The Couples Therapy Companion A Cognitive Behavior Workbook

Learn to look at marriage and couples counseling through the lens of Rational Emotive Couples Therapy. Dr. Russell Grieger walks the reader through the RECT process and includes numerous exercises that are appropriate for clinicians to use with their clients, for those couples who are in therapy and need a little extra help, and for couples working to improve their relationship on their own.
Along with explaining the process of Rational Emotive Couples Therapy, Dr. Grieger makes the distinction between relationship difficulties, which are small disagreements and dissatisfactions, and relationship disturbances, which occur when a couple becomes emotionally distressed and entrenched in negativity. He walks readers through the couple diagnosis and presents eight powerful strategies for helping resolve both couple difficulties and disturbances to find relationship harmony.
Dr. Grieger addresses such issues as ridding hurt, anger, fear, and insecurity, enhancing closeness and intimacy, win-win conflict resolution, and building couple commitment and connection. Replete with exercises that empower couples to take action and solve their problems, The Couples Therapy Companion also helps readers to sustain the positive momentum learned in therapy in everyday life.

Introduction. Part I: Diagnosing and Goal Setting 1. The Couple Diagnosis 2. The Couple Goal Setting Part II: Prescription Solutions. Eliminating Relationship Disturbance 3. Eliminating Couple Disturbance: An Overview 4. Premeditated Acceptance and Forgiveness: The Antidote to Hurt and Anger 5. Unconditional Self-Acceptance: The Antidote to Fear and Insecurity Building Relationship Harmony and Satisfaction 6. Relationship Resilience: The Antidote to Low Frustration Tolerance 7. Building Relationship Harmony and Happiness: An Overview 8. Relentless and Intelligent Giving 9. Commitment to the Couple 10. Frequent, Passionate Intimacy Part III: Following Through to Success 11. Win-Win Conflict Resolution 12. Purposely Sustaining Momentum13. Epilogue

Russell Grieger, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist with more than 35 years of treating couples, an organizational consultant, and an adjunct professor at the University of Virginia.