This course will focus on giving an overview of research on couples therapy and its application. We will cover a variety of orientations, focusing primarily on empirically validated treatments; however, we will not cover systemic therapies as these therapies will be covered in detail in Dr. Welsh's required course, Psychotherapy II. The first section of the course will cover basic research on cognition, affect, and behavior in marital/dyadic relationships. The next section will cover assessment and treatment. The final section will cover specialized topics in couples therapy such as multicultural relationships, same gender relationships, domestic violence, infidelity, and individual psychopathology.
One text will be required, Clinical Handbook of Couple Therapy by Jacobson & Gurman (hereafter referred to as CHCT); this text can be found at the university bookstore. However, this text will be heavily supplemented by reserve readings. You will be asked to write a one-page reaction paper to each set of readings. These are due at the end of each class period.
Class periods will rely heavily on discussion. You are expected to come prepared to class with questions about and reactions to the readings and to share these reactions with your classmates. In addition, class will also include video-taped examples of the various types of couples therapies. In addition, after the first month, you will be expected to pick up a couples' case of your own; you will be expected to discuss this case in class and to show how you are applying class material to their treatment. Finally, we may also conduct in-class role-plays to try out different techniques and discuss their merits and liabilities.
In addition to the applied aspect of this course, you will also be expected to consider research applications of this material. For example, I will be interested in hearing your research ideas that may arise from the material presented and from your clinical experiences with couples. Ideally, discussions in this course will reflect the interplay of practice and laboratory, by your generating research ideas from your experience, and applying research to your practice.
You will be graded on two aspects - the quality of your participation (in class discussion and reaction papers) and 1 written project. This written project will be described in greater detail during the course, but it will consist writing up a couple's case study integrating research and clinical application material from class and from your own additional library research. This case study should approximately run 8-10 pages.
As you may see below - the last day of class provides you with an opportunity to choose as a class a topic for us to revisit for more discussion or a chance to study something that I have not included in the syllabus. We will vote on this issue mid-semester.
| Date and Topic | Readings |
| 8/28/00 Introduction and overview | RR#1 - Baucom, Shoham, Mueser, Daiuto, & Stickle, 1998; Bray & Jouriles, 1995. |
| 9/4/00 LABOR DAY |
| 9/11/00 Theory: Cognition | RR#2 - Holzworth-Monroe & Jacobson, 1985; Baucom, Epstein, Sayers, & Sher, 1989; Bradbury & Fincham, 1990; Fincham, 1994. |
| 9/18/00 Theory: Affect and Attachment | RR#3- Hazan & Shaver, 1987; Kobak, Ruckdeschel, & Hazan, 1991; Davila, Bradbury & Fincham, 1998; Whisman & Allan, 1996; Davila, Karney, & Bradbury, 1999. |
| 9/25/00 Theory: Behavior- Conflict and Social Support | RR#4 - Gottman & Krokoff, 1989; Christenson & Heavey, 1993; Pasch & Bradbury, 1998; Beach & Fincham, 1999. |
| 10/2/00 Theory: The Course (not Curse) of Marriage | RR#5 - Gottman, 1993; Carstensen,Gottman, & Levenson, 1995; Karney & Bradbury, 1995; Kurdek, 1999. |
| 10/9/00 Assessment: Interview, Observation, and Self-report | RR#6 - Johnson, 1996; Baucom & Epstein, 1990; Gottman, 1999. |
| 10/16/00 Treatment:Cognitive-Behavioral Couples Therapy (CBT) | CHCT chapters 3&4; RR#7 - Jacobson & Christensen, Chapters 6 & 7, 1996; Halford, Sanders, & Behrens, 1994; Baucom, Sayers, & Sher, 1990; Halford et al., 1993. |
| 10/23/00 Treatment: Emotion Focused Couples Therapy | CHCT chapter 6; RR#9 - Johnson, 1996, Chapt. 3; Dardaneau & Johnson, 1994; Johnson & Greenberg, 1985. |
| 10/30/00 Treatment: Insight-Oriented Marital Therapy | CHCT chapter 5; RR#8 - Snyder, 1999; Snyder & Wills, 1989; Snyder,Wills, & Grady-Fletcher, 1991. |
| 11/6/00 Special Treatment Issues: Multicultural, sexual orientation, age | CHCT chapters 11-14. |
| 11/13/00 Special Treatment Issue: Individual Psychopathology | CHCT chapters 18-20. |
| 11/20/00 Special Treatment Issues: "the dark underbelly of relationships" (domestic violence, infidelity, sexual dysfunction) | CHCT chapters 16 & 23; RR#10- Gordon & Baucom, 1999 one other article TBA. |
| 11/27/00 Special Treatment Issues: "the dark underbelly of relationships," continued | CHCT chapters 16 & 23; RR#10- Gordon & Baucom, 1999 one other article TBA. |
| 12/4/00 Class choice |
Baucom, D. H., Epstein, N., Sayers, S. & Sher, T. G. (1989). The role of cognitions in marital relationships: Definitional, methodological and conceptual issues. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57(1), 31-38.
Baucom, D.H., Shoham, V., Mueser, K.T., Daiuto, A.D., & Stickle, T.R. (1998). Empirically supported couples and family therapies for adult problems. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66, 53-88.
Baucom, D.H., Sayers, S.L., & Slier, I. G. (1990). Supplementing behavioral marital therapy with cognitive restructuring and emotional expressiveness training: An outcome investigation. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 58(5), 636-645.
Bradbury, T.N. & Fincham, F. D. (1990). Attributions in marriage: Review and critique. Psychological Bulletin, 107(1), 3-33.
Bray, J. H., & Jouriles, E. N. (1995). Treatment of marital conflict and prevention of divorce. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 21(4), 461-473.
Carstensen, L.L., Gottman, J.M., & Levenson, R.W. (1995). Emotional behavior in long-term marriage. Psychology and Aging, 10(1), 140-149.
Davila, J., Bradbury, T. N., & Fincham, F. D. (1998). Negative affectivity as a mediator of the association between adult attachment and marital satisfaction. Personal Relationships, 5, 467-484.
Dardaneau, M. L. & Johnson, S. M. (1994). Facilitating intimacy: Interventions and effects. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 20(1), 17-33.
Davila, J., Karney, T. N., & Bradbury, B. R. (1999). Attachment change processes in the early years of marriage. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76(5), 783-802.
Fincham, F. D. (1994). Cognition in marriage: Current status and future challenges. Applied and Preventive Psychology, 3, 185-198.
Fincham, F.D., & Beach, S.R.H. (1999). Conflict in marriage: Implications for working with couples. Annual Review of Psychology, 50, 47-77.
Gordon, K. C., & Baucom, D. H. (1999). A forgiveness-based intervention for addressing extramarital affairs. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 6, 382-399.
Gottman, J. M. (1993). A theory of marital dissolution and stability. Journal of Family Psychology, 7(1), 57-75.
Gottman, J. M., & Krokoff, L. J. (1989). Marital interaction and satisfaction: A longitudinal view. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57(1), 47-52.
Halford, W.K., Sanders, M. R., & Behrens, B. C. (1993). A comparison of the generalization of behavioral marital therapy and enhanced behavioral marital therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61(1), 51-60.
Halford, W.K., Sanders, M. R., & Behrens, B. C. (1995). Self-regulation in behavioral couples therapy. Behavior Therapy, 25(3), 431-452.
Hazan, C., & Shaver, P. (1987). Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52(3), 511-524.
Heavey, C. L., Layne, C., & Christens en, A. (1993). Gender and conflict structure in marital interaction: A replication and extension. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61(1), 16-27.
Holzworth-Monroe, A., & Jacobson, N. S. (1985). Causal attributions of married couples: When do they search for causes? What do they conclude when they do? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48(6), 1398-1412.
Johnson, S. M., & Greenberg, L. S. (1985). Differential effects of experiential and problem-solving interventions in resolving marital conflict. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53(2), 175-184.
Karney, B. R., & Bradbury, I. N. (1995). The longitudinal course of marital quality and stability: A review of theory, method, and research. Psychological Bulletin, 118(1), 3-34.
Kobak, R., Ruckdeschel, K., & Hazan, C. (1991). From symptom to signal: An attachment view of emotion in marital therapy. In S. M. Johnson & L. S. Greenberg (Eds.), The Heart of the Matter: Perspectives on Emotion in Marital Therapy (pp. 46-74). New York: Brunner-Mazel.
Kurdek, L. A. (1999). The nature and predictors of the trajectory of change in marital quality for husbands and wives over the first 10 years of marriage. Developmental Psychology, 35(5), 1283-1296.
Pasch, L. A., & Bradbury, T. N. (1998). Social support, conflict, and the development of marital dysfunction. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66(2), 219-230.
Snyder, D. K. (1999). Affective reconstruction in couples therapy. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice.
Snyder, D.K., & Wills, R.M. (1989). Behavioral versus insight-oriented marital therapy: Effects on individual and interspousal functioning. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57(1), 39-46.
Snyder, D.K., Wills, R. M., & Grady-Fletcher, A. (1991). Long-term effectiveness of behavioral versus insight-oriented marital therapy: A 4 year follow-up study. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59(1), 138-141.
Whisman, M. A., & Allan, L. E. (1996). Attachment and social cognition theories of romantic relationships: Convergent or complementary perspectives? Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 13(2), 263-278.
Baucom, D. H. & Epstein, N. (1990). Cognitive Behavioral Marital Therapy. New York, NY: Brunner-Mazel.
Gottman, J. M. (1995). The Marital Clinic. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Co.
Halford, W. K., & Markman, H. J. (1997). Clinical handbook of marriage and couples interventions (pp. 679-693). Chichester, England UK: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Jacobson, N.S., & Christensen, A. (1996). Acceptance and Change in Couple Therapy: A Therapist's Guide to Transforming Relationships. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Co.
Johnson, S. M. (1996). The Practice of Emotionally Focused Marital Therapy: Creating Connection. New York, NY: Brunner-Mazel.