Case Studies in Couples Therapy : Theory-Based Approaches

This up-to-date, highly readable, theory-based, and application-oriented book fills a crucial void in literature on couple therapy. Few books in the couple therapy market bridge the gap between theory and practice; texts tend to lean in one direction or the other, either emphasizing theory and research with little practical application, or taking a cookbook approach that describes specific techniques and interventions that are divorced from any conceptual or theoretical base. However, couples therapy requires a high degree of abstract/conceptual thinking, as well as ingenuity, inventiveness and skill on the part of the therapist. Case Studies in Couples Therapy blends the best of all worlds: clinical applications with challenging and diverse couples that have been derived from the most influential theories and models in couples and family therapy, all written by highly experienced and respected voices in the field.

In Case Studies in Couples Therapy, readers will grasp the essentials of major theories and approaches in a few pages and then see how concepts and principles are applied in the work of well-known clinicians. The case studies incorporate a wide variety of couples from diverse backgrounds in a number of different life situations. It is simultaneously narrow (including specific processes and interventions applied with real clients) and broad (clearly outlining a broad array of theories and concepts) in scope, and the interventions in it are directly linked to theoretical perspectives in a clear and systematic way. Students and clinicians alike will find the theoretical overview sections of each chapter clear and easy to follow, and each chapter’s thorough descriptions of effective, practical interventions will give readers a strong sense of the connections between theory and practice.

Dr. David K. Carson is a Professor of Psychology at Palm Beach Atlantic University in Orlando, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Qualified Supervisor in Florida and Wyoming, and a Clinical Member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and AAMFT Approved Supervisor. Dr. Carson has worked with a variety of couples in therapy and taught couples and marital therapy for many years. He has authored and co-authored 90 publications. Three books in recent years include: Creativity in Psychotherapy: Reaching New Heights with Individuals, Couples, and Families (2003; New York: Routledge) and two edited with his wife Dr. Cecyle Carson and colleague Dr. Aparajita Chowdhury: Indian Families at the Crossroads (2007; New Delhi: Gyan Pub.) and Family Life Education in India: Perspectives, Challenges, and Applications (2006, Jaipur: Rawat Pub.). Dr. Carson is extensively involved with the promotion of counseling and marriage and family therapy in India and travels to India regularly to teach and conduct training seminars across the country. He has also been a Fulbright Senior Scholar in India and has worked in community development in northern India and Nepal.

Dr. Montse Casado-Kehoe is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Palm Beach Atlantic University in Orlando. She is a licensed marriage and marriage and family therapist and qualified supervisor for LMHC/LMFT in the state of Florida, a registered play therapist and a member of the American Counseling Association, and International Association for Marriage and Family Counseling. Dr. Casado-Kehoe specializes in women's issues, children and family issues, health issues as they relate to mental health and well-being and the use of coping. She integrates the use of a strength-based approach when working with individuals, children and families, and in supervision. Her work is experiential in nature and integrates the use of creativity and spiritual practice. Her research has focused on family therapy, play therapy, supervision and the integration of technology in counseling. She has also conducted research on helping families cope with a child’s life-threatening illness. She has coauthored two books, has written various book chapters, has been published in peer review journals, and has presented at the national and international levels. Dr. Casado-Kehoe was educated in Spain and the United States and is bilingual in English and Spanish.