiential nature of expressive therapies. In this study, NVivo qualitative data analysis software facilitated thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with five clinicians who integrate the two approaches. Theory-driven analysis with skills of the Emotion-Focused Therapy-Therapist Fidelity Scale (EFT-TFS; Denton et al., 2009) examined alignment and divergence from the EFT model. Patterns in the data revealed a conceptual framework for integrating art interventions with EFT that prioritized fidelity to the EFT model. This framework provides structure and language to describe art interventions in a granular way at the session level, with considerations for the progression of treatment through the steps and stages of EFT in the context of considerations for the therapeutic alliance. This framework has wide applications in clinical practice, teaching, and empirical inquiry integrating art interventions with EFT.

Despite the well-established effectiveness of couple therapy for reducing distress and improving relationship satisfaction (Cohen, 1988; Christensen and Heavey, 1999), less than a fourth of couples seek couple therapy prior to divorce (Albrecht, Bahr, and Goodman, 1983; Wolcott, 1986). Rather, the majority of couples wait over 5 years before seeking therapy (Johnson et al., 2002). Barriers to seeking individual therapy are well established and are associated with decreased rates of therapy attendance and the negative consequences of untreated distress and mental health problems (Corrigan, 2004; Killaspy, Banerjee, King, and Lloyd, 2000; Vogel, Wade and Hackler, 2007). It is unclear as to whether the same barriers exist for individuals who are seeking couple therapy. This study examined the applicability of the Health Belief Model (HBM; Rosenstock, 1966), with the addition of demographic characteristics (gender, income, education, and religion) and contextualizing individual factors (relational distress and perceived stigma), to predict an individual in a committed relationship's (N =158) motivation to seek couple therapy. When controlling for demographic variables and contextualizing factors, the Health Belief Model factors of lower barriers and lower benefits were predictive of higher motivation to seek couple therapy. Throughout all iterations of the model, lower income and lower relational distress were also associated with higher rates of motivation to seek couple therapy. This research indicates that barriers, including high levels of relational distress, impact an individual's motivation to seek couple therapy. Further investigation of the application of the HBM factors to mental health, including research into more systemic measurements of these factors, is needed. Future research should also identify other potentially contextualizing factors, as the overall model accounted for a relatively small amount of variation in the individual's motivation to seek couple therapy. / Ph. D. / Couple therapy has been shown to provide relief for relationship distress and individual mental health problems (Cohen, 1988; Christensen & Heavey, 1999). Despite this, the majority of couples choose to either live with relationship distress prior to seeking couple therapy or never seek treatment prior to getting divorced (Albrecht, Bahr, & Goodman, 1983; Gottman & Gottman, 2013; Johnson et al., 2002; Wolcott, 1986). Unfortunately, very little is known about the reasons couples avoid couple therapy; therefore, this research is based on the established barriers found in the literature on why individuals do not seek mental health treatment. Because of the inclusion of an established help-seeking theory, known as the Health Belief Model (HBM; Rosenstock, 1966), the results of this study can more broadly inform individuals, couples, therapists, and policy makers about the reasons individuals may not seek couple therapy. An online survey of 158 couples indicated that higher levels of relationship satisfaction, lower income levels, lower perceived benefits to couple therapy, and lower perceived barriers to accessing treatment were associated with higher motivation to seek couple therapy. Overall, research should continue to examine the application of the Health Belief Model constructs (perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and cues to action) to mental health seeking behavior, especially couple and family therapy. Research should also identify other potential constructs, beyond those used in this study (gender, income, education, religion, self-stigma, and relational distress), that impact an individual’s motivation to seek couple therapy.

A strong therapeutic alliance is consistently related to successful outcomes in couple therapy. However, most of the research done on therapeutic alliance has been done among non-Latino White individuals and couples, failing to account for other ethnic minorities like Latinos. Latinos tend to share certain commonalities as opposed to non-Latino clients that may alter the relationship between alliance quality and relationship quality. This exploratory study was designed to understand whether Latino clients have higher initial levels of alliance and a stronger alliance-outcome relationship in couple therapy when compared to non-Latino White couples. The sample consisted of 567 couples seeking therapy to improve their relationship (99 Latino and 468 non-Latino White couples). A multigroup moderation model was used to test whether Latino ethnicity moderates the association between alliance quality at session four and relationship quality at the final session. Similar findings of the association previously established between alliance quality and relationship quality were found. Results indicated that there was no statistically significant difference between Latinos and non-Latino Whites on initial levels of alliance quality nor on the relationship between alliance quality and relationship quality.

In the U.S., an estimated 61 million people identify as having a disability, making up 26% of all adults. The occurrence of a disability for one person within a couple impacts the physical, social, psychological, and emotional state of the person who acquired a disability, forcing changes to quality of life. Interabled couples, defined as one partner having a physical disability and the other partner identifying as nondisabled, navigate various systems of care as they respond to the needs of the partner with the disability. Emotionally focused therapy (EFT) has shown benefits in reducing relationship stress and increasing security within couples. In this study, the researcher explored the experiences of 10 EFT therapists who served at least one interabled couple in couple therapy. Participants completed a semi-structured interview designed to explore how EFT therapists make sense of their lived experiences serving interabled couples. The researcher utilized interpretative phenomenological analysis to understand how EFT therapists made meaning from their experiences serving interabled couples. Findings included four super-ordinate themes that emerged from the data including (a) ableism, (b) self-of-the-therapist, (c) relationship dynamics of interabled couples, and (d) the "fit" of EFT approach with interabled couples. The themes demonstrate a need to further explore disability-responsive practices within EFT in serving interabled couples.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:37:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Silvia Costa Pessoa.pdf: 1125588 bytes, checksum: 84f1a6ce2ab63cc854a79ad3329f3f31 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-05-20 / The objective of this research is to propose a method to work with dreams in couple therapy based on the analytical psychology of C. G. Jung and others Jungian authors and the clinical experience of the researcher as a couple therapist. Two couples participated in this research. These couples were experiencing conjugal conflicts and had been in a stable relationship for more than one year. The first couple attended a total of 15 weekly sessions and 8 dreams were considered during this period. The second couple attended a total of 16 weekly sessions and 6 dreams were considered during this period. We adopted a qualitative method, which permitted a deeper understanding to be obtained of the psychic processes, and dreams were used as a therapeutic instrument. The method for working with dreams emerged and was systematized based on the sessions with the couples, when the dreams were told and investigated. The results suggested that it is possible to develop a method to work with dreams within the context of couple psychotherapy, with this method systematized into three stages: the couple s dream, consideration ad reflection. The research also suggests that working with dreams can help the couple amplify their vision of the conflict, increase the self-perception of each spouse from participating in the couple problematic, reveal the dysfunctions in the pattern of the couple s dynamic and highlight the changes necessary to recover the individuation process within the marriage / Este estudo teve por objetivo propor um método de trabalho com sonhos na terapia de casais, fundamentado na abordagem da Psicologia Analítica de C. G. Jung, em outros autores junguianos e na experiência clínica da pesquisadora como terapeuta de casal. Participaram da pesquisa dois casais, que estavam vivenciando conflito conjugal e mantinham uma relação estável por mais de um ano. No trabalho com o primeiro casal, realizamos 15 sessões semanais e trabalhamos 8 sonhos e com o segundo casal, realizamos 16 sessões semanais e trabalhamos 6 sonhos. Nesta pesquisa, adotamos o método qualitativo, que possibilitou a compreensão dos processos psíquicos e dos sonhos enquanto instrumento terapêutico. O método de trabalho com os sonhos foi elaborado e sistematizado a partir dos atendimentos dos casais, quando os sonhos foram relatados e trabalhados. Os resultados sugerem ser possível o delineamento de um método de trabalho com os sonhos no contexto da psicoterapia de casal, método este sistematizado em três fases: sonho do casal, apreciação e reflexão. A pesquisa sugere também que o trabalho com os sonhos pode ajudar o casal a ampliar a visão do conflito, a aumentar a autopercepção de cada cônjuge na participação da problemática do casal, revelar a disfunção do padrão da dinâmica conjugal e apontar as mudanças necessárias para a retomada do processo de individuação no casamento

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-27T14:20:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Lucilene Prado Silva.pdf: 1448133 bytes, checksum: e53bc21a1c0188cdc65baa61c8ea16ee (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-03-24 / Studies indicate that couples with or without conflicts have precisely the same types of problems, and that what differentiates them, are their abilities of communication and solution of problems. Although some investigators treat training and problem solving training as one module, the two types of training are quite different as to what concerns procedure and concept. Considering that many clients that look for therapeutic help only attend an single session, and that couples are more demanding concerning the speed of results, any progress obtained in the first session could contribute to treatment adherence or could even be the only chance the therapist has to promote significant changes in the couple's life. The general objective of the present project was to explore the effects of two interventions in single sessions of couple therapy, one focusing on communication and the other on problem solving. Six couples participated in the study, divided in two groups: one group receiving the communication-focused intervention (group A) and another receiving the problem solving focused intervention (group B). The results of group A suggest that it is possible, with a single session, to effectively improve the communication of the couple. However, the teaching of problem solving strategies did not result in improvement. More studies are necessary to improve the techniques. single session couple therapy, communication and problem solving training. / Estudos indicam que casais com ou sem conflitos parecem ter precisamente os mesmos conjuntos de problemas, sendo o que os diferenciam, entre outros fatores, as habilidades de comunicação e solução de problemas. Apesar de alguns investigadores tratarem o treinamento de comunicação e solução de problemas como um único módulo, os dois tipos de treino são bastante diferentes e podem ser distinguidos quanto ao procedimento e conceito. Considerando que muitos clientes que buscam ajuda terapêutica só assistem a uma única sessão, e que casais são mais exigentes quanto a rapidez dos resultados, uma intervenção que necessitasse de apenas uma sessão para produzir mudanças no relacionamento poderia contribuir para a aderência ao tratamento, ou para promover mudanças significativas na vida do casal. O objetivo geral dessa pesquisa foi explorar os efeitos de duas intervenções em sessões únicas de casal, uma com enfoque na comunicação e a outra com enfoque na solução de problemas. Participaram do estudo seis casais, divididos em dois grupos: um de enfoque na comunicação (grupo A) e outro de enfoque na solução de problemas (grupo B). Os resultados sugerem que é possível, com uma única sessão, ensinar novas estratégias ao casal para que, melhorando sua comunicação, possa enfrentar melhor os problemas. Entretanto, são necessárias mais pesquisas para melhorar as técnicas de intervenção, e ampliar o seu alcance.

<p dir="ltr">The need for affirming relational therapy is important for clients who identify as transgender and gender nonconforming - particularly during the process of their transition. Because of the conceptual overlap between the two approaches, the Satir Model of experiential therapy can be effectively applied to existing frameworks for affirming couple therapy. The study reflects the efficacy of this proposed model of therapy through a phenomenological case study. The results, their implications, and the application of the model are discussed.</p>

Couple therapy is a frequently sought domain by couples who experience problems in their relationships. Couple therapy has been researched intensively, but few studies incorporate a holistic account of the therapeutic process. This study aims to explore and integrate the therapist's and the couple's experiences of change in the context of couple therapy. The ecosystemic epistemology and the narrative metaphor forms the foundation from which the therapy and the research is approached. Qualitative research methods are employed from within a naturalistic paradigm which allows for personal and unique meanings to emerge. Rich descriptions of the therapist's and the participant's stories of change are provided. Multiple perspectives are offered in the stories which reveal the reciprocal motions between the therapist's and the couples' change processes. Recurring themes are extracted from the stories which punctuate the pivotal change processes that were experienced by the therapist and the couples during the therapy. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Text in English / As some criticism and hesitations have been expressed with regard to the implementation of provocation in psychotherapy, this study aimed to explore the experiences of clients and a therapist who participated in provocative psychotherapy. In order to do this, a concise theoretical description of the nature of provocative psychotherapy was provided along the lines of the work of Frank Farrelly and Maurizio Andolfi. Participants' experiences of provocation in psychotherapy were consequently presented by means of three case studies. A description of the experience of provocation in psychotherapy was co-created through the identifying of certain themes underlying of the three client groups' and the therapist's descriptions of their experiences. This was done by employing a qualitative research methodology to describe the experiences of clients and a therapist who participated in provocative individual-, couple- and family psychotherapy. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 53-57).