Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1990. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 187-205).

Thesis (M.A. Rel.)--Anderson School of Theology, 1986. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 229-235).

This study compares results of the six major forms of marriage counseling: individual interview, individual group, concurrent interview, concurrent group, conjoint interview, and conjoint group. Data are from five different approaches in research methodology. The first, termed the Pilot Study, reviewed the outcome records of 773 former marriage counseling clients. The second, termed the Experimental Study, assigned 63 couples on a random basis, although balanced for severity, to the three most popular forms of marriage counseling: concurrent interview, conjoint interview, or conjoint group. It included a pre- to post-counseling test comparison involving the MMPI, CPI, Polyfactor Test for Marital Difficulties, and the Marital Adjustment Inventory. The third approach, the Quasi-Experimental Study, compared test results from two groups of couples with serious marital problems: the first group comprised seven couples who had been in three forms of counseling, while the second group included twenty-one couples who had been in only one form. The fourth approach, the Survey Study, used a questionnaire to measure reactions of 200 subjects who had just completed various forms of marriage counseling sessions. The fifth approach, the Poll Study, involved a mail survey of 209 former marriage counseling clients who had been terminated from varying forms of marriage counseling for from one to three years.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1974. / Typewritten.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia, Pa.), 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 259-277).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia, Pa.), 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 259-277).

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a brief communication and problem-solving skills training program for premarital couples. The study proposed that couples who participated in the training program would demonstrate significant increases in verbal facilitative and problem-solving behaviors as well as in relationship satisfaction. The research design was a pretest-posttest control group design. Couples were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups; there were 10 couples in each group. The experimental treatment was a one-day workshop which trained couples in eight specific listener and speaker skills and a four-step problem-solving procedure. The training methodology included lecture, discussion, modeling, behavior rehearsal, and feedback. The instruments used were the Marital Interaction Coding System (MICS), the Premarital Communication and Problem Solving Rating Scale (PCPSRS), and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS). Data analysis included analysis of covariance and correlated t tests. The results indicated that couples who participated in the training did not significantly differ at posttest from the control couples on any of the measures. The experimental couples did not show significant gains from pre- to posttest on any of the measures; however, six control couples who participated in the training after posttesting did show a significant increase in their use of problem-solving statements at the time of follow-up testing. The researcher-constructed PCPSRS was found to correlate positively and significantly with the DAS. A consumer satisfaction questionnaire found that all the participants who received training reacted favorably to this experience. Limitations of the study are noted and recommendations for further research are made.

The increasing prevalence of marital breakdown in the United States has been met by the proliferation of premarital counseling programs in professional counseling centers and churches. As increasing masses of couples turn to premarital counseling to prevent future interpersonal problems, and as communities and churches across the United States deem it necessary to require them to do so, the rhetoric of premarital counseling, I argue, is becoming a significant force in constructing contemporary meanings of marriage. Utilizing rhetorical criticism as a new method for examining premarital counseling, this study addresses two key issues: a) the images of marriage constructed in these programs; and b) the process by which these images are created. An extensive analysis of two national programs, messages embodied in their counseling materials, themes, symbols, and clusters of terms that facilitate persuasion and epistemic functions. Applying a Burkean dramatistic perspective, I contend that a more complete understanding of premarital counseling is advanced if such discourse is treated as "drama" and the participates in such discourse as "symbol-using animals." The dramatistic analysis of both programs reveals that a "rhetoric of rebirth" best explains the process of persuasion that occurs in these programs. This research is an example of how premarital counseling programs can be analyzed from a fresh perspective--namely, premarital counseling as rhetoric. Such analysis ultimately leads to a new way of explaining how these programs attempt to modify couples' beliefs and actions. The last chapter summarizes the thesis, discusses the ethics of rhetoric in programs, as well as the limitations and contributions of the study and implications for future research. / Graduation date: 1997

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity International University, 1999. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 216-228).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2000. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 239-250).