Scales, Couple and Marital

Assessment is used in couples and marital counseling to gather information about the couple and can be done through interviews, observation, or formal tests. Couple and marital scales are formal, standardized assessments that are used in marriage and couples counseling to provide information about particular aspects of a relationship. These aspects include the quality of the relationship (often termed satisfaction, or adjustment), communication and conflict, and specific issues, including substance use and sexual problems. Individual personality assessments can also help the clinician and the couple understand relationship dynamics. This entry reviews the considerations for using couple and marital scales, and the basic types of scales used with couples in counseling.