Couples Therapy The Self in the Relationship

Using vivid case studies and vignettes of clinical practice, Crawley and Grant provide a comprehensive overview of couples therapy within a psychodynamic and systemic framework. Arguing that successful work with couples requires an understanding of, and a capacity to engage with, both the individual partners and the dynamics of their relationship, the authors show how theoretical understanding of the phenomenon of the couple relationship plays out in the practical issues that confront the counselor or therapist working with couples.

JIM CRAWLEY is a practitioner in private practice in psychoanalytic psychotherapy, with a particular interest in couples therapy. JAN GRANT is associate professor and program coordinator of the Masters/PhD programs in Counselling Psychology at Curtin University of Technology, Perth.

Acknowledgements	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
The Psychodynamics of the Couple Relationship: Object Relations Theory	p. 6
Underlying principles of psychodynamic approaches to couples	p. 7
Object relations approaches to couple therapy	p. 11
Conclusion	p. 23
The Psychodynamics of the Couple Relationship: Self Psychology, Intersubjectivity, and Attachment Theory	p. 24
Empathic immersion	p. 24
Selfobject experiences and transferences	p. 25
Narcissistic vulnerability, injury, and rage	p. 27
Intersubjectivity	p. 29
Treatment goals	p. 30
Attachment theory and couple therapy	p. 32
Love and the relational approaches	p. 37
Conclusion	p. 39
Thinking Systemically About the Couple	p. 40
Introduction	p. 40
Some important family systems concepts	p. 40
Bowen Theory	p. 48
Relationship systems across time	p. 57
Conclusion	p. 64
But What About Love?	p. 66
Introduction	p. 66
Emotion in the couple relationship	p. 67
Sexuality and couple therapy	p. 72
Conclusion	p. 80
Assessment	p. 81
Getting started: Engagement or assessment?	p. 81
The content of assessment: A five-dimensional framework	p. 83
The structure of the assessment phase	p. 86
The process of assessment	p. 90
Conclusion	p. 98
Technique	p. 99
The centrality of the therapeutic relationship: Creating 'an island of safety'	p. 99
Conducting the conjoint session	p. 103
Conclusion	p. 113
Therapeutic Process	p. 114
Stages of therapy	p. 114
Who do we talk to? Individual versus conjoint sessions	p. 117
What do therapist and couple talk about in the conjoint session?	p. 120
...and how do we talk about it?	p. 122
Conclusion	p. 131
The Dynamics of Presenting Problems	p. 132
Domestic violence	p. 132
Affairs	p. 139
The re-married couple with stepchildren	p. 147
The polarized couple	p. 149
Conclusion	p. 152
Epilogue: Surviving as Couple Therapist	p. 153
Research and couple therapy	p. 153
Ethical considerations in couple therapy	p. 158
Supervision and personal therapy for the couple therapist	p. 162
Conclusion	p. 164
References	p. 165
Index	p. 177
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Couples Therapy The Self in the Relationship

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