Cognitive Therapy with Couples

1.  Overview of Cognitive Therapy

• Historical Development
• Philosophy and Theory

2. Cognitive Therapy with Couples

• Brief History and Overview
• Beliefs About the Relationship

3.  Assessment

• Overview
• Conjoint Interviews
• Written Inventories and Questionnaires
• Individual Interviews
• Establishing a Treatment Contract
• Identifying Problem Areas
• Identifying Couples Automatic Thoughts
• Using Automatic Thoughts to Uncover Underlying Beliefs (Schemas)
• Identity from Family of Origin
• Clinician's Intake Evaluation for Couples

4.  Techniques and Procedures

• Educating Couples to the Cognitive Model
• Identifying Cognitive Distortions and Labeling Them
• Faulty Information Processing
• Negative Framing
• Teaching Couples to Identify Automatic Thoughts
• Linking Emotions with Automatic Thoughts
• The Use of Imagery and Role Play Techniques
• Dispelling Automatic Thoughts and Reframing/Testing Automatic Thoughts
• Increasing Positives in the Relationship
• Communication Training and Problem Solving

5.  The Structure of Cognitive Therapy with Couples

• Course and Frequency of Therapy Sessions
• Individual Versus Conjoint Sessions
• Setting Agendas
• Homework Assignments
• Follow-Up Booster Sessions

6.  Special Issues in Couple Therapy

• Crises Situations
• Anger and Violence Situations
• Infidelity
• When One Wants Out and the Other Doesn't
• When Is It Time to End the Relationship?
• Other Psychiatric Disorders in the Couple
• Cultural Issues
• Gay and Lesbian Couples

7. Case Vignette: Zack and Carli

8.  Concluding Remarks

References

Index