ABSTRACT
Chapter 12 introduces guidelines and clinical strategies for couples therapy. A couples therapist must maintain neutrality and honor the relationship as the client. There is no clinical confidentiality or privacy between partners, so it would not be prudent for the couples therapist to have provided or be providing individual therapy for one of the partners. Clinical records are the joint property of the couple and should require both signatures. Listening to problems, giving feedback to ensure understanding, and asking for exceptions will create a foundation on which to build. It is powerful to complete the process by giving compliments, emphasizing the strengths of each partner and the couple, and pointing out how each has contributed to making things work better. “Pretend tasks” can help couples get in touch with relationship strengths that they had forgotten. Couples in crisis who complain about arguing all the time can pose additional challenges, especially if there is a legacy of secrets or betrayals. Therapists need to differentiate between the “symptom” and the “problem” because, for example, a child’s behaviors can be symptomatic of marital issues.
