Couples Counseling: A Step by Step Guide for Therapists Paperback – May 14, 2012

I love this book! I recently moved to private practice and got flooded with couples, this helps me structure my sessions! Thank you for writing this book!

I am a MSW in private practice, and like most graduate level counseling programs, my schooling did not cover the essentials of couples counseling very thoroughly. I felt ill prepared to see couples upon graduation, and was terrified at the thought of treating couples when I entered the world of private practice. This book does exactly as the cover states ... it is literally a step by step guide - covering the initial phone contact, session by session outlines, all the way through termination. Within each chapter, the author includes sample session dialogue with a vignette couple that she uses to illustrate her concepts throughout the book. She offers various approaches and problem solving techniques when the therapist may encounter a resistant or argumentative spouse, an array of presenting problems, a significant other who attempts to "fire" the therapist, and more. I learned more about couples from this book than I did in 6 years of higher education and two internships. Not to mention, the couples I treat also love the activities and content that we cover in session, which are all derived from this book. I have seen amazing outcomes in the couples I've worked with following this guide. This is a must have!!

Love this step by guide as a new therapist. Exactly what I was looking for and more.

I'll have to say as a new counselor in the mental health world (registered clinical social worker), by the time I reached chapter 5, I'd felt more than prepared to hold my own ground in couples counseling. This book really breaks down step-by-step on how to conduct a typical session with your clients. Okay, so not every session is going to turn out the way the book explain or "picture perfect", but it gives you ways to think creatively on your own on how to handle complex situations relating to couples counseling. I had my first couples counseling and I didn't feel confident from the very first session because I was lost for words. As a result that didn't last long for me. Now that I read this book, if I had to do it again, I would be more than prepared to empower the couples that walks into my office. I would recommend this book to any new therapist aka novice therapist like myself or any therapist for that matter to read this book as a good starting point. I promise it's worth buying.

This book was amazing for me. I was given a couple to work with no experience or guidance (I specialize in children). I was so nervous and did not have any idea where to begin. I ordered this book and it was like a miracle. its not overwhelming to read , broken down session by session, and gives you real session scenarios. I was able to take the things given from this book and really help make a difference in my couples life. This book really built my confidence up as a therapist . I would advise to read the whole book before working with a couple and not one session at a time because when couples come to you with a crisis you should be prepared for it. Ex. If the session for the day is about communication but they just had a huge argument about trust you don't want to be thrown off course because you didn't read that session yet!

For the new or old therapist, this book is a must have. It is so thorough and the exercises work! I add to it in my work but it has proven to be effective.

As a clinical social worker I have read and researched all topics relevant to my practice. Couples counseling is particularly difficult and research is hard to find. This book is phenomenal. I would recommend it to any practitioner, novice or seasoned ,that want to work with or currently work with couples .

I like how this book is organized and the language is simple and down-to-earth. However, in just the first 15 pages or so, I've found 3 grammatical errors already. It almost seems like this wasn't proofread at all!