ABSTRACT
Marital therapy has become a major interest of many individuals since over 40% of the referrals at mental health clinics involve marital problems of some nature (Gurin, Veroff, & Feld, 1960). Also of special importance is the fact that marital therapy and assessment have become intellectually very intriguing. As we have seen in the earlier chapters in this book, long-term dyadic interactions make possible the study of intense emotions of both a positive and negative valence, commitment, sexual attraction and deviation, communication, and daily behavioral interactions. Assessment of marital cases also presents complex problems because it calls for competence across a broad range of marital areas as well as individual and child psychopathology. Family therapists would even argue that the marital dyad is not the most important unit of analysis and a broader focus on the family and the extended family seem warranted. Regardless of one’s theoretical orientation, i.e., psychodynamic, behavioral, eclectic, etc., marital problems must be assessed in many cases. Furthermore, regardless of whether one’s primary training is with children or adults, marital assessment is critical. In brief, we feel that whether or not one chooses to treat marital problems, their assessment is critical from almost any clinical vantage point.
