Couples In Collusion

Concerned with disturbed relationships between two people, this text focuses on the difficulties they encounter when they have formed a lasting bond. As partners grow increasingly attuned to each other, a mutal-self is created, so that the inner life of either one cannot develop independently.

When a couple enters therapy, both partners have either explicit or implicit understandings of what can—and, more importantly, cannot—be discussed in therapy. Even when empirically tested assessments are used to help pinpoint areas of concern and conflict, couples may choose to identify only those areas that are relatively safe and do not seriously threaten each partner’s sense of integrity and vulnerability. How is a therapist supposed to proceed when a couple comes in for a tune-up, not realizing that their entire transmission needs to be serviced? Therapists know that some relationships, like some transmissions, can continue to function on some level even without proper care—sometimes even for years—before the couple seeks therapy. If, when they come in, the therapist can help the couples to repair and regain their lost equilibrium, they’ll be more likely to seek help when the transmission next begins to slip. In its clear, precise prose, insightful case studies, and thought-provoking discussion questions, Couples in Collusion lays out guidelines for identifying, understanding, and, dealing with the unspoken agreements and collusive systems that couples build up over time. Clinicians will find each chapter replete with concrete strategies they can use in practice as well as thorough explanations of the assessment tools, suggestions on how to use them, and even advice on how to build the tools’ costs into clinicians’ limited budgets.

TABLE OF CONTENTS: 1 The Therapeutic Triangle. 2 The First Talk with the Couple. 3 Indicative Criteria for Therapy and the Choice of Therapy Method. 4 Resistance for Couples Therapy. 5 Dynamics of the Relationships in a Therapeutic Triangle. 6 The Therapist's Involvement with the Marital Partners Viewed as Therapeutic Collusion. 7 Sex-Determined Limitations of the Couples Therapist. 8 Couples Therapy Conducted by a Therapist Couple (Cotherapy). 9 Other Methodological Problems. 10 Problems of Value in Couples Therapy. 11 Divorce and Remarriage. 12 Helga and Stani: A Couple in Therapy. 13 What This Book Can Teach.

Discusses male and female behavior, describes the common phases of marriage, and looks at examples of marital conflict

This authoritative handbook provides a definitive overview of the theory and practice of couple therapy. Noted contributors--many of whom developed the approaches they describe--combine clear conceptual exposition with thorough descriptions of therapeutic techniques. In addition to presenting major couple therapy models in step-by-step detail, the book describes effective applications for particular populations and problems. Chapters adhere closely to a uniform structure to facilitate study and comparison, enhancing the book's utility as a reference and text. See also Clinical Casebook of Couple Therapy, also edited by Alan S. Gurman, which presents in-depth illustrations of treatment.

In the past decade, family therapy has evolved from a loosely defined aggregate of approaches to a mature field with codified schools of theoretical systems and concepts. Textbook of Family and Couples Therapy: Clinical Applications is the first book to draw together theories and techniques from these various schools and combine them with specific clinical approaches in a single comprehensive resource. Under the editorial direction of acclaimed expert G. Pirooz Sholevar, Textbook of Family and Couples Therapy presents the current body of theoretical knowledge in the field along with the latest practical applications for working with couples and families. The book is divided into seven major sections: Family Therapy: Theory and Techniques; Family Assessment; Family Therapy With Children and Adolescents; Marital Therapy; Family Therapy With Different Disorders; and Research in Family and Marital Therapy. Most sections begin with overview chapters to lay the groundwork for clinical applications. With contributions from today's leading practitioners, Textbook of Family and Couples Therapy includes unique features such as: Family therapy approaches to specific mental disorders, including depression, psychiatric hospitalization, alcohol and substance abuse, incest, and personality disorders Specific guidance for working with couples, with detailed approaches to problems such as sexual dysfunction, divorce, remarriage, and stepfamilies -- invaluable for practicing in today's society The unique considerations of treating children in a family therapy context with practical applications such as whole-family intervention and a method for parent management training An overview of the evolution and theoretical underpinnings of family therapy which helps readers develop a solid foundation of understanding to support their clinical knowledge The latest information on issues related to gender, culture, and ethnicity and how they affect family therapy important for enhancing awareness and understanding The state of family therapy research today and future research directions with perspectives from leading academics to point the way Blending theoretical training and up-to-date clinical strategies, Textbook of Family and Couples Therapy is a landmark event in the field. It is a must for clinicians who are currently treating couples and families -- and a major resource for training future clinicians in these highly effective therapeutic techniques.