Couples in Treatment: Techniques and Approaches for Effective Practice

by Gerald R. Weeks, Stephen T. Fife

Overview

This third edition of Couples in Treatment helps readers conceptualize and treat couples from multiple perspectives and with a multitude of techniques. The authors do not advocate any single approach to couple therapy and instead present basic principles and techniques with wide-ranging applicability and the power to invite change, making this the most useful text on integrative, systemic couple therapy.
Throughout the book the authors consider the individual, interactional, and intergenerational systems of any case. Gerald Weeks’ Intersystems Model, a comprehensive, integrative, and contextual meta framework, can be superimposed over existing therapy approaches. It emphasizes principles of therapy and can facilitate assessing, conceptualizing couples’ problems, and providing helpful interventions. Couple therapists are encouraged to utilize the principles in this book to enhance their therapeutic process and fit their approach to the client, rather than forcing the client to fit their theory.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415873031
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	01/22/2014
Edition description:	3rd ed.
Pages:	348
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Gerald R. Weeks, PhD, is Professor in the Marriage and Family Therapy Graduate Program at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, and is also in private practice.

Stephen T. Fife, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Marriage and Family Therapy Graduate Program at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, and is also in private practice.

Table of Contents

Part I: Basic Principles and Processes of Couples Therapy. 1. Couple Therapy and the Intersystems Model 2. Assessment, Case Formulation, and Avoiding Common Mistakes 3. Orienting Couples to Therapy 4. Systemic Conceptualization and Treatment 5. Keeping Therapy Balanced 6. Moving from Content to Process 7. Building and Managing Intensity 8. Systemic Therapy with Individual Clients 9. Common Factors of Change and Couple Therapy Part II: Basic Approaches and Techniques. 10. Enhancing Intimacy in Relationships 11. Reframing 12. Communication Techniques 13. Conflict Resolution 14. Cognitive Techniques and Interventions 15. Techniques of Relationship Contracting 16. Working with Emotions 17. Homework: Extending Techniques from the Office to Home 18. Treating Infidelity 19. Working with Highly Reactive Couples 20. Solidifying Change and Maintaining Progress

Editorial Reviews

"This outstanding text revision by Weeks and Fife addresses an important gap in the professional literature on couples and family therapy. Authored by experienced researchers and seasoned clinicians, this book combines clinical perspicacity with critical-mindedness. The excellent clinical examples and practical guidelines make this text a worthy resource for all clinicians and researchers. I highly recommend it."
- Frank M. Dattilio, PhD, ABPP, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

"Probably the most difficult clinical situations to treat, those that often strike terror in a new therapist’s heart, are couples cases. In the updated and fully revised Couples in Treatment, Gerald Weeks and Stephen Fife offer a very sophisticated yet practical metamodel for treating couples. It brings together the most important of the 'common factors' in psychotherapy along with specific evidenced-based interventions and techniques from a variety of models, in a cogent, theoretically consistent metaframework that both experienced and newer practicing clinicians can immediately use to help couples in distress. I highly recommend this book."
- Terry S. Trepper, PhD, Editor, Journal of Family Psychotherapy

"How is it possible to endorse a book that is so systematically complete, technically superb, and practically useful? No possible topic is left out and each is covered beautifully, in an easy-to-follow, easy-to-implement style. I wish I had this book when I started to work with couples decades ago. It would have made my job so much easier. This is the kind of treatise that could be assigned reading in any graduate training program and should be welcome by veteran couple and family therapists who want to bring themselves up-to-date in theory, practice, and techniques in couple therapy. To say that I recommend this text wholeheartedly is an understatement; any professionals involved with couples need to learn from it to improve their practices."
- Luciano L'Abate, PhD, ABPP, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Georgia State University

“Couples in Treatment is a highly practical book that has become a mainstay in the training of couples therapists. Drs. Weeks and Fife offer many helpful techniques and strategies in the third edition that both the veteran and neophyte couples therapist will be able to use.”
- Jon Carlson, PsyD, EdD, ABPP, Distinguished Professor, Governors State University

"This outstanding text revision by Weeks and Fife addresses an important gap in the professional literature on couples and family therapy. Authored by experienced researchers and seasoned clinicians, this book combines clinical perspicacity with critical-mindedness. The excellent clinical examples and practical guidelines make this text a worthy resource for all clinicians and researchers. I highly recommend it." - Frank M. Dattilio, PhD, ABPP, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

"Probably the most difficult clinical situations to treat, those that often strike terror in a new therapist’s heart, are couples cases. In the updated and fully revised Couples in Treatment, Gerald Weeks and Stephen Fife offer a very sophisticated yet practical metamodel for treating couples. It brings together the most important of the 'common factors' in psychotherapy along with specific evidenced-based interventions and techniques from a variety of models, in a cogent, theoretically consistent metaframework that both experienced and newer practicing clinicians can immediately use to help couples in distress. I highly recommend this book." - Terry S. Trepper, PhD, Editor, Journal of Family Psychotherapy

"How is it possible to endorse a book that is so systematically complete, technically superb, and practically useful? No possible topic is left out and each is covered beautifully, in an easy-to-follow, easy-to-implement style. I wish I had this book when I started to work with couples decades ago. It would have made my job so much easier. This is the kind of treatise that could be assigned reading in any graduate training program and should be welcome by veteran couple and family therapists who want to bring themselves up-to-date in theory, practice, and techniques in couple therapy. To say that I recommend this text wholeheartedly is an understatement; any professionals involved with couples need to learn from it to improve their practices." - Luciano L'Abate, PhD, ABPP, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Georgia State University

“Couples in Treatment is a highly practical book that has become a mainstay in the training of couples therapists. Drs. Weeks and Fife offer many helpful techniques and strategies in the third edition that both the veteran and neophyte couples therapist will be able to use.” - Jon Carlson, PsyD, EdD, ABPP, Distinguished Professor, Governors State University

From the Publisher

The authors provide the beginning couple therapist with virtually everything she or he needs to know to get started--how to do an assessment and formulate a case, how to develop a systemic process with the couple, how to move from content to process, and how to use a wide range of effective techniques. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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