Couples counseling and couples therapy is a unique type of therapy aimed at dramatically improving the relationship between partners. Counseling and therapy first begins with recognizing your problem areas, and then carefully finding solutions by addressing each individual’s differences and working to resolve them amicably (https://perspectivesoftroy.com/couples-counseling/).
VIDEO - What We Might Learn in Couples Therapy
WORKSHEET/HANDOUT - Communication
WORKSHEET/HANDOUT - Partner Qualities
PDF - Couples Intake Questionnaire
WEBSITE - Resources and Information
Types of Couples Counseling
The Gottman Method for Couples Counseling
The Gottman Method is an approach to couples therapy that includes a thorough assessment of the couple relationship and integrates research-based interventions based on the Sound Relationship House Theory.
The goals of Gottman Method Couples Therapy are to disarm conflicting verbal communication, increase intimacy, respect, and affection, remove barriers that create a feeling of stagnancy in conflicting situations, and create a heightened sense of empathy and understanding within the context of the relationship(https://www.gottman.com/about/the-gottman-method/).
The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse- Gottman
Tools/References
VIDEO - The Easiest Way to Improve Your Relationship | The Gottman Institute
WEBSITE - The Gottman Institute: A Research-based Approach To Relationships
WEBSITE - The Four Horsemen: The Antidotes
JOURNAL - Examining the Effectiveness of Gottman Couple Therapy on Improving Marital Adjustment and Couples' Intimacy
JOURNAL - The Natural Principles of Love
HANDOUT - The Gottman 19 Areas Checklist for Solvable and Perpetual Problems
PDF - Gottman Method Overview Handout
PDF - Love Map Workbook
Narrative Therapy Approach
Narrative therapy is a method of therapy that separates a person from their problem. It encourages people to rely on their own skills to minimize problems that exist in their lives.
Throughout life, personal experiences become personal stories. People give these stories meaning, and the stories help shape a person’s identity. Narrative therapy uses the power of these stories to help people discover their life purpose. This is often done by assigning that person the role of “narrator” in their own story (https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/narrative-therapy).
VIDEO - Narrative Theory
Tools/References
PRESENTATION - Narrative Therapy
JOURNAL - The Efficacy of the Narrative Therapy Approach in Reducing Couples’ Conflicts Through Couples Therapy
JOURNAL - Beginning to use a narrative approach in therapy (Training)
WEBSITE/NARRATIVE THERAPY TECHNIQUES- https://positivepsychology.com/narrative-therapy/
PROVIDER/PATIENT ACTIVITY- create your own TedTalk- https://thechalkboardmag.com/narrative-therapy-101-write-ted-talk
Emotionally Focused Therapy
EFT is a humanistic approach to psychotherapy formulated in the 1980’s and developed with a profound developmental theory of personality and intimate relationships. EFT draws on humanistic and systemic principles to help create a more secure attachment bond in a relationship. This model integrates the intrapsychic perspective afforded by experiential approaches with an interpersonal systemic perspective to help distressed partners shape emotional accessibility, responsiveness, and engagement—the key elements of attachment security.
EFT is a brief short-term therapy that typically takes between 8 to 20 sessions to move a couple through the three stages. As a rule of thumb the first stage, de-escalation, generally requires 75% of the total number of sessions for a couple to de-escalate their emotional distress when triggered and reliably create emotional safety outside of the therapy office. Once that occurs, the second stage, deeply connecting/bonding, utilizes all but a few of the remaining sessions set aside for the final stage – consolidating gains. A variety of confounding variables can increase the number of sessions needed(https://www.div12.org/treatment/emotionally-focused-couples-therapy/).
VIDEO - EFT in Action
Tools/References
PDF/PRESENTATION - Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples
WEBSITE - Collection of Tools for EFT
WORKSHEET/HANDOUT -
WORKSHEET/HANDOUT - Building A Safe And Secure Relationship
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