Marriage Guidance Training and the Trainee's Own Marriage: A Prospective Study

Twenty trainees and 18 partners took part in a study of the effects of a marriage guidance training programme on their own marriage. Changes were assessed in two ways: retrospectively ('perceived' changes as assessed following training) and prospectively (changes calculated by comparing scores obtained before training and those obtained after training). For most dimensions there was little correspondence between 'perceived' change and 'calculated' change. This has important methodological implications, which are discussed. The 'calculated' change indicated poorer marital adjustment following training. The trainees' scores suggested that they had become less 'abasing' and less 'nurturant' towards their partners; also that they had more disagreements about 'philosophy of life' and 'dealing with in-laws'. Their comments suggested that a number of the trainees had become more analytical of their own marriages, and that training had heightened their awareness of their own needs and individuality.     

Marriage Counsellors’ Reflections on the Counselling Process in Family Courts in India

Family courts in India were established to facilitate speedy redressal of family disputes, particularly matrimonial issues. Marriage counsellors facilitated dispute resolution based on alternative dispute resolution practices. Counselling was mandated for all couples approaching family courts due to marital discord. At present, there is a lack of literature on the process of counselling followed by marriage counsellors in the family courts. The present study used an exploratory research design to understand marriage counsellors’ perspectives on the process of counselling in family courts. Fifty-six marriage counsellors completed open-ended questionnaires on counselling assessment, goals, interventions and the influence of the presence of children on the couple counselling process. Thematic text analysis of the responses revealed a range of areas that counsellors explored, individual and relational goals that they focused on, as well as the interventions used by marriage counsellors in their work with couples. Findings suggested that there was a lack of uniformity in the counselling approaches used by marriage counsellors. Additionally, marriage counsellors reported not being equipped to address some intrapersonal and interpersonal concerns that emerged in the counselling process, despite identifying them. Based on the findings, the paper recommends the need for a unifying framework for training and practice for marriage counsellors working with couples in family courts to conceptualise couples’ concerns as well as guide their goals and interventions. The paper underscores the need for acknowledging sociocultural influences, reflective practice and client feedback in the process of counselling.     

Spontaneous Self‐Practice of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) by Aboriginal Counsellors During and Following CBT Training: A Retrospective Analysis of Facilitating Conditions and Impact

Previous cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) training studies have suggested that therapists who practice CBT strategies on themselves during training may experience professional and personal benefits. However, it has also been reported that some CBT trainees are reluctant to engage in self‐practice. The present study reports an incidental finding from a CBT training study with Aboriginal counsellors: all five counsellors reported that they practiced CBT techniques on themselves without specific encouragement by the trainers to do so. This paper therefore posed three questions: (a) Why—in contrast to some other trainees—did this group choose to apply CBT to themselves? (b) How did they apply it—with what purpose, in what contexts, and which skills? (c) What was the impact of CBT self‐practice? Data from the group's reflections were qualitatively analysed by two of the researchers, and “member checked” by the remainder. Results indicated that the counsellors were motivated to practice CBT on themselves for two principal reasons: the value they placed on CBT, and their personal need resulting from the high number of crises experienced while living and working in their communities. The counsellors reported practicing CBT in a wide variety of contexts as part of their learning. As in previous studies, the impact of CBT self‐practice was that it increased their confidence and competence as therapists. It also appeared to be a valuable burnout prevention strategy. If the results are generalisable, they suggest that self‐experiential training in CBT may be a culturally responsive and adaptive way for Aboriginal counsellors to enhance their learning of CBT skills.     

Marital Processes Linking Gender Role Attitudes and Marital Satisfaction Among Mexican‐Origin Couples: Application of an Actor–Partner Interdependence Mediation Model

Informed by dyadic approaches and culturally informed, ecological perspectives of marriage, we applied an actor–partner interdependence mediation model (APIMeM) in a sample of 120 Mexican‐origin couples to examine (a) the associations linking Mexican immigrant husbands’ and wives’ gender role attitudes to marital satisfaction directly and indirectly through marital processes (i.e., warmth and negativity) and (b) whether the associations between spouses’ gender role attitudes and marital processes were moderated by wives’ employment. Although previous research has identified spouses’ gender role attitudes as potential predictors of spouses’ marital satisfaction, no study has examined these links in a dyadic model that elucidates how gender role attitudes may operate through processes to shape marital satisfaction and conditions under which associations may differ. We found that when spouses reported less sex‐typed attitudes, their partners reported feeling more connected to them and more satisfied with the marriage, regardless of whether wives were employed. Our results suggest that marital satisfaction was highest for those Mexican‐origin couples in which marital partners were less sex‐typed in their attitudes about marital roles to the extent that partners’ attitudinal role flexibility promoted spouses’ feelings of warmth and connection to their partner.     

Relationships among measures of communication, marital satisfaction and exposure during couples treatment of agoraphobia

The goals of this study were to examine the relationships among measures of couples interactions (satisfaction and communication), and response to treatment within a group of agoraphobic clients and their partners. The treatment included the clients' partners in structured, graduated in vivo exposure practices. Twenty-two clients and their partners completed pre-, mid- and post-treatment assessments. Treatment responders rated themselves and their partners as more communicative regarding the client's fears, at pre- and mid-assessments in comparison to nonresponders; measures of communication related inversely to levels of anxiety reported during exposures, but marital satisfaction did not relate to any measure of exposure. In addition, level of anxiety during exposure differentiated responders from nonresponders; responders experienced a significant reduction in their levels of anxiety. Finally, ratings of frequency of communication at mid-assessment were highly predictive of treatment outcome at post-assessment. The implications from these findings for communication skills training for a subset of couples who enter couples treatment for agoraphobia are discussed.     

Quality-of-life after penile prosthesis placed at radical prostatectomy

Abstract

The clinical and psychosocial effects of immediate penile prosthesis implantation at the time of radical prostatectomy (RP) were investigated in 97 consecutive patients and 68 partners. Prosthesis recipients reported more frequent sexual contact, fewer marital problems and slightly fewer sexual functioning problems than the RP-alone patients. There were no group differences on any sociodemographic characteristics, on disease recurrence, on physical and psychosocial functioning, or on reported depression. Patients who chose the prosthesis did, however, evidence less of a link between depression and functional limitations and between depression and marital problems. They also had lower levels of agreement with their partners in reporting their own depression, as compared to the patients who opted for RP surgery alone. We conclude that the penile prosthesis was associated with an increased frequency of sexual contact, a reduction in reported marital problems, and stylistic differences between the two patient groups in dealing with affect.     

The Application of Facilitated Imagery to Marital Counseling

SUMMARY

The purpose of this study was to assess whether facilitated imagery is a successful technique for improving both marital satisfaction and individual psychological functioning. Twenty marital couples were randomly assigned to two experimental groups: Both received three sessions of structured marital enrichment and one also received three facilitated imagery sessions. Posttests were given at one month and four months following treatment. Subjects exposed to facilitated imagery showed significantly greater improvement on some scales of marital satisfaction and individual psychological functioning, and these improvements persisted at the four-month posttest. In posttest interviews, subjects reported the primary benefit was insight into themselves and their spouses.

A series of 2x(3) repeated measure analyses of variance were used to detect changes for husbands and wives. Subjects exposed to facilitated imagery reported significantly greater improvement than enrichment-only subjects on some scales of marital satisfaction and individual psychological functioning. In addition, improvements persisted at the four-month posttest for the enrichment-plus-imagery subjects, but declined for the enrichment-only subjects. In interviews, the majority of imagery subjects reported that the process had been helpful to them both personally and relationally. Subjectively they reported gaining insight into themselves or their spouse as the primary benefit obtained from the imagery work.     

Integrating counselling, psychotherapy and healing: An inquiry into counsellors and psychotherapists whose work includes healing

A qualitative study of 30 counsellors or psychotherapists whose work also includes healing was conducted using semi-structured interviews. Seven of the participants then joined the researcher in a human inquiry group. Participants in the research had been practitioners for a mean of over 10 years. The main themes that emerged were: the transition by the practitioner towards the use of healing; the taboo concerning talking about spiritual and healing experiences reported by the participants; the nature of healing as distinct from therapy; the supervision difficulties that arose when participants engaged in both counselling/psychotherapy and healing with their clients; and the concept of spiritual space. Some very experienced psychotherapists and counsellors are now including healing in their work. This raises a number of important issues, particularly relating to supervision.     

Ad hoc category restructuring

Participants learned to classify seemingly arbitrary words into categories that also corresponded to ad hoc categories (see, e.g., Barsalou, 1983). By adapting experimental mechanisms previously used to study knowledge restructuring in perceptual categorization, we provide a novel account of how experimental and preexperimental knowledge interact. Participants were told of the existence of the ad hoc categories either at the beginning or the end of training. When the ad hoc labels were revealed at the end of training, participants switched from categorization based on experimental learning to categorization based on preexperimental knowledge in some, but not all, circumstances. Important mediators of the extent of that switch were the amount of performance error experienced during prior learning and whether or not prior knowledge was in conflict with experimental learning. We present a computational model of the trade-off between preexperimental knowledge and experimental learning that accounts for the main results.     

Participant modelling training programme: Tutoring the paraprofessional

A participant modelling training programme designed to improve self-efficacy and the ability to cope effectively with stressful situations was implemented with paraprofessional young counsellors who work in conjunction with youth advancement counsellors. Self-efficacy was measured by assessing their beliefs about their ability to cope effectively and successfully with various situations. Their motivation to engage in such a task was also assessed before and after the training programme. Contrary to prediction, following the training the self-efficacy of subjects decreased significantly. However, their motivation to get started and become involved with the disadvantaged youth significantly increased. The results are discussed in terms of reality perception and participant modelling training.     

Challenges Faced by Genetics Service Providers’ Practicing in a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Population: An Australian Experience

This paper explores the perceived challenges facing clinical genetics practitioners in multicultural Australia. Focus groups conducted with 53 practitioners explored: 1) participants’ experiences and definitions of cultural diversity; 2) their use of educational resources with clients; 3) their experiences with culturally diverse groups/individuals in practice; 4) their experiences working with interpreters; and 5) the impact culturally specific educational training and/or experiential learning had on their confidence or practice when dealing with culturally diverse clients. Participants viewed culture as extending beyond traditional definitions such as ethnicity, language and religion. Most respondents had experienced positive results working with health care interpreters, although at times, this was a challenge for the family as they preferred privacy and the use of family members as interpreters. Another commonly reported challenge was the limited availability of reliable, culturally appropriate translated resources. Some participants expressed concern that learning theories about specific cultures may lead to stereotypes and that opportunities for formal cultural competence training were limited. Recommendations for practice include the targeting of educational resources to meet the needs of a diverse community and placing cultural competence on the agenda for ongoing training and maintenance of professional standards for clinical genetics practitioners to avoid the current ad hoc approach.     

Genetic probes of three theories of maternal adjustment: II. Genetic and environmental influences.

This is the first report of the Twin Mom Study, an investigation of three hypotheses concerning influences on maternal adjustment. These hypotheses concern the role of the marital and parent-child relationships in mediating genetic influences on maternal adjustment and on the importance of the mothers' marital partners as a specifiable source of influences on their adjustment not shared with their sisters. The study's sample of 150 monozygotic (MZ) twins and 176 dizygotic (DZ) twins was drawn randomly from the Swedish Twin Registry and is, with some small exceptions, likely to be representative of women in the Swedish population. The sample included the marital partners of these twins and their adolescent children. Self-report and coded videotapes were a source of information about family process. Results reported in this first report focus on comparability of American and Swedish samples on scales measuring psychiatric symptoms, and on an analysis of genetic and environmental influences on nine measures of mothers' adjustment. Results suggest comparability between the US and Sweden. Genetic influences were found for all measures of adjustment, particularly in the psychological manifestations of anxiety and for smoking. The pattern of findings also underscored the importance of influences unique to each sibling within the twin pair, thus focusing attention on the potential role of marital partners in maternal adjustment. Results also suggested that experiences shared by the twin sisters, experiences unrelated to their genetic similarity, may influence their fearfulness and alcohol consumption. Our model did not include these influences and thus must be amended.     

How Do Partners Find out About the Risk of Huntington’s Disease in Couple Relationships?

Whilst a growing body of work has explored family communication about Huntington’s disease and how at-risk individuals learn about their risk, the experience of telling a partner and partners’ experiences of finding out about this potentially devastating hereditary illness have received little attention. This study describes the experiences of partners in finding out about Huntington’s disease and any impact on couple’s relationships/marriages. We undertook a thematic analysis of qualitative interviews which explored the dynamics of partners’ marriages after predictive testing and partners’ views of genetic counseling. A main theme from partners’ accounts was how they found out about their spouse’s risk of Huntington’s disease and the impact this had on marital relations. The analysis revealed four types of disclosure experiences: (1) marital secrets; (2) alerting, but not telling; (3) knowing and seeing; (4) marital ignorance. Our findings demonstrate that partners’ experiences of (non)disclosure about the risk of HD within marriages is an important factor which contributes to couples’ coping or marital problems. Exploring how spouses found out about their partner’s risk of HD will illuminate issues about a couple’s past and future patterns of communication and their coping strategies. A practical and ethical implication is the extent to which genetic counselors should inform partners about the course and nature of Huntington’s disease when a partner is the support person for the individual being tested.     

An exploration of the experience of Christian counsellors in their work with both Christian and non‐Christian clients,with particular reference to aspects of cultural transition

Aim: This study explores the experience of Christian counsellors working in both Christian and secular settings, paying particular attention to the possibility of regarding their development as a form of cultural transition. Method: Heuristic methodology was used, interviewing 22 counsellors with varying churchmanship (i.e. Christian tradition/denomination) and counselling training. Findings/Discussion: A spectrum of experiences with both Christian and non‐Christian clients emerged. The level of overtness of the counsellors’ faith with these clients varied considerably. Parallels with the experience of these counsellors and that of immigrants in terms of cultural transition are discussed. Conclusions: The experience of Christian counsellors differs with respect to the level of Christian influence (i.e. Christian or secular input) in training, supervision and work context. Those with higher secular influence have less difficulty working with clients with different belief systems and values. Implications: Christian counsellors need to be more reflexive with respect to the effect of their own value systems when working with clients, particularly if they work mostly in a Christian context. Trainers need to be aware of cultural transition aspects in the development of counsellors who have a Christian faith.     

Barriers and challenges in the practice of multicultural counselling in Malaysia: A qualitative interview study

Counsellors face a lot of problems and stressors in their daily lives. As a person, counsellors may face challenges to deal with their personal expectations and responsibilities in life, work, family and community. As a professional, counsellors may face difficulties in dealing with professional issues and ethical dilemmas in their professional practice such as countertransference and value conflicts. These raise issues concerning their perceived multicultural competence and the adequacy of their training. Informed by a multicultural counselling perspective and drawing on semi-structured interviews with 12 professional counsellors in Malaysia, this study discusses the types of barriers and challenges faced by Malaysian counsellors and how these challenges were manifested and addressed in the cross-cultural counselling sessions. Results revealed five emerging themes based on participant counsellors’ responses on the barriers and challenges encountered in their practice of multicultural counselling in Malaysia. These were challenges related to counsellors’, clients’, presenting issues’, third-party and specific contexts’ characteristics. Research implications for the education and training of counsellors in the specific Malaysian socio-political context are also discussed.     

Commentary on Three Articles on Self‐practice/Self‐reflection in Cognitive‐Behavioural Therapy

The commentary embraces three valuable contributions to the development of professional practice: (a) engagement with self‐practice/self‐reflection as a professional self‐development: the role of therapist beliefs; (b) spontaneous self‐practice of cognitive‐behavioural therapy (CBT) by aboriginal counsellors during and following CBT training: a retrospective analysis of the facilitating conditions and impact; (c) developing metacompetence in low intensity CBT interventions: evaluating a self‐practice/self‐reflection programme for experienced low intensity CBT practitioners. Each article provides different perspectives of the self‐practice and self‐reflection benefits for efficient therapy and their use as powerful resources in therapeutic training skills in general and CBT in particular. Conclusions of their contributions close the commentary.     

The psychophysiology of adult attachment relationships: Autonomic reactivity in marital and premarital interactions

To better understand the origins of autonomic reactivity during marital interactions, this study examined the psychophysiological profiles of prototypically secure (vs. insecure) and deactivating (vs. hyperactivating) adults while they talked about areas of disagreement with their (pre)marital partners. Adults who idealized their caregivers and/or normalized harsh childhood experiences during the Adult Attachment Interview (i.e., deactivating adults) manifested heightened electrodermal reactivity, a sign of emotional inhibition, while attempting to resolve conflict in their relationships, whereas individuals who became angrily or passively caught up while discussing their early lives (i.e., hyperactivating adults) later showed increases in heart rate while conversing with their partners, suggesting behavioral activation. In contrast, security was associated with low levels of electrodermal change from baseline in the context of this normatively mild marital stressor. Results were generally consistent for 40 younger engaged and 40 mature married couples.     

Forgiveness in marriage: putting the benefits into context.

The current longitudinal study examined the consequences of spouses' tendencies to forgive their partners over the first 2 years of 72 new marriages. Though positive main effects between forgiveness and marital outcomes emerged cross-sectionally, spouses' tendencies to forgive their partners interacted with the frequency of those partners' negative verbal behaviors to predict changes in marital outcomes longitudinally. Specifically, whereas spouses married to partners who rarely behaved negatively tended to remain more satisfied over time to the extent that they were more forgiving, spouses married to partners who frequently behaved negatively tended to experience steeper declines in satisfaction to the extent that they were more forgiving. Similar patterns emerged for changes in the severity of husbands' problems, such that husbands married to wives who frequently behaved negatively reported sharper increases in problem severity to the extent that they were more forgiving but reported more stable problem severity to the extent that they were less forgiving. These findings question whether all spouses should benefit from forgiveness interventions and thus highlight the need for further research on the most appropriate targets for such interventions.