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Couple Therapy Research and the Practice of Couple Therapy: Can We Talk?
Author(s) -
GURMAN ALAN S.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
family process
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.011
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1545-5300
pISSN - 0014-7370
DOI - 10.1111/j.1545-5300.2011.01360.x
Subject(s) - psychology , psychotherapist , realm , humanities , disconnection , philosophy , political science , law , theology
As has been true in every other realm of psychotherapy, couple therapy research generally has had very little impact on the day‐to‐day practice of couple therapists. To a significant degree, this unfortunate disconnection may be attributable to an overemphasis by researchers in the field on treatment packages and therapeutic methods/techniques. Insufficient attention has been paid to other important sources of influence on treatment outcomes, especially the couple therapist herself/himself. It is argued that effective couple therapy requires a good “fit” between the person of the therapist and her primary theoretical orientation, and that couple therapists may be more influenced by research that addresses process aspects of the therapeutic approaches to which they have their primary theoretical allegiances.