Argosy University, Chicago

COURSE SYLLABUS

PP 8731

Couple & Marital Therapy

Spring 2011

Faculty Information:

Faculty Name: David J. Van Dyke, Ph.D.

Campus: Chicago

Contact Information:

Office Phone Number: 312.777.7699

E-mail:

Office Hours: by appointment (office 1341)

Teaching Assistant Name:Andrea Cohen, M.A.

T.A. Email:

T.A. Phone

Course Catalogue Description:

Assessment, therapy and skills training in the treatment of couples are emphasized. Married, committed unmarried adult couples, and parent-child couples are addressed, employing an integrative eclectic intervention model and other approaches.

Course Pre-requisites: PP8050 – Family and Couples Therapy

Required Textbook:

Atkinson, B. (2005). Emotional intelligence in couples therapy: Advances from

neurobiology and the science of intimate relationship. New York: W.W. Norton.

Bader, E., & Pearson, P.T. (1988). In quest of the mythical mate: A developmental approach to diagnosis and treatment in couples therapy. Brunner-Routledge. ISBN: 0-87630-516-8

Gottman, J. M. (1999). The marriage clinic: A scientifically-based marital therapy. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. [G] ISBN: 0-393-70282-0

Johnson, S.M., Bradley, B., Furrow, J., Lee, A., Palmer, G., Tilley, D., & Woolley, S. (2005). Emotionally Focused Marital Therapy Workbook. Brunner-Routledge. ISBN: 0415947472

Schnarch, D.M. Maddock, J. (2003). Resurrecting Sex: Solving sexual problems and revolutionizing your relationship. Perennial Currents. [G] ISBN: 0060931787

Leiblum, S.R. & Rosen, R.C. (2006). Principles and practice of sex therapy, 4th Edition. Guilford Press. [LR]. ISBN: 1593853491

Technology: Pentium III CPU/ Windows 98; 128MB RAM printer; Microsoft Office: Acrobat (full version); Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 (PC), 5.0 (MAC), or Netscape Navigator 4.08; Norton Antivirus.

Course Length: 15 weeks

Contact Hours: 45 hours

Credit Value: 3.0

Course Objectives:

Course Objective / Program Goal / Method of Assessment
Students will assess couple relationships through use of an interview and instrument technique / Goal 2 – Intervention / Role play: Intervention Supervision assignment
Students will address conflict by:identifying functions of interpersonal conflict,working with interface issues of ct.-tx. culture, ethnicity, gender, and religion, sexual orientation, disabilities and SES; creating a conflict resolution intervention. / Goal 2 – Intervention
Goal 3 - Diversity / Intervention Competency assignment (conflict section)
Students will demonstrate how to assess, conceptualize, and treat couples with sexual dysfunction, integrating current literature. / Goal 5 - Scholarship / Intervention Competency assignment (Sex Therapy section)
Students will demonstrate an appreciation of their own treatment alliance issues regarding gay, lesbian, and heterosexual men and women who couple and are from multi-racial backgrounds. / Goal 3 - Diversity / Interface competency assignment
Students will reflect critically on practice sessions doing couple therapy using their couple therapy approach and specific goals and treatment plans. / Goal 2 - Intervention / Interface competency assignment

Assignments:

Evidence Based Practices:

Readings – (Johnson, 2005), (Atkinson, 2005)

Assignment – Intervention presentation

Attendance – Be present. The majority of the course is skill practice/observation. Absence will result in a lowered grade for the course.

Role Play –Each week you will be required to participate in couple-therapist role-plays. Audiotape each time you role play the therapist (even in large group).

Intervention Supervision Requirement – (50 pts.) Tape record all of your experiences as a therapist and receive supervision weekly from your supervisor on your tape, relationship with couple (interface issues), and matters of theory. Your grade will be lowered for missed supervision.

Abstracts – (20 pts.). Students will write a 1 – 2 page abstract of articles provided by the instructor, provide a copy for each student, and present for 5 minutes in designated class (10 pts each).

Intervention presentation – (30 pts): DUE Feb 3. Students will also participate in a group presentation on an intervention. Please select your intervention from either John Gottman’s work, Jacobson & Christensen (1996) manualized Integrative Couple Therapy, or Brent Atkinson’s Pragmatic/Experiential Couples Therapy.

Papers – Any paper turned in late will have the grade lowered. Papers must be of the highest professional quality (grammer, spelling, APA format, citations, etc.)

  1. Interface competency (150 pts.) DUE: MARCH 17th

8-12 pages doubled spaced

  1. Identify specific family messages regarding gay, lesbian, bisexual and heterosexual men and women (sexuality, sensuality, and sexual behavior). The following are only to stimulate your thinking:
  2. What family of origin beliefs, attitudes, issues and solutions could impact you work with these couples?
  3. How is sexual intimacy understood?
  4. What is the marriage of origin model legacy you received?
  5. How did losses (e.g., deaths, miscarriages, abortions, etc.) affect couple’s relationships?
  6. How do your differences reflect privilege and prejudice and have impact on an appropriate treatment alliance?
  1. Provide an analysis of your “conflict culture” across the generations.
  2. What subjects were the foci of couple conflict?
  3. Who did the conflict involve?
  4. How was conflict demonstrated (how did it look)?
  5. How were conflicts acknowledged, handled, resolved or continued?
  6. What is the impact of ethnicity, gender, religion, alcohol and substance usage in your conflict culture?
  7. What impact does your conflict culture have on your becoming a competent and effective psychologist with conflictual couples?

***Important Citation would be: Rastogi & Thomas (2008) Multicultural Couple Therapy

  1. Intervention Competency (150 pts) DUE: March 31st

8 - 12 pages double spaced. This paper involves the student demonstrating an intervention and critically assessing their application of this intervention. This paper has two sections. For each of these papers you will, outside of class time, do two 20 minute sessions, transcribed and then analyze your responses in the session. One session should be conflict-focused and the other sex-focused. The format to follow in your transcription is:

  1. On the left side of the paper, type client and therapist responses (Ct1: T1: Ct2: T2: etc.)
  2. On the right side (column) indicate your analyses of the interactions and how it reflects your intervention.
  1. Sex Therapy Intervention Section (4-6 pages)

Provide a brief overview of the theory (with citations), and the intervention that you will use (e.g., include when you would use it, when it is counter-indicated, etc).

  1. Couple Conflict Intervention Section (4 - 6 pages)

Provide a brief overview of the theory (with citations), and the intervention that you will use (e.g., indications/counterindications, and timing of use in course of treatment). Address how your intervention considers gender, ethnicity, religious and sexual orientation. Paper must be APA style.

***Provide two copies of this paper, one for the professor and one to be returned.

Optional Extra Credit Assignments (Choose one. Due: March 31st . 10 pts.)

1. Couple Assessment Competency

6 pages double spaced, maximum.

Complete a couple assessment and provide a report based on a simulated or actual couple assessment (with citations). This could be using the Prepare/enrich instrument, another instrument, or a clinical interview.

2. Kinsey Analysis

5 pages double spaced

Watch the movie Kinsey and report on the evolution of our knowledge

about sex as a culture.

ABSTRACTS
Author/ArticlePresenter

Jan 13

Jan 20

Jan 27

Feb 3

Feb 10

Feb 17

Feb 24

March 3

March 10

March 17

March 24

Course Schedule:

Date / Topic / Readings / Assignment
Jan 13 / Introduction / Gottman
Chp. 1: Myths and mistake of marital therapy
Chp. 2: Repair and the core triad of balance
Chp. 3: The sound marital house: A theory of marriage
Brown & Brown (2002). Models of marital therapy. In Brown & Brown (Eds.), Marital Therapy: Concepts and skills for effective practice, pp. 30 – 72.
Pinsof (2002). The death of ‘till death do us part’: the transformation of pair-bonding in the 20th century. Family Process, 41, 135-158
Gurman & Fraenkel (2002). The history of couple therapy: A millennial review. Family Process, 41, 199-260
Rampage (2002). Marriage in the 20th century: a feminist perspective. Family Process, 41, 261-268.
Pinderhughes (2002). African American marriage in the 20th century. Family Process, 41, 269-282.
Jan 20 / Assessing Couples: / BP
Chp. 1: A developmental model of relating
Chp. 2: Diagnosing the couple’s stages
Chp. 3: Treating couples in a developmental model: “Couples are more than the sum of their parts”
Chp. 11: Commonly asked questions
Gottman
Chp. 4: The assessment of marriage
Chp. 5: The disasters and masters of marriage
Jan 27 / Developmental Model / BP
Chp. 4: The symbiotic-symbiotic couple (enmeshed type): “We are one”
Chp.5: The symbiotic-symbiotic couple (hostile dependent type): “I can’t live with you and I can’t live without you”
Chp. 6: The symbiotic-differentiating couple: “Don’t betray me”
Chp. 7: The differentiating-differentiating couple: “I’ll change if you change”
Chp. 8: The symbiotic-practicing couple: “Don’t leave me/Leave me alone”
Chp. 9: The practicing-practicing couple: “I want to be me!”
Gottman
Chp. 6: Assumptions and intervention overview
Feb 3 / Interventions / Group Presentations

Part I: Couples Conflict

Feb 10 / Marital Distress / Marsh & Dallos (2002). Roman Catholic Couples: Wrath and Religion. Family Process, 40, 343-360.
Gottman
Chp. 11: Resistance to change
Chp. 14: Emotion and meta-emotionve
Chp. 15: Buffering children from marital conflict
Feb 17 / Violence and Trauma
Feb 24 / Techniques / SJ
Chp. 2: Theoretical background to EFT
Chp. 3: Intervention in EFT
Chp. 4: Steps 1 & 2: Assessment and cycles
Chp. 5: Steps 3 & 4: De-Escalation
Mar 3 / Techniques / SJ
Chp. 6: Steps 5 & 6: Expanding and heightening emotion
Chp. 7: Step 7 and key change events: re-engagement and softening
Chp. 8: Steps 8 & 9: Consolidation
PART II: Sex Therapy
Mar 10 / Assessment / L: Chp 11 – Sexuality and Illness
Chp 13 – Therapy with Sexual Minorities: Queering Practice
Chp 14 Sexuality and Culture
Mar 17 / Arousal & Desire Issues / L: Chp 2 – Sexual Desire/Arousal Disorders in Women
Chp 3 – Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder
Chp 7 – Sexual Desire Disorders in Men / Interface Competency
Mar 24 / Orgasmic & Sexual Pain Issues / L:Chp 4 – Orgasmic Disorders in women
Chp 5 – Dyspareunia and Vaginismus
Chp 8 – Treatment of Rapid Ejaculation
Chp 10 – Erectile Dysfunction
SJ
Chp. 9: Common problems and impasses
Chp. 10: Wounds and traumas: Forgiveness and healing
Mar 31 / Approaches to Treatment / L
Chp. 13: Therapy with sexual minorities: Queering practice
Chp. 14: Sexuality and culture
Chp. 16: Gender dysphoria and transgender experiences
Chp. 17: The new sexual pharmacology
SJ
Chp. 12: Confessions of an EFT therapist
Butler & Gardner (2003). Adapting enactments to couple reactivity: Five developmental stages. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 29, 311 – 328. / Intervention Competency
Optional Extra Credit Assignment

*Readings are for the week listed

BP = Bader & Pearson, G=Gottman, SJ=Sue Johnson, S=Schnarch, L=Leiblum

Grading Criteria:

Grading Scale Grading Requirements

A / 100 – 93
A- / 92 – 90
B+ / 89 – 88
B / 87 – 83
B- / 82 – 80
C+ / 79 – 78
C / 77 - 73
C- / 72 – 70
F / 69 and below
Intervention Supervision / 12.5%
Intervention Presentation / 7.5%
Abstracts / 5%
Midterm / 37.5%
Final / 37.5%
100%

Recommended Textbooks:

Kaplan, H.S. (1988). The illustrated Manual of Sex Therapy. Brunner/Mazel

Bader, E., & Pearson, P.T. (2000). Tell me no lies: How to face the truth and build a loving marriage. Brunner-Routledge.

Beck, A. (1989). Love is never enough: How couples can overcome misunderstandings, resolve conflicts, and solve relationship problems through cognitive therapy. HarperCollins.

Cozolino, L. (2002). The neuroscience of human relationships: Attachment and the developing social brain. New York: W.W. Norton.

Goleman, D. (2007). Social Intelligence: The new science of human relationships. New York: Bantam Books.

Gottman, J.M (1994). What predicts divorce? The relationship between marital processes and marital outcomes. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Gurman, A.S., & Jacobson, N.S. (2002). Clinical handbook of couple therapy, 3rd Ed. Guilford Press

Hill, M. & Rothblum, E.D. (1997). Couples therapy: Feminist perspectives. Haworth Press.

Johnson, S.M. (1996). The practice of emotionally focused marital therapy: Creating connections.Brunner-Routledge.

Johnson, S.M. (2002). Emotionally focused couple therapy with trauma survivors: Strengthening attachment bonds. Guilford Press.

Karpel, M.A. (1994). Evaluating couples: A handbook for practicioners. W.W. Norton & Company.

Siegal, J.P. (1995). Repairing intimacy: An object relations approach to couples therapy. Jason Aronson.

Siegel, D. (1999). The developing mind: Toward a neurobiology of interpersonal experience. New York: Guilford

Searight, H.R. (1997). Family of origin therapy and diversity.

Sevosevich, J.M., & Avriette, M. (1999). The gay and lesbian psychotherapy treatment planner. John Wiley & Sons.

Schultheis, G.M., O’Hanlon, B., & O’Hanlon, S. (1998). The brief couples therapy homework planner.John Wiley & Sons.

Articles:

Articles will be assigned to students to present in class.

Assessment

1)Beck, R.L. (2000). The couple assessment summary: A bridge from assessment to treatment. American Journal of Psychotherapy,54, 55-66.

2)Larson, J. (2002). Clinical update: Premarital assessment. Family Therapy Magazine, May/June, 36-42.

3)Istar, A. (1996). Couple assessment: Identifying and intervening in domestic violence in lesbian relationships. In C.M. Renzetti & C. Harvey’s (Eds.), Violence in gay and lesbian domestic partnerships. New York: HarringtonPark Press/Haworth Press. Pp. 93-160.

4)Worthington, E.L., McCullough, M.E., Shortz, J.L., Mindes, E.J., Sandage, S.J., & Chartrand, J.M. (1995). Can couples assessment and feedback improve relationships? Assessment as a brief relationship enrichment procedure. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 42, 466-475.

5)Floyd, F., Haynes, S., and Kelly, S. (1997). Marital assessment: A dynamic functional-analytic approach. In W.K. Halford & H.J. Markman (Eds.), Clinical handbook of marriage and couples intervention (pp. 349-378). New York: Wiley.

6)Atkinson, B., Atkinson, L, Kutz, P., Lata, J., Wittman-Lata, K, & Szekely, J. (2005b). Rewiring neural states in couples therapy: Advances from Affective Neuroscience. Journal of Systemic Therapies. 24(3), 3-13.

7)Atkinson, B. (2001). Brain to Brain: New ways to help couples avoid relapse. Psychotherapy Networker, 26(5), 38-45.

8)Atkinson, B. (1999). The emotional imperative: psychotherapists cannot afford to ignore the primacy of the limbic brain. Family Therapy Networker. 23(4), 22-33.

EFT

9)Johnson, S.M., Makinen, J.A., & Millikin, J.W. (2001). Attachment injuries in couple relationships: A new perspective on impasses in couples therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 27, 145-155.

10)Vatcher, C.A. & Bogo, M. (2001). The feminist/emotionally focused therapy practice model: An integrated approach for couple therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 27, 69-83.

Sex

11)Palmer, R., & Bor, R. (2001). The challenges to intimacy and sexual relationships for gay men in HIV serodiscordant relationships: A pilot study. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 27, 419-432.

12)Bepko, C. & Johnson, T. (2000). Gay and lesbian couples in therapy: Perspectives for the contemporary family therapist. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 26, 409-419.

13)Sollie, D. (2002). Couples and gender: Exploring the real issues. Family Therapy Magazine, July/August, 14-23.

14)Schnarch, D. & Morehouse, R. (2002). Relationships in cyberspace. Family Therapy Magazine, Sept/Oct., 14-19.

15)Harder, H.G. (2002). Technically ethical. Family Therapy Magazine, September/October, 24-26

Conflict

16)Middelberg, C. (2001). Projective identification in common couple dances. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 27, 341-352.

17)Berns, S.B., Jacobson, N.S., & Gottman, J.M. (1999). Demand/withdraw interaction patterns between different types of batterers and their spouses. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 25, 337-348.

18)Bograd, M. (1999). Strengthening domestic violence theories: Intersections of race, class, sexual orientation, and gender. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 25, 275-290.

19)Bograd, M. & Mederos, F. (1999). Battering and couples therapy: Universal screening and selection of treatment modality. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 25, 291-312.

20)Almeida, R.V., & Durkin, T. (1999). The cultural context model: Therapy for couples with domestic violence. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 25, 313-324.

21)Butler, M.H., Gardner, B.C. (2003). Adapting enactments to couple reactivity: Five developmental stages. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy,29, 311-328.

22)Heyman, R. & Neidig, P. (1997). Physical aggression couples treatment. In W.K. Halford & H.J. Markman (Eds.), Clinical handbook of marriage and couples intervention (pp. 589-618). New York: Wiley.

23)Rosen, Matheson, Stith, McCollum, & Locke (2003). Negotiated time-out: a de-escalation tool for couples. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 29, 291-298.

24)Stith, McCollum, Rosen, & Locke (2002). Multicouple group treatment for domestic violence. In F. Kaslow (Ed.), Comprehensive textbook of psychotherapy (vol 4, pp. 499-520). New York: John Wiley

25)Stith, McCollum, Rosen, Locke, & Goldberg (in press). Domestic violence focused couples treatment. In J. LeBow (Ed.), Handbook of clinical family therapy. New York: John Wiley.

26)Glass, S. & Wright, T. (1997). Reconstructing marriages after the trauma of infidelity. In W.K. Halford & H.J. Markman (Eds.), Clinical handbook of marriage and couples intervention (pp. 471-508). New York: Wiley.

27)Hops, H., Perry, B., & Davis, E. (1997). Marital discord and depression. In W.K. Halford & H.J. Markman (Eds.), Clinical handbook of marriage and couples intervention (pp. 537-554). New York: Wiley.

28)Tucker, Stith, Howell, McCollum, & Rosen (2001). Meta-dialogues in domestic violence focused couples treatment. Journal of systemic therapies, 19, 56-72.

29)Sinclair, & Monk (2004). Moving beyond the blame game: toward a discursive approach to negotiating conflict within couple relationships. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 30, 335-347.

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