Couples Diagnostic

     When couples initiate counseling, they are often stuck in patterns that are difficult to break.  A thorough assessment, with feedback, can help change these negative patterns.  By heightening a couple's awareness of what each partner contributes to the relationship in psychological terms,  a greater sense of mutual understating is possible.

     I can work with the couple alone, with their clinician, clergy, or any combination of these.  I typically use a four session process.  The first is to gather data on the couple and take the tests.  The second and third include a feedback session.  The final session will be a goal setting session.  With the couple’s permission, it is recommended that the referral source be involved in the process especially in this last session.     

     The testing involves a process of self- administered questionnaires that have been validated on couples at various stages in their relationship development (e.g., newlyweds, divorced, remarrying couples, later in life marriages).  The information is compared with standardized groups on perceptions that have been shown by research to be points of distress for couples.  For example, perceptions on conflict resolution, communication, spending leisure time, having or not having children, communication style, spending money, their own gender roles in the relationship, managing in-laws, living location, sexuality, choosing an income earner, degree of flexibility and adaptability, and other personality characteristics are compared. Couples and their therapist can use this information to identify conflict  areas and work toward resolving them.  It is also important to assess the degree of psychopathology each may have upon entering treatment in order to get immediate help prior to the start of the couple's interventions.

    My approach with couples is based on Dr. David H. Olson’s  Circumplex Model of marital and family systems.  For additional  information click here.