Provided by marriage and family therapists mft

Provided by Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT), psychologists, social workers,
religious leader, etc.
• Why do they go
• Communication problems
• Lack of emotional affection
• Three types discussed in class
• What do they have in common
• All of the couple therapies stem from TBCT. They all had relatively the
same success.
• What is unique about them
• Traditional Behavioral Couple Therapy (TBCT):
• Focuses on the behavioral exchanges of spouses
• Gives partners communication training
• Gives partners problem-solving training
• Cognitive-Behavioral Couple Therapy (CBCT):
• Addresses couples’ cognitive interpretations of each other’s
behaviors.
• Helps couples interpret a partner’s behavior in positive light
• Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT):
• Focuses on direct change which often leads to resistance
• DEEP analysis (Differences, Emotion sensitivities, External
stressors, Patterns of problematic interaction)
• Are they effective?
• TBCT: relationship satisfaction improved; works well for some couples but not
others
• CBCT: performed better than TBCT; communication and cognition improved but
wasn’t associated with relationship satisfaction outcome; effects seemed to fade
fairly quickly

• IBCT: clinically significant improvement; about the same as TBCT.
• Social Support
• What is the paradox?
• Perceived social support is super great
• Enacted support (actual instances of support receipt) less so
 What, when, who, how, and why of social support
– What?
– Fulfillment of fundamental needs by others
– Weiss (1974)
– Attachment
– Social integration
– Reassurance of worth
– Guidance
– Reliable alliance
– Being needed
– When? The Timing of Social Support
– Communication of need
– Recognition by potential provider
– Provision (or not) of support
– Who? Characteristics of Providers and Receivers
– Gets more support:
– Extroverts
– Higher self-esteem
– Proved support to others
– Gives more support
– Secure attachment orientation
– Communal mindset

– Receive support from others
– How? Having Skills
– Invisible support: people are less anxious about invisible support
– Matching support: seeking out people with specific roles, giving the
desired support (think nail in the head video)
– Reciprocal support: both provide and receive support
– Why? Motivation of Support
– Goals for one’s partner/friend/family
– Goals for one’s relationship
– Goals for the self
 Are there gender differences?
– NO
 Matching, Invisible, Reciprocity (Giving)
– Lights up reward regions in the brain
– Reduces mortality risk
– Wipes away any negative effects of receipt of support
– Divorce
 Decline in divorce rates (45% in US) —multiple ways of assessing
 Possible reasons for the decline
– Later age at marriage
– Reasons for marrying
– Fewer “shotgun” weddings
– Cohabitation
– If people break-up before getting married, that means there won’t be a
divorce later
– Class differences
– College-educated (11% divorce rate in first 7 years)
– No college education (17% in first 7 years)

– Theories of marriage failure
 Disillusionment Model
– Couples start string and fade quickly
 Enduring Dynamics
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