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Andrew Christensen - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Couple Therapy
Encyclopedia of Mental Health, 2020Co-Authors: K.r. Stephenson, K. Sullivan, Andrew ChristensenAbstract:Couple Therapy is an important subfield of psychology given the significant negative impact of relationship dissatisfaction and dissolution on individuals and families. This article provides an overview of the current science of Couple Therapy, emphasizing empirically supported treatments for distressed Couples and new directions in Couples research. Behavioral Couple Therapy, integrative behavioral Couple Therapy, and emotion focused Therapy are highlighted. Additional topics include Couple Therapy for individual psychopathology, recently created prevention programs, and emerging web-based treatments for Couples
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integrative behavioral Couple Therapy
Current opinion in psychology, 2017Co-Authors: Andrew Christensen, Brian D DossAbstract:Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT) is based in part on traditional behavioral Couple Therapy but expands both the conceptualization of Couple distress and of intervention. The efficacy of IBCT has been supported in three clinical trials, including one with five year follow-up. Additionally, the effectiveness of IBCT in the real world has been supported through a system-wide dissemination effort in the United States Department of Veteran's Affairs. The reach of IBCT has also been extended through an online program, www.OurRelationship.com , based on IBCT. A nationwide clinical trial with a representative sample of the US population demonstrated the effectiveness of this program on both relationship and individual variables.
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integrative behavioral Couple Therapy theoretical background empirical research and dissemination
Family Process, 2016Co-Authors: Mckenzie K Roddy, Brian D Doss, Kathryn M Nowlan, Andrew ChristensenAbstract:Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT), developed by Drs. Andrew Christensen and Neil Jacobson, builds off the tradition of behavioral Couple Therapy by including acceptance strategies as key components of treatment. Results from a large randomized clinical trial of IBCT indicate that it yields large and significant gains in relationship satisfaction. Furthermore, these benefits have been shown to persist for at least 5 years after treatment for the average Couple. Not only does IBCT positively impact relationship constructs such as satisfaction and communication, but the benefits of Therapy extend to individual, co-parenting, and child functioning. Moreover, IBCT has been shown to operate through the putative mechanisms of improvements in emotional acceptance, behavior change, and communication. IBCT was chosen for nationwide training and dissemination through the Veteran Affairs Medical Centers. Furthermore, the principles of IBCT have been translated into a web-based intervention for distressed Couples, OurRelationship.com. IBCT is continuing to evolve and grow as research and technologies allow for continued evaluation and dissemination of this well-supported theoretical model.
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infidelity and behavioral Couple Therapy relationship outcomes over 5 years following Therapy
Couple and Family Psychology, 2014Co-Authors: Rebeca A Marin, Andrew Christensen, David AtkinsAbstract:Prevalence rates for infidelity in American marriages range from 20% to 40%. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of research on the effectiveness of Couple Therapy when there has been an infidelity. In the present study the postTherapy outcomes of 19 infidelity Couples were examined for up to 5 years following participation in a larger (N 134) randomized clinical trial of Couple Therapy. All Couples were randomized to Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT) or Traditional Behavioral Couple Therapy (TBCT) regardless of infidelity status. They were assessed approximately every 6 months for 5 years postTherapy, and current analyses focus on three outcomes: divorce, relationship satisfaction, and marital stability. Divorce was examined using logistic regression, whereas relationship satisfaction and marital stability were examined using hierarchical linear modeling. Divorce rates were significantly higher for secret infidelity Couples (80%, n 4) than for revealed infidelity (43%, n 6) and noninfidelity Couples (23%, n 26). Infidelity Couples who eventually divorced reported the highest marital instability; however, infidelity Couples who remained married did not differ in marital stability or relationship satisfaction from noninfidelity Couples. Furthermore, Couples who remained married reported an increase in relationship satisfaction over time, regardless of infidelity status. Results suggest two potential pathways for Couples recovering from infidelity such that some infidelity Couples continue to improve and remain indistinguishable from their noninfidelity counterparts whereas other infidelity Couples appear to markedly deteriorate and divorce.
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common principles of Couple Therapy
Behavior Therapy, 2012Co-Authors: Lisa A Benson, Meghan M Mcginn, Andrew ChristensenAbstract:The similarity in efficacy of evidence-based Couple therapies suggests that it may be useful to identify those treatment principles they hold in common. Expanding on the previous description of a unified protocol for Couple Therapy (Christensen, 2010), this article outlines five common principles: (a) altering the Couple's view of the presenting problem to be more objective, contextualized, and dyadic; (b) decreasing emotion-driven, dysfunctional behavior; (c) eliciting emotion-based, avoided, private behavior; (d) increasing constructive communication patterns; and (e) emphasizing strengths and reinforcing gains. For each of these five elements of the unified protocol, the paper addresses how and to what extent the most common forms of evidence-based Couple Therapy carry out this principle. Implications for clinical practice, treatment research, and basic research on intimate relationships are discussed.
Alan S Gurman - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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behavioral Couple Therapy building a secure base for therapeutic integration
Family Process, 2013Co-Authors: Alan S GurmanAbstract:Behavioral Couple Therapy (BCT), one of the two most empirically supported approaches to the treatment of Couple discord, has undergone enormous changes in its four decadeslong clinical and conceptual history. The evolution of thought about what maintains Couple disaffection and distress and what can be done about it from a behavioral perspective is reviewed. These changes are considered in the larger context of the field of behavior Therapy, noting shifts within BCT that parallel the three “waves” of development within that field. Integrative behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT), the most visible and influential of the several BCT approaches, is examined, with particular attention to its functional–contextual base and the nature and role of functional analysis in clinical case conceptualization. It is argued that continuing enhancement and refinement of IBCT as an integrative therapeutic method will require greater flexibility in the techniques that are used and increased attention to the self of the IBCT therapist.
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Couple Therapy research and the practice of Couple Therapy can we talk
Family Process, 2011Co-Authors: Alan S GurmanAbstract:: As has been true in every other realm of psychoTherapy, Couple Therapy research generally has had very little impact on the day-to-day practice of Couple therapists. To a significant degree, this unfortunate disconnection may be attributable to an overemphasis by researchers in the field on treatment packages and therapeutic methods/techniques. Insufficient attention has been paid to other important sources of influence on treatment outcomes, especially the Couple therapist herself/himself. It is argued that effective Couple Therapy requires a good "fit" between the person of the therapist and her primary theoretical orientation, and that Couple therapists may be more influenced by research that addresses process aspects of the therapeutic approaches to which they have their primary theoretical allegiances.
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FAP-Enhanced Couple Therapy: Perspectives and Possibilities
The Practice of Functional Analytic Psychotherapy, 2010Co-Authors: Alan S Gurman, Thomas J. Waltz, William C. FolletteAbstract:A Functional Analytic PsychoTherapy (Kohlenberg & Tsai, 1991) approach to Couple Therapy or a FAP-enhanced approach to other variants of behavioral Couple therapies (Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Couple Therapy, Traditional Behavioral Couple Therapy) may seem to have been inevitable in the context of the rapidly evolving “third wave” of behavior Therapy (Functional Analytic PsychoTherapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy.
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Brief Therapy and Family/Couple Therapy: An Essential Redundancy
Clinical Psychology-science and Practice, 2006Co-Authors: Alan S GurmanAbstract:“Brief” Therapy and “family/Couple” Therapy are largely overlapping and redundant. Although there are almost no family/Couple therapies that explicitly set time limits on treatment as a matter of course, the four central technical factors of brief Therapy almost inevitably lead to therapeutic brevity in systems-oriented treatment. In this paper I emphasize that family/Couple therapists tend to adhere to the dominant treatment values of brief individual therapists and set out the therapeutic values among family/Couple therapists that increase the likelihood of most family/Couple Therapy being brief. Finally, I propose that families' and therapists' expectations about the length of treatment serve an important role in establishing the therapeutic alliance. The empirical study of the components of such expectations, and discrepancies in such expectations between therapists and families, may provide a fruitful approach for optimizing the therapeutic alliance and thus positively influencing treatment outcomes.
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clinical handbook of Couple Therapy
2002Co-Authors: Alan S Gurman, Neil S JacobsonAbstract:Preface. Gurman, Jacobson, Therapy with Couples: A Coming of Age? Part I: Models of Intervention with Couples. Part IA: Major Theories of Couple Therapy. Papero, Bowen Family Systems and Marriage. Christensen, Jacobson, Babcock, Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy. Baucom, Epstein, Rankin, Cognitive Aspects of Cognitive-Behavioral Marital Therapy. Wile, The Ego-Analytic Approach to Couple Therapy. Johnson, Greenberg, The Emotionally Focused Approach to Problems in Adult Attachment. Shoham, Rohrbaugh, Patterson, Problem and Solution-Focused Couple Therapies: The MRI and Milwaukee Models. Scharff, Psychoanalytic Marital Therapy. Part IB: Group Methods. Coche, Group Therapy With Couples. Floyd et al, Prevention and Relationship Enhancement. Part II: Couple Therapy and Relationally Defined Problems and Issues. Part IIA: Issues of Culture, Gender and Sexual Orientation. Falicov, Cross-Cultural Marriages. Anderson, Dimidjian, Miller, Redefining the Past, Present, and Future: Therapy with Long-Term Marriages at Midlife. Rampage, Gendered Aspects of Marital Therapy. Brown, Therapy with Same-Sex Couples: An Introduction. Part IIB: Ruptures in the Relational Bond. Pittman, Wagers, Crises of Infidelity. Holtzworth-Munroe, Beatty, Anglin, The Assessment and Treatment of Marital Violence: An Introduction for the Marital Therapist. Walsh, Jacob, Simons, Facilitating Healthy Divorce Processes: Therapy and Medication Approaches. Part III: Couple Therapy and Selected Psychiatric Disorders. McCrady, Epstein: Marital Therapy in the Treatment of Alcohol Problems. Craske, Zoellner, Anxiety Disorders: The Role of Marital Therapy. Gotlib, Beach, A Marital/Family Discord Model of Depression: Implications for Therapeutic Intervention. Root, Conceptualization and Treatment of Eating Disorders in Couples. Slipp, Object Relations Marital Therapy of Personality Disorders. Heiman, Epps, Ellis, Treating Sexual Desire Disorders in Couples.
Brian D Doss - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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integrative behavioral Couple Therapy
Current opinion in psychology, 2017Co-Authors: Andrew Christensen, Brian D DossAbstract:Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT) is based in part on traditional behavioral Couple Therapy but expands both the conceptualization of Couple distress and of intervention. The efficacy of IBCT has been supported in three clinical trials, including one with five year follow-up. Additionally, the effectiveness of IBCT in the real world has been supported through a system-wide dissemination effort in the United States Department of Veteran's Affairs. The reach of IBCT has also been extended through an online program, www.OurRelationship.com , based on IBCT. A nationwide clinical trial with a representative sample of the US population demonstrated the effectiveness of this program on both relationship and individual variables.
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integrative behavioral Couple Therapy theoretical background empirical research and dissemination
Family Process, 2016Co-Authors: Mckenzie K Roddy, Brian D Doss, Kathryn M Nowlan, Andrew ChristensenAbstract:Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT), developed by Drs. Andrew Christensen and Neil Jacobson, builds off the tradition of behavioral Couple Therapy by including acceptance strategies as key components of treatment. Results from a large randomized clinical trial of IBCT indicate that it yields large and significant gains in relationship satisfaction. Furthermore, these benefits have been shown to persist for at least 5 years after treatment for the average Couple. Not only does IBCT positively impact relationship constructs such as satisfaction and communication, but the benefits of Therapy extend to individual, co-parenting, and child functioning. Moreover, IBCT has been shown to operate through the putative mechanisms of improvements in emotional acceptance, behavior change, and communication. IBCT was chosen for nationwide training and dissemination through the Veteran Affairs Medical Centers. Furthermore, the principles of IBCT have been translated into a web-based intervention for distressed Couples, OurRelationship.com. IBCT is continuing to evolve and grow as research and technologies allow for continued evaluation and dissemination of this well-supported theoretical model.
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Couple Therapy for military veterans overall effectiveness and predictors of response
Behavior Therapy, 2012Co-Authors: Brian D Doss, Lorelei Simpson Rowe, Joshua W. Madsen, Kristen Rahbar Morrison, Julian Libet, Gary R Birchler, John R McquaidAbstract:Abstract Despite the numerous challenges facing U.S. veterans and their relationships, there have been no examinations of the effectiveness of Couple Therapy for relationship distress provided to veterans. In the present study, 177 Couples presenting for Couple Therapy at two Veteran Administration Medical Centers completed assessments of relationship satisfaction prior to Therapy and weekly during Therapy. Results revealed that the average Couple showed significant gains in relationship satisfaction during treatment ( d = 0.44 for men; d = 0.47 for women); gains were larger for Couples beginning Therapy in the distressed range ( d = 0.61 for men; d = 0.58 for women) than for Couples in the nondistressed range ( d = 0.19 for men; d = 0.22 for women). Rates of premature termination were high, with 19% of Couples completing fewer than three sessions and 62% rated as not completing a “full course” of Therapy. Benchmarking analyses demonstrated that the average gains were larger than would be expected from natural remission and similar to previous effectiveness trials; however, average gains were smaller than those observed in Couple Therapy efficacy trials. Relationship, psychological, and demographic characteristics were generally unrelated to the amount of change in Therapy after controlling for initial satisfaction. However, African American Couples showed significantly larger gains than Caucasian, non-Hispanic Couples. Thus, though yielding smaller effects than those shown in efficacy trials, the impact of Couple Therapy for veterans’ relationship problems appears to generalize across various demographic, psychological, and relationship characteristics.
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Sudden gains in treatment-as-usual Couple Therapy for military veterans.
Behavior Therapy, 2011Co-Authors: Brian D Doss, Lorelei Simpson Rowe, Kathryn Carhart, Joshua W. Madsen, Emily J. GeorgiaAbstract:Abstract Previous studies of Couple Therapy have conceptualized change as a gradual process. However, there is growing evidence that, for many clients, the majority of gains in other treatment modalities are often achieved between just 2 sessions. Isolating the frequency, nature, and predictors of these sudden gains (SGs) in Couple Therapy can add to a growing understanding of how and why Couple Therapy works. In a sample of 67 Couples receiving treatment-as-usual Couple Therapy in two Veterans Affairs hospitals, 25% of individuals experienced a SG in relationship satisfaction. The magnitude of these SGs were large ( d = 1.62) and fully explained the total pre-post change for individuals who experienced them. Individuals with SGs showed significantly greater satisfaction gains during Therapy; however SGs were not related to relationship satisfaction or relationship status at 18-month follow-up. SGs were predicted by the content of the previous session, putative change mechanisms of communication, intimacy, and behavior, as well as the partner's SGs during the same period. Results suggest that SGs are an important component of change during Couple Therapy for some individuals, challenging the assumption of continuous change in previous studies. In addition, predictors of SGs were generally consistent with theoretical and empirical examinations of mechanisms of change in Couple Therapy.
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improving relationships mechanisms of change in Couple Therapy
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2005Co-Authors: David C. Atkins, Brian D Doss, Yeow Meng Thum, Mia Sevier, Andrew ChristensenAbstract:: In a sample of 134 married Couples randomly assigned to traditional or integrative behavioral Couple Therapy (TBCT vs. IBCT), a multivariate hierarchical growth curve analysis using latent variable regression revealed that measures of communication, behavior frequency, and emotional acceptance acted as mechanisms of change. TBCT led to greater changes in frequency of targeted behavior early in Therapy, whereas IBCT led to greater changes in acceptance of targeted behavior both early and late in Therapy. In addition, change in behavioral frequency was strongly related to improvements in satisfaction early in Therapy; however, in the 2nd half of Therapy, emotional acceptance was more strongly related to changes in satisfaction. Research and clinical implications are discussed.
Susan M Johnson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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two year follow up outcomes in emotionally focused Couple Therapy an investigation of relationship satisfaction and attachment trajectories
Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 2017Co-Authors: Stephanie A Wiebe, Susan M Johnson, Tracy L Dalgleish, Melissa Burgess Moser, Mariefrance Lafontaine, Giorgio A TascaAbstract:Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT; The practice of emotionally focused Couple Therapy: Creating connection. New York, NY: Brunner-Routledge) is an evidence-based Couple Therapy that aims to create lasting change for Couples (Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 6(1), 67–79). Although studies have demonstrated strong results in follow-up (Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 28(4), 391–398), less is known about relationship functioning across time after Therapy has ended. We modelled change in relationship satisfaction and attachment from pre-Therapy through 24 months follow-up in 32 Couples. HLM results confirmed a significant growth pattern demonstrating increases in relationship satisfaction and secure base behaviour and decreases in relationship specific attachment anxiety over the course of Therapy and across follow-up at a decelerated rate. These findings support the theoretical assumption that EFT helps Couples engaged in Therapy create lasting relationship satisfaction and attachment change.
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changes in relationship specific attachment in emotionally focused Couple Therapy
Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 2016Co-Authors: Melissa Burgess Moser, Susan M Johnson, Tracy L Dalgleish, Mariefrance Lafontaine, Stephanie A Wiebe, Giorgio A TascaAbstract:: Emotionally focused Couple Therapy (EFT; Johnson, The practice of emotionally focused Couple Therapy (1st/2nd edition). Brunner-Routledge, New York, 2004) is an effective treatment of relationship distress (Johnson et al., Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 1999; 6, 67). However, less is known about EFT's impact on Couples' relationship-specific attachment bond. Using hierarchical linear modeling with a sample of 32 Couples, we examined session-by-session changes in Couples' relationship-specific attachment anxiety and avoidance and pre- to postTherapy changes in their relationship-specific attachment behaviors. Couples significantly decreased in relationship-specific attachment avoidance, and those who completed a blamer softening significantly decreased in relationship-specific attachment anxiety. Couples' attachment behavior significantly increased toward security. Finally, session-by-session decreases in relationship-specific attachment anxiety and avoidance were significant associated with increases in relationship satisfaction across sessions. These results provide empirical support for the attachment-based assumptions of EFT. Video abstract accessible by clicking here.
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predicting change in marital satisfaction throughout emotionally focused Couple Therapy
Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 2015Co-Authors: Tracy L Dalgleish, Susan M Johnson, Melissa Burgess Moser, Mariefrance Lafontaine, Stephanie A Wiebe, Giorgio A TascaAbstract:Emotionally focused Couple Therapy (EFT) is an empirically validated approach to Couple Therapy that uses attachment theory to understand the needs and emotions of romantic partners. EFT is recognized as one of the most effective approaches to Couple Therapy, but to guide therapists in their use of EFT, a theoretically based model to predict change is needed. This study tested such a model by recruiting 32 Couples, and 14 therapists who provided approximately 21 sessions of EFT. Couples completed self-report measures of marital satisfaction, attachment security, relationship trust, and emotional control at pre- and postTherapy and after each Therapy session. Results of hierarchical linear modeling suggested that individuals higher on self-report attachment anxiety and higher levels of emotional control had greater change in marital satisfaction across EFT sessions. Assessing attachment security at the start of Therapy will inform therapists of the emotion regulating strategies used by Couples and may help Couples achieve positive outcomes from EFT.
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predicting key change events in emotionally focused Couple Therapy
Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 2015Co-Authors: Tracy L Dalgleish, Susan M Johnson, Melissa Burgess Moser, Stephanie A Wiebe, Giorgio A TascaAbstract:: In emotionally focused Couple Therapy (EFT), the blamer-softening event helps individuals express and respond to partners' unmet attachment needs. This study examined the impact of this event in relation to attachment at intake and changes in marital satisfaction from pre- to postTherapy. Thirty-two Couples were provided an average of 21 sessions of EFT. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed that the occurrence of a softening event significantly predicted increased marital satisfaction. Furthermore, the occurrence of a softening event significantly moderated the relationship between attachment avoidance at intake and change in marital satisfaction from pre- to postTherapy. For Couples who had a softening event, partners with higher levels of attachment avoidance were less likely to have positive changes in marital satisfaction.
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integrating sex and attachment in emotionally focused Couple Therapy
Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 2010Co-Authors: Susan M Johnson, Dino ZuccariniAbstract:In this article, sexual functioning is placed in the context of love as an attachment bond. Attachment theory offers the most coherent and empirically validated theory of adult love and is summarized together with the implications of this theory for the practice of Couple Therapy in which sexual issues are often addressed. Recent research on attachment and sexuality is outlined and a model of healthy sexuality where attachment and sexuality are integrated is offered. The principles of an attachment-oriented approach to sex issues are set out and illustrated with reference to the process of emotionally focused Couple Therapy. Case descriptions and brief in-session transcripts are included.
David C. Atkins - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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toward making progress feedback an effective common factor in Couple Therapy
Behavior Therapy, 2012Co-Authors: Kim W Halford, Andrew Christensen, Donald H. Baucom, Michael J. Lambert, Samira Hayes, David C. AtkinsAbstract:Systematic monitoring of individual Therapy progress, Coupled with feedback to the therapist, reliably enhances Therapy outcome by alerting therapists to individual clients who are off track to benefit by the end of Therapy. The current paper reviews the possibility of using similar systematic monitoring and feedback of Therapy progress as a means to enhance Couple Therapy outcome, including what measures of Therapy progress are most likely to be useful, how to structure feedback to be most useful to therapists, and the likely mediators of the effects of Therapy progress feedback. One implicit assumption of Therapy progress feedback is that clients unlikely to benefit from Therapy can be detected early enough in the course of Therapy for corrective action to be taken. As a test of this assumption, midTherapy progress was examined as a predictor of final Couple Therapy outcome in a sample of 134 distressed Couples. Either a brief 7- or 32-item assessment of Couple Therapy progress at midTherapy detected a substantial proportion (46%) of Couples who failed to benefit by the end of Therapy. Given that failure to benefit from Couple Therapy is somewhat predictable across the course of Therapy, future research should test whether systematic monitoring and feedback of progress could enhance Therapy outcome.
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outcomes of Couples with infidelity in a community based sample of Couple Therapy
Journal of Family Psychology, 2010Co-Authors: David C. Atkins, Notker Klann, Rebeca A Marin, Tracy T Y Lo, Kurt HahlwegAbstract:Infidelity is an often cited problem for Couples seeking Therapy, but the research literature to date is very limited on Couple Therapy outcomes when infidelity is a problem. The current study is a secondary analysis of a community-based sample of Couple Therapy in Germany and Austria. Outcomes for 145 Couples who reported infidelity as a problem in their relationship were compared with 385 Couples who sought Therapy for other reasons. Analyses based on hierarchical linear modeling revealed that infidelity Couples were significantly more distressed and reported more depressive symptoms at the start of Therapy but continued improving through the end of Therapy and to 6 months postTherapy. At the follow-up assessment, infidelity Couples were not statistically distinguishable from non-infidelity Couples, replicating previous research. Sexual dissatisfaction did not depend on infidelity status. Although there was substantial missing data, sensitivity analyses suggested that the primary findings were not due to missing data. The current findings based on a large community sample replicated previous work from an efficacy trial and show generally optimistic results for Couples in which there has been an affair.
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Low-level relationship aggression and Couple Therapy outcomes
Journal of Family Psychology, 2008Co-Authors: Lorelei E. Simpson, David C. Atkins, Krista S. Gattis, Andrew ChristensenAbstract:Increasing evidence supports the efficacy of conjoint therapies that focus on intimate partner violence for Couples who engage in mild to moderate physical aggression but want to preserve the relationship and end the aggression. However, there has been no examination of how this population responds to Couple Therapy that does not have a specific focus on aggression. This lacuna in the research literature is of concern because Couples with a history of low-level aggression often seek Couple Therapy, but Couple Therapy without a focus on violence is thought to potentially exacerbate aggression. In the current study, the authors examined the efficacy of non-aggression-focused behavioral Couple Therapy for Couples with and without a history of mild physical aggression. One hundred thirty-four Couples, 45% of whom had experienced low-level aggression in the year prior to Therapy, completed up to 26 sessions of Couple Therapy and 2 years of follow-up assessments. Results demonstrated no significant differences in relationship and individual outcomes by history of aggression. In addition, Couples maintained very low levels of physical aggression during and after treatment and showed reductions in psychological aggression when relationship and individual functioning improved.
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improving relationships mechanisms of change in Couple Therapy
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2005Co-Authors: David C. Atkins, Brian D Doss, Yeow Meng Thum, Mia Sevier, Andrew ChristensenAbstract:: In a sample of 134 married Couples randomly assigned to traditional or integrative behavioral Couple Therapy (TBCT vs. IBCT), a multivariate hierarchical growth curve analysis using latent variable regression revealed that measures of communication, behavior frequency, and emotional acceptance acted as mechanisms of change. TBCT led to greater changes in frequency of targeted behavior early in Therapy, whereas IBCT led to greater changes in acceptance of targeted behavior both early and late in Therapy. In addition, change in behavioral frequency was strongly related to improvements in satisfaction early in Therapy; however, in the 2nd half of Therapy, emotional acceptance was more strongly related to changes in satisfaction. Research and clinical implications are discussed.
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traditional versus integrative behavioral Couple Therapy for significantly and chronically distressed married Couples
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2004Co-Authors: Andrew Christensen, David C. Atkins, Donald H. Baucom, Sara B Berns, Jennifer Wheeler, Lorelei E. SimpsonAbstract:A randomized clinical trial compared the effects of traditional behavioral Couple Therapy (TBCT) and integrative behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT) on 134 seriously and chronically distressed married Couples, stratified into moderately and severely distressed groups. Couples in IBCT made steady improvements in satisfaction throughout the course of treatment, whereas TBCT Couples improved more quickly than IBCT Couples early in treatment but then, in contrast to the IBCT group, plateaued later in treatment. Both treatments produced similar levels of clinically significant improvement by the end of treatment (71% of IBCT Couples and 59% of TBCT Couples were reliably improved or recovered on the Dyadic Adjustment Scale; G. B. Spanier, 1976). Measures of communication also showed improvement for both groups. Measures of individual functioning improved as marital satisfaction improved.
