A Roadmap for Couple Therapy

Arthur C. Nielsen, MD, is associate professor of clinical psychiatry at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, teaches couple therapy at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis, and serves on the faculty of The Family Institute at Northwestern University.

Acknowledgements About the Author I: Conjoint Couple Therapy and Marital Challenges 1. Introduction 2. Couple Therapy 1.0 3. What Makes Marriage Challenging II: Systems Upgrades 4. Focusing on the Interpersonal Process 5. Couple Dances Examined More Closely III: Psychodynamic Upgrades 6. Focusing on Hidden Issues, Fears, and Desires 7. Focusing on Divergent Subjective Experiences 8. Focusing on Transference 9. Focusing on Projective Identification 10. Focusing on Acceptance and Forgiveness IV: Behavioral/Educational Upgrades 11. Teaching Speaking and Listening Skills 12. Teaching Emotion Regulation 13. Teaching Problem-Solving and Negotiation Skills 14. Encouraging Positive Experiences V: Sequencing Interventions and Closing Thoughts 15. General Guidelines and Sequencing of Interventions 16. Concluding Remarks References Index