Main description:

Therapists and counselors can find themselves at an impasse when working with "mixed-agenda" couples-where one partner is considering divorce, while the other partner wants to preserve the marriage and start therapy. Such couples are a common and difficult challenge in clinical practice. To help confirm each partner's agenda before taking decisive steps toward either reconciliation or divorce, this book presents a five-session protocol for engaging couples in a process of learning about what has happened to their relationship and each person's contributions to the problems. The goal is to gain clarity and confidence about a direction for their marriage.

Contents:

Foreword, by Judge Bruce Peterson
Introduction
Part I. Overview, Theory, and Research
Chapter 1. Background and Overview of Discernment Counseling
Chapter 2. Theory and Research
Part II. Methods of Discernment Counseling
Chapter 3. Communicating With Clients Before Starting Discernment Counseling
Chapter 4. First Session Protocol
Chapter 5. Middle Sessions Protocol
Chapter 6. Handling Transitions to Path 3: Couples Therapy
Chapter 7. Handling Transitions to Path 2: Divorce
Chapter 8. Handling Transitions to Path 1: Status Quo
Part III. Common Scenarios in Discernment Counseling
Chapter 9. When One Partner Has an Affair
Chapter 10. When the Feelings Are Gone
Chapter 11. When Neither One is Leaning In
Chapter 12. Shifting From Couples Therapy to Discernment Counseling
Part IV. Implementing Discernment Counseling in Your Practice
Chapter 13. Learning Discernment Counseling
Chapter 14. Managing Critical Incidents in Discernment Counseling
Chapter 15. How to Build a Practice in Discernment Counseling
Appendix: Applications for Lawyers, Mediators, and Clergy
References
Index
About the Authors