How to Coach Yourself and Others Coaching Families

History of Marital Therapy Guman &Fränkel point out that couples therapy (formerly marital therapy) has been largely neglected, even though family therapists do 1.5-2 times as much couple work as multigenerational family work. They also note this is not such a bad ratio, as 40% of people coming to therapy attribute their problems to relationship issues. (Gurman, A. S. & Fraenkel, P. (2002). The history of couple therapy: A millennial review. Family Process, 41, 199-260.) G&F define Four Phases in the History of Couples Therapy: Phase I - 1930 to 1963 - Atheoretical     1929 to 1932 - Three marital clinics opened; they were service and education oriented, and saw mostly individuals The closest thing to theory was what was borrowed from psychoanalytic - interlocking neurosis 1931 the first marital therapy paper was published Theory was marginalized due to a lack of brilliant theorists, and a lack of distinction from individual analysis Phase II - 1931 to 1966 - Psychoanalytic Experimentation     Therapists are seen as telling truth from distortion, rather than creating a truth Mostly individual sessions, but some conjoint; still treated like seeing two individual clients in the same room though Some started to downplay the role of the therapist Family was outshining couples work, and the couple techniques weren't innovative or particularly effective Phase III - 1963 to 1985 - Family Therapy Incorporates  Family therapy overpowers couples, even though a number of big name people really mostly saw couples o o o o Jackson Coined concepts like quid pro quo, homeostasis, and double bind for conjoint therapy Satir Coined naming roles members played, fostered self-esteem and actualization, and saw the therapist as a nurturing teacher Bowen Multigenerational theory approach, with differentiation, triangulation, and projection processes, with the therapist as an anxiety-lowering coach - societal projection process was the forerunner of our modern awareness of cultural differences. Haley Power and control (or love and connection) were key. Avoided insight, emotional catharsis, conscious power plays. Saw system as more, and more important, than the sum of the parts Phase IV - 1986 to now - Refining and Integrating       1986 was the publication of G&K book New Theories were tried and refined, like Behavioural Marital Therapy, Emotionally Focused Marital Therapy, and Insight-Oriented Marital Therapy. All four have received good empirical support. Couples therapy was used to treat depression, anxiety, and alcoholism. Efforts were focused on preventing couples problems with programs like PREP Feminism, Multiculturalism, and Post-Modernism impacted the field Eclectic integration, brief therapy, and sex therapy ideas were incorporated into our work. http://www.psychpage.com/family/library/history_of_couples_therapy.html 26

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