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The revolution in couple therapy: a practitioner-scientist perspective.
1Department of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa Couple and Family Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. soo@magma.ca
Journal of Marital and Family Therapy
|July 23, 2003
Summary
Emotionally focused therapy (EFT) shows promising outcomes in couple therapy research. Advances include understanding distress, change processes, and integrating clinical research for a more coherent therapeutic approach.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Family Psychology
Background:
- Couple therapy is an evolving field with new developments in theory and practice.
- Outcome research is crucial for understanding treatment effectiveness.
- Clinical practice and research integration are key areas for growth.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an overview of advancements in couple therapy.
- To highlight new and revolutionary aspects of the field.
- To discuss the implications of outcome research and clinical practice.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature and outcome research in couple therapy.
- Analysis of differential treatment effects and therapist supervision.
- Examination of manualization and integration of clinical research.
Main Results:
- Emotionally focused therapy (EFT) demonstrates superior outcomes.
- Differences between research and practice may stem from supervision levels.
- Manualization of treatment is viewed positively.
- Areas for growth include mapping distress, understanding change, and integrating research on gender and attachment.
Conclusions:
- Couple therapy is becoming more integrated, combining description, prediction, and explanation.
- Theory, practice, and research are converging into a coherent whole.
- Practitioner-scientists play a vital role in ensuring clinical relevance.