Therapists' perspectives of couple problems and treatment issues in couple therapy.

• DOI: 10.1037/0893-3200.11.3.361
• Publication Date: 2005-09-22T16:28:03Z
• Authors: Mark A. Whisman; Amy E. Dixon; Benjamin Johnson
• Keywords: Marital Therapy

Randomly selected samples of practicing couple therapists who were members the American Psychological Association's Division 43 or Association for Marriage and Family Therapy completed a survey problem areas therapeutic issues encountered in therapy. Therapists rated terms occurrence, treatment difficulty, damaging impact. A composite these 3 dimensions suggested that most important problems lack loving feelings, power struggles, communication, extramarital affairs, unrealistic expectations. Comparison findings with therapist ratings obtained by S. K. Geiss D. O'Leary (1981) suggests considerable stability presenting therapy over past 15 years. Therapist-generated characteristics associated negative outcome also identified, common being partners' inability unwillingness to change commitment.