The Use of Psychotherapy - Essay Example

A Couple Counseling Strategy A Couple Counseling Strategy: An Analysis of Behavioral Approach Introduction The psychotherapists have the duty and responsibility of working with individuals and couples in order to help them in finding the peace. But in latter type of cases the job of a psychotherapist gets tough because he or she will become responsible for supporting spiritual growth of two people who are explicitly not interested to save their marriage. It is however ironic that people seek advice of a psychotherapist when all else fails therefore it is observable that huge number of marriages break despite going into the option of combine psychotherapy. It is interesting that psychotherapists cannot play a significant role in the process of saving marriages. Furthermore their role in most of the cases is believed to be of a facilitator and therefore they are anticipated to foster communication within the couple. Moreover the use of medication is also ill-advised as the method of mending a relationship because in the view of many scholars the treatment of a failing relationship lies in the hands of the partners. The role of sexual intercourse is also highlighted in the literature. Nevertheless psychotherapist is encouraged towards highlighting the mistakes of husband and wife so that both of them can feel guilty about their past behavior. The guilt will compel them towards keeping the relationship smooth in the future. Literature Review The use of psychotherapy as the means of saving marital relations is growing in all parts of the world. The belief that a psychotherapist can mend a breaking relation is strengthening in European countries where people are finally coming to understand the importance of family in human life. Yet it is noteworthy that the noted percentage of therapeutic intervention fails to succeed because of psychotherapist’s inability and insensitivity towards couple’s privacy. Most of the practitioners behave judgmental while conducting sessions. Additionally they do not provide the opportunity to the patients to blast their emotions and therefore most of them leave the sessions with a heavy heart. In successful psychotherapy the role of a psychologist should remain limited to a facilitator and he or she should intervene with logical and scientific insights whenever necessary. In more practical sense psychotherapists are supposed to conduct individual and private sessions with both partners prior to the initiation of joint marital therapy. It is also imperative to comprehend views of both individuals because it will enable the psychotherapist to present viewpoints of both the parties more effectively during joint sessions. Finally the psychotherapist has a duty to ensure that both husband and wife feel guilty enough to keep their relation stable in the future. It is also vital to mention that some relations have deformed to a degree where a genius psychotherapist may not be able to do anything and in this kind of scenario he or she should and must work towards helping in the process of separation. Behavioral Approaches in Marital Psychotherapy The primal responsibility of a psychologist is to present a soft front to the pained humanity and therefore he or she should make sure not to behave judgmental towards the problems of a marital relation. The psychotherapist is also fundamentally responsible for making a sincere attempt in terms of revitalizing a relationship against all costs. But a psychologist must know when to give up. The symptoms of a failed relationship may include lack of sexual activity, absence of mutual respect and trust. And finally expressed need for divorce from at least one partner on more than one occasion. If in any case psychotherapist is convinced that the marriage cannot be saved then he or she should work to help in the process of separation (Gurman, 2008). Hypothetical Case of Martha and Joseph Martha is a 34 years old housewife whereas her husband is a chief accountant in a famous bank. The psychotherapist might use the following method to help the couple. The behavioral approaches to psychotherapy are developed in order to minimize the use of medication in marital counseling. The use of above-mentioned approaches involves presenting logical and scientific arguments in front of the couple so that they can understand their mistakes. These methods of psychotherapy include a full fledge drain of emotions from both the partners. This step is believed to be a necessary and initial measure towards a successful therapy. According to famous psychologists the ventilation of emotions reinstates a person’s reasoning capabilities and therefore the patient responds well towards the treatment. The idea behind deployment of behavioral approaches is to modify couple’s hostility into long-lasting friendship. The psychotherapist is free to quote examples of successful couples in the social circle to induce a particular one towards saving their relation. In collective cultures psychotherapist might use children as bait for the parents. But in more liberal societies highlighting marital interdependencies might do the trick. There is wide-range of variables that can predict the effectiveness of a marital psychotherapy. Yet a psychotherapist cannot form affection between the couple from scratch. However he or she can enhance a residue of love and attachment via motivating husband and wife to engage in sex or to have intimate dinners. Findings The major findings of the study are as follows Psychotherapy of married couples is one of the most difficult task a mental specialist can face The development of behavioral approaches took place to limit the use of medications in psychotherapy. The success rate of marital psychotherapy is low despite that European couples are using it as a source of solving their difficulties In spite the odds psychotherapists are suggested to make a wholehearted attempt to save the matrimonial relations Conclusion This paper analyzed the use of behavioral approaches in marital psychotherapy and found that psychologists cannot do much about saving the relationships. It is because the key to keep the relation steady lies within the hands of the couple. The psychotherapists can only foster the process of mending and he or she cannot do so with the help of any force or coercion. References Gurman, A. (2008). Clinical Handbook of Couple Therapy 4th ed. New York: Gulford Press. Read More