Marital therapy is a form of psychotherapy with the aim of helping the partners to enjoy a more rewarding relationship with the aim of lessening some of the strains and the dissatisfactions in the relationship.

Goals of therapy:

• Help partners negotiate behaviour change

• Teach more effective communication skills (e.g.: active, listening, how to argue)

• Avoid the 4 horsemen (Defensiveness, criticism, contempt and stonewalling) and other forms of destructive fighting

• Improving communication skills.

Assessment of marital distress:

• Assessed along behaviour cognition, affect and internal dynamics

• Understanding the characteristics of unsatisfied couples, and prevent and treat dissatisfaction

• Distressed couples show high rates of 4 horsemen (Defensiveness, criticism, contempt and stonewalling).

Treatment:

• Behavioural marital/ couple therapy

• Integrative behavioural couple therapy

• Emotion focused therapy

1. Couples or marriage counselling is offered to support people in relationship who may be considering separation or seeking improved intimacy and understanding.

2. People in relationship seek counselling for any number of reasons, from power struggles and communication problems to sexual dissatisfaction and infidelity.

Principles of couple therapy are,

• Changes the views of the relationship

• Modifies dysfunctional behaviour

• Decreases emotional avoidance

• Improves communication

• Promotes strengths.

Counselling Techniques:

1. GOTTMAN method

2. Narrative therapy

3. Emotionally focused couples therapy

4. Positive psychology

5. IMAGO relationship therapy

6. Analyzing the ways you communicate

7. Exploring unconscious roots of  problems

8. Enhancing intimacy to promote closeness

9. Individual counselling