Hope-Focused Marriage Counseling: A Guide to Brief Therapy

By Everett L. Worthington Jr.

Book Overview

Guiding troubled couples is so difficult because divorce is so easy. But it can be done. Everett Worthington, one of today's most widely respected and widely published Christian counselors, offers a comprehensive manual for assisting couples overcommon rough spots and through serious problems in a manner that is compassionate and effective yet in a brief amount of time.His hope-focused (rather than problem-focused) approach enables couples to see that change is possible and gives them a newoutlook on the future. Combining this with a brief approach that addresses the realities of managed care and tight budgets, Worthington shows how to be strategic in each counseling situation by including teaching, training, exercises, forgiveness, modeling and motivation.At the heart of the book are dozens of interventions and homework assignments a counselor can choose from, includingdrawing on central valuespromoting confession and forgivenessstrengthening communicationaiding conflict resolutionchanging patterns of thinkingdeveloping intimacycementing commitmentWith over one hundred options presented, counselors, pastors and social workers are given the flexibility they need to address the specific situation of each client. Moving couples closer to what God intended their marriage to be is not easy, but it is possible.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0830827641
• ISBN13: 9780830827640
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Length: 331 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Easy Read

I needed this class for my masters program. It was a very positive book that was very easy to read. The interventions will be very helpful in future counseling.

Marriage Counseling

This book provides great insight to different intervention techniques that can be used in marriage counseling.

An Effective "Brief" Couples Therapy

In this work, Worthington provides a brief couples model that can be executed in five to nine sessions. As most insurances will not cover couples therapy, usually this is an "out-of-pocket" expense for most client systems. So anything "brief" is greatly appreciated! Even though couples can spend up to $20,000 (or more) on the wedding, it is sad they won't fork-up $800-$1,000 for counseling to keep the marriage going. Actually, attorneys will cost much more than this and there's no such thing as a "pain-free" divorce or partnership dissolution. "Returns" work for clothes, not people. In our agency, we have a three phase model based on Boyd-Franklin & Bry (2000): 1) entire family, 2) the "IP" (identified patient), and 3) the entire family again. As a family problem may start as an "adolescent problem," we have to work with the teenager in phase two initially. However, it isn't uncommon that the IP is really a buffer for the couple sub-system and their failed interactions. So then we need to switch to working on the couple or else the teenager will be trapped in "acting out" behaviors. This is where Hope-Focused Marriage Counseling (HFMC) comes in. As we've already spent some time with the teenager, we don't have 12-16 sessions for Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) - we need something quicker! Enter HFMC, stage left! So HFMC has a lot of good uses. Also, Worthington and fellow supporters (such as myself) are conducting efficacy research on this approach to establish it as an "EBT" (evidence-based treatment). So look for HFMC to be nuanced and tweaked in light of this work. However, it would be better to get a copy and join us in this endeavor! Also, I have heard from reliable sources HFMC is going to be coming out with training materials, live demonstrations on a DVD, and certification in Spring 2008. Stay tuned!

Hope-Focused Marriage Counseling - A home run

A refreshingly different approach to marriage counseling that focuses upon restoring hope in the marriage rather than tackling problems. Excellent examples of interventions based upon what Worthington identifies as the nine areas of marriage. Easy to understand and even more easy to use. Outstanding work!

A clear guide....

This was a required text for a counseling class I'm taking. I find this book to be very informative and interesting. Although this book is geared toward Christian counsleors, it is also applicable to non-Christians - or if you're just looking for ways to improve your marriage. This book is not written at all like a textbook. It's very straight-forward and easy to read. Very little technical language is used, and even that is clearly explained.I believe that this book is very, very good. It's giving me a clearer idea of how to counsel and what a counselor's main objectives are. I recommend this book to anybody interested in counseling, and even those who are already professional counselors. This book is applicable to Christians and non-Christians alike.