Marriage and Family Therapy and Counseling Commons^™

Therapists' Perspectives On Working With Interracial Couples [Book Chapter], Shruti Poulsen

Shruti Poulsen

About the book:

Go beyond cookie-cutter therapy and interventions to provide culturally relevant therapy that works for your clients in interracial relationships! With this book, you'll explore an array of relational issues faced by various configurations of interracial couples. Then you'll learn specific intervention strategies for treating these couples in therapy. The first section presents research and theoretical chapters on issues faced by interracial couples who are heterosexual; the second focuses on issues facing racially mixed gay and lesbian couples; and the third provides you with specific interventions to use with couples in interracial relationships. Clinical Issues with Interracial Couples: …

Open Relationships: A Culturally And Clinically Sensitive Approach, Deanna M. Fierman, Shruti Singh Poulsen

Shruti Poulsen

Romantic and sexual relationships that challenge the notion of monogamy are more common and visible in American society than earlier years, yet there is very little literature focusing on therapy with clients in open relationships. Concepts from the literature on open relationships that could be used in couple and family therapy are discussed in addition to specific ethical considerations for therapists who work with this population. A case description that illustrates a clinical approach that draws upon constructionist and narrative elements is provided. A discussion of how therapists can assist with the negotiation of non-monogamy, and suggestions for ways to …

Utilizing Photographs With The Genogram: A Technique For Enhancing Couple Therapy, Jennifer M. Cook, Shruti Poulsen

Shruti Poulsen

The authors propose the use of photographs in conjunction with genograms in the couple therapy process in order to create a dynamic, information rich, and experiential therapeutic environment. The authors explore family-of-origin work with genograms and clients' personal photographs, showcasing the potential usefulness of combining these therapeutic practices to enhance couple therapy. The authors present a case description illustrating how this approach can develop a richer narrative about family-of-origin patterns in the couple system and function as a stimulus for change in the couple relationship.

Therapists' Perspectives On Working With Interracial Couples, Shruti S. Poulsen

Shruti Poulsen

This paper is based on interviews with seven marriage and family therapists (AAMFT Clinical Members) on their experiences of providing therapy to interracial couples in the course of their private practices. The interviews were conducted by the author as part of a masters thesis project. Interracial couples may frequently present for therapy with a variety of generic couples' issues and concerns. However, therapists often find that underlying these more generic concerns are issues related to the ethnic, racial, and cultural differences that the partners bring to the relationship. This paper focuses on the historical context of intermarriage, specific concerns and …

Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy With Couples Facing Terminal Illness, Sarah Tie, Shruti Poulsen

Shruti Poulsen

Research on effective therapeutic interventions for couples dealing with terminal illness is scant. Changes in daily routine, added responsibilities, role changes, and the grief process are all contributors to the enormous stress and emotional strain felt by these couples. Couples where one partner is terminally ill may experience anger, depression, guilt, and anxiety. The authors propose that emotionally focused couple therapy (EFT), originally developed by Greenberg and Johnson (Emotionally focused therapy for couples, Guilford Press, New York, NY, 1988) may be effective in addressing this distress and in facilitating the grieving and support process in couples dealing with terminal …

Awareness Of Culture: Clinical Implications For Couple Therapy [Book Chapter], Shruti Poulsen, Volker Thomas

Shruti Poulsen

This is a chapter in the book Handbook of Clinical Issues in Couple Therapy.

About the book:
Handbook of Clinical Issues in Couple Therapy provides a comprehensive overview of emerging issues that impact couple therapy. Unlike other guides that concentrate more on theoretical approaches, this invaluable resource contains the latest research and perspectives that every clinician needs when dealing with the challenging issues often found in practice. Carefully referenced, it explores a range of issues that include intimate partner violence, posttraumatic stress disorder and its effect on couple relationships, divorce therapy, remarriage and cohabitation issues, cultural issues, and couple therapist …

Open Relationships: A Culturally & Clinically Sensitive Approach [Book Chapter[, D. Fierman, Shruti S. Poulsen

Shruti Poulsen

About the book:

This Brief from the American Family Therapy Academy (AFTA) is a collection of chapters from the AFTA Monograph Series. The chapters specifically address responses to a wide range of contextual phenomena from a relational family therapy perspective. Chapters are grounded in family systems concepts and informed by postmodern perspectives including social justice. The collection provides cutting edge thinking and practices for a variety of experiences that strongly impact individuals and families. Authors address the treatment of couples and families oppressed by socio-contextual phenomena such as war and poverty, and of those marginalized by the insidious impact of …

Cultural Issues In Couple Therapy, Shruti S. Poulsen, Volker Thomas

Shruti Poulsen

There is scant literature in couples and family therapy about the impact of culture in couple therapy. This paper reviews current literature in counseling, multicultural counseling, family therapy, and gender and cultural studies to provide an overview of the significant and pertinent issues related to culture and the couple therapy setting. The paper reviews several aspects of culture including race and ethnicity, gender, social class, and sexual orientation. While by no means a complete review of these issues as they relate to couple therapy, this paper attempts to provide an opening to future dialogue and discourse in this area of …

Interracial Relationships In Hawaii, Paula M. Usita, Shruti Poulsen

Shruti Poulsen

Given the increase in rates of intermarriages, it is vital that we understand the issues and benefits of interracial relationships and the ways in which therapists might assist interracial couples. Our focus in this article is on interracial relationships in Hawaii. Because of its history of promoting interracial ties and its plural character, Hawaii is, in many ways, a unique setting for interracial relationships. At the same time, there are relational issues, benefits, and needs faced by both mainstream U.S. interracial couples and interracial couples in Hawaii. There are a variety of therapeutic interventions that could be used to help …

Narrative Therapy For Adoption Issues In Families, Couples, And Individuals: Rationale And Approach, Lauren D. Stokes, Shruti Poulsen

Shruti Poulsen

This article explores the application of narrative therapy to clinical work with clients’ adoption-related issues. The importance of therapist competency in addressing adoption-related issues is the primary focus for exploring the application of narrative therapy with individual, couple, and family clients experiencing adoption issues. The narrative method can be effective in exploring and understanding the diversity of experience and meanings adoption triad members report in regard to their adoption experiences (Baden & Wiley, 2007; Daniluk & Hurtig-Mitchell, 2003). Multiple realities and meanings emerge as a theme in the adoption literature and as core concepts in the narrative framework.

Couple Therapy And Reiki: A Holistic Therapeutic Integration, Stephanie Stockham-Ronollo, Shruti Poulsen

Shruti Poulsen

Traditional psychotherapy currently tends to advocate for the exclusion of physical touch in the therapeutic context, as an attempt to address the issue of physical and emotional safety for the client and mitigate ethical and legal concerns. However, throughout human history touch has been an important factor in physical, psychological, and emotional healing processes. The authors of this article examine the current implementation of couple therapy modalities and discuss the benefits that Reiki, a biofield touch therapy, could offer in conjunction with traditional couple therapy.