Applying Cognitive-Behaviorial Therapy

Application: Applying Cognitive-Behaviorial Therapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) focuses on patterns of thinking, with decreased attention on patterns of behavior and emotional components of relationships. Researchers have given an enormous amount of attention to CBT and its application to a variety of individual mental health concerns, but they also have appropriated it for working with couples and, more recently, with families. Many systems purists argue that CBT is an individual-oriented theory that lacks systemic concepts necessary to conceptualize family or couple issues. In the end, you will have to make the decision as a marriage, couple, and family counselor as to whether CBT can address the relational demands of clinical work with couples and families.

Choose one video from this week’s Learning Resources to review. As you begin to formulate a theory-based treatment plan, consider how you would maintain focus on the cognitive-behavioral realm of the couples and/or families, yet attend to the emotional dynamics present in the video.

The assignment (2–3 pages)

Based on the theory demonstrated in the video you chose (cognitive-behavioral therapy with either a couple or family):

• Define the problem.
• Formulate a treatment plan including short- and long-term goals.
• Describe two theory-based interventions you would use and justify your selection.
• Explain one anticipated outcome of each.

Support your Application Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are asked to provide a reference list for all resources, including those in the Learning Resources for this course.

Learning Resources

This page contains the Learning Resources for this week. Be sure to scroll down the page to see all of this week’s assigned Learning Resources. To view this week’s embedded media resources, please use the streaming media players below.

Required Resources

Media

Note: To access this week’s required library videos, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

CBT:

• Video: Allyn & Bacon. (Publisher). (2002). Cognitive-behavioral child therapy [Motion picture]. [With Bruce Masek]. United States: Psychotherapy.net. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
  
  
• Video: Allyn & Bacon. (Publisher). (2000). Couples therapy for addictions: A cognitive-behavioral approach [Motion picture]. [With Barbara McCrady]. United States: Psychotherapy.net. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Gottman:

• Video: Gottman, J. M., & Gottman, J. S. (Producers). (2009). Gottman couples therapy: A new research-based approach: Our research methods. United States: The Gottman Institute.
  
  Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 10 minutes.Accessible player –Downloads–Download Transcript
• Video: Gottman, J. M., & Gottman, J. S. (Producers). (2009). Gottman couples therapy: A new research-based approach: Our research methods: The sound relationship house. United States: The Gottman Institute.
  
  Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 29 minutes.Accessible player –Downloads–Download Transcript

Readings

• Course Text: Gurman, A. S., Lebow, J. L., & Snyder, D.  (2015). Clinical handbook of couple therapy (5th ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press. 
  • Chapter 2, “Cognitive-Behavioral Couple Therapy”
  • Chapter 5, “Gottman Method Couple Therapy”
• Course Text: Theory-Based Treatment Planning for Marriage and Family Therapists
  • Chapter 9, “Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy”
    
• Article: Driver, J. L., & Gottman, J. M. (2004). Daily marital interactions and positive affect during marital conflict among newlywed couples. Family Process, 43(3), 301–314. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
• Article: Gottman, J. M., & Driver, J. L. (2005). Dysfunctional marital conflict and everyday marital interaction. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 43(3/4), 63–77. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
  
• Article: Smith, G. B., & Schwebel, A. I. (1995). Using a cognitive-behavioral family model in conjunction with systems and behavioral family therapy models. American Journal of FamilyTherapy, 23(3), 203–212. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Handout

• Gottman Method Couple Therapy

Optional Resources

Readings

• Book: Bitter, J. R., Long, L. L., & Young, M.E. (2010). Introduction to marriage, couple, and family counseling. Mason, OH: Cengage.
  • Chapter 13, “Cognitive-Behavioral Family Therapy”
    
• Book: Gottman, J. M., & Silver, N. (1999). The seven principles for making marriage work. New York, NY: Three Rivers Press.
  
• Book: Gottman, J. S. (Ed.). (2004). The marriage clinic casebook. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Co.

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