Helping Couples Change

Download or read book Helping Couples Change written by Richard B. Stuart and published by Guilford Press. This book was released on 2003-11-19 with total page 468 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now available in paper for the first time, this classic work presents a structured, rigorously tested, six-stage strategy for improving intimate relationships. Therapists and counselors will benefit from practical, step-by-step guidance for deciding how, why, and when to employ such widely cited Stuart techniques as "caring days," communication improvements, behavioral contracting, the "powergram" procedure for decision making, and conflict containment. These techniques not only provide a program for identifying and producing positive behavior change, but give the therapist the tools to assess therapeutic outcome and empirically validate the efficacy of change. A new preface to the paperback edition situates the book within the contemporary couple therapy landscape and reflects on the continuing evolution of the author's approach.