Three Systems Therapy: A Treatment Manual for Relationship Distress among Military and Veteran Couples

• Main Author: Wilkerson, Erik Thomas
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01.01.2022
• Subjects: Clinical psychology; Counseling Psychology; Social psychology
• ISBN: 9798368446530

Relationship distress with a spouse or intimate partner is common across civilian and military populations. An examination of the literature provides compelling evidence that such interpersonal conflict can profoundly affect an individual’s physical and mental health, financial well-being, and overall functioning. Relationship distress increases the likelihood that one will experience various mental health disorders while also decreasing the efficacy of pharmacologic and therapeutic interventions to treat these disorders. Psychotherapeutic approaches to address couple dysfunction have been historically unreliable, and clinicians often struggle to improve couple functioning. Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) was developed in the 1980s and is an empirically based treatment for the treatment of distressed couples. EFT is an attachment-based, experiential psychotherapy which seeks to promote improved couple functioning and greater relationship satisfaction through repairing a couple’s attachment bond. A treatment manual is proposed for active-duty military and veteran couples using EFT. This manual will address the unique circumstances and issues associated with military life and its aftermath by combining EFT principles with effective practices from other theoretical orientations. Integrating best practices from different theoretical orientations may potentiate the efficacy of EFT when administered via telehealth, an important consideration in the era of COVID-19. This is the first treatment manual designed to integrate EFT with other theoretical orientations via telehealth