Our favorite tips for interviewing couples and families

Area of Science:

• Clinical Psychology
• Family Therapy
• Psychotherapy Research

Background:

• Interviewing couples and families presents unique clinical challenges.
• Clinicians often face overwhelming emotional responses during family and couple interviews.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present three practical techniques for managing challenging clinical interviews with couples and families.
• To provide clinicians with strategies to cope with their own emotional reactions during these interviews.

Main Methods:

• The authors describe three therapeutic techniques: radical acceptance, the romantic history, and wishes into goals.
• These methods are presented as beneficial for both the therapeutic process and clinician self-management.

Main Results:

• The described techniques have proven helpful in clinical practice with couples and families.
• These approaches also assist clinicians in managing their feelings and reactions during interviews.

Conclusions:

• Radical acceptance, romantic history, and wishes into goals are effective strategies for complex family and couple interviews.
• These techniques enhance therapeutic outcomes and support clinician well-being in challenging clinical settings.