ABSTRACT
How does a couples’ therapist actually run a 50–minute session? What needs to happen? What must happen? Managing this time and knowing how to guide a couple through what can be a rocky roller coaster ride is a critical skill. This volume breaks down the entire 50 minutes of a couple’s therapy session from beginning to end. It divides the 50 minutes into eight time period stages that may overlap. The distinctive characteristics and challenges of each time period are examined. Numerous case examples are given throughout the book. The couples therapist is addressed directly with many suggestions given for handling the situations that can arise in each period. In addition, the couples therapist’s own experiences during the session are explored.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
section I|10 pages
The Lead-in
section II|18 pages
Beginning: The First 5 Minutes
section III|11 pages
Finding Direction: 5–10 Minutes
section IV|13 pages
Establishing the Work: 10–20 Minutes
section V|92 pages
Full Steam Ahead: 15–40 Minutes
section VI|22 pages
Pulling It Together: 35–45 Minutes
section VII|7 pages
Ending: 45–50 Minutes
section VIII|5 pages
Leaving
section IX|7 pages
Summary Case Study