Couples Therapy

A variety of therapeutic interventions can help couples develop the tools for a successful relationship. Yet many practitioners begin seeing couples without extensive training in couples work. To fill this gap in their therapeutic repertoires, noted couples therapist Michele Harway brings together other well-known experts in marriage and family therapy to offer the Handbook of Couples Therapy, a comprehensive guide to the study and practice of couples therapy.

The book's chapters provide a variety of perspectives along developmental, theoretical, and situational lines. Recognizing the need for clinically proven, evidence-based approaches, chapters provide detailed coverage of the most effective treatment modes. Couples at different stages of the lifecycle feature prominently in the text, as do relevant special issues and treatment approaches for each stage.

Subjects covered include:

• Premarital counseling from the PAIRS perspective (an extensive curriculum of interventions for premarital couples)
• The first years of marital commitment
• Couples with young children
• Couples with adolescents
• Therapy with older couples
• Same sex couples
• A variety of theoretical approaches, including Cognitive-Behavioral, Object Relational, Narrative, Integrative, and Feminist and Contextual
• Special issues and situations, including serious illness, physical aggression, addiction, infidelity, and religious/spiritual commitments or conflicts

Harway is the Director of the Clinical program at Antioch U. and editor of this guide to the study and practice of couple's therapy. Chapters provide a variety of perspectives along developmental, theoretical, and situational lines, and provide coverage of effective treatment modes. Couples at different stages of the lifecycle feature prominently in the text, as do relevant special issues and treatment approaches for each stage. Subjects covered include: premarital counseling from the PAIRS perspective (a curriculum of interventions for premarital couples), the first years of marital commitment, couples with young children, couples with adolescents, therapy with older couples, and same sex couples. A variety of theoretical approaches are used, including cognitive-behavioral, object relational, narrative, integrative, feminist, and contextual. Special issues and situations are also addressed, including serious illness, physical aggression, addiction, infidelity, and religious/spiritual commitments or conflicts. This guide is for mental health professionals working with couples. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

MICHELE HARWAY, PhD, is a well-regarded scholar in the field of couples therapy. Her research and writings on domestic violence are highly praised, and she conducts seminars across the country on treating the domestic abuse couple. She is currently, Director of the Clinical Program at Antioch University. Awarded the 1998 Family Psychologist of the Year Award by Division 43 of the APA, she is also the Division''s past president (2000). Currently, she is the treasurer of APA Division 51 (Men and Masculinity). She also maintains a private practice.