ABSTRACT
Case formulation and treatment planning are important steps in the clinical process that will guide the clinician's work with the couple throughout treatment. The diagnostic formulation is the theory-based understanding of the client's presenting issue. The clinical formulation contains both theme and pattern analysis. The treatment formulation includes the treatment goals, plans, and interventions to be used. It also includes the predictions of the outcomes of treatment. The positive relationship between the initial goals of treatment and the congruence between them creates positive outcomes post-treatment. The process of goal development can be viewed as a process in three phases. First, the clinician helps the couple identify each partner's initial relationship goal. Second, the clinician facilitates the negotiation of mutually agreed-upon goals between the two partners. Third, the clinician identifies process goals that will be integrated based on the clinician's theoretical lens.
