Intervention Programs, Satisfaction and Stability

When and Why Do Couples Seek Interventions?

Data suggest that only 25 percent of marriages can be characterized as both satisfying and stable, but only about 10 percent of married couples ever seek premarital or couple therapy. Furthermore, the average married couple waits approximately 6 years after the onset of serious problems before entering couple therapy. Studies suggest that couples seeking treatment report several common problems including emotional dissatisfaction, communication problems, sexual problems, conflicts regarding money, and fears about separating or divorcing. It is also important to note that couples report seeking interventions not only to decrease negative aspects of the relationship, but also in hopes of increasing positive aspects of the relationship—that is, because of their love for their partner, wanting to save the good parts of the marriage, or a general desire to improve the relationship. Many of the presenting problems identified by couples seeking treatment are at the relational level of analysis. However, highly prevalent problems stemming from the social or physical environment, such as unsupportive communities or economic conditions, tend to be given lower priority or are entirely overlooked by couples and can even escape the attention of therapists. Interventions focused primarily on relational factors can be beneficial, but failure to address possible stressors from the social and physical environments can ultimately undermine intervention efforts.

Intervening at the Relational Level: Couple Therapy Interventions

The three therapies reviewed here are selected because their approaches embody some of the general principles of effective interventions for behavior, emotion, and cognition. These treatments have also been designated as “Empirically Supported Treatments” by the Society of Clinical [Page 916]Psychology, one of the American Psychological Association's largest groups of psychologists specializing in interventions. Empirically supported treatments are based on randomized controlled trials demonstrating the benefits of a specific type of therapy, tested in more than one scientific study, and in which the group receiving treatment benefits significantly more than a control group that did not receive treatment.

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