Marriage Counseling

Marriage as an equal partnership is the goal of amny couples in the western world today and yet equality is often limited by the ways that power and gender interact in the relationship, leading to dissatisfaction and ultimately the break up of the marriage. In Equal PArtners - Good Friends Claire Rabin examines the connection between inequality in marriage and marital distress. Drawing on extensive research and personal interviews in the UK, USA and Israel, she stresses the role of friendship in establishing a truly equal relationship. Focusing on issues of gender, sex roles and power, she provides a new clinical treatment model for therapists working with couples which is much needed in today's climate of change.

This book draws together a wide range of new developments in the study of marital interaction, or how couples communicate with one another in positive and negative situations. Many of the chapters contain new information and insights into how couples can best be helped to deal with issues. This study is of importance to those who study couple interaction, or work with couples to help resolve differences and improve communication.

In the past 10 years, there has been a substantial increase in the number of theoretical and empirical investigations into the maintenance and enhancement of close, romantic relationships. This literature targets the everyday behaviors, expressions of love, and cognitive styles that characterize such relationships. Chapters provide a sampling of the expanse of topics in the domain of how clinical scholars and practitioners address the timely topic of maintaining and enhancing close romantic relationships, including marriage. A distinguished group of scholars and therapists discuss specific problems, such as alcoholism and therapeutic interventions, such as insight therapy. Topics include maintenance issues relevant to: depression, anxiety disorders, the role of children in affecting close relationships, how premarital therapy may serve as an antidote to early relationship problems, forgiveness, remarriage issues, and peer marriage. This volume is intended for practitioners in the field of close romantic relationships, such as marriage, family and relationship therapists, and clinicians.

Destined to become a classic, this handbook chronicles the latest developments in the field of family therapy and launches a new paradigm by laying out the future agenda of the profession in terms of theoretical development, clinical practice, and family research.