Couple Treatment: Assessment and Intervention

by Judith C. Nelsen and Judith C. Nelson

Book Overview

Most people live in couple relationships for a good part of their lives, and many couples experience distress and seek help. To support the professionals who treat these couples, Dr Nelsen organizes material from systems and cognitive-behavioural approaches as well as ego psychology and object relations theory in one solid, nonjudgmental volume.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765701669
• ISBN13: 9780765701664
• Release Date: November 1998
• Publisher: Jason Aronson
• Length: 412 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Couple Treatment : Assessment and Intervention

One should not expect to engage in chemistry without a thorough knowledge of the Periodic Table of Elements. One should not expect to engage in couple therapy without having a through knowledge of "Couple Treatment," as authored by Judith C. Nelsen, D.S.W. She starts with a historical and methodological description of different schools of couple treatment. She is quick to admit that the various approaches have both strengths and weaknesses and that even practitioners who proclaim to be wedded to one school, freely borrow from other schools. Important is her recognition that couple therapy will not work for everyone. It is important to screen out certain issues which may be engendering the professional contact in the first place. She points out that issues such as substance abuse, domestic violence and psychiatric disorders must be identified early and couple treatment postponed until those issues have been resolved. While the politically correct society attempts to have us believe that there are no differences in gender, Professor Nelsen clearly addresses the significant differences which affect a couple's perception of problems and gender based different methods of dealing with them. While the politically correct society pretends that race, religion, ethnic background and sexual orientation should not be considered in decision making, Professor Nelsen wisely points out that indeed those facts will affect the treatment regimen. The therapist must be keenly aware of these historical and sociological conditions as sources to explain behavior, as well as to provide insight to the couple in understanding how these factors affect the ability to relate to each other. While influences of childhood are often considered irrelevant to couple treatment, Dr. Nelsen clearly explains how an understanding of those influences by both parties can explain why seemingly innocuous behavior can become so frightening to the other person. Such insight is the root of couple therapy. Professor Nelsen describes dealing with same sex couples, pointing out both the similarities and differences which may be expected. Perhaps the most difficult couple to successfully treat is the narcissistically vulnerable couple. Dr. Nelsen offers good advice in dealing with such couples. Her final chapter dealing with specific issues , which often lead couples to seek treatment in the first place - the discovery of adultery, trial separations - will be helpful to all tharapists who deal with couples. Even the last chapter dealing with disengagement of therapy is an important aspect of couples therapy. It is hard to recommend any improvements in this excellent book. However, there has been an explosion of drugs which affect mood, perception, anxiety and depression. Any future revisions should address the impact that certain prescribed drugs might have on bedroom and relationship behavior, as