Clinical Handbook of Couple Therapy

Updating and expanding upon the highly acclaimed and widely adopted Clinical Handbook of Marital Therapy, this book is the comprehensive, authoritative guide to therapy with couples.

Organized for optimal clinical use, the book begins with a detailed analysis of the major models of couple therapy. Noted contributors present descriptions of strategies and techniques and link these to a basic theoretical framework. Included are entirely new in-depth chapters on problem- and solution-focused, cognitive-behavioral, object relational, and ego-analytic therapies, as well as chapters on Bowen family systems, emotionally focused, group, and preventive approaches.

Each chapter follows a uniform structure, presenting detailed discussions of the theoretical model of distress/dysfunction; the rationale for how the treatment approach follows from the model; the overall strategy; the therapist's role; specific strategies, including major techniques, typical obstacles, and limitations of the approach; and common clinical issues such as managing resistance, handling acute relationship distress, and dealing with termination.

Chapters in Part II discuss issues of culture, gender, religion, race, and sexual orientation, exploring the ways deeply felt personal values in these areas can cause conflict between partners as well as problems in the therapeutic discourse. Also examined are ruptures of the relational bond and the facilitation of healthy divorce processes.

The conduct of couple therapy with psychiatric disorders is addressed in Part III. Topics include depression, anxiety, personality disorders, alcoholism, eating disorders, and sexual desire disorders.

Presenting a wealth of practical and theoretical information on the full range of couple therapy interventions, the work is invaluable for a variety of professionals, including marital and family therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, counselors, and nurses. It also serves as an excellent text for advanced courses in these areas.