63rd Annual Conference

Friday, February 24

Afternoon Workshops

2:45-6:00 P.M.

Workshop 65

Couple Group Therapy: Today’s Overstressed and Overstretched Couples

Chairs:    

Ian Alger, M.D., CGP, FAGPA, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, NY Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York

Barbara Feld, M.S.W., CGP, Faculty Department of Psychiatry, Mt. Sinai Medical Center, New York

A couple's capacity to balance work, sex, romance, children, and time for self is often compromised by societal stress, and at odds with their anticipation of married life. A Couples Therapy Group can provide safety, support and collaboration to diminish isolation and promote change. Theory, couple selection, technique, and the co-therapy relationship will be explored.

Demonstration-sharing of work experiences-didactic-experiential

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1.Learn to identify those couples which need conjoint couple therapy and those which will be be better served by couples therapy.

2. Identify different aspects of the co-leader relationship

a) helpful in modeling,

b) helpful in listening and monitoring group process,

c) models therapist couple problem solving.

3. Describe ways in which couples group provides support, e.g. Promoting joining through similarity of felt experiences.

4. Experience empathic collaborative relating groups.

Course References

1. Alger, I. (1976). Multiple Couple Therapy. In P. Guerin, (Ed.). Family Therapy, Theory and Practice. New York: Gardner Press. 364–387.

2. Coche, E. & Coche, J. ( 1990). Couples Group Psychotherapy. New York: Brunner Mazel.

3. Feld, B. (1998). Initiating a Couples Group. Group, 22(4), 245-259.

4. Feld, B. (2003). Phases of Couples Group Therapy: A consideration of

therapeutic action”, Group, 23(1), 5-19.