Clinical Handbook of Couple Therapy, Fourth Edition [Hardcover]

Alan S. Gurman Phd (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1593858213 | ISBN-13: 978-1593858216 | Publication Date: June 24, 2008 | Edition: 4th

This authoritative handbook provides a definitive overview of the theory and practice of couple therapy. Noted contributors--many of whom developed the approaches they describe--combine clear conceptual exposition with thorough descriptions of therapeutic techniques. In addition to presenting major couple therapy models in step-by-step detail, the book describes effective applications for particular populations and problems. Chapters adhere closely to a uniform structure to facilitate study and comparison, enhancing the book's utility as a reference and text.

(20091001)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Finding high-quality textbooks for graduate clinical application courses is often a challenge. The Clinical Handbook of Couple Therapy effectively meets that challenge by providing a well-written, comprehensive, and thorough discussion of major theoretical approaches to conducting effective psychotherapy with couples. While my emphasis for students is on being well grounded in theory, I appreciate the clinical case examples throughout the book that further explicate the theories discussed. I have used the examples as a springboard for developing other experiential learning exercises in class. I especially appreciate the chapter addressing multicultural issues in work with couples, as the authors address concerns that are less commonly brought to light. I highly recommend this book to colleagues teaching courses in marital or couple therapy."--Joan I. Rosenberg, PhD, clinical psychology doctoral program, Phillips Graduate Institute, Encino, California

"Gurman has been the leading authority on couple therapy as the field has matured over the past three decades. The fourth edition of this classic handbook presents the wide array of approaches that have been developed, their broad application with diverse relationship problems, and the research that supports ongoing advances. This text is indispensable for clinical training and practice."--Froma Walsh, PhD, Mose and Sylvia Firestone Professor Emerita, School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago, and Codirector, Chicago Center for Family Health

"Carrying on the great tradition of the earlier editions of this book, Gurman has once again put together the definitive handbook of couple therapy. Covering all of the major approaches as well as the major client and problem populations, this volume provides in-depth snapshots written by the key leaders in the field. Ideal as a text for graduate courses, it also offers senior clinicians and researchers a guide to what’s new. In addition to updated versions of the major therapy approaches, this volume adds new chapters on a comparative framework for studying couple therapies, legal and ethical issues, and the treatment of severe disorders, with special emphasis on borderline personality disorder. This is an indispensable book that should be part of the library of every couple therapist and couple therapy researcher."--William M. Pinsof, PhD, ABPP, President, The Family Institute at Northwestern University; Director, Center for Applied Psychological and Family Studies, Northwestern University

"This newly updated classic text remains one of the best introductions to the various schools of couple therapy and features a host of applications for specific problems."--Michael P. Nichols, PhD, Department of Psychology, College of William and Mary

"Comprehensive, up-to-date, and clearly the definitive reference book in this field. His introduction, a history of couple therapy, is a pleasure to read and is sprinkled with witty and wise aphorisms....The practicing psychiatrist can garner many practical points....Although it is a reference book in which one can find specific information, one can also browse through such topics as empathy, communication, intimacy, and curative factors....Psychiatrists of any persuasion will find an abundance of valuable pearls in this reference."--Journal of Clinical Psychiatry

(Journal of Clinical Psychiatry )

"It is hard to imagine improving a classic, but Alan S. Gurman has managed to do just that. In his fourth edition of the Clinical Handbook of Couple Therapy, Gurman has contributed to and compiled a comprehensive and superbly written collection of chapters in the field of couple therapy. The book is exactly what therapists interested in couple therapy should read as they embark on a career in the field....This text is ideally suited as an introduction to couple therapy for students....This text is a must for any couples therapist''s library."--Journal of Marital and Family Therapy

(Journal of Marital and Family Therapy )

About the Author

Alan S. Gurman, PhD, is Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry and Director of Family Therapy Training at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. He has edited and written many influential books, including Theory and Practice of Brief Therapy (with Simon H. Budman), the Handbook of Family Therapy (with David P. Kniskern), and Essential Psychotherapies (with Stanley B. Messer). A past two-term Editor of the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy and former President of the Society for Psychotherapy Research, Dr. Gurman's distinguished contributions to marital and family therapy have been recognized with awards from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the American Family Therapy Academy, and the American Psychological Association. More recently, he received a national teaching award from the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers. A pioneer in the development of integrative approaches to couple therapy, Dr. Gurman maintains an active clinical practice in Madison, Wisconsin.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 736 pages
• Publisher: The Guilford Press; 4th edition (June 24, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593858213
• ISBN-13: 978-1593858216
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,433 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive with sound empirical foundation, April 30, 2009

By 

Nate (Columbus, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clinical Handbook of Couple Therapy, Fourth Edition (Hardcover)

It was with a bit of nostalgia that I decided to read and review the Clinical Handbook of Couple Therapy: 4th edition, edited by Alan Gurman, Ph.D. Owing much of my current clinical interest in couple therapy to previous editions of this book read while in graduate school, I was eager to learn what the newest edition had in store. I was pleasantly surprised to find that rather than reading the same book with new chapters tacked to the end, each of the chapters in this edition have been significantly updated with the most current and clinically relevant research. This rather hefty 746 page volume is literally packed, cover to cover with the latest in theory and clinical practice of couple therapy with chapters authored by only the most prominent experts in the field. The book is divided in halves with subsections organizing common groups of chapters. The first half of the book is devoted to models of couple therapy and the second half focuses on applications of couple therapy with special populations, problems and issues in mind.

It was immediately evident to me in Part I that Dr. Gurman had given the authors very specific instructions on how to structure each chapter. In Part I each chapter is written by authors who are expert at a specific orientation of couple therapy. Chapters are organized by Behavioral, Humanistic/Existential, Psychodynamic, Social Constructionist, Systemic, and Integrative Approaches. Each chapter addresses the historical underpinnings of the model, the theory of marital distress, specific structure of approaching therapy (i.e. assessment and technical intervention.) in addition to a case example. The end result was a perfect and well uniformed comparative study of every major approach to couple therapy that is being practiced today. I have yet to read a book that has done this quite so elegantly. I was particularly fascinated by each authors' description of what their conception of a "healthy/well-functioning vs. pathological/dysfunctional" marriage. It was a treat reading some of the most premier researchers and clinicians describe their approaches in such illuminating detail.

The behavioral approaches section opens with a richly detailed chapter by Baucom, Epstein and colleges discussing Cognitive Behavioral Couple Therapy. I particularly enjoyed the authors' discussion of the influence of social learning theory on this approach in addition to the attention paid to macro-level interactional transactions. The Humanistic-Existential Approaches subsection is crowned by a wonderful chapter by Dr. Susan Johnson describing Emotionally Focused Couple therapy. Her description of EFT as an open discussion between Carl Rogers, Ludwig von Bertalanffy and John Bowlby was well demonstrated in her chapter. Her cogent writing illustrating the deep influence of human attachment on the development and maintenance of marital distress forms the core of her approach. This chapter is followed by Dr's John and Julie Gottman describing their approach to couple therapy that is heavily steeped in the empirical data gathered over decades in Gottman's legendary observational laboratories. The other chapters in this section also do not disappoint and when read in succession one can see that these approaches although different in many ways, converge in some key areas, such as the emphasis on the formation of the therapeutic alliance and working with in-session enactments of problematic relational transactions.

Part II focuses on special applications and in this section one will find subsections organizing the chapters around rupture and repair of relational bonds, couple therapy and the treatment of psychiatric disorders, and couple therapy in the broader context. Every chapter in this section adds to and builds upon what has been written previously with very little redundancy; a quality that is difficult to find in large volumes with this many authors. I particularly enjoyed Dr's. Gordon, Baucom, Snyder and Dixon discuss their approach to the treatment of extramarital affairs. They present a very thoughtful rationale for understanding the process of recovery from affairs that is heavily informed by individual response to trauma (i.e. the emotional impact of the trauma, making meaning, and re-contextualizing the trauma). There is also an excellent chapter by Dr. Gottlieb and colleges on legal and ethical issues in couple therapy. It is a very comprehensive discussion of common ethical challenges and provides more than several common solutions, comparing and contrasting ways of responding to these challenges.

Overall, this book is well written but very dense. It is certainly not for the layman as the authors seem to be addressing both academics and clinicians who understand the importance of utilizing proven approaches that are backed by sound empirical data. The end product delivers an extremely comprehensive volume that is perfect for graduate students learning couple therapy as well as experienced clinicians looking for an "all-in-one" reference. For those who have previous editions, I think that there is enough new content in this book to take a second look at this edition.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couples Counseling, December 4, 2009

By 

Gail A. Olson (Omaha, Nebraska) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Clinical Handbook of Couple Therapy, Fourth Edition (Hardcover)

If you are a new couples therapist, this book is the cornerstone of working with couples!~ If you are a very experienced therapist, this book offers new insights and revelations on improving your therapy expertise--not to mention the benefit it will have in your work with couples. EXCELLENT resource book!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great for the price, January 24, 2010

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Nicholas Torrez "nikatym" (Bakersfield, CA.) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Clinical Handbook of Couple Therapy, Fourth Edition (Hardcover)

Received the book as detailed, seller was prompt. The text is very lengthy, and at times very difficult to read. I am a graduate student and for the majority of the text it appeared as though each author of every chapter was attempting to upstage the other. Overall, it hit on some major topics, but a difficult read.