Incorporating Biopsychosocial-Spiritual Resources in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy

Hawkins, Jared M.; McPhee, Douglas P.; Brown, Cameron C.

doi:10.1007/s10591-019-09523-8

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Although there have been some family therapist scholars calling for the integration of exercise as a component of therapy (as an additive to EFT; Hawkins et al, 2020), the present paper argues for physical activity as a core area of competency for family therapists, including physical activity assessment, treatment indications, relaying psychoeducation, and proper referral and collaboration with healthcare professionals. To that end, we will outline several recommendations for family therapists in practice, research, and education contexts.…”

Section: Implications For Practice Education and Researchmentioning

confidence: 84%

A framework for incorporating physical activity in treatment: Competencies, guidelines, and implications for family therapists

Novak

Ellis

2021

J Marital Family Therapy

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Physical activity can have a profound impact on the cognitive, emotional, and social aspects of our clients’ lives, and can even boost and sustain therapy outcomes. And yet, family therapists may not be trained or educated in the importance of physical activity nor how to assess, educate, and collaborate with health professionals to incorporate physical activity in treatment. As the evidence grows on the connection between physical activity and biopsychosocial functioning and more family therapists enter medical and healthcare settings, a framework for physical activity competencies is needed. As such, the purpose of this conceptual and empirical review paper is to (a) review the important brain‐boosting benefits of physical activity for mental, cognitive, and social health, (b) provide a framework for the domains for family therapists for incorporating exercise in assessment and treatment, and finally, (c) outline recommendations for practice, education and supervision, and research for family therapists.

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Section: Implications For Practice Education and Researchmentioning

confidence: 84%

A framework for incorporating physical activity in treatment: Competencies, guidelines, and implications for family therapists

Novak

Ellis

2021

J Marital Family Therapy

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“…The study of couples and couple therapists applying their SICT in TAU is a unique contribution of our investigation. SICT, as practiced by most practitioners in this study, (a) was tailored to the spirituality of the couple (rather than the therapist), (b) was focused largely on emotional experiences in treatment, (c) most frequently includes spiritual practices of prayer for couples, discussion of hope and forgiveness, and encouragement to listen to one’s heart, and (d) was typically theoretically eclectic, but influenced primarily by evidence-based theories such as hope-focused (Ripley et al, 2014) or emotion-focused SICT (Hawkins et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…EFCT is an evidence-based treatment, based on both attachment theory and Gestalt therapy, for which spiritual integration resources have been created (Hawkins et al, 2019). Central to EFCT is the process of reshaping the attachment bond by tracking and restructuring patterns of interaction and reprocessing emotion for optimal relational and emotional health.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Besides the first question of which couples engage in SICT, a second question is which theories are most used in couple therapy—especially among the evidence-based practices. Two examples of this third type of SICT are hope-focused couple therapy (HFCT; Ripley & Worthington, 2014; Worthington, 2005) and religiously accommodated emotion-focused couple therapy (EFCT; Hawkins et al, 2019). We describe these two—among many such approaches—because they are thought to be most prevalent in the present research sample.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Spiritually incorporating couple therapy in practice: Christian-accommodated couple therapy as an illustration.

Ripley¹,

Worthington²,

Kent³

et al. 2022

Psychotherapy

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Spiritually incorporating couple therapy (SICT)-couple therapy that incorporates spiritual interventionshas a growing research base. Information is limited on how spiritual interventions are used in practice; thus we studied treatment-as-usual (TAU). SICT is treatment that, at a couple's request, sometimes draws upon spiritual resources when addressing relational issues. We tracked 65 couples from 29 couple therapists (who advertised as spiritually incorporating therapists) over 402 sessions of SICT. Couple spirituality predicted use of spiritual interventions more than did therapist spirituality. The most used spiritual interventions included silent prayer for the couple, discussions of hope and forgiveness, and encouragement to consult their heart. In SICT, therapists used evidence-based couple therapy approaches. SICT should (a) treat highly religious couples in high distress as being at risk for early drop out; (b) follow couples' leads in using spiritual methods; and (c) draw on evidence-based couple and spiritual practices. Clinical Impact StatementQuestion: What is happening in spiritually integrated couple therapy sessions? Findings: Clinicians drew primarily from evidence-based treatments, and couples tended to improve over six sessionsespecially those with less initial relational distress. Meaning: Client spirituality was more important in driving outcomes in spiritually incorporating couple therapy (SICT) than therapist spirituality. When therapists used specific spiritual techniques, they tended to discuss hope, forgiveness, and listening to the heart, silently prayed for the couple, and encouraged partners to pray. Next Steps: Highly distressed religious couples may be a special diversity population because they risk disengagement from treatment.

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“…When Sophia described the situation the interabled couple experienced, the language used was derived from the medical model that views disabled people as "needing to be fixed or cured" to be accepted. While many graduate training programs may incorporate teachings of Biopsychosocial-Spiritual model, therapists may not understand its fit within clinical approaches (Hawkins et al, 2020). This emphasis on the medical model speaks to the continued activism disability communities continuously engage in to shift the narrative towards a social model of disability.…”

Section: Medical Model As Contributor To Ableismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emotionally focused therapists' experiences serving interabled couples in couple therapy: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Tapia-Fuselier

Ray

Allan

et al. 2022

J Marital Family Therapy

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Interabled couples navigate various systems of care as they respond to the needs of the disabled partner. Interabled couplesare defined as one disabled partner and one nondisabled partner. Emotionally focused therapy (EFT) has shown benefits in reducing relationship distress and increasing the experience of security within couples. The study used interpretative phenomenological analysis to address how EFT therapists make sense of their lived experience working with interabled couples in couple therapy. The purpose of the study was to examine the experiences of therapists' serving interabled couples. The study explored the experiences of 10 EFT therapists who served at least one interabled couple in couple therapy. Findings resulted in four superordinate themes, (a) ableism; (b) self-of-the-therapist; (c) reported relationship dynamics of interabled couples; and (d) the "fit" of EFT approach with interabled couples. The themes demonstrate a need to further identify disability-responsive practices within EFT in serving interabled couples.

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Incorporating Biopsychosocial-Spiritual Resources in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy

Cited by 6 publications

References 52 publications

A framework for incorporating physical activity in treatment: Competencies, guidelines, and implications for family therapists

A framework for incorporating physical activity in treatment: Competencies, guidelines, and implications for family therapists

Spiritually incorporating couple therapy in practice: Christian-accommodated couple therapy as an illustration.

Emotionally focused therapists' experiences serving interabled couples in couple therapy: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

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